Chow Chow breed guide

Owners say Chow Chows are the cleanest of dogs: they housebreak easily, have little doggy odor and are as fastidious as cats.

The Chow Chow is a very intelligent dog but stubborn at times, so training depends on patience and positive, consistent reinforcement and harsh methods fail.

Chow Chows live 8 to 12 years. AKC lists eyelid entropion, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, allergies and thyroid function among the issues that health screening, responsible breeding and regular care may minimize.

The Chow Chow Club, Inc. website carries extensive detail on breed health.

Rough and smooth coats both carry a thick double coat that needs thorough brushing at least twice a week and a monthly bath. Parasite problems such as fleas and ticks need immediate attention and grooming should include eye and ear care.

Exercise needs are moderate: daily walks and moderate play with toys, with minimal rough play or high-impact exercise. The breed does not tolerate high heat or humidity, so avoid exercise in the hot part of the day.

The Chow Chow is depicted in artifacts of China's Han Dynasty, around 206 B.C. and evidence suggests it goes back much further and is the progenitor of other spitz-type breeds from the Norwegian Elkhound to the Pomeranian.

It has played many roles, among them lordly companion to Chinese nobles. An emperor of the Tang Dynasty in the eighth century was said to own a kennel housing some 5,000 Chow Chows and a permanent staff of twice that number.