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Rivercat0624
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Show chow question

Post by Rivercat0624 »

When I was looking at various breeders on chow chow club Inc, I noticed the majority of them showed red chows. With black chows a distant second. But I didn't see any blues, fawns or creams. I know the creams noses can turn brown, which is a disqualification, but why are there none (or so few) of the other colors shown?
Rory's Dad
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Re: Show chow question

Post by Rory's Dad »

It's strictly a question of numbers. The majority of Chows are registered as Red. You are right about the Creams, in that most of the creams don't hold the proper nose and mouth coloring. Fawn and Blue are really more of a sub-category and most breeders don't register using those colors. My 5 Year Old male, is technically a shaded red, but for show purposes he is a red. Similar with blue chows, who likely show as Black as puppies.
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applebear
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Re: Show chow question

Post by applebear »

To be honest, I think they need to allow a wider variety of nose coloring in the creams. I notice some breeders try to point them quickly while young before their nose fades to liver or speckles. Though, it's probably more detailed than anything I know. Just an observation mostly.

Otherwise, I think reds in general tend to be the most popular and desired in the show ring. Back when I first got into Chows [back in the stone age], I never saw anything but reds when hunting for one...except once, one a breeder called "silver" [reality, he was cream].
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Rory's Dad
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Re: Show chow question

Post by Rory's Dad »

Very true Applebear. Most creams are campaigned to the CH before they are a year old. Only the top Creams hold the nose color beyond that. And there are always those breeders that try to categorize their litters with exotic colors (silver is a great example). Reds are still the most desirable, and are still the most common. For those that choose to show their dogs, they know that reds do favorably with judges. Blacks tend to lose color if exposed to sun, and most creams tend to have a limited show window. My shaded red would lose out to a more solid red every time out given everything else being even. And don't even get me started on Smooth chows. My Toby finished in just under 6 months, but it was a struggle to get judges to recognize him against Rough Coated Chows. And GCH points are even worse. He cant compete with my Rory, to the point where I cant enter them in the same shows.
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