Chow Chow dogs , also known as lion dogs, are being chosen by many families as pets. They possess an impressive appearance and friendly personality, sometimes mischievous and stubborn like a small child. This makes them even more popular. If you want to own a Chow Chow puppy, please refer to the information in the article below before choosing a suitable puppy for yourself.

Overview of the Chow Chow dog breed

The origin

The Chow Chow is a breed of dog that originated in Mongolia and Northern China since the Tang Dynasty, so they are also called “Tang Khuyen”. In addition, they are also known by the more familiar name “Tong Su Khuyen”, meaning “haired lion dog”. This is one of the few ancient Chinese dog breeds that still exists today.

In the beginning, Chow Chow dogs were raised to pull carts, guard houses or help people hunt animals. They followed nomadic tribes traveling everywhere, then moved to Southern China and began to be widely raised. The Chinese believe that the Chow Chow dog is a symbol of luck and peace, so they use statues of them to place in front of family gates, temples or in front of royal palaces.

By 1800, they were brought to England and breeders selected their good qualities to breed them into the adorable purebred Chow Chow dog. Since then, they have become a high-class pet dog breed in the UK.

In 1903, the purebred Chow Chow breed was officially recognized by the American Canine Association (AKC).

Chow Chow dog appearance characteristics

The Chow Chow dog has a large head and a balanced, slightly round body. Their length and height are nearly equal, so their bodies tend to be somewhat square. The tongue is dark blue or purple-blue, and the limbs are straight and large, making their gait look quite stiff.

The Chow Chow dog’s ears are short, small triangles that are always raised up and are often hidden by hair. The forehead is flat, the muzzle is quite large and the nose always protrudes forward. Chow Chow’s small eyes look very cute, wide chest, muscular body and medium-length bushy tail that hangs or hangs on its back.

The Chow Chow dog’s coat is thick, ruffled and smooth, with basic coat colors such as: black, cream, reddish brown, cream blue, yellow brown, gray. The fur around the neck is very thick and spread out to look like a lion’s mane. Their fur is very easy to shed and can fall out all year round or seasonally.

When mature, purebred Chow Chow dogs have standard sizes:

• Height: from 45cm-56cm.
• Weight: from 20kg-32kg.

This dog breed has a fairly long lifespan, from 15 to 18 years if well cared for.

Outstanding personalities

Chow Chow dogs have similar personality traits to cats. They are a bit stubborn and like cleanliness, have an independent nature and only like to do things their own way. They like to receive attention and pampering from their owners, and tend to only recognize and be loyal to one owner.

Chow Chow is very affectionate, docile and obedient. They are shy around strangers and can become stubborn or react harshly when teased or attacked by strangers. Suspicious and highly alert nature, small eyes so limited vision, you need to approach them from the front to make them feel safe.

Chow Chow dogs are very smart, absorb lessons quickly but require you to be patient when teaching them. Chow Chows are greatly influenced by their owner’s upbringing, they are very strong and stubborn, suitable for owners with strong personalities. You should train them from a very young age, about 2 months old, give them affection and play with them every day to make them more sociable and friendly.

Towards children, Chow Chow dogs behave very gently and considerately, always appearing cute and friendly. However, it is necessary to supervise when letting them interact with children, because if children accidentally tease them too much, they can become difficult to control.

Due to its strong hunting instinct, Chow Chow dogs are recommended not to be kept with other pets in the house. They can act dangerously to pets if they are not well trained and socialized early.

Living conditions and behavior of purebred Chow Chow dogs

Chow Chow dogs are quite sensitive to the hot and humid climate of our country. They cannot adapt to very hot environments. Therefore, if you have a Chow Chow dog, you need to trim their fur in the summer to reduce body heat, making them neater and cooler.

Chow chows need to be able to exercise freely in large spaces; they do not like to be kept indoors for too long. Every day, you should take them for a walk and let them play some active games such as catching a ball, a disc… to help them release energy. However, the more they grow up, the lazier they become. You need to urge them to exercise and not pamper them too much as this will cause them to encounter unhealthy health problems and obesity.

Things to keep in mind when raising Chow Chow dogs

To help Chow Chow dogs develop healthily and comprehensively physically and mentally, when taking care of them, you need to pay attention to the following issues:

Diet

Depending on the age and stage of the Chow Chow dog, apply appropriate, nutritious diets. Need to supplement lots of foods containing protein and calcium to help them develop muscle and strength.

Chow Chow dog stage under 2 months old:

This is the period when they need special attention to their health:

• Do not feed them live food or hard foods.
• You should give them warm milk and thoroughly cooked and pureed food.
• Soak dry foods before feeding them to Chow Chow.
• Meals are divided into small portions throughout the day, on average 4-5 meals/day, do not let them overeat.

Period from 3 months to 6 months old:

This stage requires additional meat, fish, shrimp, eggs and all types of vegetables. However, the Chow Chow’s digestive system is not yet perfect, they are susceptible to diarrhea so they still have to eat cooked foods, do not eat food that has been left out for days, raw foods, or processed foods. …

Chow Chow’s body will develop bones, joints and muscles during the period of 5-6 months of age, so it is necessary to increase the amount of food at each meal and reduce the diet to 3-4 meals/day.

Chow Chow stage over 6 months old:

At the age of over 6 months, Chow Chow dogs are considered adults. At this time, their diet should be reduced to 2-3 meals/day. Provide plenty of foods containing protein, calcium, protein, starch, fiber, vitamins… in every meal so that their bodies can grow healthy and have shiny fur.

At the same time, let them exercise and walk for at least 30 minutes every day to train their dynamism, agility and avoid obesity.

How to clean and care for Chow Chow dog hair

Chow Chow has thick fur that sheds a lot, so you should brush them 1-2 times a day and wash them regularly twice a week with specialized shower gels to maintain body hygiene.

After bathing, wipe and dry the fur to avoid skin diseases such as fleas, mold, dog ticks, etc. Check and thoroughly clean the ears, eyes, and nose because these parts are hidden by fur and can easily become infected. where disease-causing bacteria live.

Common health problems

The Chow Chow is a dog breed with good health and a fairly long lifespan. However, because of their lazy nature, they are susceptible to the following diseases:

• Gastric torsion.
• Fat.
• Entropion of eyelids.
• Swollen eyelids.
• Hip dysplasia.

It is necessary to take them to be vaccinated against diseases according to the veterinarian’s appointment, dewormed periodically every 6 months and have a comprehensive health check every year so that they can grow healthily.

Epilogue

The Chow Chow dog is classified as a breed of dog with a large appearance and looks quite fierce, but in fact they are very gentle and docile, only a bit unapproachable when interacting with strangers. Chow Chow is always attached to his family and loves all members of the family, so he will be a great companion for you.