How do you determine if you have a purebred Chow?

General discussions about Chow Chows.

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DrewBear
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How do you determine if you have a purebred Chow?

Post by DrewBear »

I joined this forum 2 months ago and this is one of the most commonly asked questions. I suspect members who have been around for many years have become tired of responding to the question. The simplest response of “do a forum search” is often taken as being unfriendly, so folks stay silent. I did do a quick search and will now summarize what I believe to be true.

Until relatively recently in the history of dog breeding, you relied on kennel club registration papers with pedigree to establish a Chow as purebred.
“...the selective breeding of a purebred dogs is backed with proper documentation. These are the famous ''papers''. A dog with papers is a dog that has been registered with a particular registry. The largest registry of the Unites States is the American Kennel Club, AKC. Other famous registries are the (United Kennel Club) UKC , the Canadian Kennel Club and the Continental Kennel Club."
http://alexadry.hubpages.com/hub/How-to ... s-Purebred

**Note: the 2nd CKC is often NOT considered trustworthy. I don’t know the full details. It's a topic for a separate discussion.

In recent years DNA tests have become more widely available & affordable. However, there are varying qualities of such tests and the reliability of even the best is often debated. So today the most complete “proof” that your Chow is purebred would include registration papers (pedigree included) and a high-quality DNA test.

Unfortunately, the sad fact is that any documentation can be forged or faked. This is especially true in certain countries, but can happen anywhere. You can contact the registry to confirm authenticity of the documentation, but that works only if the registry is not involved with any fudging.

This is just my layman's understanding. Please feel free to add clarifications or more detail to this post. I apologize in advance if I somehow missed a sticky post or FAQ.
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Re: How do you determine if you have a purebred Chow?

Post by wokman »

I have to guess that the people concerned about the purity of their Chow Chow are going to either show or breed them. Some Post have had a disturbing undertone as to imply impurity would bring on something unpleasant.
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Re: How do you determine if you have a purebred Chow?

Post by Victory »

Some folks who want a purebred chow are not going to show or breed them but want a specific personality type. I'm not going to lie, I don't like the personalities of certain other breeds, so when I look for a rescue to adopt, I want a purebreed chow. Rescues don't come with paper records nor do most rescues run DNA tests on them either. The breed was recognized years ago before all those things were available, and chows looked different back then as well. A lot of us who have been around for a while study what a chow is, their looks, build structure, coloring, personality and all the things that make them chows. It's not that we don't want to impart this knowledge, it is because many of us have seen or at least heard of people dumping all breeds of dogs for any reason, and the idea of, "well, I THOUGHT he/she was a purebreed, and he/she isn't so I'm going to dump him/her, or abandon him/her is something we are all afraid of.

A lot of the people who come on asking "Is my chow a purebred chow?" have puppies, and most seem to be more interested in breeding than anything else. They often don't seem to have put in the kind of time learning about the puppy. After a puppy is in your home it is the wrong time to start asking about bloodlines. These are questions that need to be asked before you bring any breed of puppy home. After it is home, it is your responsiblity to give it a life time of care and a good home. You won't find many of us who have been on this site for a long time who will accept anything else.
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Re: How do you determine if you have a purebred Chow?

Post by DrewBear »

wokman wrote:I have to guess that the people concerned about the purity of their Chow Chow are going to either show or breed them.
That's certainly true some of the time. But I get the impression that the most recent inquiries are from people worried that they had not received the purebred Chow for which they paid. Personally I would worry more about adopting a 100% purebred Chow that was not properly socialized from birth or whose parents had known genetic health issues. Neither are guarantees that a puppy will turn out well (much still depends on ongoing training & upbringing and genetics is still random), but those facts are more important than a Chow that might have a part Samoyed great-great-grandmother.
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Re: How do you determine if you have a purebred Chow?

Post by Rory's Dad »

Wokman makes a good point.

I am a Chow owner that both shows and intends to breed my chows. I have no doubt that my dogs are purebred, and have researched their bloodlines to ensure that their are no genetic crosses or issues.

I do think that most of these questions are coming from people new to the breed or from folks that are buying from places that are not reputable within the chow community.

The easiest way to calm those concerns is to educate yourself on the Chow breed, which is the stated purpose on this forum. Most of the regs on the forum are aware of the breeders in their area, bad or good, and can provide info on them.
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Re: How do you determine if you have a purebred Chow?

Post by 612guy »

People that asked this question about if their chow is purebred are new to the breed and are comparing high quality chows to their chow. There is a big difference between a chow puppy that cost $400 and $1800 in the USA. I know because I've had both and looks is only part of the difference. Most people don't take enough time either and end up buying the first one they see. The good news is they are asking questions and desire to learn more.

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Re: How do you determine if you have a purebred Chow?

Post by DrewBear »

Victory wrote:After a puppy is in your home it is the wrong time to start asking about bloodlines. These are questions that need to be asked before you bring any breed of puppy home.
Exactly!
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