Puppy Question (curly tail?)

XsoundXhoundX · Post by **XsoundXhoundX** » Sat Apr 20, 2013 11:26 pm

Hey guys I just got a chow puppy, Bentley, from a rescue where he was covered in ticks (30+), but he's all better now. Anyways, This is my first Chow and my first puppy (our other gsd was around a year old) but he has a streight tail. I was wondering if it grows to be curly or if he wont ever have that adorable tail D: !?

applebear · Post by **applebear** » Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:18 am

Chows tails aren't so much "curly" [not as tight or curled as say the Akita] as they are just curled/curved up, laying over the back/rump. I've never seen a pup that didn't all ready have it curled up over back by 8 weeks, but I haven't had a ton of experience with pups either. When you say straight, do you mean out from the body or straight over back?

Victory · Post by **Victory** » Sun Apr 21, 2013 12:05 pm

The curly tails normally happen with the cinnamons and sometimes the creams, the darker chows, (blacks, blues and self reds) tend to have straight tails that lay over the back, not the curly tails of other spitz types, (Akitas, Sammoyeds, huskies and Malamutes) The degree to which the tail fits to the back varies though, of my three blacks their tails all laid in a different way, LiChi's tail arched over his back, it was very full, but there was a lot of room under there except at the very base where it was very tight to his back. Darkwind's barely touched his back, it was more like a full plume, (very pretty I thought), Firesong's is ver tight to her back, it actually can almost disappear into the fur of her butt. All of their tails were/are straight. Dreamdancer who is a cinnamon, has what I teasingly call a doughnut tail, it makes a full circle on his back, but that is part of his genetic make up that goes with his color.

applebear · Post by **applebear** » Sun Apr 21, 2013 12:54 pm

Victory wrote:The curly tails normally happen with the cinnamons and sometimes the creams, the darker chows, (blacks, blues and self reds) tend to have straight tails that lay over the back, not the curly tails of other spitz types, (Akitas, Sammoyeds, huskies and Malamutes) The degree to which the tail fits to the back varies though, of my three blacks their tails all laid in a different way, LiChi's tail arched over his back, it was very full, but there was a lot of room under there except at the very base where it was very tight to his back. Darkwind's barely touched his back, it was more like a full plume, (very pretty I thought), Firesong's is ver tight to her back, it actually can almost disappear into the fur of her butt. All of their tails were/are straight. Dreamdancer who is a cinnamon, has what I teasingly call a doughnut tail, it makes a full circle on his back, but that is part of his genetic make up that goes with his color.

Oh this is interesting, as my experience is with reds....I just assumed the breed would fit all colors, as I've met very few chows. But now that I think about it, my female chow had bit more of a curl to her tail, but it seemed to go more with her frame and body type [open faced, more petite and agile], where my male had a very straight tail that just curved over the back loosely...if he'd break out into a run, it would flop slightly over his back [he was closed face, stocky and a brute]. I'm curious if body type could play into it as well?

Rory's Dad · Post by **Rory's Dad** » Sun Apr 21, 2013 1:01 pm

Glad that i ran across this post. There is a mirror post in the New section. When i read that i was definitely thinking more straight out to the rear rather than degree of curl. Having just returned home from shows with Amber, who was not real confident, i was thinking more of an insecurity drop in the tail rather than how tight the curl was when up on the back.

XsoundXhoundX · Post by **XsoundXhoundX** » Sun Apr 21, 2013 5:45 pm

Hey guys. Sorry I didn't reply but I was busy with puppy classes. His tail doesn't curl at all, it just sticks straight out from the body. It could be one of the breeds he's mixed with. He is more of a tan sheppard color.

Tippsy'smom · Post by **Tippsy'smom** » Sun Apr 21, 2013 5:59 pm

If he's a mix, it's likely it won't curl up. My mix Jasper (he's a lab/chow mix), his tail is curved, but he almost NEVER carries it over his back. It's more of a lab tail. However, when he was a puppy, his tail was just like a chows, curled over, tight to his back. That just changed as he aged.

Your pup's tail probably won't curl up.

gebower · Post by **gebower** » Sat May 11, 2013 3:55 am

My two Chows are purebreds with papers. One is jet black, the other red but, mostly blonde. Both had tails as 8 wk. old pups, that laid flat on their back. Not just kind of laid on their backs but, tightly on their backs. What's funny is that now that they're adults when they sleep, their tail relaxes. When they wake, their tail goes back on their backs.
Gene.

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