Chow Chows

[chinchow]

Great to see other owners of my breeds defending them.

To those who have had problems with them, I greatly apologize on behalf of their stupid owners.

I have met my share of unsocialized, miserable, unhappy, poorly kept Chows, and understand people's concerns with them as a breed. However, I've met more Labs, Goldens, Poodles, Cockers, and mixes, with the same or more problems. Luckily, Chows are, as said, on a long slow road to recovery. I don't see as many as I used to, and the ones I do see are extremely good dogs, and are even family pets and working dogs.
So much myth has ocerridden fact concerning this breed, that I'm surprised to see the owners of other particular breeds being fearful of them. My dogs hunt, have herded but rarely do still, have their CGC's, and various titles in obedience, and are therapy dogs as well. I brag and boast about them all the time to people who believe they are aggressive, or attack without reason or warning.
Since all dogs can attack without 'warning' (or really, what WE see as a warning), I'm wary of any strange dog I see. And, there is always a reason, it's just that we kid ourselves into thinking that we do no wrong sometimes.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

(this is like deja vu .. I think I did this before on this forum .. *L*).

You did and it was for me as I was working on overcoming my fear of chows.

Thank you again for the insight about the breed you love. They have a great advocate in you.

 

[tempura tantrum]

And, there is always a reason, it's just that we kid ourselves into thinking that we do no wrong sometimes.

I really think this bears emphasis. (Which is why I chose to highlight it, LOL).

Even the most astute of us has those moments where we forget that our dogs are first and foremost ANIMALS. It really comes as no surprise to me that bite rates for Goldens and Labs are a lot higher than most people would assume. And part of this is because people allow all SORTS of things to happen to their dogs that they would NEVER tolerate if it happened to themselves.

I bet most of us have seen GR or Lab owners who watch a child practically mauling the dog: fingers in eyes, pulling ears, jumping on top of the dog's back, etc. etc. and then when you question the safety of it, they smile serenely and say "oh Daisy's a Golden Retriever- she won't bite." As if Daisy being a Golden Retriever ALSO means that she is a saint, with social mores and patience that trump that of Mother Theresa.

I mean really, would they honestly let a toddler pull an earring out of their ear until it snapped? Rip hair out? Poke Aunt Judy in the eye continuously? Would they NOT put a stop to the behavior- and show the child that it was unacceptable?

The tolerance level some people ask of these dogs (especially in traditionally gentle, family dogs), is obscene. And a lot of the time dogs eventually snap and "correct" someone for their inappropriate behavior. The correction would be virtually harmless if given to a puppy, but it's pretty devestating to the thin, unprotected skin of a human being.

With a lot of the Spitz-type and Nordic breeds this "tolerance for inappropriate social behavior" is decidedly lower. They just don't take crap. My dogs have never bitten, or threatened to bite anyone, but I never put them in a position where they would feel this was their only option. I don't allow children to run, scream, or chase dogs in my house. Kids who come running up to pet my dogs are given an impromptu lesson on how to appropriately approach, and pet a dog. I have made sure that to the best of my ability, every experience my dogs have had with strange people has been positive. If I feel it's a threat to my animals, we're OUTTA there. The result is polite, well-behaved dogs that enjoy (or are indifferent to) meeting new people.

As Chinchow said, those of you who have met ill-mannered Chows have ALSO met owners that didn't understand DOGS- LEAST of all, Nordic breeds. You have met people who may not even KNOW that they really ARE anthropomorphizing their animals- or even worse, expect them to behave BETTER than most human beings, in social situations that would offend even Ghandi.

 

[IliamnasQuest]

Hey chinchow! Good to see another chow person on board!

I'd love to hear more about what you've done with your chows. You mentioned hunting, herding, obedience and therapy dogs - mine do much the same. I'm looking for people who DO things with their chows other than just the conformation shows. I'm working on a website to showcase the chow as a versatile dog, so anything you can pass my way on your dogs would be greatly appreciated!

You can post here, PM me or email ([email protected]).

Thanks!

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

 

[mrose_s]

i don't have a problem with chows. i think their history is amazing. but they just don't have a personality i could deal with. but they suit some people so go for it

 

[chinchow]

IliamnasQuest, it's good to meet you, and Tempura Tantrum as well! And all of the other Chow owners, or Shiba owners, here!

My Chows do some hunting, though usually the Shibas excel much better in that. But both are so good, that I am actually trying to get them to stop, as they have been taking animals out of my backyard and killing them, then putting them on my porch. They only kill small mammals in the backyard, nowhere else, and nothing larger than a squirrel has ever been brough to me. They're very good with commands, however, and really get excited when they see their packs come out.

With the herding, we don't do much anymore as I've gotten rid of most of what I've had in the past 6 months. I still have some goats, and a few sheep, and horses though. They work extremely well together (though they obviously aren't border collies) in getting the job done. They always listen, though it took a while to get them to that level, because, well, they are Chows, and they like things done their way too.

The obedience is pretty self-explanatory. They can do all the cutesy party tricks, and don't ask for anything except a belly rub. But, if you don't give them a belly rub, they will not leave you alone until you do, LOL. And they are all just starting out in their therapy careers. So far so good. They have ignored any distractions that might happen. They are so much different out with people than they are at home, so they know their surroundings really are important, and that's good, especially with a breed that everyone wants to hug and babytalk to.

If I can contribute any information that could help other Chow owners, I'd be more than happy to. I trained my Chows myself, and my Shibas as well.

I had also attempted at a website once, but just never had the time to do it. I wanted people to realize that the Chow is not a dog aggressive dog, and shouldn't be, and is not human aggressive either. As Tempura Tantrum said, it's not even really the breed, so much as the type of dog this breed is. My Chows are so similar to my Shibas, that people often ask if my Shibas are Chows with good haircuts! And having the Shibas nearby with me when people who are afraid of Chows normally come up is a good thing, because they see the Shiba, not knowing what it is, and they become very inerested in them, and how well-behaved they can be, and notice the Chows are not any different from my Shibas. Every little thing that can help the breed's self-image is good, no matter how small. (Goes for every breed really, do what you can without losing your pride in the breed!).

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

Wow! Nice post! It's extremely informative! I don't believe that the action of 1 or more dogs should be held against a whole breed. I've been CHASED by a psyco Chow Chow before, but my friend owns one who is THE sweetest dog. He's extremely mellow, and is so easygoing. I believe it's all in how you raise them, although the breeding has alot to do with it as well.

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

:yikes:

Quest, I just noticed your signature! All of your dogs are AMAZING! What beautiful chows! The GSDs, and what looks like a BC are all gorgeous as well!

 

[IliamnasQuest]

chinchow - thanks for the information on your dogs! It's fantastic to hear of chows that are working up to their potential (and shibas too!).

The website I started (and it needs serious work yet) is currently at http://www.geocities.com/thetotalchow . I hit a road block because I wanted more photos and info from people whose chows were actually DOING things, and I had a hard time getting it. Since the site was mostly my dogs I didn't really promote it and now it needs to be updated. So if you have any photos, stories, etc. that would fit into the site, I would love to include your dogs.

Tempura Tantrum, I would be interested in including a page on other spitz-type breeds, so if you have action photos of your dogs that would be great too (chinchow, your shibas would be welcome too!). I have my friends here with their shibas, as well as another friend with akitas so I should be able to get some of their photos up there too.

Dixie's Mom - thanks for your comments. I'm blessed to have dogs that are not only gorgeous, but smart and sweet too. The horse was pretty darn tolerant .. *L* .. he used to let the Aussie (not BC, but it's hard to tell in the photo) ride him all the time.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

 

[tempura tantrum]

I'll see what I can dig up in terms of photos-

my computer JUST crashed and I'm working with the tech. people at school to see if there's any way of saving the countless photos I had on it. Really depressing as I had a number of photos from when Kimi had her litter, and from when Jessee "visited."

Chinchow- didn't even realize you had Shibas!! How fabulous! As always I'm looking forward to seeing any photos you have.

 

[Kurby]

Melanie I just want you to know that I love your website and I love your dogs. I think your chows are a great example of the breed. (even though i started crying when I saw the black one)

I think this thread is very helpful.. specially to the people who doesnt know much about the breed. For those people who are sharing all this information.. Thank you

 

[IliamnasQuest]

Melanie I just want you to know that I love your website and I love your dogs. I think your chows are a great example of the breed. (even though i started crying when I saw the black one)

I think this thread is very helpful.. specially to the people who doesnt know much about the breed. For those people who are sharing all this information.. Thank you

I'm glad you enjoyed the website! But I have to ask - why did seeing the black chow upset you?

Melanie and the gang

 

[Kurby]

My chow died last year. It makes me upset still after all this time. I felt like I didnt do enough because she didnt live the full life. She died when she was 7. She got sick and she deteriorated within a week. I wasnt with her either when she died because I got stationed in California.. while my dog was in Maryland.. I couldnt get home to see her and say goodbye to her because work didnt allow that to happen........

 

[DanL]

Why is this thread so much more civil than the APBT thread that is basically the same premise- trying to bring understanding of a breed to people who don't know much about it?

 

[chinchow]

Perhaps it's because Chows are making a real comeback, as far as their faults in the past. APBT's seem to be too numerous to have enough people breeding them to get a better dog. There's so many breeders (good and bad) that it's harder to keep them out of the hands of people with bad intentions, or people who dont know what they are doing.

Popularity has a lot to do with a dog's stance in society...the more dogs, the more people who breed the dogs, the more problems you have with the dogs. Just a theory, but it seems about right.

 

[IliamnasQuest]

My chow died last year. It makes me upset still after all this time. I felt like I didnt do enough because she didnt live the full life. She died when she was 7. She got sick and she deteriorated within a week. I wasnt with her either when she died because I got stationed in California.. while my dog was in Maryland.. I couldnt get home to see her and say goodbye to her because work didnt allow that to happen........

I'm so sorry to hear that. It must have been tremendously difficult to be so far away and not be able to do anything about it - and to not say goodbye either.

Seven is such a young age to die, too!

Melanie and the gang

 

[Zoom]

We had this lovely chow board over the weekend, he's a very sweet guy, but there is one quirk that I just had to share. He apparently will only eat bagels, so that's all his owners give him. This time they were cinnamon raisin I tried to say something and they were adamant about how he wouldn't touch dog food and somehow that had something to do with the fact that he was a Chow. I kind of quit listening at that point, because I had to walk away before saying something stupid.

 

[IliamnasQuest]

Oh my .. *L*

Unfortunately chows, like all breeds, are not exempt from having idiots for owners!

There's nothing inherent in being a chow that means they can't eat like any other dog. In fact, they're going to end up with a dog that's nutritionally deficient if all he eats are bagels! And not only that - raisins have been shown to be toxic to dogs (in certain quantities). So it's a double whammy.

I will say that chows can be very smart and very stubborn and that's a tough combination when the humans owning them aren't too bright. I've run into many chow owners who were totally trained by their dogs. Sometimes I feel like I need to revert to basic English in order to talk to people like that .... "You, HUMAN .. him, DOG" .. *LOL*

I'm very glad the dog was sweet!

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

 

[ToscasMom]

All of your dogs are AMAZING! What beautiful chows! The GSDs, and what looks like a BC are all gorgeous as well!

So's your cat!

 

[MyLittleChowChow]

Oh my gosh. Mine would think she was in heaven if she were able to control her meals....but she'd pick steak. That's like a kid who says but I dont like cereal for breakfast, fix me a pizza and mamma gets right to making a pizza for the kid. Some people...