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chow chow and its smell

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 1:48 am
by Guest
Hello all! I have a small problem. recently i decided to buy a chow chow puppy. I did all kind of research about them, but when i called a friend of mine that kinda knows his way around dogs, he told me that he wouldn't advise me to get one because they smell really bad. Now this is a problem for me now, since i plan on keeping the dog with me in my apartment. So my question to you all is: is this issue true, do they really smell that bad and isn't there something that can be done to improve their smell? thank you for reading this.

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 3:30 am
by Sarahloo
Chows are the opposite of smelly. That is yet another reason why they are so special. They don't even have that typical dog stink. They smell completely neutral, at least Baloo does!

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 3:54 am
by jacqui
I have never heard of that! I've had 6 Chows and never had a problem with any odor at all!
I do brush them 3x a week which is very important for Chows!
Start brushing her as much as possible so she'll get used to it and most of my Chows actually look forward to it!

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 5:39 am
by Guest
Thank you all for the answers!

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 9:10 am
by Judy Fox
Oh Dear! Your friend has possibly come across a very badly looked after chow.

I cannot understand his statement as Chow Chows smell beautiful. If you bury your nose in their coat the smell is pleasant and not at all "doggy". The house does not smell doggy either and if they do sleep in a pet bed, that does not smell.

Chow babies smell beautiful and I am sure that if you could find a way of bottling their smell you would make your fortune! :lol:

We have three chows and they all smell good and when we have visited their breeders' homes and met the other chows - i.e. our chows mothers and other chows there, they smelt nice too. :)

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 10:31 am
by katman
Judy Fox wrote:Oh Dear! Your friend has possibly come across a very badly looked after chow.

I cannot understand his statement as Chow Chows smell beautiful. If you bury your nose in their coat the smell is pleasant and not at all "doggy". The house does not smell doggy either and if they do sleep in a pet bed, that does not smell.

Chow babies smell beautiful and I am sure that if you could find a way of bottling their smell you would make your fortune! :lol:

We have three chows and they all smell good and when we have visited their breeders' homes and met the other chows - i.e. our chows mothers and other chows there, they smelt nice too. :)
DITTO!!!

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2010 6:54 pm
by kingalls
I like to bury my face in my Chows fur and smell them. They have a unique smell. One of mine has never had a bath and the other hasn't had a real bath but likes to jump in her kiddie pool on a regular basis - so she does get wet. They require regular grooming but that doesn't mean frequent baths - you don't want to wash out all that natural lanolin. I love the Chow smell!

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 6:16 am
by Victory
What all the others said. I had one that would go outside and roll in the dirt like a horse and he STILL smelled good, in fact he smelled the best of all my chows, like hot cinnamon. I used to smell him all the time, (he has passed away) even though I would tease him about how gritty he would feel, (not true cause I would brush all the grit out).

Chows smell lovely.

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 10:49 am
by aware
I have never met a breed that has a better smell. Rocco smells like grapes and Julie smells like baby powder. They are rarely in need of a bath and neither of my dogs enjoy walking in mud or puddles and will avoid them at all costs. They also clean their paws like a cat.

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 7:50 pm
by j3ffry
I like to bury my face in my Chows fur and smell them. They have a unique smell. One of mine has never had a bath and the other hasn't had a real bath but likes to jump in her kiddie pool on a regular basis - so she does get wet. They require regular grooming but that doesn't mean frequent baths - you don't want to wash out all that natural lanolin. I love the Chow smell!
hi! is it true that a chow should only take a bath 2-3 times a year?

my chow always had a regular bath. 5 times a week! should i stop it?

thanks!

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 7:58 pm
by kingalls
5 times a week? Too much in my opinion....If you need to bathe, maybe 5 times a year - tops!
Regular brushing, brushing, brushing to keep them clean. Get a good slicker brush and a comb or rake with rotating teeth and brush regularly.

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 8:18 pm
by j3ffry
5 times a year? the prob with my chow is everytime she poop. she always steps on it. so instead of washing just her feet i wash the whole body. Is that dangerous for her? need enlighthenment on this one guys.

thank you!

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 8:26 pm
by Jeff&Vicki
j3ffry wrote:5 times a year? the prob with my chow is everytime she poop. she always steps on it. so instead of washing just her feet i wash the whole body. Is that dangerous for her? need enlighthenment on this one guys.

thank you!
Your talking about a Chow mix here. You need to determine what type of coat it has.

Check here: http://www.absolutelygolden.com/golden_ ... ooming.htm
"Golden Retriever's require regular bathing. Yes, you can bath your Golden as often as you like without worrying about damaging the coat or skin."

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:28 pm
by j3ffry
Jeff&Vicki wrote:
j3ffry wrote:5 times a year? the prob with my chow is everytime she poop. she always steps on it. so instead of washing just her feet i wash the whole body. Is that dangerous for her? need enlighthenment on this one guys.

thank you!
Your talking about a Chow mix here. You need to determine what type of coat it has.

Check here: http://www.absolutelygolden.com/golden_ ... ooming.htm
"Golden Retriever's require regular bathing. Yes, you can bath your Golden as often as you like without worrying about damaging the coat or skin."
thank you. yeah it's a mixed breed. Golden Retriever and Chow-Chow. If you are going to look at her i assume that the dominant blood is the chow chow. she almost looks like a pure Chow but her tongue is not pure blue/black. 80% pink and 20% blue. Her coat is as of Chow chow.

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 5:06 am
by chowchowdaddy
The only one of our chows that we have had (or, is it that have had us???) that ever had a smell is Ming, who I think smells very faintly of fresh buttered popcorn. I've never been able to figure that out, but I'll sometimes hug him and bury my face in his neck (which he loves) and I can pick up a distinct popcorn aroma. Go figure... :lol:

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 6:22 pm
by ilovemysmoothie!
LB got sprayed by a skunk a few weeks ago - which did throw off her beautiful smell for a while - but she is now back to normal and I LOVE IT! :)
I can't put my finger on it exactly... but it is slightly sweet... people call me crazy but from ready this post I can see I am not! (or we all are #-o )

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 7:46 pm
by LEO's mum
The smell of popcorn or tortilla chips is the sweaty paws. That's where the only sweat glands are in dogs, I think. That's a lovely smell as well. The chows I've had and also LEO, smells of baby powder, especially behind their ears. That's the reason I just love burying my nose there. :P Oh, the sheer joy of being owned by a chow. Bliss. :inlove:

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 6:16 pm
by Me & Tess
Chows do not smell bad. Most would say if you put your bury your face in their fur they smell like clean clothes drying in the sun. I always used a mild unsented dog shampoo. With the exception of frequent butt baths would give my Tess a good bath 2 times a year. Did lots of brushing. The smells are in my memories - I can close my eyes and just smell the wonderful Chow Chow smell of Tess. That's one thing I miss late at night - I would roll off the couch and lay close to Tess & just bury my face in her fur - it was very soothing.

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 9:39 pm
by Dobby
I read this discussion at my office.... OMG how i miss my dobby's smell, its like a baby powder, in fact he is still a baby :)

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Tue May 31, 2016 6:08 pm
by FurParent
Having a smelly chow totally depends on how you take care of the chow. I agree with everyone else here, chows have natural good smell.

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 9:27 am
by Cindy J
Chance has a distinct aroma (NOT SMELLY) it is almost like cedar. I love burying my nose in his coat and taking a deep breath! Our Chow X Golden does not stink either. Our Rottweiler smells sweaty if he has been outside for very long (ick)

For the person asking about bathing. Our Chow's "bib" area is bathed weekly because he is a messy drinker and then loves to lay in the dirt. Basically, I rinse the mud out and blow dry him. He is shown and will get full baths before big shows... maybe monthly... more often if he looks less than stellar.

Our Chow X Golden has only had two baths in a years time. But she is brushed out several times per week because she loves being brushed.

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2016 6:40 pm
by Rory's Dad
Even though this is an old post with a recent bump, I would have to say that the riskiest area for a stinky chow is definitely the bib area. If you have a sloppy drinker that area can stay moist. I have even heard of cases where it becomes moldy. Keep a towel on hand to try and dry the chin. An old handler trick, that does really work, is to douse the area with corn starch. It absorbs the moisture and acts like a powder on the skin.

Re: chow chow and its smell

Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2016 8:35 pm
by 612guy
Spartacus bib is always wet now for the last 2 months. He was afraid of the blower but since I have to use it on him every day he like it now. Go figure! I saw Cindy suggestion on washing the bib area and again he was afraid at first but now just stands there. A wet bib can lead to hot spots too so please dry those nasty wet bibs!!!

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