Is a Chow Chow right for me?

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gatsbythegerbil
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Is a Chow Chow right for me?

Post by gatsbythegerbil »

I know this question's probably all over, but I didn't see stickies of it or anything, so here I am. I've wanted a dog forever, and had some dogs when I was a kid but I haven't owned a dog in my adult life. I'm without a doubt a dog person and I'm trying to find out what breed I should be looking for. I've recently been looking at articles about Chows and I'm definitely interested, but the articles can't answer my specific questions the way asking owners would, so here I am. I most likely won't be getting a dog for a few years yet until I'm in a much more stable living situation (I'm currently in college), but I will likely also be partially planning my living situation around the dog I'll have.

Here's what I'm looking for in a dog, and how I would behave around one:
* Low exercise needs - a walk or two daily, but little to no running/vigorous play
* Comfortable either being indoors much of the time or okay with a dog-door and fenced yard (with both shade and sunlight)
* Comfortable with spending time sitting next to me without much interaction for long periods
* Comfortable sitting next to me and being calmly petted for long periods
* Not extreme amounts of shedding
* Will want to be around me - not necessarily go out of the way, but mostly stay in the same room or beside me
* Won't require a lot of training, but won't see himself as master of the house
* Able to be playful/will tolerate overcuddling on occasion
* Big. (I know I got that part right.)
* Soft fur (might sound odd, but have you ever petted a Dachshund? they're wiry and not soft at all.)
* I'd also prefer to pick up a rescue but I know it would be more difficult to find a particular breed that way

And here are the things I know about Chows so far:
* Do far better in a cool climate (55-70 F) and don't like rain
* Mostly quiet but good guard dogs
* Need full brushes once to twice a week with minor grooming in between (especially where they may drool)
* Can't run for long periods or jump too much, as they could hurt their legs because of their bone structure
* Very calm if well socialized

I plan to have a calm lifestyle where I either work from home (preferable) or work regular hours at an office. Home is where I want to be and where my dog will usually be. My home will usually be a calm and quiet place, aside from whatever music or movie I have playing. Most likely my home will only be myself, my spouse and my dog. If there were to be children they would come after the dog and grow up being taught how to behave.

So what else do I need to know? Does a Chow sound like a good fit, or are there other breeds I should be looking into instead?
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