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Okay, I can't help myself. With the recent "what dog do you dislike the most" thread (I know that wasn't quite the subject, but it's kind of how it ended up) I just have to say something about one of the breeds I really love (this is like deja vu .. I think I did this before on this forum .. *L*).
The chow gets a really bad rap, and some of it is deserved. Like many breeds, they went through a popularity phase and people started breeding like crazy just to provide puppies. The temperament went all to h*ll and it's been a long slow road back from that.
The chow is a very ancient breed. It can be recognized in artifacts dating back to at least 1000 B.C. It is one of the most versatile of breeds, having been used for hunting (and retrieving/pointing), herding/tending, packing, pulling sleds, and were even used for meat and fur. While today's chow tends to be looked at as an overgrown "foo-foo" type dog, a well-bred chow is a hearty dog with a lot of stamina ... one that can be quite active with its owner and work in a variety of venues.
The first big popularity surge was, I believe, in the 1920's. This started the road to the poorly tempered chow. Show breeding didn't always help this either. As the heaviness in the head and bone structure became popular, some show breeders bred to extremes and what resulted was a dog that couldn't see well, couldn't always breathe well and temperaments were not stellar either. But there are many good breeders out there really working towards dogs with good temperaments.
Also to blame are the chow owners who shrug off their dog's bad attitudes as "normal chow behavior". I've seen a number of people who do this and it's appalling. A good chow is not unpredictable, aggressive or eager to bite. It should have a nice solid temperament - aloof, perhaps, but not aggressive. Chows are good as guard dogs because they are quick to alert, but should not be quick to bite unless there is truly a threat.
I have three chows, all from different lines. My first one was from a backyard breeding between two chows that should have never been bred. Kylee has had various health problems through the years but has been an exceptional working dog. She has amazing herding instinct and was a natural on sheep. In obedience, she earned seven first and three seconds in Open A - retrieving and jumping - in classes of up to 25 dogs (including traditional obedience breeds like border collies and goldens). And at the age of nine, I spent two months teaching her agility basics and she earned her first agility title her first weekend of trials. She went on to earn four agility titles at the age of 9-10, and at 11 was pulled from retirement to earn yet another obedience title! Amazing dog. Maybe the only chow out there with a BH.
My second chow was a 14 month old girl with very little training, who was from a show breeder kennel down south. She was cute and tiny and pretty, but came to me with an attitude. We worked through that and she eventually earned a couple of agility titles and has turned out to be a very loving girl who is calm and kind with the youngest of children and the most infirm of the elderly. She's not very athletic, though, and has poor stamina. But given the right guidance, her temperament has been solid.
My third chow turns two today (November 3). She's out of Canada and is the most amazing little girl. Today we had to wait about an hour for some work to be done on my car, and I had Khana with me in the waiting area. She happily visited with all the guys, and one man came from the back because someone had told him "there's a chow out front". He had to come out and see her - and he knelt on the floor and she practically climbed into his lap. I'm actually hoping she gets a BIT more aloof .. *L* .. but I'm much happier with this temperament than the nasty one people tend to associate with chows. I have socialized her extensively from the time she was very young. She's currently in classes for competition obedience, rally and freestyle and is doing very nicely. I plan to test her in herding too.
But for all her wonderful temperament, she is the first to alert to noises and first to run to the door barking and then back to me to be sure I know she's alerting .. *L* .. if you want a guard dog that tells you someone's around, you can't get much more alert than the chow. My shepherds learned to sleep until the chows alerted, then they'd jump up and join in.
Yes, I've met some nasty chows .. and nasty labs and hounds and dalmatians and Aussies and border collies and terriers and shepherds and Belgians and Newfies and various other breeds. But I've also been to chow nationals twice and wandered through hundreds of chows, stopping to pet frequently and visit with owners. Not once was I growled at and not once did a dog refuse to be petted. They didn't always acknowledge me (that famous "aloofness") but none of them were aggressive towards me.
And that's how the breed is suppose to be. Let's all encourage people to get their dogs, whatever the breed, from good honest respectable breeders who put temperament high on their list of priorities - or from rescues who assess the dogs carefully and then help people understand the peculiarities of the breed. And lets also encourage people to be responsible for their dogs and the attitudes they have - encourage training and socialization and proper handling and exercise.
Then maybe we wouldn't all have these stories of "bad dogs" to share. Especially not about breeds that I love .. *L*
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
Kylee herding:
Khana in therapy dog class:
Dora in agility:
The chow gets a really bad rap, and some of it is deserved. Like many breeds, they went through a popularity phase and people started breeding like crazy just to provide puppies. The temperament went all to h*ll and it's been a long slow road back from that.
The chow is a very ancient breed. It can be recognized in artifacts dating back to at least 1000 B.C. It is one of the most versatile of breeds, having been used for hunting (and retrieving/pointing), herding/tending, packing, pulling sleds, and were even used for meat and fur. While today's chow tends to be looked at as an overgrown "foo-foo" type dog, a well-bred chow is a hearty dog with a lot of stamina ... one that can be quite active with its owner and work in a variety of venues.
The first big popularity surge was, I believe, in the 1920's. This started the road to the poorly tempered chow. Show breeding didn't always help this either. As the heaviness in the head and bone structure became popular, some show breeders bred to extremes and what resulted was a dog that couldn't see well, couldn't always breathe well and temperaments were not stellar either. But there are many good breeders out there really working towards dogs with good temperaments.
Also to blame are the chow owners who shrug off their dog's bad attitudes as "normal chow behavior". I've seen a number of people who do this and it's appalling. A good chow is not unpredictable, aggressive or eager to bite. It should have a nice solid temperament - aloof, perhaps, but not aggressive. Chows are good as guard dogs because they are quick to alert, but should not be quick to bite unless there is truly a threat.
I have three chows, all from different lines. My first one was from a backyard breeding between two chows that should have never been bred. Kylee has had various health problems through the years but has been an exceptional working dog. She has amazing herding instinct and was a natural on sheep. In obedience, she earned seven first and three seconds in Open A - retrieving and jumping - in classes of up to 25 dogs (including traditional obedience breeds like border collies and goldens). And at the age of nine, I spent two months teaching her agility basics and she earned her first agility title her first weekend of trials. She went on to earn four agility titles at the age of 9-10, and at 11 was pulled from retirement to earn yet another obedience title! Amazing dog. Maybe the only chow out there with a BH.
My second chow was a 14 month old girl with very little training, who was from a show breeder kennel down south. She was cute and tiny and pretty, but came to me with an attitude. We worked through that and she eventually earned a couple of agility titles and has turned out to be a very loving girl who is calm and kind with the youngest of children and the most infirm of the elderly. She's not very athletic, though, and has poor stamina. But given the right guidance, her temperament has been solid.
My third chow turns two today (November 3). She's out of Canada and is the most amazing little girl. Today we had to wait about an hour for some work to be done on my car, and I had Khana with me in the waiting area. She happily visited with all the guys, and one man came from the back because someone had told him "there's a chow out front". He had to come out and see her - and he knelt on the floor and she practically climbed into his lap. I'm actually hoping she gets a BIT more aloof .. *L* .. but I'm much happier with this temperament than the nasty one people tend to associate with chows. I have socialized her extensively from the time she was very young. She's currently in classes for competition obedience, rally and freestyle and is doing very nicely. I plan to test her in herding too.
But for all her wonderful temperament, she is the first to alert to noises and first to run to the door barking and then back to me to be sure I know she's alerting .. *L* .. if you want a guard dog that tells you someone's around, you can't get much more alert than the chow. My shepherds learned to sleep until the chows alerted, then they'd jump up and join in.
Yes, I've met some nasty chows .. and nasty labs and hounds and dalmatians and Aussies and border collies and terriers and shepherds and Belgians and Newfies and various other breeds. But I've also been to chow nationals twice and wandered through hundreds of chows, stopping to pet frequently and visit with owners. Not once was I growled at and not once did a dog refuse to be petted. They didn't always acknowledge me (that famous "aloofness") but none of them were aggressive towards me.
And that's how the breed is suppose to be. Let's all encourage people to get their dogs, whatever the breed, from good honest respectable breeders who put temperament high on their list of priorities - or from rescues who assess the dogs carefully and then help people understand the peculiarities of the breed. And lets also encourage people to be responsible for their dogs and the attitudes they have - encourage training and socialization and proper handling and exercise.
Then maybe we wouldn't all have these stories of "bad dogs" to share. Especially not about breeds that I love .. *L*
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
Kylee herding:
Khana in therapy dog class:
Dora in agility:
