# Questions on the Chow Chow breed!



## Saures (Jul 9, 2011)

Me and my boyfriend are looking at getting a Chow towards the end of this year, but there's a few questions I want to ask before getting them, unfortunately, they seem to be quite a rare breed and I can't find too many forums or Facebook groups to ask questions!
Here are my questions:

Can Chows be clipped? I know there's a lot of dogs who cannot be clipped as it damages their coat, is the Chow one of them?

Would a Chow happily sleep off of the bed, or in a separate room? We are thinking of creating a room for whatever pup we might get, and my boyfriend does not allow animals on the bed, so the Chow must either stay on the bedroom floor or in its own room and be happy there.

I've read that chows are good companions for children and dogs if socialised at a young age, but what if new family members were brought into the mix, such as if you were to have a baby or a puppy? I've read that Chows do not get on well with strangers, so could there be an issue if we decided to start a family or introduce a new pup?

Some websites have told me they are fine on their own for a short while, others tell me they hate it, does it depend on the dog as an individual? 

Are they quite vocal?

Are they destructive?

Are they obedient?

If there's any other information you could tell me, even if it's unrelated to my questions, I'd love to hear it as I want to fully understand the breed before committing myself to one!


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

No, you cannot shave a Chow. Just like any double coated breed, it will damage the fur permanently.

You can train any dog to sleep in a different place. Is there a particular reason why you want to do this, though? My dog enjoys being near me but he doesn't sleep on our bed with us even though he has the choice.

They're good with children if they are raised around them... but only with THEIR family children. Not a breed to have kids' friends running around and whatnot.

And yes, Chows definitely do not get along with strangers. They guard their property and family fiercely. You will just have to be extra careful and extra patient when introducing new family members.

The Chows I knew were okay with being alone.

Dogs are not destructive as long as you keep them occupied.

They're obedient... to an extent. They sometimes have better ideas/are stubborn, but r+ works well with them.

If you want a more family friendly pet, I would suggest the Eurasier. You get the look of a Chow but you get a much friendlier animal.


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## Saures (Jul 9, 2011)

Are they okay with the occasional trim? I'm after a chow which does have a long coat (rough?) But isn't extremely fluffy, just moderate and I've seen a lot of different coat lengths so I wondered if people trimmed or clipped.

It's mainly my boyfriend, he hasn't grown up with dogs, so he isn't used to sharing his bed with dogs and does not want them sleeping with him, I'm fine with dogs on the bed, but I already have a dog, who lives with my parents, and he is used to sleeping in beds and eventually once we transfer him to living with us, he will have to sleep off of the bed and eventually having two dogs sleeping on our bed would get a bit much I think! 

We aren't the type who would have children running about, but as obviously a dog is a long time commitment, I would prefer a dog that who is excepting of new family members, I am hoping to have a family within the next ten years, so the Chow would be around during the introduction of babies to our family, which is why it's so important for me to know if they would be okay with that kind of introduction of 'strangers'.

We're not expecting our Chow to do any other commands than your usual sit, stay, recall, off, etc, so as long as they're fairly accepting of being less dominant and obedient, than that is fine.

We have looked into that breed, but unfortunately we were unable to find any reliable breeders in the UK so far, I've kept my eyes peeled as that was the breed I first wanted but no luck so far!


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

You could get just a short coated Chow


Here is a list of Chow Chow breeders listed on the Kennel Club breeder referral
Breeder1
Breeder2
Breeder3
Breeder4
Breeder5
Breeder6
Breeder7
Breeder8
Breeder9
Breeder10
Breeder11
Breeder12
Breeder13
Breeder14
Breeder15
Breeder16

You can email them and ask if any of them have smooth coated Chows, This is what a Smooth coat looks like


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

So I might be a little (a LOT) biased since our NextDog is going to be a Eurasier, but yeah. Eurasiers are awesome. And fluffy. And awesome. Since they were developed from the Chow, they still have that big fluffy look, but with the Samoyed and the Keeshond mixed in, they're very much companion dogs. 

Check out the UK Eurasier Society if you're interested in them. They have a couple of breeders listed: http://www.eurasiersociety.org.uk/breeders.html
Don't be put off if the breeder website hasn't been updated in a while. The breeder we're getting our Eurasier from hasn't updated her site since... I dunno.. 2006 or something. We took a chance and contacted her anyway and it all worked out!


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

From what I gather, with your experience and expectations etc, I would advise AGAINST getting a Chow.

A Chow is a WHOLE LOTTA dog. Probably best suited for someone with a whole lotta dog experience already under their belt. I just don't think they're a good choice for first time or 'near first time' owners. But that's my personal opinion, so suit yourself.

http://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Breeds/Chow-Chow/Personality.aspx


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

Effisia said:


> So I might be a little (a LOT) biased since our NextDog is going to be a Eurasier, but yeah. Eurasiers are awesome. And fluffy. And awesome. Since they were developed from the Chow, they still have that big fluffy look, but with the Samoyed and the Keeshond mixed in, they're very much companion dogs.
> 
> Check out the UK Eurasier Society if you're interested in them. They have a couple of breeders listed: http://www.eurasiersociety.org.uk/breeders.html
> Don't be put off if the breeder website hasn't been updated in a while. The breeder we're getting our Eurasier from hasn't updated her site since... I dunno.. 2006 or something. We took a chance and contacted her anyway and it all worked out!


Off topic, but squeee you DID choose a Eurasier!!! I'm so excited, I'll get to live vicariously through you, lol!


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I had no idea that chows came in a smooth coat. That picture looks alot like a large Shar Pei!


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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

Effisia said:


> So I might be a little (a LOT) biased since our NextDog is going to be a Eurasier, but yeah. Eurasiers are awesome. And fluffy. And awesome. Since they were developed from the Chow, they still have that big fluffy look, but with the Samoyed and the Keeshond mixed in, they're very much companion dogs.
> 
> Check out the UK Eurasier Society if you're interested in them. They have a couple of breeders listed: http://www.eurasiersociety.org.uk/breeders.html
> Don't be put off if the breeder website hasn't been updated in a while. The breeder we're getting our Eurasier from hasn't updated her site since... I dunno.. 2006 or something. We took a chance and contacted her anyway and it all worked out!


omg you're getting a eurasier? Ahh I can't wait to see pics


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Effisia said:


> So I might be a little (a LOT) biased since our NextDog is going to be a Eurasier, but yeah. Eurasiers are awesome. And fluffy. And awesome. Since they were developed from the Chow, they still have that big fluffy look, but with the Samoyed and the Keeshond mixed in, they're very much companion dogs.
> 
> Check out the UK Eurasier Society if you're interested in them. They have a couple of breeders listed: http://www.eurasiersociety.org.uk/breeders.html
> Don't be put off if the breeder website hasn't been updated in a while. The breeder we're getting our Eurasier from hasn't updated her site since... I dunno.. 2006 or something. We took a chance and contacted her anyway and it all worked out!


A Eurasier?!? Cool! I looked into them a bit, but wasn't sure I could convince my husband to deal with the shedding. There's a breeder in my general area, I think, which made me think it was possible to get a less common breed.


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## Effisia (Jun 20, 2013)

They're really great dogs. The shedding, of course, is not really an issue here since Annabel has pretty much already covered everything with black. I think our breeder told us there are only about 300-350 in the US right now. The breeder at North Star is working to get pics of all the US Eurasiers, I believe ( http://www.northstar-eurasiers.com/html/galleries.html )

We found them to be perfect dogs for us. Family-oriented, they seem to do really well in obedience trials and agility, stunning good looks... I really cannot recommend them highly enough!

Also, there will be plenty of adorable puppy pics from me (probably in the spring!)


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs (Jun 3, 2007)

Chows are stubborn and often very aggressive with strangers. AKA, if you don't know what you are doing they are very much a liability. I would not advise a Chow for a regular family dog. They cannot be shaved. No breed with a thick double coat can be shaved safely. You will risk it not growing back correctly and eventually skin issues because of it. They should see a groomer to be bathed/blown out/trimmed feet/fringes only.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

I've had a couple of Chow mixes that I adore, but I wouldn't recommend as family dogs. OP- Skip the chow. You'd be better off with a Samoyed. Much friendlier. And I would teach them to sleep in a crate in your room, or on their own bed. Not in their own room. Dogs want to be with their people.


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