Excuse me!!!!!

[Rio]

Anyone notice that if you are going through a doorway, there always appears to be a furry blockage of sorts? Or down a hallway? Through a gate? And oh yeah whenever a new bag of shopping appears? I have never asked 'excuse me' so many times in one day before I got a Chow
And would someone please inform the doggy nation that they cannot nor probably never will be able to fasten shoe-laces, no matter how many bloomin' times they try.

[Judy Fox]

This one made me laugh!
Mabel is the favourite in our house for lying right in the sitting room/kitchen doorway and Fred always says to her, "Excuse me Mabel, you are not a door!"
At least our know what "Excuse me" means and will respond and they will even respond if we say, for example "Will you excuse Tilly, Maisie please!"
Also shopping bags are of great interest and they love it when Sainsbury deliver my order because I order about every three weeks and they know that a lot of their food comes. The delivery men know the girls and talk to them.

[Sirchow]

I now have three bodies that block doorways Even when the puppies were only three weeks old they blocked doorways so I guess it is born in them.

[Hugo]

I hear you! Hugo is always in the door way too. Sometimes he'll move if asked politely but oter times we have to step over the big lump.

[Ursa's daddy]

Kitty (wife) is always complaining that either Ursa or Malachi is in the way. Victory, in several posts, has discussed training dogs to keep out of the way. That is one of those things that I should do, but probably never will. Now I have trained them to stay clear of the door when I need to open it. Well, maybe they are not that well trained, but they understand that the door will not open until they get back from the door and sit. We sometimes wait a while before that occurs, but I am willing to out wait them.

[Cam Atis]

Cassie also have a similar habit, and aspires to be one of those orange cones we see on the roads when being repaired. I stepped on her paw a few times when she was little and yet she still have the knack to block me when I walk. Audymay has a brilliant way of training it out of the chow but i havent tried it yet.

[612guy]

Brutus does it all the time. I think it's in all chows dna. I think it's funny and wish I knew what he was thinking? Probably just likes the cool tile in the entry way but likes to keep an eye on us.

[Rio]

I have decided most dogs do this, but Chows being so boulder like are quite difficult to shift! I know how to train at doorways but I guess I don't mind really.

[sue]

Out of my three achilles is the worst his favourite spot is at the back of the front door.When i am leaving he watches out the corner of his eye.When i go outside closing the door behind me before i put the key into lock it i hear a thud & hes there already on guard duty.When i come home i unlock the door if i am lucky it opens about an inch & i stand there like a total idiot knocking on the door shouting LET ME IN when he eventually decides to move i am actually allowed to enter my own house.The game dosent end there if i have shopping to bring in which can be 3 trips to the car he gets behind it everytime.Of course he takes great delight in being a little nuisance & expects praise as well.

[Cam Atis]

No not all dogs do that "blocking your path" thing. They jump on you. Paws flying everywhere. Cassie is unique, It is the reason I asked if it is a bullying thing but Cherriemater assured me it is but a nuissance thing as she puts it.

[Cam Atis]

Guess their olden times temple guarding instinct is still very much alive in chows of today

[TyChowgirl]

I've always assumed it was an innate guarding instinct. Wherever the main entrance is to any room or house or space, Ty's blocking it.

[Rory's Dad]

i think it is Ty...always sitting between their family and an entranceway. And its not just a stranger in thing...years back our 1st chow, Kodi, blocked our 3 year old daughter from exiting the back stairs without mom or dad in tow. Pretty well convinced he saved that child from wandering off and getting hurt.

[Ursa's daddy]

Kitty's (wife) complaint is that there are two bear rugs that are always where she wants to walk. Part of it is that they like the ceramic tile floor in the kitchen and the central walkway downstairs. Of course, that then puts them directly in the way. That is different from their guarding. If there is a strange noise at night, Malachi will rush out into the hall and then to the top of the stairs. Ursa will go to the bedroom door. They have it covered. If it is a cool evening, and we do not have the AC on (haven't been any of those lately), we will open north window in the center of the house. This creates a pretty good draft. There will be two chows directly in front of the doorway to enjoy the breeze.

[kingalls]

They need to be where they can watch/guard everyone. When I am at the kitchen sink, Nahkohe will move to where he can snooze but still "hear" me so that he knows where I am and what I am doing. A friend of mine said his parent's German Shepard would centrally locate himself where he could watch everyone in the house.

[Cam Atis]

Cassie will place herself on the entrance way. I thought: clever dog. That way she can have both in in range. The inside and the outside

[Auddymay]

Lly lays in the worst places. She is very trusting though, that everyone including the other animals will gingerly walk around her. I think she has met her match with Dillon, however. He like to lay as close as possible to Lily. When she lays at the foot of the stairway, he has been known to lay his rump on her head. She simply unwedges her head and continues playing the rug.

[wokman]

Leo blocks the door sometimes so I cannot get in to the house. I think he is telling me you won't let me out so I won't let you in.
If Zoey has been mouthing off ( teeth showing snarling growl); Leo will block her path to her orthopedic pillow at night so she wakes up stiff and cranky after a night on the hard floor.
The entrance to the kitchen gets blocked as Leo's way of saying feed me first.