How do you keep your chow clean?
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How do you keep your chow clean?
Hi, I'm the owner of a 4.5 month old Chow puppy. These are some of his photos at about 3 months of age. His name is Pumba 
He's incredibly cute and I spend way too much time on him. However, I have a major problem that I hope you guys can help me with... I live in Seattle and its always so rainy and wet! Pumba doesn't mind the rain at all and he's happy to go out for his potty breaks, run and unfortunately, lie down on the wet grass and mud!!! Every walk we take results in a muddy, wet and dirty chow!! Ok so I'm kinda OCD about my house and I wipe his paws and coat obsessively and he's pretty clean with a good wipedown. But the thing is.... a 30min walk that we take also means a 30min wipedown after! And I can't take it anymore... I'd rather spend the time playing with him or on the actual walk itself. Is there any way to keep him cleaner during rainy wet weather? I'm thinking of buying him boots and a raincoat... but I'm not sure which brands would work best. Especially since its mostly his underbelly and legs that get reallly muddy and most coats do not cover the underbelly. Do you guys use any kind of rain gear? Please recommend if you do! I'm also thinking of bringing snowboarding with me this Thanksgiving weekend. Are snow boots necessary? And if I leave him in a car for 1 hour intervals while I board, would he be cold? I always provide him with blankets... but he doesn't seem to have any need of them and he actively seeks out cold wet places to lie down in! I know chows have a thick coat but its still pretty cold where I intend to snowboard... Thanks for your advice!
He's incredibly cute and I spend way too much time on him. However, I have a major problem that I hope you guys can help me with... I live in Seattle and its always so rainy and wet! Pumba doesn't mind the rain at all and he's happy to go out for his potty breaks, run and unfortunately, lie down on the wet grass and mud!!! Every walk we take results in a muddy, wet and dirty chow!! Ok so I'm kinda OCD about my house and I wipe his paws and coat obsessively and he's pretty clean with a good wipedown. But the thing is.... a 30min walk that we take also means a 30min wipedown after! And I can't take it anymore... I'd rather spend the time playing with him or on the actual walk itself. Is there any way to keep him cleaner during rainy wet weather? I'm thinking of buying him boots and a raincoat... but I'm not sure which brands would work best. Especially since its mostly his underbelly and legs that get reallly muddy and most coats do not cover the underbelly. Do you guys use any kind of rain gear? Please recommend if you do! I'm also thinking of bringing snowboarding with me this Thanksgiving weekend. Are snow boots necessary? And if I leave him in a car for 1 hour intervals while I board, would he be cold? I always provide him with blankets... but he doesn't seem to have any need of them and he actively seeks out cold wet places to lie down in! I know chows have a thick coat but its still pretty cold where I intend to snowboard... Thanks for your advice!- Attachments
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Judy Fox
- Rank 4
- Posts: 6320
- Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2005 9:49 am
- Location: Cheshire, On The Island.(But always wishing she was back home in Wales)
Re: How do you keep your chow clean?
I have not found out an answer to your problem! 
My girlies get dirty when they are out and I regard it as part of the "pleasure" of having chow chows.
When they get particularly muddy feet, I get a bowl of warm water and wash each foot in turn and dry it.
I cannot see an alternative as this time of the year, here on The Island I consider it too cold for a bath.
I put a stairgate in the doorway between the kitchen and the sitting room and put newspaper on the floor until the girlies are dry.
It takes time and patience but that, as I have said, is all part of owning chow chows. I think it is a small price to pay. 
Your chowling is beautiful and I love his name.
I think you might find that as he gets older he will become a little more sedate and not get so dirty. He is still a very young chow and you cannot expect him to behave like the full grown gentleman chow he will become. My girls are 14 months old and already they are becoming a little more discerning as to where they tread and where they run. Just hang in there and enjoy his puppyhood, however dirty it is - it will be over before you have time to blink. I would love mine to be 4 months again.
My girlies get dirty when they are out and I regard it as part of the "pleasure" of having chow chows.
When they get particularly muddy feet, I get a bowl of warm water and wash each foot in turn and dry it.
I cannot see an alternative as this time of the year, here on The Island I consider it too cold for a bath.
I put a stairgate in the doorway between the kitchen and the sitting room and put newspaper on the floor until the girlies are dry.
It takes time and patience but that, as I have said, is all part of owning chow chows. I think it is a small price to pay. Your chowling is beautiful and I love his name.
I think you might find that as he gets older he will become a little more sedate and not get so dirty. He is still a very young chow and you cannot expect him to behave like the full grown gentleman chow he will become. My girls are 14 months old and already they are becoming a little more discerning as to where they tread and where they run. Just hang in there and enjoy his puppyhood, however dirty it is - it will be over before you have time to blink. I would love mine to be 4 months again.
(Thank you Sweetpea for my new banner.)
Re: How do you keep your chow clean?
Chows love the snow and shouldn't get cold. But I would not recommend leaving him in the car. Not only is it dangerous - even in winter a car left in the sun can get too hot for a dog and its possible for a puppy to choak to death from accidently ingesting radio knobs, etc. It would be a terible end to a great day to come back and find he had died. Puppies are impatient and inquisitive by nature. Even if you parked in a parking garage or sufficient shade , you may come back to find that your seats are shredded or that he had to potty & did so in the floor since he had no other place to go.
The love of a chow requires some sacrifices. Chumley is 8 months and we have put off taking a vacation until we felt he was old enough for boarding. I would recomend a home sitter, boarding for the weekend or maybe there is a local boarding facility that will let you board him for the few hours you are on the slopes.
The love of a chow requires some sacrifices. Chumley is 8 months and we have put off taking a vacation until we felt he was old enough for boarding. I would recomend a home sitter, boarding for the weekend or maybe there is a local boarding facility that will let you board him for the few hours you are on the slopes.
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Victory
- Rank 3
- Posts: 3658
- Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 7:03 am
- Location: North Chesterfield, (Right outside Richmond) Virginia
Re: How do you keep your chow clean?
Bad news, nope not a thing you can do about it. Good news, he'll grow out of it. I have a picture of my Dreamdancer with mud all over his legs, belly, front and even his face. He was about five months old in the picture, he was so dirty I had to take the pictures and laugh at him. He is now four and almost a half and his feet might get muddy, but the rest of him stays nice and clean. H'e's as clean as all my other chows. By next fall your boy will have grown a bit allergic, (in his mind) to mud and water and won't be so much work.
As far as cold is concerned, your neck of the woods is no where as cold has Minneapolis, and my two do just fine without boots or coats. They love the cold weather and snow doesn't bother them at bit, you'll find that your boy will spread out those big feet and walk on top of the snow, like he's wearing snow shoes. The only thing you have to watch for is ice forming in the fur between his pads from the melting agents they use on the sidewalks. You want to make sure you can handle, (examine, search and remove ice from) his paws. As a puppy you have to watch his nose and ears, he doesn't have the nice long fur on his tail to wrap around his nose and face when he lays in the snow yet, and his ears aren't quite as protected as they will be when he's an adult. If you are taking him snow boarding and leaving him in the car, use a big old towel and blanket, (that he is used to from in the house) and he'll lay on them if he gets cold, but I wouldn't recommend doing so. As someone else said a car heats from sunlight, not ambient temperature in the air surrounding it. And a puppy will chew if it becomes bored. He'll do much better staying at home without you then being in the car alone.
As far as walking him every day or playing with him it takes a lot for a chow to feel cold, my two seem to feel fine all the way down to -20 below zero. Which I find VERY uncomfortable.
He's an adorable puppy by the way.
As far as cold is concerned, your neck of the woods is no where as cold has Minneapolis, and my two do just fine without boots or coats. They love the cold weather and snow doesn't bother them at bit, you'll find that your boy will spread out those big feet and walk on top of the snow, like he's wearing snow shoes. The only thing you have to watch for is ice forming in the fur between his pads from the melting agents they use on the sidewalks. You want to make sure you can handle, (examine, search and remove ice from) his paws. As a puppy you have to watch his nose and ears, he doesn't have the nice long fur on his tail to wrap around his nose and face when he lays in the snow yet, and his ears aren't quite as protected as they will be when he's an adult. If you are taking him snow boarding and leaving him in the car, use a big old towel and blanket, (that he is used to from in the house) and he'll lay on them if he gets cold, but I wouldn't recommend doing so. As someone else said a car heats from sunlight, not ambient temperature in the air surrounding it. And a puppy will chew if it becomes bored. He'll do much better staying at home without you then being in the car alone.
As far as walking him every day or playing with him it takes a lot for a chow to feel cold, my two seem to feel fine all the way down to -20 below zero. Which I find VERY uncomfortable.
He's an adorable puppy by the way.
Victory, Darkwind, (our angel), Firesong, and Dreamdancer
Thank you SweetPea!
Thank you SweetPea!
Re: How do you keep your chow clean?
Thanks for your advice! So I tried a couple of boots and they just looked way too weird on him and he didn't really like them either so I've decided I'll just have to live with his mud and grime and hope that he does grow out of it soon..... Thanks!
Re: How do you keep your chow clean?
Thanks for your advice! So I tried a couple of boots and they just looked way too weird on him and he didn't really like them either so I've decided I'll just have to live with his mud and grime and hope that he does grow out of it soon..... Thanks!
Re: How do you keep your chow clean?
A chow is a Nordic dog, so doesn't need a coat I can assure you and chows sport a wooly, harsh coat with features a natural resistance to dirt.
The foot thing however, can be a tedious issues because your chow has to walk on roads covered with salt, pollutants, harsh chemicals and gawd knows what else, and it's important to consider their feet as loads of pollutants are absorbed through the body via their feet. If you are in an urban, suburban or city setting, boots are a good idea and well worth the trouble because they do protect your dog's health in the long run.
There's nothing wrong with keeping an re-cycled ice cream container at the door filled with soapy water either. When you arrive back home you dunk each foot and wipe dry with a cloth.
Dirty feet are part of the dog owenrship deal... sorry... no getting away from that.
The foot thing however, can be a tedious issues because your chow has to walk on roads covered with salt, pollutants, harsh chemicals and gawd knows what else, and it's important to consider their feet as loads of pollutants are absorbed through the body via their feet. If you are in an urban, suburban or city setting, boots are a good idea and well worth the trouble because they do protect your dog's health in the long run.
There's nothing wrong with keeping an re-cycled ice cream container at the door filled with soapy water either. When you arrive back home you dunk each foot and wipe dry with a cloth.
Dirty feet are part of the dog owenrship deal... sorry... no getting away from that.