Hew to the forum!! :)

[Shiro's Mom]

Hello everyone!!

My name is Julie and I am 26 years old. I currently live in Sherbrooke, Canada with my boyfriend Nicolas and my 6 year old son Keyven. We have been researching about Shiba Inus & Chow Chows for approximately a year now until we finally set our heart on a cute Chow Chow. It's both our first time dog owner though I have practically been born and raised with 5 rottweilers, 3 dobermans and 1 German shepherd. People keep being stunned when I tell them how many times I've poked their eyes, put my fingers in their ears or literally put my hand inside their jaw and how many times they've played the "poney" with me and my younger brother.. Though I live in an apartment and these dogs are not allowed.. Yeah first thing that came into my mind was "WTF??". Sadly today they all died of old ages, our doberman was 19yrs old when she passed away about 2 years ago. I really miss having a dog around and I wanted a dog just as stubborn, protective and dominant as them. I wanted a Shiba Inu and my boyfriend wanted a Chow Chow but after making a lot and alot of research.. Chow Chow seemed to be the breed I am looking for and can't wait to see their aloofness!

We found a nice breeder near where my mother lives and will finally have our Shiro in 5 weeks which ironically is right in my son's birthday (We didn't plan that at all!). I also wanted to thank everyone in this forum for all the awesome tips and almost all my questions were answered only a few are still unanswered but I still searching! I have also aready applied for puppy classes and private sessions until he is fully vaccinated and a great vet in my area.

Anyhow, sorry for the BIG post and will also give pictures once he is old enough to go see him!

Julie

[cherriemater]

Welcome to the fourm, Julie!! I joined in June shortly after we lost our Kimba and have found so many helpful things. We, too, are getting some puppies very soon (on or before my own birthday) so it will be fun to watch yours and mine grow up together. Yay!!!

[Shiro's Mom]

Oh that would be awesome to watch indeed my will be a bright red male puppy ready for about October 20th.

[MissV]

Hey!
YAY on getting a chow baby.
I think they are by far the cutest things on earth

Just watch out with chowlie and your 6 year old. Chows wont stand for most nonsense like "pony" rides etc. (LOL). They also like to have their "own" time so your son needs to know when to leave pups alone - else he'll end up with a bite ;( and puppy teeth are SHARP!
Just make sure chowlie understands that your son ranks higher than he/she does and that your son respects the doggy.

:>

[Victory]

Hey!
Just watch out with chowlie and your 6 year old. Chows wont stand for most nonsense like "pony" rides etc. (LOL). :>

A well bred, trained and adjuste chow should put up with almost everything a young child can dish out. We have an entire photo section devoted to the subject, "chows and Kids; any questions" is the thread, you'll see a lot of chows at a lot of ages with children of all ages, being childern, there is even one picture of an 15 year old chow with a child sitting on him, the chow is perfectly happy.

No young child should be left alone and unsupervised with any dog, ever. But this is ALL dogs, not just chows and is as important to protect the dog as the chow. This is especially true of a 6 year old child and a young puppy, at that age the child is more a danger to the puppy than the other way around. By the time the puppy is a year old they will be more equals, and if training has been done right, the puppy should see himself as submissive to the child.

When my neice was born, my mom had two year old MingToy, she learned to pull up to stand using him and her own Labador, there is a picture of her, sleeping between the two dogs. When she learned to walk and talk, she'd come into the room and scream "Mingmingmingmingming" and have a ball with her. When she was eight there is a picture of her giving orders to both my mom's chows, Mingtoy and LiChi and they just did what she said.

Like I said check out the pictures, don't allow your son to ever harm your chow and they will be best buddies and friends for life. You have a good back ground with the breeds you grew up with, now add a bit more independence to the Rottie personality and you have your chow. Good luck. Ask us anything, and congrats on soon to be owned by a chow.

[Shiro's Mom]

Yes I know I have to be careful, that's why my boyfriend and I are going to take private lessons as well with puppy class and my son will be the main focus. She is going to mostly teach him a lot of things. In the puppy class my son will me with me doing the lessons. I'll also bring Shiro everywhere I go even though where I live, the rules are very strict but my mom lives elsewhere and the rules there are not as bad and I go there every week ends.

I am very happy to bring a Chow home and after doing all those research I can see some of the traits I really love about the Shiba in the Chow as well since both are very ancient breeds and have similar origins.

I am glad I found this forum it has been very helpful!

[chica_2626]

Welcome! You definitely sound like you're as prepared as can be, can't wait to see pictures and hear stories!

[Shiro's Mom]

Thanks so much everyone for the kind replies! About my 6 years old, I know he needs to be supervised and the trainer will almost work with him when we get private sessions and we all going to assist puppy classes for at least 6 sessions.

I am now planning my list of things to buy and I am wondering if the puppia harness is good for him and what size should I get him? We are so excited and planning on letting Shiro sleep in my son's room at night since my son can't handle the dark at all and his in the "monster" stage which will be interesting to watch once Shiro is home. My mom also knows a bit about Chow Chows and is totally jealous that I am getting one and keeps saying she'll always be home, sadly she can't get hers since her boyfriend is allergic to dogs. My mom used to work in Shelters and volunteer until we moved too far.

I am sure I'll have tons of questions once he gets home! I am also going to see the breeder next week end to see my puppy and will post pictures

[Ursa's daddy]

Wow, since you have grown up with some of the "big bad dogs" you know about dogs. The problem with most dogs is their owners are not properly trained and supervised. I have had a number of different dogs over the years, most of them the working dogs, and have found my two chows to be the two dogs that have attached themselves most closely to me. According to my wife, Ursa will get restless if I am downstairs watching TV or playing on the computer while they are upstairs in the bedroom. Malachi, my male, is right here at my feet. When I start turning off the lights downstairs, he will wait and make sure I am on the way upstairs before he goes more than half way up the stairs. The dogs are highly defensive of the house, and will bark when any stranger approaches. What has really impressed me is how gentle they are with my wife's mother, who is 90+ y. Either dog could easily knock her down and cause injury, but they seem to know what to do.

You have to socialize your Chowchow, even more so than the other breeds. Ursa was extremely shy and remains somewhat unsure. She looks to me and to Malachi for cues. Malachi was three months old when I got him from the animal shelter, and the young ladies there were in love with the big fluff ball and spent a lot of time with him. I take them out in public as a pair, and they are always well behaved. If people want to pet them, I have the dogs prepare by sitting down, the have the people approach from the front and touch them under their chin. House training was fairly easy. It did not take more than one day for me to learn that when Malachi said he needed to go out, he needed to go, and I was not to wait. My two like the attention they get being brushed, so grooming is not a big problem. You also have to not mind having a little loose hair around the house. Diet and skin sensitivity are the big issues that I have had to deal with. The forum is full of good advice, but you still have to work with it, because each dog is a little different. They are hard headed, thought I don't think they are as bad as huskies. They are not border collies, so you are not going to do a lot of fancy training either. I don't let mine run off lead unless they are in a fenced area. If you want to give your dog some room, get a long lead. Be aware that they have to want to be on the lead. My son bought a single lead that could be used on both dogs. They just had to walk together. It worked for one outing. When he got home, and was inside the yard, Malachi decided he had had enough of it and bit the lead in two.

I think chows are wonderful. My two have really enriched my life.

[Shiro's Mom]

Wow, since you have grown up with some of the "big bad dogs" you know about dogs

I never meant to say I knew everything about dogs, I was just stating that I wanted a dog with similar traits.. That a Lab for example would bore me since there is no challenge. A lot of people don't get that the owners are the one making their dogs aggressive, I remember when I was 11 and my brother was 3 months old crying.. Our male rottweilers would run in his room and lick the tip of his toes whimpering with him. Most of our dogs were from shelters that my family would adopt. Our last doberman was in really bad shape and a lady begged my mother to take her in and she said she would try to see if she could fit with children cause she was really badly abused and god she turned out to be such a spoiled big baby! She also saved my brother's life. I tried to rescue a Chow Chow but there's is none even near where I live.. The closer is Ontario which is approx 9 hour drive without stopping from where I live and I contacted foster homes and shelters and all said I lived too far though I am not going to give up, just not meant to be yet I guess.

Anyhow, I was just trying to say that I am not new in the dog's world at all. I might have made more research on Shiba Inus then Chow Chows but that's why I am on this forum for, I want to learn everything I can before Shiro gets home. I purchased books, read magazines and talked to my breeder a lot before deciding that Chow Chows would fit my personality. I will socialize him as much as I possibly can, I know how much it's important. I just wonder what size of harness I should get for my puppy.

[Judy Fox]

Welcome to the site. Chowlings are so adorable so enjoy.

[Tippsy'smom]

Welcome! Enjoy your bundle of fluff, they don't stay that way for long. Can't wait to see pictures and stories of your new chowling.

[Ursa's daddy]

See, you do know about dogs, you are asking about a harness for your puppy. I use harnesses on both my dogs. I think it gives me better control over the dog, it doesn't put stress on their neck and throat, and it is harder to slip out of. I actually train my cats to walk on a lead, and I find a harness is best for them. (Yes I DO. If you have ever traveled by auto with a cat, you would know that walking the cat at a rest stop is a lot better than having to deal with a stinky cat box.)

If you read through the forum, you will find out that chows will sometimes try to slip their collars, typically by backing up. All chow owners learn that their dog possesses secret powers that allow its feet to become firmly attached to the earth should the dog decide not to participate in a walk. However, if you have a harness, you can pull straight up on it, and the dog force field can be dissipated. I believe I bought small, then medium and finally a large harness for Ursa.

[Shiro's Mom]

Thanks Ursa's Daddy I'll do that then! I am going to get small and medium at the same time then since puppies grows like weeds apparently I am starting to really get anxious getting him home in 2-3 weeks!

I am thinking on getting him a collar for the ID tag though..

[tammer1973]

Congrats on the choice of a Chow Chow. They are by far the only breed for me. I have raised 2 children with my chows and now have a year old grandbaby . Some people think you cant raise chows with small children which is false. My chows have never snapped a child.