If there’s a dog breed that is as noble as a lion, as whimsically amusing as a panda, as adorable as a teddy bear, as graceful and independent as a cat and as loyal and devoted as a true dog breed, then that is no other than the Chow Chow. Believed to be in existence for than 4000 years, the Chow Chow is considered as one of the most ancient of dog breeds which thought to have first appeared in Mongolia. In China, countless of Chinese ancient arts depicted a lion-like dog that is believed to be the ancestors of the Chow Chow.

Latest studies have revealed that the Chow is one of the most ancient breeds of dog and that it is the product of evolution of the wolf breed that resided in the northern regions of China and Mongolia. Studies also conclude that the Chow is a former resident of the Arctic and migrated to Siberia, China and Mongolia. Other studies also state that the Chow is the predecessor of some of the modern dog breeds including the Pomeranian, Keeshond, Norwegian Elkhound and Samoyed.

During its time in ancient China, the Chow was used in hunting and was assigned to pull carts and boat guarding. One interesting fact states that in ancient China, an emperor owned 2500 pairs of Chows which accompanied all of his 10,000 hunters during hunting. Additionally, Chow’s meat is also considered as a delicacy by the Chinese and until now, dog meats are still being eaten in their country. The late President Calvin Coolidge also had a Chow named Timmy and their companionship was popular during his time.

People often misinterpret the Chow Chow and a lot of owners misunderstand the breed. As a result, they fail to give the proper care that the Chow needs and this results to the breed as having an ill-temper. The Chow is a unique breed with special needs and so, to avoid Chows from having bad dispositions, research must be done before owning one.

The Chow Chow is dignified and noble in temperament and is generally a one-person kind of dog therefore it often chooses to be alone when there are a lot of chaotic people around it. It doesn’t mean, however, that this breed does not like to socialize for it does love meeting new people only when it is trained to be so at an early stage. Chows who are raised to be social can live with cats and other dogs inside the house and can be accepting to strangers but only when being introduced gently by the master.

This breed reacts well to owners who has firm and imposing tone, is consistent and confident. People who own or will own a Chow Chow should develop these characters in order to instill to the dog that the master is the leader and should be obeyed pertinently. A Chow Chow is active and participative in activities that it doesn’t know how to do yet at first but when such activities become repetitive, it becomes bored and would turn away and ignore commands indefinitely.

In terms of obedience and intelligence, the Chow Chow performs rather poorly and ranks 76th only in Stanley Cohen’s The Intelligence of Dogs. Indoors, the Chow Chow is not very active and is in fact, placid for most part of the day. An apartment living suits the Chow Chow and a small fenced yard will suffice their activities, however, it still needs daily forms of exercise such as walking in order to keep it healthy mentally and physically.

This breed is wrapped all over with a fluffy, double coat of hair and its head is surrounded by bushy hairs giving it a lion kind of appearance. Moreover, the Chow is one of the rare breeds that have a black/blue or purple colored tongue, a hairy and curled tail and stick straight hind legs that give it a stiff gait. The most common coat colors of this breed are red, black, blue, cinnamon, fawn and cream.

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