Content
- Origin of Chow Chow
- Chow chow characteristics
- How is the temperament of chow chow
- Chow chow care
- Chow Chow Dog Education
- chow chow health
O dog chow chow is originally from China and is probably one of the most popular dog breeds in the world. It should be noted that the most outstanding feature of the Chow Chow is the color of your tongue, which is purple. But why does chow chow have a purple tongue? This peculiarity is mainly due to the dog's genetics, although there are some myths and legends as to why... If you want to know more about it, be sure to visit the article to find out!
In this sheet, we'll show you everything you need to know about chow-cho racew, recalling its history and origin, characteristics most notable physical, possible health problems, details about your education and also how is the temperament of the chow chow. If you are thinking of adopting a chow chow or if you already have one, keep reading this complete file with the chow chow file and thus, you will answer all your doubts and find useful information prepared by industry experts.
Source
- Asia
- China
- Mongolia
- Group V
- Rustic
- muscular
- provided
- short ears
- toy
- Small
- Medium
- Great
- Giant
- 15-35
- 35-45
- 45-55
- 55-70
- 70-80
- more than 80
- 1-3
- 3-10
- 10-25
- 25-45
- 45-100
- 8-10
- 10-12
- 12-14
- 15-20
- Low
- Average
- High
- Balanced
- very faithful
- Quiet
- Kids
- floors
- Houses
- Hunting
- Shepherd
- Surveillance
- harness
- Cold
- Warm
- Moderate
- Medium
- Long
- Smooth
Origin of Chow Chow
THE chow chow story it starts in northern China and is estimated to have started breeding approximately 2,000 or 3,000 years ago. Although there are no studies that actually demonstrate this longevity, we can claim that it is one of the oldest dog breeds, according to a recent study. The name chow chow means "soft and fluffy lion", probably due to its physical characteristics. An ancient Chinese legend even refers to a powerful war animal, described as a lion with a black tongue, details of its morphology that make us think of the ancestor to the present chow chow.
The evolution of the breed is unknown, although it is suspected that after the origin of chow chow dogs in the Arctic region of Asia, over time it would have migrated to the Siberia, Mongolia and finally China. His physical attributes indeed resemble a breed of dog of the Nordic type, perhaps from crossbreeding with some type of mastiff dog.
The story of the chow chow dog represents him as an excellent dog guard of holy temples and from some houses, but other jobs are also attributed to him, such as hunting and grazing. They were also used for food and their skins were used as shelter. In addition, a writing by Marco Polo reveals that they also worked towing sledges. No doubt this is a very versatile breed. The origin of dog chow chow is a bit uncertain, especially considering that in the past China had strict "closed-door" policies.
During the first years of the 19th century, the chow chow began to appear in other countries, such as England, where it did not stand out much, even being exhibited at the London Zoo in the 1820s as "Chinese wild dog". While the species was still traveling around the world, Queen Victoria decided to purchase one and that's when the breed became very popular in the UK.
The breed was officially exhibited in the year 1890 and was admitted to the AKC (American Kennel Club) in 1903. Currently, the feed is one of the best known in the world, although it does not stand out for being common.
Chow chow characteristics
The chow chow is considered a medium size dog and features a compact, well-proportioned body. Obviously, the chow-chow dog's physical characteristics remind us of a small lion, especially because of its fur, which forms a sort of mane around its face. Its head is broad and the skull is flat. Nasofrontal (stop) depression is not pronounced. The nose is black in almost all dogs, but may be lighter in light-colored dogs, or fur-colored in blue dogs or griffins. THE bluish black tongue it is characteristic of the breed. The eyes are dark, oval and medium. The ears are small, thick, erect and with slightly rounded ends.
The body is compact, the back and lower back are short. The chest is wide and deep. The tail is set on high and is folded over the back. The straight angulation of the hind legs makes the chow chow have a small step, almost without lifting the hind legs. Its coat can be long or short, in long-haired dogs, the outer layer is abundant, dense, rough, straight and not excessively long, while the inner down is soft. In short-haired dogs the coat is short, dense, straight and soft. The dog's color must be unique, although there may be different shades: black chow chow, white chow chow, red, blue, gold, cream.
Breed characteristics indicate a crossover height in males between 48 and 56 cm, while females are between 46 and 51 cm. O approximate weight in males it is around 25 and 32 kilos and for females in 20 and 25 kilos.
To know the characteristics of a purebred dog food, don't forget to compare the official standard of any canine association with your dog or go directly to a dog club. chow chow dogs so that an experienced judge or owner can guide you.
How is the temperament of chow chow
Generally, the character of the chow chow breed is calm, reserved, independent and quiet. He doesn't stand out for being a lover of exercise, on the contrary, he prefers to take short surveillance walks within his territory and rest while ensuring that no strange human or dog approaches. These characteristics probably made him, in the past, an excellent guard dog.
In addition to being quiet, the character of the chow chow dog stands out for being especially loyal and faithful to his tutor, with whom he will make a unique and different bond and that is why he tends to be reserved with strangers. In this sense, it is important to emphasize that chow chow can end up showing a super protective attitude, so it is advisable never to reinforce protective or possessive behaviors, as it can trigger the emergence of more aggressive behaviors. Given its reserved nature, hunting instinct, and tendency toward overprotection, we should pay special attention to the dog's socialization, a topic we'll discuss in more detail in the section on education.
Finally, we emphasize that the character of the chow chow with children it's usually very positive, especially if both have lived together since childhood, as the dog will tend to protect, monitor and take care of him, in addition to being patient during their interactions. This does not mean that the dog "should accept" inappropriate behavior from the children, remember that it is important to have some care between children and a pet as often, due to the negative behavior of children, some dogs react less positively . That's why we advise that you always supervise the interaction between them and educate them correctly so that they relate positively.
Chow chow care
When we talk about chow chow care, one of the aspects that is most important is the care of the fur, especially in those dogs with long hair. How should we care about the fur of a chow chow? To start with, we will pay special attention to the fact that the hair is not excessively long as it can cause the appearance of knots and tangles. It is advisable to go to a pet Shop regularly to cut the ends of the hair and bathe, but if you do not want to cut it, it is advisable to brush the hair of the chow chow about four times a week. However, during the coat change period, which is in the spring and summer, you should increase the times you brush your dog's fur to five or six days a week. This will also help prevent parasites and other skin problems common in chow chow.
It is also advisable to bathe regularly to avoid accumulation of dirt. THE chow chow bath frequency it can be between the month and three months. Remember that excessive bathing damages your dermis and coat, in addition to causing a decrease in defenses, so it is better to spend more time brushing and less time in the bathroom. Don't forget to apply a dog specific shampoo, never one for human use.
Another important aspect to take into account when learning how to care for a chow chow dog is learning about physical exercise and walking. Although it is a quiet dog with little predisposition to exercise, it will be essential to devote some time to exercise, albeit moderately, to prevent overweight and obesity, as well as the possible appearance of behavioral problems. How to walk a chow chow? ideally would be recommended 3 to 4 walks a day, lasting approximately 20 minutes. During walks, it is necessary to allow him to sniff, socialize with other dogs and perform a relaxed and exclusive activity.
On the other hand, as we've already said, the chow chow exercise should be moderated, so a good suggestion is to take him for a bath on the beach or teach him to look for and bring the ball, for example. Naturally, don't force your dog to exercise excessively during the hot months, as it may predispose you to heat stroke due to its thick, dense coat. These dogs can live outdoors in cold and temperate climates, but do not tolerate hot climates well. In all cases, it's better that they can live indoors and also easily adapt to apartment life if they get enough walking and exercise.
THE chow chow dog feeding it must be nutritionally complete and balanced. You can choose to buy high quality feed, regularly combining them with moist food to enrich your diet or start them on homemade diets, be diets semi-cooked or raw (known as BARF). In any case, the chow chow feed must be based on high quality products.
Chow Chow Dog Education
THE bestadoption age chow chow is between 8 and 12 weeks old, as staying with your mother and siblings will help you learn dog language, game limits, control bite force, etc. From then on and after receiving the first vaccinations, the dog should start socializing with all kinds of people, animals and environments, always making sure that he has positive social contact with them. The dog's socialization is especially important as it will depend on him in the future to be a balanced dog and show behaviors related to fear or aggression. When he's still a chow chow cub, we will have to educate the dog in different aspects, but, in addition to socialization, the most important thing will be teaching him to urinate in the right place, an essential routine for every dog.
Later, we can start practicing chow chow training, which should always be done through positive education. Clicker training can give good results with running, but any other variant of positive training it works. It is important to train this dog from a puppy, to overcome its natural independence to some extent. Find out what the basic commands are and how to start practicing them.
These dogs don't bark much and usually don't do much damage (when they're past adolescence, of course). However, the main behavior problem it is aggression if they have not been properly socialized or trained. It is not an easy dog to educate because sometimes it can be very stubborn and because it has a very independent personality, however, with patience and determination, it is possible to make the chow chow react perfectly to obedience orders and get along very well.
chow chow health
As with many other dog breeds, there are a few. chow chow health problems quite frequent and with a high incidence in the breed. It is essential that any owner is aware of at least those that are more common, so below is a list of the most common diseases of chow chow, we naturally speak of congenital diseases:
- entropion
- ectropion
- progressive retinal atrophy
- falls
- Glaucoma
- hip dysplasia
- Elbow dysplasia
- ataxia
- Wobbler Syndrome
- Diabetes Mellitus
- hypothyroidism
- sebaceous adenitis
- Ulcerative Dermatosis
It is important to note that the chow chow dog has a tendency to suffer from autoimmune diseases as well as skin cancer. For all these reasons, don't forget to visit the veterinarian every 6 or 12 months, follow the vaccination schedule and periodic deworming. With good care and preventive medication, the chow chow life expectancy is between 9 and 15 years old.