Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Chow Chow Breed Overview
- History of the Chow Chow Breed. Where Chow Chows came from
- What the Chow Chow Looks Like
- How Much is the Chow Chow Puppy?
- Best Chow Chow Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Chow Chow
- Chow Chow Growth
- What Colors do Chow Chows Have?
- The Temperament of the Chow Chow
- How Long Chow Chows Live
- Chow Chow Litter Size
- How Fast Chow Chows Can Run
- Good Names for Chow Chows
- How Intelligent are Chow Chows?
- How Popular are Chow Chows with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Chow Chows and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Chow Chow
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Chow Chows
- Other Things to Know About Chow Chows
Chow Chow Breed Overview
The Chow Chow is a large-sized dog.
The adult Chow Chow stands 17 to 20 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Chow Chow belongs to the Working Dogs group.
Dogs in the Working Dogs group, like the Chow Chow, were developed to assist humans in some capacity – including pulling sleds and carts, guarding flocks, guarding homes, and protecting their families.
Breeds in the Working Group are known for their imposing stature, strength, intelligence, and fearless.
Because of their size and strength, working dogs require a structured home life and firm, fair, consistent training by someone who can provide leadership without resorting to anger or physical force.
The fact that the Chow Chow belongs to the Working Dogs group is one of the reasons why Chow Chows have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Chow Chow is generally described as:
- Aloof
- Independent
- Loyal
- Quiet
History of the Chow Chow Breed. Where Chow Chows came from
The Chow Chow is a breed of dog that is thought to have originated in China.
They are known for their distinctive blue-black tongue and their heavy coat, which comes in a variety of colors including black, red, purple, and gray.
Chow Chows were bred as working dogs and were used for herding livestock and guarding property.
They are also known for being loyal and protective of their families.
Chow Chows can be quite stubborn and independent, but they are also very affectionate and make great pets.
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What the Chow Chow Looks Like
This distinctive dog appears “square,” with post-like straight legs that contribute to the breed`s stilted gait.
Their ears are upright and short, their skull is broad, and their blue-black tongue is their most distinctive feature (the tongue will be pink at birth, but change around six months of age).
Most people are familiar with the rough, longer coat of the Chow Chow.
A puppy with this coat often resembles a fuzzy teddy bear.
The smooth coat is also shorter in length.
Your pet will have a dense undercoat regardless of the type of coat they have.
Although any solid color is acceptable, the majority of Chows are red or black.
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How Much is the Chow Chow Puppy?
The average price of a Chow Chow puppy is $1810. The price of a Chow Chow puppy ranges from $1000 to $2500.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Chow Chow. These factors include what health records the Chow Chow puppy has, the lineage of the Chow Chow puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Chow Chow based on the many factors that determine the price of the Chow Chow puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Chow Chow puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Chow Chow breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Chow Chow Breeders
We have researched reputable Chow Chow breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Chow Chow breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Kelin Chows
Puppy Price: $1975
Kim Byrum
Puppy Price: $3500
Cameo Chows
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Seattle Chow Chows
Puppy Price: $3500.00
Holland`s Chow Chow
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Adopting or Rescuing the Chow Chow
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Chow Chows included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male Chow Chow named A1156001 that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Chow Chows like A1156001 on pefinder.com.
You can find more Chow Chows that are available for adoption on petfinder.
Chow Chow Growth
New Chow Chow owners need to know about the growth of their Chow Chows. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Chow Chow will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Chow Chow early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Chow Chow puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Chow Chow at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Chow Chow
What Colors do Chow Chows Have?
Chow Chows come in the following beautiful primary colors:
- Black
- Golden
- Brown / Chocolate
- White / Cream
- Red / Chestnut / Orange
- Apricot / Beige
- Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
- Merle (Blue)
Chow Chows come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:
- White / Cream
- Golden
- Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
The Temperament of the Chow Chow
The temperament of the Chow Chow based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Chow Chow for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Chow Chow here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Stranger Directed Fear | 53.6 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 48.4 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 42.2 percent |
| Prey Drive | 39.6 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 38.3 percent |
| Stubbornness | 35.6 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 34.6 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 33.4 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 31.4 percent |
| Excitability | 31.4 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 24.3 percent |
| Energy Level | 23.9 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 21.7 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 12.0 percent |
How Long Chow Chows Live
The lifespan of the Chow Chow is typically from 12 to 15 years.
Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Chow Chow. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 80 pet Chow Chows lived.
From the study, it was found that Chow Chows have an average lifespan of 9.38 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Chow Chows to live as long as 14.1 years.
Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Chow Chow to live long.
Chow Chows live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
There are also dog supplements that you can give your Chow Chow to improve your Chow Chow`s quality of their life.
Click here to learn more about how to make your Chow Chow live long.
Chow Chow Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 36 different Chow Chow birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Chow Chows can have is 4 puppies. Also, the Chow Chow can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 9 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Chow Chow will have depends on factors such as the age of the Chow Chow, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Chow Chow will have and how the litter size of the Chow Chow compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Chow Chows Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 21 different Chow Chows, the average speed of the Chow Chow is 18.2 mph (29.3 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Chow Chow ran in a race is 23.8 mph (38.3 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Chow Chow is 11.73 mph (18.9 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Chow Chow compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Chow Chows
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Chow Chow ranked by popularity:
- Finley
- Simba
- King
- Teddy
- Milo
- Brownie
- Bocephus
- Costello
- Bear
- Max
How Intelligent are Chow Chows?
| Chow Chow | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 76 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 80 To 100 Repetitions Or More! |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Chow Chow has an obedience intelligence rank of 76 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Chow Chows in the `Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Chow Chows tend to learn new commands after 80 to 100 repetitions or more!.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Golden Retriever | 4 |
| Australian Cattle Dog | 10 |
| Miniature Schnauzer | 12 |
| Chesapeake Bay Retriever | 27 |
| American Staffordshire Terrier | 34 |
| Norwich Terrier | 38 |
| Dalmatian | 39 |
| Kuvasz | 42 |
| Finnish Spitz | 43 |
| Bichon Frise | 45 |
| American Foxhound | 46 |
| Alaskan Malamute | 50 |
| Chinese Shar-Pei | 51 |
| Ibizan Hound | 53 |
| Skye Terrier | 55 |
| Old English Sheepdog | 63 |
| Bullmastiff | 69 |
| Pekingese | 73 |
| Borzoi | 75 |
| Afghan Hound | 79 |
How Popular are Chow Chows with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Chow Chow.
The popularity of the Chow Chow averaged over the years is Number 75 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Chow Chows and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Chow Chow is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Chow Chow puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Chow Chow breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Chow Chows for:
- Autoimmune thyroiditis
- Cardiac Evaluation
- Elbow Dysplasia
- Eye Examination
- Hip Dysplasia
- Patellar Luxation
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Chow Chows here.
How to Take Care of Chow Chow
To take good care of your Chow Chow, you need to make sure that you groom your Chow Chow regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Chow Chow regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Chow Chow`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Chow Chow daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Chow Chow.
Also, you need to feed your Chow Chow high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Chow Chow from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Chow Chow and how much food to feed the Chow Chow at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Chow Chow has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Chow Chow needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Chow Chows
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Chow Chow.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Chow Chow:
- Anatolian Shepherd Dog (61 percent match with Chow Chow). Learn more about the Anatolian Shepherd Dog here.
- Caucasian Shepherd Dog (65 percent match with Chow Chow). Learn more about the Caucasian Shepherd Dog here.
- Chinese Shar-Pei (63 percent match with Chow Chow). Learn more about the Chinese Shar-Pei here.
- Spanish Mastiff (59 percent match with Chow Chow). Learn more about the Spanish Mastiff here.
- Akita Chow (62 percent match with Chow Chow). Learn more about the Akita Chow here.
Other Things to Know About Chow Chows
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Chow Chow that you need to know about the Chow Chow breed: