First time chow/dog owner...

[Douvaman]

Hey I'm 15 and my parents got me for christmas a beautiful white chow that I used to love very mutch. He is biting us all and especially me and I did everything for him I'm feeding him I'm playing with him I taught him tricks, I made his house and in general I did everything for him although he likes my mom more and he doesn't even turn when I'm calling him he just bites me all the time and I know that he is just playing but my dreams were crushed and I don't know what to do. I could pretend the voice of a puppy getting hurt like it was real and it worked for a moment but then he got more aggressive and I lost hope and I think I'm growing to... Not wanting him anymore and I need help immediately! I would appreciate any kind of help and us imbaresing as it sounds I cried because that was my dream and it's over.

[BigBoyBat0]

....

[Victory]

Douvaman--I'm going to try and be nice here, because I want you to learn to get along with your chow.
First if you got him for Christmas you haven't had him for very long, even if you got him a week or so before. You don't mention his age but I'll bet he's a puppy. Puppies have a habit of nipping or biting during play, it is normal, but fairly easy to train out of them especially if they have been with mom and sibs or just sibs until 8-10weeks old. If you got him younger than that you'll have to work harder to correct the behavior.

I also think that the reason he is getting along with your Mom, is because she is a MOM! She knows how to deal with disobeident childern, knows what she expects from them and is confident that she can get it without being vicious or hurtful. The qualities that enable this are patience, confidence, respect and expectations of certain things. If you want a lovely chow, who follows your lead, who respects you, then you must first learn to be a good leader. You don't like him biting you? Then when he attempts it say, "NO!" firmly, not a yell, if you are a girl, drop your voice a bit, and say it firmly while looking directly at him, even take him gently by the mouth and say it, then release him, if he tries again, say "NO!" again in the same no nonsense tone of voice and put him in a good 10 minutes of time out. Do not interact with him at all during this time, and don't let anyone else do it either. Also start NILF training right now. You say you feed him, do you just fix his food and put it on the floor for him? Start making him sit and wait to eat first. fix his food, tell him to sit and repeat it until he does, (you might want to make yourself comfortable for this) when he sits, tell him stay, then put his dish down, if he moves before you say, "okay" tell him NO and sit and stay, when he does this, then say, Okay, you can eat now. Do this for anything he wants, his food, a treat, a game, whatever it is. Make yourself the only one he gets what he needs and wants from. If he ignores you when you call him, go get him. Then put him in a sit or lay and when it is done give him a treat, or praise. Never even praise unless he has earned it.


The one thing you can't do is become emotional with him about anything. No dog understands what we want from them, not even our beloved chows. They also don't speak human languages. We have to teach them everything and not dwell on our expectations of what would be before we got them. We have to deal with the living breathing beautiful creature we have. And the tools for this are to be good calm, compassionate, thinking leaders. If I were you I would ask my parents if they will pay or help me pay for classes with him. I think if you know what to do to get some of the behaviors you want it will help your confidence and chows need a leader who is confident. there is a reason why so many of the women and girls on this site sound like Martha Stewart, we have the same basic personalities as our chows do. So do the guys.

I hope this helps some, I would like you to start your own thread so we can help you more. Welcome to the site.

[picsesrocker]

The breeder I am getting mine groom lets then go at 6 weeks.
Has for a number of years, I am planning on picking mine up at 6. Years ago
I had chows and don't think I have any concerns

[Rory's Dad]

Victory has given some great advice there...please reread it a couple times and make sure you understand what is said.

You have been given a great gift, but its not a toy and its not a doll. You will need to take control here and set the ground rules. If you want him to be your dog, you have to earn the respect. Not easy, but very doable. 1st things 1st, you need to be disciplined in establishing how things are going to be. If you are able to set the rules for eating and reward, your Chow pup will recognize you as his lifeline. This means meals, reward treats for good behavior, and affection for doing the right thing. NILF means nothing for free. Your chow needs to learn this right off. He doesnt get a pet on the head unless he is behaving as you want. Victory mentions the meal regimen. Same thing. Dog needs to follow rules before the food is his. Use rewards (whether treats or 'good dog' to get regular training done. Teach him to sit, lay, speak, whatever, with this method. A chow will NEVER react positively to negative consequences. Don't hit or raise hand to him, it wont end well for anyone. I'm not even a fan of negative house training techniques. It just wont work.

In the immediate, use replacement therapy along with the "no" tones to stop the nipping. He is a pup, he will need to excerise those teeth. Make sure he has something other than you to chew on. This should pass fairly quickly once you show him what is acceptable and what is not.

Last thought, chows can be a rough breed. It's up to you to set the play rules. If you like to push and pull and have him jump at you, he will. If not, again, set boundaries...dont play tug of war, etc. Chows are extremely intelligent and will learn to play what you like. May not chase a ball or frisbee though, just not always their thing.

Keep posting with questions or with your progess...we love to help, and most of us are here daily...me later on than most.

[Auddymay]

There's a couple new posters who piggybacked this post with their own issues.

The one with the poisoned mother-
yes, you can take them that early if circumstances such as the death of the mother are in play. Please, please do research and if you are not an experienced owner, make your decision carefully. Mrs Judy Fox got her wonderful Milly at 5 weeks, but she was a well seasoned owner. You may wish to message her privately for advise.

The 15 year old kid with the new pup-
Not to be mean, but your parents were irresponsible to give you a puppy for Christmas. Buck up, study up, and don't give up. If this animal were a video game, would you stop playing because you kept getting killed? No! You would keep at it until you mastered the game. This is a huge responsibility. You must rise to the occasion and do right by your new pet.

The guy who's breeder says 6 weeks is fine-
Of course he does. That is 2 weeks he doesn't have to feed and care for them, or possibly end up with an unsellable older chowling. That does not mean, however, it is optimum for the animal or new owners. Good luck with your new chowling, and congratulations.

The original poster-
If the breeder will allow the chowling the extra time, great. Uaually if you put down deposit money it is not an issue, because the breeder knows they won't be stuck with the pup.

[cherriemater]

Well said to all.

What I will add is that I went through this with two rather rambunctious boys. Yes, they nipped me when we played. My response was to Yipe! just as a pup would whenever the bite was too much. I would also say in a low, calm voice, "No no biting," as soon as they opened their mouth. In addition, I would put a toy in their mouth so they knew it was okay to bite a toy, but not my fingers with praise of, "Good boy biting toy [rope-a-dope, bone, teddy, etc.]!" As for training, while checking teeth, etc. I would put my fingers in their mouth so that they would get used to my hands near their mouth WITHOUT biting! I would speak in a low, calm voice and say, "Let Momma look," and also pet head reassuring. I would also praise when finished, "Good boy, Leo letting Momma look."

Our boys are now 15 months and while sometimes they may play-bite, they are VERY careful with me when they do get too excited, they stop immediately when I tell them to.

Hang in there ... be consistent ... remember YOU are his trainer. Someone on this forum said, Don't allow your pup to do anything you wouldn't want an adult dog to do. Now is the time train him to be a confident chow, one who knows and obeys the rules. You can do it! Again, be consistent. Don't give up.

[Pinoy51]

Wow, what a blog!
To the kid with the "biting" Chow.
Please folllow the very valuable advises you got. I have two chows, boy and girl (1 year and 6 months). Both loved to nip when they were young. My girl Nala greets me know by taking my hand or arm in her mouth and doesn't apply any pressure, my boy Simba is pushing is big head against me and want to be rubbed. No nipping.
All it takes is show them, that nipping isn't allowed in the way other's described already.
These little fellows need to learn that human skin is much more sensitive then that of their sibblings and mothers.
If I see Nala and Simba playing, I have to remind myself that they can handle it and let them go on.
But if they play with me it is according to my rules.
Please learn how to handle Chows, cuddling, playing and giving them food isn't all, They need to learn discipline in a way they can understand. I can only tell you I'm still surprised how intelligent these guys are and how much they want to learn and please me.

[coleena]

best friends!

chowy and will.jpg (62.73 KiB) Viewed 9225 times

I also have a playful teenage (9 mths old) chow who loves to nip my 6 year old son (but never me). As everyone else has said, it is all about patience and consistency. I think at this age he just gets excitable, but nevertheless it is still not acceptable behaviour and the sooner they learn that the better. I give a firm 'no', and 'gentle', and if he continues he goes outside away from us for 10 minutes. If he stops immediately when told to he gets praise and sometimes a treat. All chows are different in their temperament. When I got Chowy I read that chows are not keen on fetching, but Chowy has loved playing fetch since his early puppy days, so really you just need to learn about your chow as you go.

Being a first time chow owner I can honestly say I would never be without one now. I am not a dog person at all, but they are just so different from any other breed, and really more a cross between a cat and a bear with a bit of dog thrown in (in my opinion!)

Best of luck!

[BigBoyBat0]

Here is Sparkle ( left side) and his remaining sister.. I'll be getting him this weekend.. Im so excited..

[Auddymay]

Sparkle is a cutie...and the fun begins!

[Victory]

I can believe your excitment, when Firesong came, I was excited and when I went to get Dreamdancer I was there early and thought the guards at the Airport were ready to arrest me because I kept pacing and couldn't sit still. I finally told them I was waiting for a puppy, then they were calm, but I wasn't!

Enjoy this time with Sparkle, because you won't believe how fast he'll grow and talk lots and lots of pictures to share

[BigBoyBat0]

yeah auddymae, fun will start in a few days..

sure thing my very good friend Victory, I will keep on posting her picture for updates.. If only I don't have work on weekdays, for sure Sparkle is already with me...

[ldiniz]

Hello, i'm also first time owner of a chow. My chow was "rescued" from my sister's house with 5 months old, my sister lost the control of the dog and the result was a chow bitting her 4yo daughter while playing (many chows play really rude.) and running around the house like crazy and destroying furniture. Her husband had no patience with the chow.

As she was a trouble chow needing proper education, I read a lot and talked with many specialists, this research really helped me, chows are different dogs.

I had many dogs in past years, from poodle toy and persian cat to pit bull and rottweiler, and i can say, chows are so different. They are way too intelligent and truly love and respect you, if you know how to lead them. This leadership is really important otherwise your dog may think he is the one in charge and get out of control, chows can be crazy dogs... Forget about the "more cat then dogs", my chow follow me everywere and asks for affection everytime, she really get sad when I leave her alone and the only place she sleeps is in my room, we are really close one to each other.

It is very important to teach the word "NO" to a chow, when he does something wrong say nothing but "no", if he stops, say something good like "good boy", if he keeps doing say a firm "NO", if he keeps doing promptly lock him in a bathroom for few minutes. You should never beat your chow, but if he resist to be locked or bite you, force him to lie on her back to show your dominance, only let him stand again when he calm down. This method worked to me because my chow was used to be the boss in my sister's house.

My chow with 9 months is already attending to many tricks like, sit, lay down, "dead", wait etc... Once you teached the first, the others are really easy to teach, just gave a treat everytime he obey and it will work.

Other tip is to not bath him every week, too much baths will dry the skin and cause hot spots. One per month or even less is ok, you only bath your chow if he does need a bath, they are very clean dogs and have a good natural smell, just brush very well every week or more, and also if you can, buy a vacuum to him and get him used to it, do not use the same one you use in the floor, chows are very allergic.

Wish you good times with your chow! I'm sure you will love this dog, chows are amazing.

[Victory]

but if he resist to be locked or bite you, force him to lie on her back to show your dominance, only let him stand again when he calm down.

This is called a dominance roll and you never, ever, ever use it on a chow. There are two reasons why; many dog breeds will fight a dominance roll, not just chows, and when a bigger dog fights it, the human WILL lose because dogs ARE stronger than people so the only way for a human to win at this point is to hurt the dog. And if you hurt a chow, they will remember it and either start thinking you are dangerous or stupid or both, (yes chows form opinions) In which case they will either beging to completly ignore you or fight you at every step.

Dominance rolls work between wolves because of the fact that it is between two animals who are alike, who exist by strict instinct and the same instincts from cubs on up. You don't even see many dominance rolls between dogs, sometimes between mom and pups, but not normally between any others.

The second reason you don't do it with chows is because of their muzzle shape and breathing. Often times when a chow is on it's back, even when it decided to do this, you will see and hear them sneeze hard and immediately get to their feet. Their breathing can be adversly affected by being on their backs. If you force them onto their backs during a dominance roll and they start having trouble breathing, they are of course going to fight you and fight hard because they are panicing, I've been in accute respitory distress myself and it is very scary when you can't breathe. I fought the doctors during that time while unconcious, so just imagine how a chow would feel if you, the person they trust the most are holding them down while they can't breathe?

Never, ever use a dominance roll on a chow!

[ldiniz]

but if he resist to be locked or bite you, force him to lie on her back to show your dominance, only let him stand again when he calm down.

This is called a dominance roll and you never, ever, ever use it on a chow. There are two reasons why; many dog breeds will fight a dominance roll, not just chows, and when a bigger dog fights it, the human WILL lose because dogs ARE stronger than people so the only way for a human to win at this point is to hurt the dog.

See I really understand what you mean and appreciate your concerm, but have you ever meet a chow out of control? They are really crazy dogs... You say no, he absolutely have no idea what it means and jumps on you thinking you are playing, you say a firm no or try to put him on lock, well, good luck because he will seriously bite you and run around you really fast, and when he got some speed he will just jump on you to get you in the floor and then if your not strong enough, good luck.... No joke.

My chow was out of control bitting and seriously hurting everyone and destroing everything until she mets me, she was on the way to be a serious dangerous dog at adolescence. Today she is a real affectionate lady as you can see in the signature picture and understand for good who is in charge, she don't even think about it anymore, it's just natural. I tried many other thing before but she was so "superior" to humans since she was born (my sister let the dog rule her house, she never had a dog before and did nothing but screaming randon words with the dog), that dominance was necessary when she came to me, I tried everything before for over a month without any sucess.

About the human losing, I'm a strong 6'1" man and i could take several bites from my chow without need to hurt him back. I can manage my chow very easy without hurting, is just about having the right technique and self control. About the breathing i would never roll any dog at 180 degrees not only because of breathing, but because of the hi risk to enjury column. I put she in the same position as she is when i'm petting her belly, it's not a painfull situation. Gentle dominance and brutal dominance are both very diferent.

See, my chow was dangerous before, she hurt my sister and her maids many times. Every dog has it's own history, in my case, this was necessary. The first roll was after about two months with me, she was already very attached to me but still no respect at all. And yes, your right, after 2 rolls, in the last one, the third one, she just ignored and let me put her in the position. It was about two months ago and totally changed our relationship, after that, when she hear the seccond no, she IMEDIATELLY stop wathever she is doing and come to me asking for affection like she is saying "i'm sorry"...

She is growing up just fine and she stays with me 24h per day, in work and even when sleeping (she sleeps in my room), she is a happy and educated chow as you can see in this picture of she going to work with me:



Cheers!

[Rory's Dad]

No. Thats all i got. No.

[Rory's Dad]

Oh wait, i do have more. You can take several bites??? That is a training method? A chow is not anything about dominance. It's about leadership. Any Chow can be taught to be behaved through intimidation or fear. But that dog will strike back at some point in time. He will not be a good companion, and likely will act the bully to other dogs and people who are not yourself. It's about respect. Teach the dog to behave on his terms, not yours. Reward, in the form of praise and affection, or the occasional treat. That's what works and results in a well balanced Chow.

You have taken a dog that was allowed poor behavior, which was then not accepted. He was then given to someone who believes wrestling him into submission is a good thing.

Wow.

[Victory]

A chow out of control? No a chow that was not correctly trained and still hasn't been. A chow that only stops biting YOU because she is afraid of you...what happens when she is around someone else and you're not there? At some point this chow is going to bite and it's going to be serious.

The proper way to train a chow to learn the word No! is timeouts. You say "No!' once, if it is not obeyed you say it again, and then put the chow in a time out, with a puppy you have a place to put them, (crates are good) you put them there and then leave them, alone for a good 10-15 minutes, totalling ignoring them. Then you let them back into where ever you are, you say nothing, do nothing, just let them back in. If done right you'll only have to do it 3-5 times max.

Chows hate to be left alone, and they learn quickly from this. I adobted my Ming when he was almost 8 years old, from his first owner who had had him from when he was a little puppy. He behaved just fine until we got to my house he was okay, a bit stand offish, then I went to take him for a walk and he backed up from me and snarled. I didn't get excited I didn't try to fight him. I looked him straight in the eye and said, "okay, fine" then I left and took a walk by myself, leaving him completly alone. I was gone for 20 minutes. When I walked back in I looked at him, picked up his leash again and said, "well are you ready to behave?" He walked to me allowed his leash to go on and we had no more issues, ever.
I'm a pretty big person too, I'm 5'8" tall and I spent 20+ as a nursing assistant lifting people in and out of beds, wheelchairs etc, but I'm not going to wrestle any dog onto their backs, and risk getting bit for any reason. For one thing having a dog bite treated here can end with your dog being put down by the authorities. it is easier to teach them properly.

[BigBoyBat0]

Update on Sparkle..
She is now with me and my wife.. We took her last Saturday, and during her first day she was running around the house, sniffing stuffs and try to bite anything she saw, but I always told her NO! and if she tries to bite me or my wife, (which i believe she thought was a game), i put her inside her crate for a good 15mins not bothering her even she was giving me the LOOK (i think you guys know what it is) LOL. Though she still does the biting thing, but not as worst as her first few hours. She also did not poop on her first day, but did poop the following day after her breakfast. On her 2nd day, I tried teaching her to sit and amazingly, my cute little chow is starting to learn the SIT and STAY command in exchange of a treat or for her meal.

Her first two days with us were very tiring, chasing her around, saying NO! all the time when she was biting stuff that she needs not to bite and claiming areas where we don't want her to go.

Once her vaccine is complete, we will exercise and walk daily so that she will be socialized very well and be familiarized with the outside world.

Here is her picture..

[Victory]

She is adorable. Time outs are perfect, since a lot of that biting comes from over excitment anyway, letting her chill is the best way to teach her. Biting all kinds of things is also very normal, even human babies will put everything into their mouths, puppies do it as well. make sure she has lots of toys to distract her, rope toys are good, get one that is nearly as big as she is and a smaller one too. The big one she can, "kill" but she won't be able to chew parts off, and the little one she can knaw on. soft plushy toys are good too. These are times she'll play with toys, so get her a few. One thing really different between puppies and human childern is you can't spoil a puppy with too many toys.

Make sure you puppy proof the house, sounds like she's a curious little girl. Put electric cords, computer cables, shoes, socks, clothes, vhs tapes, all plastic bottles, especially those with stuff in them, make up cases, candles, and most house plants, out of her reach. When she's all grown up she'll ignore most of this stuff, but as a puppy she'll find it all fascinating. And some of it is dangerous if she gets hold of it, espeicially makeup and medicie bottles, soap containers etc.

Have fun, take lots of pictures and congrats on your baby!

[BigBoyBat0]

She so curious.. I already dog proofed our house, perhaps toys should be the next stuff I will buy.. I brought her 2 balls and a beef flavored chewbone and she likes to play with them..

The only thing that I am having troubles with her is her potty.. She pees everywhere in the house.. I can't let her out yet since she only got 2 shots of vaccine, her third will be on Saturday..

[Rory's Dad]

the immediate activity in your house is a great sign. she is curious and bold. those are good traits. Rory is a very well balanced dog who was not rushed out of the litter, and he literally spent his first full day in one spot. wasnt interested in exploring, he just found a spot (actually where we let him out of his puppy carrier), and stayed there for quite a while.

[Tippsy'smom]

Congrats! She's a cutie! What do you mean can't let her out to potty? You HAVE to take her outside to potty. Quick leashed trips in the yard are safe. She just shouldn't go anywhere other dogs who could be carrying harmful deseases, that she could get, have been.

[BigBoyBat0]

Oh i see.. i am just afraid that she could get some viruses from outside that is why i cant let her out to potty.. One more thing, she really doesnt stop biting until now, vet said she is teething since during her age, 10 weeks, teeth are starting to grow and their gums are somehow irritated. We bought her some toys to chew on but she still insists to bite on our slippers, we of course say NO! All the time then give her toys to get distracted, but after a few minutes she still goes after our slippers, from there I put her in her crate for a good time out, around 20mins, then let her out again and same events happened the whole day...