hmm what am i doing wrong?

Topics, guidelines and tips for coat and skin care and grooming Chow Chows.

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robinsegg26
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hmm what am i doing wrong?

Post by robinsegg26 »

hey guys
Well the pups hair is coming in finally... and the two boys have this fluffy downy feeling hair around thier head and upper back but on their legs and bellies they have this longer coaser hair... is that their adult coat? Nadja has a little bit of fluff around her head but her coat come in all over long and kinda coarse from the get go.. but none of them really have the fluffy poofy hair that i see in the pictures on here.. guess they are still catching up??

....When i brush them I am not getting the shedding like some of you guys talk about in other posts .. I know they had a rough start and probably werent on great food before.... not sure whats going on with their hair but those two boys pick up every bit of dried grass in my yard and bring it in... that downy hair drives me nuts...lol..

Any suggestions? good shampoos? i have to bath them prior to adoption days which is every other week... so looking for something that wont dry out their skin or coat..

thanks!
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kingalls
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Re: hmm what am i doing wrong?

Post by kingalls »

I wouldn't shampoo them too often, that will dry them out quite a bit...just do more brushing in between baths. I think you can go 5-6 weeks between baths with no problem. As I have mentioned before, Mr. N is over 4 years old and I've had him since he was about 9 weeks old - he's never had a bath - just alot of brushing at the groomers every 5 weeks.
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Auddymay
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Re: hmm what am i doing wrong?

Post by Auddymay »

Don't worry about their shed cycle. Chowlings don't schedule their first sheds like the grown-ups do. How is the adoption days going? I thought they would be snapped right up! Adult gaurd hairs are longer and coarser, and the fluffy manes don't come in right away. Also, some don't grow excessively, while others are hair factories.
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Layla
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Re: hmm what am i doing wrong?

Post by Layla »

Earthpet do a nice puppy shampoo :D Lots of brushing, but they may need a while to catch up, it takes a lot of the bodies resourses to grow a coat in. Plus pups dont always shed as adults do. Alf is shedding but it's different to Millie's shed....

At the other end of the spectrum to Mr N are my two that get bathed at least fornightly & play in the lake / river / sea a few times a week..... I like to refer to them as Team Aqua Chow.... :lol: They have never had a skin problem since living here either if that helps \:D/
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robinsegg26
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Re: hmm what am i doing wrong?

Post by robinsegg26 »

We actually have another adoption day tomorrow. I was out of commision for 2 weeks and wouldnt u know it 2 people showed up at the last one looking for the pups and we werent there.. so hopefully they will come this week... have a couple people intrested in them but no one has filled out an application.. so still fostering all 3... still have 10 dogs total right now and going thru 40# of dog food a week.. getting expensive.. so hopefully they will be adopted soon or moved on to other foster homes if one opens up... fun fun.. :roll:
robinsegg26
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Re: hmm what am i doing wrong?

Post by robinsegg26 »

btw how much do u pups eat at about 5 months old? some days Remi will eat a full 2 cups twice a day and other he might eat 3/4" cup twice a day... and the other two average between 3/4" cup to a cup twice a day and thats all they will eat.. i offer them more than that but they never eat it.... they arent thin by any means..lol.. Nadja is a very hefty 22-25lbs already and shes solid... Cade isnt far behind .. and Remi is still the smallest... hes got a skinny little butt compared to the other two.. pretty cute to watch when he runs from me
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Cara&Haley
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Re: hmm what am i doing wrong?

Post by Cara&Haley »

If they are not thin, don't worry about it. I really don't know the answer to your question but the amount they need to need probably also depends on their metabolism and how active they are. My Haley weights a good 7+lbs more than Cara but she needs less food. In fact, I was giving them the same amount of food and I had to cut down Haley's 'cause she was getting very chubby.
I'm tiny.. but I eat like a big man. :o
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Zhuyos mom
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Re: hmm what am i doing wrong?

Post by Zhuyos mom »

I don't think you are doing anything wrong regarding their coat. Because they lost lots of their original fur (puppy coat) from their illness, it may just be growing in differently. Some chows who get a medical cut or a lion cut can grow back their fur back like that. Earth Pet is what Jenn used on the Shakespeare chowlings when she brought them home. I used something else on the one I fostered and for my Twigs when he came to live with me. I can't find the bottle right now. Once I do I'll update this post with the product name. The shampoo was very emollient but not drying. My key is to brush, brush, brush the chowlings to stimulate the follicles. Couldn't you use a dry shampoo for the adoption days? If you apply the dry shampoo only to the fur and not down to the skin it will absorb all the stinky oil build-up on the fur and make them smell clean. I use baby powder for a dry shampoo, it works real well (I use it on real soupy-poopy butts too). However, others on the site don't care for that technique. But it works for me and my late boy's breeder was the one who told me about it. Also, do they look like purebreed chows or is there a mix showing up as they grow older?

Regarding feeding, my Tigger is 7 months now and he's a food freak. He'll eat and eat and eat if I let him. However, his regular regimine is 2 measured cups of dried kibble twice a day. He also eats Solid Gold WolfCub. What do Remi, Cade and Nadja eat? Maybe they need less because their food is more filling? Just a guess. I think Nadja is at a good weight for her age, but the boys I think they are still under weight, but they have had a tough start.

Can you post a photo update?
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kiwani
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Re: hmm what am i doing wrong?

Post by kiwani »

robinsegg26 wrote:.. but none of them really have the fluffy poofy hair that i see in the pictures on here.. guess they are still catching up??


...Any suggestions? good shampoos? i have to bath them prior to adoption days which is every other week... so looking for something that wont dry out their skin or coat..
The fluffy poofy winter undercoats usually start growing in at the end of summer, and they are being shed about now, while the less dense summer coats grow in. A variety of factors acting as stressors, including poorer health, upset the growing/resting/shedding phases of the coat. The body would put it's greatest available energy towards healing and growth first. It takes a great amount of hormone power just to grow a dense double-coat.


As for frequent shampooing in this situation, I would recommend the spray on, no-rinse "Waterless Bath" by Biogroom. It contains lanolin to give body to the finer hairs, and works very well for spot cleaning, without drying the skin or coat. Just spray on, gently massage through fur, and towel off.
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