Chow Chow Breed description: Character & Co

What are the typical character traits of the Chow Chow?

The Chow Chow is considered proud, graceful and not submissive in the slightest. This dog has a mind of its own, it is stubborn and unbribable. Thanks to their highly developed territorial behaviour and its general distrust towards strangers and other dogs, the Chow Chow is well suited as a guard dog. It is considered a typical "one-man dog", which means that it only regards one person as its confidant and is loyal to that person only. Other members of the family are merely tolerated by them, they don't pay any special attention to them. For this reason, the Chow Chow is not a classic family dog, children are of little interest to it. They are neither cuddly nor playful, they appreciate exercise only in the form of walks that include them being able to sniff around. Letting them off the leash is regarded as difficult because of their pronounced hunting instinct which can pose a problem when trying to call back your four-legged friend.

All in all, the Chow Chow is a rather relaxed dog that radiates peace and serenity as long as it does not feel threatened in its territory. If the latter is the case however, specimens of this breed can become very dangerous, they can show aggressive behaviour that is difficult to control. Because of this, a consistent education and early socialisation with other dogs is essential. The Chow Chow is not a breed for first-time owners, it takes a lot of experience to train and keep this dog. Buying a Chow Chow without having researched the breed in detail beforehand is not recommendable and leads to difficulties for all parties involved.

What are typical diseases of the Chow Chow?

The following diseases are more common in the breed:

• Shortness of breath
• Eye diseases
• Allergies
• Skin Eczema
• Hip Dysplasia 
• Hypothyroidism

What should be considered when breeding Chow Chows?

There was a time when the breed was bred in extreme directions in regards to coat, folds and body. As a result, the animals showed more and more sensitivities and diseases. Today's Chow Chow breeding is back to the original breed type standards. When buying a Chow Chow, you should therefore always make sure that it is a serious Chow Chow breeding, where the puppies pedigree is known and you are provided with vaccination certificates, chip and health certificates. Since the breed is relatively rare, you should inform yourself in advance about the breeder and their work with the animals. A Chow Chow costs about 800-1000 Euros.