Chow cross

[lola chow]

It might be a daft question but how do you know if your Chow is a cross ?
Especially if its been crossed with a similar type dog ?

[Mia]

Hmmm...not a bad question.
I don't know.
I would guess that you can check if they have any pink on their tongues - any pink would indicate a mix.
Other than that, I guess you would have to do that DNA thing. They have this place where you can send a DNA swab of the inside of your dog's mouth and send it to them and they tell you what kind or kinds of breed your dog is.

[chowpups]

Its really hard to figure out a BEAR COAT SHAR PEI ..if its mixed in or even if its p.b... They look like a smooth coat chow somewhat , but Shar peis also have the purple tongue and smooshed faces.. We almost ended up with a bear coat shar pei while looking for a chow.. if you google bear coat shar peis you'll see what I mean.. The shelter thought it was a smooth coat , but when we got there, the ears gave it away.. teacup shape .

[Sirchow]

I never knew there was such a thing as a bear coat shar pei. The ears are a bit of a give away. You learn something new every day on this site. Thank you Nancy

[lola chow]

if they where crossed would they still have a blue tongue say with a akita ?

[chowpups]

It could very could well have a purple tongue , our chow/shepherd had a purple tongue .. and our pug/shar pei had a very purple tongue.

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[Swerve]

Wow, never new the bear coat existed
http://www.sandyshreusharpei.com/page5.asp

Duff is more a Shar Pei cross then a Chow cross but we were originally told by the pound he was a Chow x Shar pei. I think any dog with a blue/ purple tounge is classifed Chow cross. However many people dont realise other dogs have colored tounges. Duff's tounge is almost black along with 90% of his gums.

We know Duff is cross shar pei as he also suffers from Cutaneous Mucinosis http://www.kavishi.freeserve.co.uk/shar ... oblems.htm. But Duff is what sparked our intrest in Chows and we always call him a Chow x. We have fostered a Shar Pei from the pound and Duff is very different from a Shar Pei at the same time.

It was these photos which we reckon Duff looks half Chow, hence why we got a Smooth Chow (Winston)
http://chowswho.free.fr/pedigree/paladin.php
http://www.smooth.ru/b/nikaE.shtml


Duff Duff


Our Shar Pei, Had him for 4 months, was such a cute little boy

[Auddymay]

If you go to Petfinder, you will see alot of Chow mixes being advertised as Chows. One thing I look at is the leg bones. Mixes have longer, more delicate looking bones. Next, look at the head structure. It is hard to tell a Chow with marginal pedigree from some mixes, but if the legs already look suspicious, and the head isn't right, you may have a mix. The tailset can also be an indicator, and of course tongue color. Body proportion and coat color/length should also give you information. Personally, If you aren't showing or buying from a breeder, a mix can be every bit as regal as a PB. If you have your heart set on a PB and the pup you want looks suspicious, wait, and go to a more reputable breeder.

[kingalls]

Shiloh is a mix and her tongue is completely purple. She's got the big head, too. She can ignore me like the typical Chow.
Nahkohe could almost pass for a PB except he has a spotty purple tongue and he's taller than a typical Chow. He's also very good at ignoring me.

[chow fancier]

The purple tongue comes with more breeds than you might expect including Belgian Sheepdogs (look like a black german shepherd). And if you are looking at a pup it is even harder to tell if you have a mix or a purebred. You can get a DNA test but I don't know how long it takes.

[woof_pack]

My two are sisters and are mixes (shepherd mixes, best guess!). I fostered 4 of their littermates as well and they all looked similar but different. One could have passed for a purebred. Two had absolutely solid purple tongues. The others had lots of purple spots except for one of my girls who has a completely pink tongue. Really interesting!

[lightforce18]

Yogi doesnt have the fluffy fur like most chows. But his parents were super fluffy short chows. Dunno how he didnt come out like them lol

[summer_rose03]

I don't believe Belgian Sheepdogs are supposed to have black tongues. I believe it is just meant that they are allowed black spots. Many breeds can have black spots and not be Chow or Shar-pei. Chows, Shar Peis are the only AKC breeds allowed to have solid black tongues. Chinese Foo Dogs and Eurasiars are non-AKC breeds that have primarily have black tongues, but their lineage is linked to Chows.

Carter is 75% Chow and he has a solid black tongue, but some pink on his gums. I thought he was a smooth coat because of this. He is 25% husky, which allowed for the pink in his mouth.