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.

In recent DNA testing efforts, the fact was revealed that the Chow Chow is one of the oldest breed of dogs and that it is one of the first descendants of the wolf which resided in the northern parts of China and Mongolia. Some believes that the Chow Chow is originally from the Arctic Circle and only migrated later on to Siberia, China and Mongolia. Experts also conclude that the Chow Chow is the predecessor of several modern breeds such as the Pomeranian, Samoyed, Keeshond and the Norwegian Elkhound.

In ancient China where this breed was firstly seen, it was used mainly as a hunting dog, a cart-puller and a boat guard. According to history, one emperor was so fond of this dog that he owned as many as 2500 Chow pairs, all of which accompanied his 10,000 hunters. Its meat was also eaten by the Chinese and is considered as a delicacy. In more recent times, popularity of the Chow Chow was manifested through famous people’s adoration of it just like President Calvin Coolidge’s Chow named Timmy.

The Chow Chow is a unique kind of dog and a lot of owners don’t understand this kind of personality and so misconceptions often arise. Owners who do not fully understand the characteristics of Chows tend to mistreat and mishandle the dog and these results to a disconcerting disposition of the dog. The best thing that owners can do, however, is to research well about the Chow Chow so they may understand the special trainings and unique treatments that the dog needs.

The Chow Chow is a naturally independent and generally aloof kind of creature. Saying this, however, does not mean it doesn’t like to socialize because it does love to be around people only if it was trained to be so at an early age. The Chow Chow can live peacefully in a house with cats and other creatures so long as it is trained to live harmoniously with them in puppyhood, however, when it reaches adulthood and the owner failed to introduce it to other kinds of people and animals, it may become aggressive and unwelcoming to new faces.

A Chow owner must be a good leader and by this it means that the owner should be consistent, firm, confident and patient in handling and training the dog. If the owner fails to impose that he/she is the leader of the pack, the Chow will manifest bad behaviors and these include aggressiveness, irritability and small dog syndrome wherein it tends to act as the leader of humans and not the other way around. The Chow is also interested in new activities and will love to participate in training sessions so long as it is not repetitive as Chows tend to get bored easily.

The Chow is not the best breed when it comes to obedience and conformation competitions because it is hard to train and in fact, ranks only as 76th in Stanley Cohen’s Intelligence of Dogs. The Chow is also not a very outgoing dog and it loves to stay inside the house for the most part of the day. Because of this, the Chow is suited to live in an apartment with a very small yard remembering only that it still needs to have a daily exercise in order to keep it healthy and fit.

This dog is covered with a very dense double coat and its neck is surrounded by a huge ruff and this gives the breed a lion- like appearance. Some distinct features of the breed are its blue-black or purplish tongue, straight hind legs which gives it a stiff gait and a thickly-haired and curled tail. The Chow Chow is often seen in shades of red, black, blue, cinnamon, fawn and cream.

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Originally from Ireland, the hairy and wheaten-colored Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier is without a doubt a lovable and a cute dog. During its time in the Irish countryside, it flourished as a herder, watcher, livestock guard and vermin hunter. Now, this former working dog is adopted by many amazed families as a pet and it is often enlisted to join dog competitions such as obedience, agility and tracking.

The Wheaten terrier is none or minimal shedder type of dog and that its coat is actually called hair and not fur. This hair has four varieties: Traditional Irish, Heavy Irish, English, and American; the Irish variety being thinner and silkier than the American variety. And like human hair, the Wheaten’s hair also constantly grows out therefore it needs to be trimmed or cut regularly.

The color of this breed, as its name suggests, is wheaten or white, however, the pure white color is considered unfavorable by the kennel clubs. During its younger years, the Wheaten terrier may appear brown, mahogany or red. As it grows up, however, its dark hair grows out and is replaced by wheaten colored hair.

Hair brushing is not exactly the way to groom the Wheaten’s hair as this will only make the hair fuzzy. For best results, one should use a medium-toothed comb and this should be done daily or at least regularly. Grooming of Wheaten’s hair should start from puppyhood until it grows to an adult.

Teaching the Wheaten tricks and commands is quite easy as this breed is intelligent and can pick up easily. This breed is animated, playful, loving and gentle towards children and playful around other animals. It is also soft-tempered, approachable and confident that you can bring this dog to any gathering without fearing it will aggress other animals.

The Wheaten is a friendly breed and in fact, it is very friendly it has its own unique way of greeting people. The Wheaten would jump up and lick a person’s face when it likes him or her and this approach is called, the “wheaten greeting”. Towards strangers, this dog is not aggressive but it will bark at incoming people, making it a good watchdog.

The Wheaten is a straightforward dog therefore the master should be straightforward, too. In teaching this breed, the master should be firm, consistent, confident and patient or the Wheaten will not pick up what you teach it. The Wheaten is an enthusiastic and intelligent learner and learns fast when the owner knows how to use the right teaching method for this breed.

There is no proved nor concluded ancestor for this breed but it is said that it is related to the Kerry Blue Terrier. This breed had been flourishing in the Irish countryside for decades before the Irish Kennel Club recognized it in 1937. The first batch of the Wheaten terriers is brought to the US in 1946 and one of its famous breeder is Lydia Vogel. In 1943, the British Kennel Club recognized it as a breed and in 1973; the AKC admitted it finally as a member.

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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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The Chinese Crested breed is considered as a toy group breed and it stands only 12 inches in height and weighs no more than 10 pounds in weight. Most of the breeds in the toy group are undeniably cuddly and fluffy to touch but there is a variety of the Chinese Crested breed that is cuddly yet far from fluffy. This breed often produces two varieties that are either hairy or hairless and whatever the outcome is, it is loved by many people still around the world.

These two varieties are named the Powderpuff and the Hairless. The Hairless variety does not have a coat on its body except for the socks, tail and head areas where a little growth is visible. The exposed skin of this variety is prone to damages such as bruises, dryness and sunburn.

The Powderpuff or Puff variety is the one that has a double coat of long, smooth and straight hairs. Without proper grooming, the hair can grow as long as floor-length but the standard cut for it is a shaved snout. The Puff is a minimal or non-shedder at all therefore it is considered hypoallergenic by experts.

These two varieties may look like they are of different breeds but they come from one litter. Grooming is different for each other as each has different cleaning needs. The Puff’s coat should be brushed regularly in order to avoid it from matting while the Hairless should be cared for like human skin meaning it should be applied with moisturizing lotions and creams all over in order to protect it from sun damage, dryness and patching.

All of Chinese Crested dog varieties are sweet, energetic, playful and cuddly little creatures. They like human companionship and will be at their happiest when their master includes them at any activities even as minor as watching TV on the sofa. These varieties also love playing and being around with children and they can live harmoniously amongst different kinds of animals.

They may look fragile for their size but the Chinese Crested dogs are intelligent, agile and are able to learn and perform tricks. In fact, they are often seen competing at various dog sporting events such as agility, conformation and obedience competitions. They are very devoted and loyal little pets and they wish to please their master eagerly; therefore, training them is quite easy and fast unlike other stubborn dogs.

A lot of people see the Hairless variety as an ugly dog and because of this; this variety is often included in the “World’s Ugliest Dog” competition. A Hairless Chinese Crested dog named Sam won this title in 2004 and 2005. Sam died in 2006 due to inevitable health problems but still, to this day, he is considered as the ugliest dog in the world.

Although named as Chinese Crested dog, the origin of this breed is not China but Africa wherein it is called the African Hairless Terrier. As Chinese merchant ships pass by Africa, they brought with them these hairless creatures to use as rat hunter aboard their ships. The Chinese Crested dog was first shown in the Western world in 1885, had its first American breed club in 1979 and received American Kennel Club recognition in 1991.

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The terrier group of the canine kingdom is notorious for their viciousness and fearless disposition when it comes to defending their dignity. It’s surprising to learn then that this group has a particular breed that they hail as the king. Being a king, however, does not mean that this breed is the most vicious and cruel but instead, it is the largest in size, warmest in devotion, and highest in intelligence and versatility.

The terrier group of the canine kingdom is notorious for their viciousness and fearless disposition when it comes to defending their dignity. It’s surprising to learn then that this group has a particular breed that they hail as the king. Being a king, however, does not mean that this breed is the most vicious and cruel but instead, it is the largest in size, warmest in devotion, and highest in intelligence and versatility.

The Airedale Terrier came from the valley of Aire, England during the 19th century. The breed was the result of cross breeding between small terriers and Otterhounds by the Yorkshire men of the area. The result of this effort was the Airedale that possesses the terriers’ ferocity and keen hunting instincts and the Otterhounds’ magnificence in the water.

The first years of this breed revolved around tasks such as vermin and bird hunting, otter catching and shot game retrieving. Inside the home, it was the very reliable companion, devoted pet and the outstanding watchdog. During World War I, however, the breed became more than just working dogs because they were enlisted to become instruments of peace and triumph.

During the war, the Airedale became a military dog, peace keeping aid and many other positions in the armed forces and medical organizations. Two great nations, Great Britain and Germany, became the first two countries to use the Airedale as their police and military dogs. All in all, the breed served as guards, messengers and ambulance during the chaotic years of war.

As a messenger, the Airedale was often successful in delivering parcels because even if it is heavily wounded, it would still courageously and adamantly fulfill its duties. The many wounded soldiers lying amongst the dead in the battlefield were rescued though the help of the Airedale’s sniffing ability. Additionally, this breed’s courageous and unwary disposition made it an outstanding watch dog of many important military posts.

These successes of the Airedale werent kept from the masses and so it became popular among citizens including presidents Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. People also added the title King of Hearts to this brave and devoted war hero and up to this time, the title remains unchallenged. Moreover, since the war ended, the Airedale has been rounding up the dog sports circuit and has won many awards since then.

The Airedale Terrier is a medium-sized dog that possesses a double coat of wiry, coarse and dense undercoat and a softer and smoother undercoat. It has a distinct bearded muzzle and densely long-haired legs. When this creature stands, it stands majestically and emits a recognizable pride that no wonder the title “king” suits it perfectly.

Popularity: 20% [?]

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