NEW CHOW PUPPY OWNER - A few issues

[AppaTheDog]

Hello Everyone,

I have been following this forum/website for a while and its partially the reason why we chose the breed.

I have had Appa for one week tomorrow and he is 9 weeks old, and so far he has been great in terms of house training. He only cries when he is in his crate when he wakes up. Other then that he has accepted his leash and we didnt even really had to potty train him, he figured out that he just needs grass.

I have two minor issues.

1. I know the Chow breed are not too affectionate but Appa does not show any level of affection at all, he pretty much is really laid back and hangs out. He doesnt seek attention. Please let me know if this is normal? I know they are not usually affectionate as adults but I was expecting him to be some what affectionate as a puppy.

2. The breeder I received him from, was feeding him purina puppy chow, and I tried to get him off it by adding it to some of NOW FRESH brand by Pet Curean. He hasnt been eating a lot, he eats a little and then walks a way. I read somewhere on this site that their chow loved tuna, so I tried to mix tuna into his kibble, at first it did the trick, but now he is smart enough to lick the kibble and only eat the tuna. Can anyone suggest a brand of kibble that their chows absolutely cant get enough of? I was considering to make home made food for him but I want him to eat both Kibble and food because I want him to receive all the nutrients he needs from the kibble.

Thank you for reading and I am happy to be apart of this community.

[DrewBear]

I've only had the one Chow puppy experience, so I'm by no means saying this is universal. I think even Chows have individual characteristics. That said, they are not famous for being affectionate. Mine always gave a great welcome after being parted from me even for half an hour. He would also acknowledge a rub or scratch with tail wags and licks. But he wouldn't normally come up to me and ask for affection. I also think that the first week with you may still be an adjusting period.

Your pup's eating habit sounds very familiar. I will hopefully be getting a pup soon, so here's the short list of brands I'll be trying:
http://www.chewy.com/dog/taste-wild-pac ... y/dp/34837
http://www.chewy.com/dog/nutro-ultra-la ... y/dp/34809
http://www.chewy.com/dog/solid-gold-hun ... b/dp/30052

They were recommended on this forum and have 4 star ratings on dogfoodadvisor.com. Like you, I plan to supplement the kibble with some home-cooked "wet" food. You might try making a sauce of the tuna and letting the dry kibble soak in it for a while.

[AppaTheDog]

Hey Drewbear,

Thank you for the reply.

Making the sauce seems like an amazing idea. I think I will try that soon.

I am playing the waiting game with him. He definitely has a personality of his own lol.

I never had to house train him, I live in a ground floor unit of a condo/loft, so there is a little terrace area for him to go outside in. The first day I took him home, from my studies on this site, I immediately put him outside so that he can do his business and then plan to bring him inside play with him and then crate him and repeat.

However, he went outside and just played outside and never went to the washroom, actually for 8 - 12 hours he didnt poo. So I finally noticed that he kept putting his bum down on the pavement like he was about to poo but he picks right back up like it just doesnt feel right, As soon as I took him for a walk, he finds grass and off he goes lol.

On another occasion, my girlfriend was holding him in the passenger side of the car and we were stuck in Toronto traffic, for aprox 2 hours, and we were aware that he hasnt peed yet. but we couldnt do anything because we were stuck in traffic. Finally we get a chance to pull over and hit grass, he again knows when to go. I got lucky on that side but I just want him to eat more and love his food, its starting to stress me out a little bit.

Anyway, thanks for the reply.

[Pinoy51]

Appa sounds a lot like Simba. So being not too affectionate and laid back is part of the Chow mentality in some cases. Nala is the complete opposite of Simba. She earned the title "Chowbrador" for her continuos seeking for attention.
My latest addition Sally seems to go after Nala, but she still battles a number of illnesses, so a bit hard to tell where is she will end up in the "being affectionate" scale.
All them love kibbles from "holistic", I mix them with a wheat-free wet food from Pedigree. No-one is rejecting this. Simba is a picky eater too. So don't be alert, it is normal if a Chow decides to eat just a little or picks what he likes. If everything else is fine enjoy the fur-ball and spoil him with some treats and experiment with other food combination until you hit his favorite.