The most common traits of Chows?

[Scarlets Mom]

All dogs are individuals but what would you say are the most common traits of Chows as a breed? Scarlet is my 1st Chow, before I found her I don't even think I had even seen a Chow. She is an absolute delight but is very different than the other dogs in my pack which is made up of mostly Greyhounds and Pit Bulls. I have only had her 2 yrs but cannot imagine life without her. I'm not sure which of her traits are inherent to Chows as a breed or just to her as an individual.

[nean007]

I would have to say the "What's in it for me?" approach to "training". Your pit bulls actually love to please their person which is why they are used as fighting dogs. They keep fighting because they are rewarded by their person. Chows get their "stubborn" label because they won't do anything just because you told them to. They sit on command IF you have the treat in the hand and they KNOW they will get something. Will they sit any old random time when you DON"T have a treat in hand? Only it it pleases their little butts to sit and sometimes Dargo will make it look like "oh, I'm NOT SITTING, noooooo, I'm merely scratching my ear. Do I have to sit to scratch my ear? Well, yes, but that's irrelevant and not because you TOLD me (you really should have ASKED) to sit."

[Auddymay]

Body Language. They tuck, lay as though broken, bow, and poke you with their paws, not the usual paw throw. Also, the way they help the slow humans, by stopping at an empty bowl, looking at the bowl, then back to you again just willing us to catch on...

[CoraP.]

Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn, but exceedingly loyal to the end.

[Mia]

Ha, I can answer that....


Aloof, stubborn, aloof, stubborn, aloof and stubborn.

Hmmm..........did I get it all?

Ah, but they are also, smart, noble, proud, stubborn (did I say that?), reserved to strangers, not willing to expend much energy on anything they don't find worthy, and not willing to expend love on anyone not worthy.

BUT....if you are worthy, they will give you their world, their love, their soul. Unfortunately, never their complete willingness to comply with demands.

You will still need to beg, plead, cajole, trick, and wait for them to do anything you ask.

There! Did I get everything? LOL!!!

[SWANCIN]

Ha, I can answer that....


Aloof, stubborn, aloof, stubborn, aloof and stubborn.

Hmmm..........did I get it all?

Ah, but they are also, smart, noble, proud, stubborn (did I say that?), reserved to strangers, not willing to expend much energy on anything they don't find worthy, and not willing to expend love on anyone not worthy.

BUT....if you are worthy, they will give you their world, their love, their soul. Unfortunately, never their complete willingness to comply with demands.

You will still need to beg, plead, cajole, trick, and wait for them to do anything you ask.

There! Did I get everything? LOL!!!

Yes, that covers it from my perspective!!

[rufnedge-2]

Most common trait to me are: ALERT, keen observers, loyal. I luv chows.

[Victory]

Too smart for their own good, stuborn, sometimes really funny, stuborn, loyal to the very end, stuborn, curious, stuborn, charming, stuborn, beautiful and did I say stuborn! And I personally wouldn't have them any other way, they are the best!

[Scarlets Mom]

Scarlet is indeed aloof with people she doesn't know. She is a one person dog and very protective of me. I had to laugh when I read how a couple people posted about how stubborn they are. The only time I can get her to sit is when I have a treat in my hand and even then she has to evaluate the treat to determine if it is worth her making the effort to sit, lol. She also has very selective hearing. How could anyone not fall in love with Chows!

[bellabear27]

The biggest thing I think they have is the ability to completely and utterly control the ppeople in their lives. They know how to pull on the heart strings and make "their" humans do whatever THEY want. I know that Bella has control of basically everything we do and unwillingly we just love her and accept it. In return for our obedience? we get complete and true love from them sounds like a good deal to me

[FNG]

Chow Chows are introverts.
They will only give their love to whom they have decided to be worthy.
No need to waste time and energy with other humans or dogs.
They are not the unconditional loving dogs that others are.
Like humans, they will compromise and meet your demands halfway.

[luvmydogs]

They are so loyal. Tara used to just sit by the door and wait until we got back home. The second she saw us, the tail would be wagging non stop.


Also, I don't know if this was a Tara trait or a Chow trait but when she was really excited she made this strange sound that was similar to an orangutan. Anyone else have a Chow that makes this type of high pitched noise (almost like an excited scream)?

[Sharons Chows]

STUBBORN,STUBBORN and STUBBORN some more!!

And yes, they won't give unconditional love to anyone other than those that they have labeled their own circle. They are way too intelligent for that.
And did I say that they were STUBBORN???
There is nothing like the CHOW and I could never imagine life without my two con artists around.

[Mia]

Bellabear27 - you are so right.

Chows have an innate ability to rule their hooman surroundings.

I find it amusing that when I sit back and think about it, my home, my life and my world are controlled by two furry, four-pawed, regal, self-entitled chow chows.

I realize that I am here to serve from the moment I wake up.

First thing in the morning, I must greet may chownesses and sing to them. Then, I coax them downstairs where I spend five minutes putting their food in bows, adding supplements and assureing the their royal highnesses get their daily vitamins and breakfast served in shiney, clean bowls.

Then, I get to look out the window in the yard and make sure that my little highnesses pass their bowels properly. If all goes well, I get the honour of going out and cleaning it up.

After the breakfast scenario is done, if I am lucky, and the highnesses flop down to rest, I get a break for a bit.

Should they choose to wake up early in the afternoon, it is a sign that I must run and empty, clean and refill their water bowls.

And, by evening, it is time to assure that dinner is served on time and made just right.

Hmmmm....wonder if they do all this for Queen Elizabeth???

Yes, I am a servant in my own castle. LOL!!!

[chow fancier]

Did anyone say stubborn yet???????

My Teddy, who for the most part seems to be missing the chow handbook (maybe it doesn't come in braille chowese?), will lay down and turn himself into a wet noodle whenever he doesn't want to go where I want him to (usually inside, but occassionally just down the block). When he first came to me at 55lbs I would just pick him up and take him in but now he has built himself up to 79lbs. I don't know if you've ever tried to pick up a 79lb boneless dog, but it is beyond my capabilities.

[Auddymay]

chow fancier wrote: I don't know if you've ever tried to pick up a 79lb boneless dog, but it is beyond my capabilities.

It gets no easier in the light weights. It is the Chow/Zen art of "Becoming Water". It is one of Lily's 3 escape methods when being held against her will. I have seen her escape Haley many times this way.

[Buddha4me]

I have to agree with much of what has already been said. My first Chow, Sheba came with the house we purchased, literally. We bought my father-in-laws house and he was moving to TX, he was taking his two other Chows, but Sheba hated those two, and was older, so a condition of purchasing the house was that we take car eof Sheba. Fine by me, I loved her already, and we got along great. There was really a sense that the house belonged to Sheba, and she just let the rest of us live there. A couple of years later we adopted her grand-puppy to save him from going to a shelter. She hated him too! He was allowed to live outside but not inside her house. Snoopy, the rescue knew her feelings for him and steered clear when they were allowed to be together. Sadly, when Sheba had to leave this world, the vet came to her home to put her to sleep. Snoopy barked his head off when the vet showed up. But suddenly he stopped barking, he seemed to sense Sheba was gone from her home, he didn't bark at all for the rest of the night, even when the vet let (not SOP for him). All of my Chows have had a profound sense of emotions, and have always picked up on mine. If I cry, they have always come to lick my tears away, and give me a big furry hug.

[FNG]

A common trait of Chows is their ability to have great owners.
Don't you sometimes feel sorry for other dogs ?
Yesterday, I drove my Chow to a multi-level parking lot to have our walk
because it was raining.
When it stopped, we went out. I saw a guy pulling his beagle so strongly that
it flew in the air. Fortunately it was a harness type and not a simple collar.

[Loha'sDad]

True entertainers. My Loha loves to make me laugh---- the way all comedians love to make their audience laugh. When Loha was just a 15 lb puppy I would jump back and forth in front of him as part of our play. Ever since he has been doing the same thing with not only me but other dogs--- and he can do it so fast you just see him pop back and forth--- bing, bing, bing. It usually makes me laugh which makes him go into ultra zoomie mode where he tears around the inside of the house like a lunatic, stops and jumps back and forth several times while I am cracking up, and then does a couple of more laps around the house like a crazed banshee. I am telling you, it is hilarious

Loha's Dad

[Scarlets Mom]

Someone said regal and I have to agree. Scarlet is very regal and looks with disdain when one of the other dogs do something goofy or heaven forbid pass gas. She even looked regal the 1st day I saw her calmly walking down that busy expressway. When I stopped the car to get out and call her, she stopped walking, seemed to weigh her options then very slowly and calmly walked over to me. She is an incredible soul.

[MickChick]

Oh Brandy does the boneless thing Teddy does, too! When we're out walking and she decides she doesn't want to go where I do (usually when I'm trying to go back home because I have to go to work and we've already been out for 30 minutes at least!) First, she'll dig her front paws in the ground, brace herself, and lower her head (she sometimes slips her collar that way, though sweetie that she is, the ONLY time she hasn't stayed exactly where she is to let me come over and put it back on was when we were outside her favorite neighbor's door. That time, she got a look of absolute joy on her face, bounced around and went right back to the door!) IF she can't slip her collar and I keep trying to make her continue walking, she'll flop on her side like a pile of rags, head down on the ground, legs stretched straight out, and just lay there! She did it the other day and stayed that way for a couple of minutes - I actually thought she had had a stroke or heart attack - until a group of kids went by on skate boards, and that fuzzy head snapped right up! She just didn't want to go home yet! And I can never get mad at her - she's so cute, and so wiley about getting her way ...

Uh... stubborn and what's in it for me -that's the two traits I notice the most. Other dogs have loved me, other dogs have been smart, but never as stubborn, never as thoughtful about what's in it for me??? combined with the love and intelligence!

Cecelia

[raisinails]

Loving.
Stubborn.
Funny.
Stubborn.
Very Loyal.
Stubborn.
Wins your heart forever.

LOL.

[nelliegirl]

Also, I don't know if this was a Tara trait or a Chow trait but when she was really excited she made this strange sound that was similar to an orangutan. Anyone else have a Chow that makes this type of high pitched noise (almost like an excited scream)?

Nellie does the same thing when she sees my cat and when she doesn't see the cat (I use to call her a sqeaky door) and then my roommate said she sounds like a monkey. Nellie also has a stubborn streak but she looks so cute when she is not listening to you (how could you be mad!!). Nellie has become the most loyal loving dog I have forgotten about all the other stuff.