ChowChow.org

Hi! I'm new here and due to have my first chow puppy soon,
I'm excited and curios, wondering what my new chow will look like,

Do anyone know if it is likely the puppy will look like it's mum and dad or could it look completely diffferent ?
For example, the mum is bright red, with a closed face with long hair,
And the dad is very light cream, closed in face, very chunky with short legs and long hair,
The puppy I have chosen is red, is it likely to look like it's mum as she's red? Or could it be nothing
Like either of them?

I will find out soon enough but the excitement got me Thanks for any input from experience !

You won't find out until it's all grown up. Puppies from same litters turn out differently most the time. Sometimes like a parent or grandparent but other times like nothing from either. Experience breeder will be able tell but they still have to grow up some. Our Spartacus is 12 months old and still wonder how he's going to turn out because he still has almost all his puppy coat.

My suggestion is to just enjoy your puppy when you get him/her and take lots of pictures. I always love the pictures from the first day because that day only comes once. Below in my signature is Brutus first day we got him and then full grown.

612

Aw gorgeous ! Thanks, I will be obsessively taking photos
It would be cool to see people post the parents of their dog and their dog as a puppy grown up!

612 has it right. Sometimes you have a real resemblance to the sire and damn. Other times they pick up looks from 4 or 5 generations ago.

Chows have very few dominant genes. At least ones that go to each generation. Color has very little holding power and you could end up with a black chow pup out of 2 reds if there is any black gene in the heritage. Same can be said to a slightly lesser degree with coat style. Smooth Coated Chows can come out of a rough-rough mating.

When looking at mating pairs, you need to look back several generations to try to predict results. But, that being said there is a bit more certainty in some traits. Size and general build being among them. If you have a very large dog then you would want to mate to a more petit dog to return the litter to a more accepted size, unless you want that sort of thing. Dogs with a more athletic, old style build carry that trait more often than not. So you would select a mate within that range. Breeders in the US have tried to move the breed toward the heavier, stockier, and fluffier style. I am a fan of that look, but i'm not completely convinced its the healthiest build for the breed. And that comes down to muzzle type. Open muzzle Chows have an easier time breathing.

Probably way more detail than your original question wanted, but that is what goes into it. The best breeders will try to identify the best traits in their mating dogs so those are passed on. Repeated generations of those breed qualities bring out those qualities. Trying to move out the 'less' desirable traits. It takes generations of careful selection to accomplish it. That's why a lot of breeders classify their litters as 'pet quality' dogs where they restrict the new owners rights and then have 'show quality' pups at a higher price with no restrictions.

See the Mendelian chart.
Of course the pup is bound to inherit the features of the parent dogs. My dog got her color and facial expression from her mom, but her over-all look, she got from her cream colored dad.

Nice citation Cam. Of course Mendelian is based on human genetics. And its since been debunked when it comes to hair color...Still I like the reference.

Thanks Rory's Dad. Been a while. Yes it is (Mendelian). BTW, I recently interbred Cassie to our local native dog. Reason: 1. I like to have additional companions since Blue passed away. 2. Cassie would not mate naturally with any other chow. She'll have temper flare out even at the height of estrus/ But she particularly liked my neighbor's white native dog who has almond eyes too and curled tail and the same aloof attitude. 3. Improve the health. She is beleaguered with dandruff and hotspots, and very mild case of entropion.I want to eliminate these.
Was surprised 2 pups had telltale colors of the Rottweiler but diluted. (a neighbor's male half Rott half AsPin could be a grandfather of the pups.) I know the dangers of crossing chows to rotts for aggression.
Our native dogs have same independent attitude as the chows.

my Chestnut looks exactly like her Dad. face, color, stocky body structure BUT got her Mom's taller height. One sibling though ended up with shorter fur than the rest