Is anyone from the US?

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Chow master
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Is anyone from the US?

Post by Chow master »

Hey friends
Ok so I was wondering is anyone from the US. I have found some people here that aren't from here. I was wondering because each places have differant ways to take care of chows and I was wondering if anyone who live in the US could tell me what they feed and use to groom and where are good places to live when you have a chow. I live in south dakota :mrgreen: and was wondering if anyone knew what are good places to live in. Like a city, the country, ect. I live in a city but it isn't very big. But its growing. Does anyone have any idea of where I could socialize my dog if i dont live by any parks or dog parks?

Thanks for the help it would be nice to know somone who lives close. oh yea almost forgot it is possible for me to get another chow in a year or two. I will try to post a pic of our old ones but since they are both dead it might be kinda hard.
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chowpups
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by chowpups »

well I live in the US, in the suburbs of Phila, out in the country..Nikki was a picky eater so I can't be much help there! For socializing I took her to puppy classes, also on outing to pet smart, or any stores that allow pets, I even asked the Vets staff if I could periodically bring her in to just visit and leave quickly so she got use to the Vets office without fear.( the staff loved the idea less stress on them too)I walked her up to the bus stop and let her get use to children, eventually they all loved her to pieces ( she was only 12 wks when I started this so they all knew she had puppy teeth and didn't touch her till I knew it was okay). I would take her to shopping areas and sit on the benches out side so she got use to cars and people going past. I introduced her to all my crazy relatives so that really got her use to anything.
took Nikki on long car rides too.Oh, and the Fed Ex guy too, I would give him her favorite treat and ask him to have her sit and give her the treat. He was very willing also since there were some biters in our neighborhood.
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Tippsy'smom
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by Tippsy'smom »

I'm from you US. I live in the middle of nowhere in Georgia.

Until we had a dog park open near us in the past couple of years ago, all of the dog parks were on the north side of Atlanta, and many "people parks" didn't allow dogs (some have now changed that policy), so I was really limited when it came to socializing places (when my last purebred chow was young, I was lucky enough that the baseball park my brother played at allowed dogs, so she socialized with that crowd; and we went to Petsmart frequently). Now, I avoid the dog park at all costs... Too many nasty owners with nasty dogs. Dixie was attacked the last time I tried to take her so she could play with one of her doggie friends and the other dogs, and one just went crazy and tried to rip into her (luckily enough, I was close enough to kick the other dog off of her). So, we stick to controlled interactions (on leash) with other dogs and go to petsmart, petco, tractor supply, our "little country store", and the "people parks". Plus, Dixie and Jasper go to parades with me. And they get to come to my friends' houses quite frequently too.
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R.I.P. Cinder~1992-1994, Tippsy~9/00-4/11, Jasper~10/08-10/14, Todd~2/11-7/15
Dixie: mix Rebel: mix
Chow master
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by Chow master »

:D cool. Unfortunately we don't have any of those stores here on the east side all on the west. But we are lucky enough to have baseball field and softball fields near us that its almost close enough we can walk. They will usually have games at night so I wont have to worry about my fuzzy friend over heating. I would tell you the city I live in but you know how the internet is!

Thanks for the replys!
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Me & Tess
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by Me & Tess »

Northwest Montana, about 15 miles from the Canadian Boarder. Tess picked and choose how & who she socialized with. I didn't push her because, I didn't know where she came from or what had happened to her. She liked Buddy, a Yellow Lab, but only so much. If we were Buddy sitting, she would delegate him on to the back porch. Buddy loved her during that time. About 6 years later Adell came into Buddy''s life and Tess was no longer the Beautiful Young Chow, but he was caught between when Buddy & Adell had sleep overs with Tess. Tess would complain constantly & Adell would growl the whole night. Very interesting night. Shocker, who was our neighbor's little black Lab, tried to come up to our cabin - but Tess started fights with her - which we broke up early. After that Tess would go down and visit Shocker & would only allow her up to our clearing. Shocker could have showed her so much. Tess could have gone running with Shocker's pack. But Tess choose to be a loner.

Knowing how a small town is, I would say take your Chow to the parades, County Fairs, etc. Seem like everyone takes their dogs to many of the functions. Hang out in the park. Get to know your neighbors and take walks together. Children and bus stops are a good idea.....

Tess' bath was about twice a year plus butt baths when she needed it. Gave her Brewers Yeast and never had a flea - also gave to past pups - no fleas. I take it too, especially in the spring/summer when the mosquitoes are around.

I love your questions - very positive addition to this site!
Last edited by Me & Tess on Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Clovers_Mom
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by Clovers_Mom »

We live in outside of Boston, MA. It is a city, but still has that quiant, town like feeling. There are lots of woods, parks, and ocean/ponds etc. We will be having our grand opening of our dog park in a week or so- great way to socialize your dog for free :-)
Clover eats blue buffalo (at this point, puppy type)
I do have to say we walked downtown with clover not realizing that the mem.day parade was schdled a wk before... She did not like the marching band... However, people other dogs she was fine. Each chow can be so different, def. get your pup around as many people and dogs that you can..
I had great luck at my local petsmart for puppy training and doggie 'day camp' ... I think I lucked out. Train as soon as you and your pup can- socialize, sociialize, socialize ... If there aren't any dog parks etc. try googling local groups... Maybe Pple just gather together on their own.
Grooming when she was pre-spring and puppy fur shed was- daily every 2 days using a comb and Pin brush. Once she started spring shedding and puppy fur shedding... Then I got a full time job (I was unemployed for the 1st 4m I had clover so much easier to groom etc) I sucked it up and bought the furminator- glad I did.
I drop her off at day camp 1 day a wk sometimes 2, so she does get slobbered and found she needs a bath maybe every umm.. Idk... Had her since dec 5th 2011 and she had 3 baths... Just in our tub..nothing to extravagant.. Ha.. She get her nails and pads trimmed at petsmart.. But she has never been professionally groomed.
Think I hit on all points then some! I know that there are so many quesitions you want answered when 1st getting a pup! This website has been a godsend to me
Shannon & Clover
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by Rory's Dad »

Just outside of Boston, MA here. We are lucky enough to have a pet box store very close by. This was great for puppy classes and general socialization. Lately though, its been frustrating. Rory will NOT walk nicely through the store and just pulls to no end. We do show him, and he exhibits none of this behavior at shows where there are approx 1000 other dogs in attendance (not an exaggeration). We still take him there for pre-show grooming, because they know to never clip, trim, shave him. And, he is comfortable with the staff.

He frequently rides in the car, and gets mad when he doesnt get to go. We have a 15 year old in the house, so we get lots of company for afternoon visits and sleepovers. He meets all the parents and what not to give his approval. He goes with us to relative houses for all holiday get togethers.

Whatever and wherever for the socialization. The more environments and variations the better. I am thinking of revisiting the pet store, with a different lead, but not sure. We actually abandoned the puppy classes that we had already paid for because of the 'bad owners', not dogs, that would show up.

As for food, we have Rory on the Nutro Large Puppy. He is getting close to moving up (10 months). He also is on a special diet that was recommended by his breeder, and he likes it so much we cant take it away. Rory gets cottage cheese for breakfast, and alternating between chicken breast or hamburger for dinner.
Rory's Dad
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by Rory's Dad »

Oh yes, the grooming tools. We do have Rory professionally groomed once a month. In between, we do the maintenance. I flat out splurged and went for the Furminator line, without the actual furminator. We have the slicker brush, the comb, and the rake. Good products and do the advertised job. Not sure they are worth the premium price, but as said, they do work well.
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Victory
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by Victory »

Minneapolis, Minnesota here. I feed my two Inova adult dry "red meat" formula. They like it alot and it seems to like them too. I have lived in neighborhoods with lots of dogs so they get some socialization from just being walked every day. Also get the same with people from just hanging out too. I don't take them to off leash parks, some aren't completely fenced in and these two have horrible recall. I also sometimes take them to a park or open area, put them on their 20ft leads and let them run and play that way, they love it.

I do my own grooming, I have a soft touch pin brush, a slicker brush, an undercoat rake, a small normal brush, (for their faces) a metal comb with close and wider tines and a regular comb. I also have ear cleaner and tear cleaner for the corners of their eyes, (my girl has very mild entropian) and nail clippers for dogs. Oh and a doggie hair dryer. I brush them with the pin brush often, but it is just to keep them looking nice. When I do a full grooming, (should be at least once a week) I comb all their fur backwards in sections with the undercoat rake, until it is picking up no more shedded fur, then I do the same, (comb backwards) with the pin brush, to get to their skin, then I comb it the right way in little tiny sections with the metal comb. From the skin out, this removes all tangle and a lot of dirt, and evenly distributes oils as well as letting you check for fleas and ticks. So far never seen a tick or flea on these two, (neither has their vet) they look and smell good too, my boy has not had or needed a bath since I got him at 8 weeks old, (he'l be 6 on July 4th) and my girl hasn't needed or had a bath in over 7 years.

That may change though because of the fact that we live in a carpeted place now and odors tend to get in the carpet and then back on them. I have Drs Foster and Smith doggie shampoo and conditioner for them though..and like I said a doggie hair dryer. When I do bathe I do it when the weather is very warm and hopefully dry so they can then lay out side and dry out completely.
Last edited by Victory on Thu Jun 21, 2012 9:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by bellachow »

London, Kentucky here. I live in a small rural 'city'. We dont have dog parks but can walk the furkids in the people park. I have a small fenced in yard so that they can run & play. I tried to invite friends over and take them on plenty of car rides. I groom my own, like Victory, but I just use a regular undercoat rake & pin brush.

Belle & Chumley eat Purina Select Chicken 'cause it is gluten free with no corn or soy by products (from petsmart).
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by Auddymay »

I live in West Michigan, a few miles from Lake Michigan. We live in a small village on the outskirts of a small- medium sized town. We have many places to take our Chows, including a dog beach most humans would be jealous to see. There are several dog parks as well, but I am near enough to the rural areas to just go there.

My female eats Natural Balanced limited ingredient diet because she has a persistant skin condition. The male eats Nutro, which the female loves to eat from his dish whenever he leaves a few kibbles, which is pretty rare.

All things considered, with the snow in winter and the nice beaches in summer, it's a pretty swell life for a Chow.
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Rio
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by Rio »

Nope I'm not, but I do believe 75 percent of the forum are, hence the posts above :) I may move just to fit in.
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Clovers_Mom
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by Clovers_Mom »

Rio
I love that we are All not from the states. (I think) that it gives a great different perspective and opens our eyes for other ways to care and raise our pups. :-)
Socially it's great to hear all the different stories and perspectives!
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TyChowgirl
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by TyChowgirl »

Frederick, MD here. Originally, from a small town in PA outside of the Pittsburgh area (more like across from Pitt, but small details. My city is small and quaint, but has a lot to offer. They are really involved in the arts here (which is good for me, being a certified art teacher) versus where I was from, the small sheltered area it was. They are also super dog friendly here. There's multiple parks through out the county, and they are putting even more dog parks in. There's a Petco,Petsmart, and Pet Valu. We also have a little store called TwoPaws Up that sells only good quality food, toys, and accessories at decent prices. They even make their own dried liver treats called Bare bites! When you walk down town, you'll see a lot of places with a blue bone sticker on the door that says "My Dog Digs Downtown Frederick". That means you can bring in your well behaved and leashed dog into their store. Most of these places will also have water bowls out for the dogs and have treats behind the counter. Carrol Creek park also has water fountains spread out that have one at ground level for the dogs, all you have to do is step on the button. I love it here. Just enough activity not to scare away a small town Pennsylvanian girl, but not too much and it's not too big. At home, there are no dog parks (there's barely any jobs left in my area) and dogs are more like a lawn ornament than a companion. The attitude is so different here! (I only moved down here about 2 years ago, so I'm still in that wanderlust stage lol)Not to mention there are a lot of Vineyards that allow you to bring your dog nearby :) Oh, and they have dog specific events planned out throughout the year here. We attended Bark in the Park this year, it was a blast. Again, super dog friendly. Though, it's definitely not cold enough for a chow here (or for me for that matter)and the humidity is quite awful. Lately, because of my work schedule, we haven't been taking our normal walks because it's been 100 not to mention the humidity. I won't let Ty stay outside long, even if he wants to because frankly, if I'm miserable with light clothing on I can't imagine what it would be like in a furcoat.
We went through a lot of foods with Ty, mostly because of skin allergies. But when he was a puppy, I kept him on large breed. I only did this because the vets predicted his end weight to be over 60 lbs, so being most companies consider large over 50 and tend to put extra stuff in there for hips and joints as the bigger dogs have those issues I kept up with that. Not saying it's valid and sound, but that was my thought. Ty is now nearly 80lbs and mostly muscle. He's got an english type coat so he's not nearly as thick in the fur, but he's still a rough, not smooth. I currently have him on Nutro's grain free/gluten free turkey dry kibble with the occasional wet food. I would also recommend Taste of the Wild. I'd have him on that being that it's actually cheaper (If I get it at two paws) but we travel a lot and I wanted to be able to get more from Petco or Petsmart if I ran out while we're away without messing up his stomach. Those places don't seem to sell TOTW.
I guess, what everyone else said, take your puppy with you everywhere you can. If it's small enough, hand he/she off to people so it gets used to the human touch. I think that's what happened with my puppy, he didn't get enough of that at the right age. Encourage petting under the chin or whatever puppy is comfortable with. Give people treats to give it, etc.
And welcome to the forum!
Goodluck :)
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kitten1426
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Re: Is anyone from the US?

Post by kitten1426 »

Where from NJ....Mia she was a picky eater...Kodi he ate anything...lol...Dont go by us what we give our dogs to eat..lol..We cook for them alomst every nite. Chicken,beef livers,chicken livers,we also do somewhat of a raw food diet too...raw chop meat,raw eggs, we give them yogurt,cottage cheese,lots of veggies....they do get Kibble and wet dog food mixed in..Our male chow he can eat about good 4-5 cups of food our Female eats at least 4 cups of food a day...Kodi is big IMO tho very tall and weighs a good amount he is almost 13 months old....As far as grooming we have a good shedding comb...metal combs...and we take them to the groomer for blow outs and touch ups...lol...
Our dogs...Kodi Male chow..[Mia Female Chow RB :( :( ]...Bear Male Airedale...Shelby Male Collie...And Moose airedale, New girl chow Merida
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