New owner help

[Knic]

Hi everyone I live in the UK and last Thursday we adopted a 3 year old chow chow.

She is a gorgeous girl and was used to breed puppies from the age of 6 months before being rescued this year.

Anyway I was hoping you could help me out with a few issues.

She hates being shut in the kitchen area at night, it is not a small space but this morning we went down to find she had chewed the carped leading to the lounges, bit through brickwork and then somehow squeezed through our cat flap.

She is not warming to my husband at all tho has bonded more with myself and 5 year old daughter, she walks and almost cowers away from him.

I am also looking for ways to start training her, as she is not a pup but knows no commands and pulls alot on the lead. She also has no interest in toys.

Also some basic questions do we need to get her hair cut? How often should she be bathed?

I have also noticed pretty much all the time she pants with her tongue out is this normal?

I know the start of her life must have been scary and not nice for her and I am so keen to give her the loving home she truly deserves so all advice is appreciated xxx

[Sarahloo]

If she's been abused (and it doesn't sound like she's had a very good life so far), it was most likely by a man, so your husband is going to have to be patient. She'lll warm up to him too, eventually. Sounds like she's just scared of men. Many shelter dogs are. It will take a while to fix that. You need to let her slowly get used to the idea of a man being around her.
She is probably not used to living in the house. If your fence is strong and high enough to keep her in the garden, you could think about letting her sleep outside for a while. That she's so hot inside is probably another reason she wants to sleep outside. I would say it's normal she's panting all the time - Chows aren't good with heat at all. Just make sure that she drinks/eats wet food, so she doesn't dry out.
Loo never has had any interest in toys, many Chows don't. It's hard to get them to stop pulling - they just love running and are like sled dogs in some respects. Are your walks long enough? They can walk quite far, if they are of athletic built.
You've taken on quite a job with her, but turning her into a happy dog is going to be so rewarding! Do you have a photo for us maybe?

[Knic]

Thank you for your reply.

Not sure how to put a photo on here?

How often do you get your chow groomed? Do you ever get her hair cut?

Thank you again for your reply

[vanyok]

Upload your photo to some photo service like Photobucket or Picasa and then put the link here.