ChowChow.org

Hi all,

After much research on dog breeds I have finally made the decision to get a chow! Yesterday I put down a deposit on a beautiful cream chow just 17 days old. I plan on naming him Freud as I am not only a Psych nerd but since Freud owned chows too I figured it couldn't be more perfect.

I have done my research on chows but I was hoping to get some feedback from this forum on what specific supplies are must haves for a chow owner. I just want to make sure I get not only the must haves but maybe even products that you have bought that your chow loves and you can't do without now.

Thanks for all your help!

Freud's Mom

Well first don't bother with a bed, he probably won't use it, except as a storage area for toys, . A good food, is essential, no corn, no wheat, no artificial colors or preservatives. Also don't feed him large breed food, he's not a large breed, he's a medium, you can try mixing large breed puppy food with regular puppy food and that will work, I did it with my Dreamdancer and he's a healthy boy.

Proper grooming tools; a pin brush with covered pins, a comb with both fine tines and larger ones, steel is best. a undercoat rake, a very fine pin type brush for his legs and face. You'll want to start grooming him from day one or two. The faster you get him used to it the better. A dremel for nail trimming, (dremels are better than clippers) again the faster you get him used to it the better.

A harness for walking, don't use collars for leash training in a young puppy, it's too easy for them to hurt their neck and/or throat if they pull. A harness will give you the control and get him accustomed to the leash without the danger of hurting him. That being said if he wears a collar the rest of the time, with his tags on it, (and he should) a rolled one is the best for his coat, a flat one will wear the hair away and leave a sort of bald spot.

Hard chew toys, one size bigger than it says he needs. Chows have strong powerful jaws and the ones that are for their weight don't normally last very long, I give my two the biggest nyla bones there are and they last a good long while. Stuffed soft toys with squeakers inside, but again get good quality ones that he can't rip apart in 2 minutes flat. I recommend the AKC brand ones, they are tough and durable, my girl has been playing with two ducks like that for 2.5 years and she still hasn't ripped it apart. As compared to the panther I got her in Feb that is not an AKC on that I'm going to have to take from her soon, because it is coming apart.

Other than that your chow will need love, socialization, and a place that he can have his time outs in.

Congrats on being owned by a chow...There is a ton of good advice on this site, I would recommend a thorough reading of the training part...and ask anythiing you want we'll be happy to help.

Oh and we LOVE pictures!

That's a great list
I'd just like to ad: treats! yay!

It's so imoprtant that you reward your chow for good behaviour

And I agree about the beds... Shosha won't sleep on anything (no bed, no blanket, no towel) but the floor. I've been trying to get her to sleep on a towel at least (figured she might be hot on a bed/blanket) but since there's wood all over my flat I let her sleep where she likes as I don't have to worry about her getting bladder problems from cold.

One of these
http://www.zooplus.de/shop/hunde/fressn ... der/157461
You can adjust it as your dog grows.

I would get him a bed! Loo likes to sleep in his. Don't get the most expensive one, so you won't be disappointed if he decides not to use it.

A harness for walking, don't use collars for leash training in a young puppy,

I have to tell you that there are not too many trainers who will agree with you on this, and this is one of the reasons why it is important for people to work with schooled and learned trainers, so as not to pick up information that can or will set them back. Unless the puppy has some sort of physical handicap that would merit a harness, then a proper fitting flat collar is appropriate for training a puppy, and if it's done correctly, there is no pulling and yanking and no risk that this puppy should become harmed in any way. If a person doesn't know how to train a dog to walk, then that person has to acquire this information, requires hands on back up and support, and the way to do this is to go to school, because if not properly instructed they fail to learn the tasks, and yes, you could end up yanking and pulling out of frustration.

Please consider take your puppy to a puppy class so that you can learn how to work with equipment and with your puppy appropriately. Nothing is more valuable than a sound education whether it be for you or your puppy. You'll shave hours and hours off any 'guess work', efforts and you won't be schooling your puppy by the 'seat of your pants'. It's very important to opt for techniques that bring quality results and the place to get this information is at school. In the long run you'll end up with a well trained companion. ( just saying)

Thank you for all the advice so far. I have a good list going. I'm also attempting to attach a picture of Freud at two weeks-so we'll see how this works. I have to wait until May 31st to bring him home. I can't wait!

Freud's Mom

Merlin wrote:

A harness for walking, don't use collars for leash training in a young puppy,

I have to tell you that there are not too many trainers who will agree with you on this, and this is one of the reasons why it is important for people to work with schooled and learned trainers, so as not to pick up information that can or will set them back. ( just saying)

Sorry, Merlin I did get that information from a trainer, infact a couple of them. As well as my vet whom I'll trust any day. A young dog's throat and neck are very very vulnerable and damage can be done too easily. I'm not talking about a 5-6 month old puppie but one that is 8weeks to 4 months old. Dreamdancer wore a harness at 8 weeks learning to walk on a leash, because he had to be walked outside on the street and public area to do his business, and no way was I going to risk hurting something that small and delicate. and yes he pulled because he was following Firesong. I never had any trouble getting him to walk on a leash, it was slowing him down that was the issue...

Not all puppies are shy about being outside, he certainly wasn't. So it depends a great deal on the puppy, if you have one you have to coax to walk on a leash, then a collar might be okay, if you have one that you don't have to coax, who runs and chases things, then I personally would say a harness would be better. Of course I may be overly cautious because my collie nearly died as a puppy with a neck collar and a chain, I was a kid and didn't have a choice as to what kind of collar he wore, but I remember my mom having to pull up a sapling to get the dog untangled from the tie out and chain and stop him from choking himself.

And yes classes are great, but an 8 week old puppy can't go to classes in most US cities, they have to be 10 weeks old, and have their second set of shots.

Henry's bed is used for neglected toy storage, he likes soft toys on the few occasions he uses toys, he won't touch hard toys. I use a harness, Henry learned at about 5 months how to toss his head out of a collar If I was to get a new puppy I would get a beating heart puppy too http://www.hoobly.com/0/0/1143298.html I don't if they work, I just like the idea of them.

Oh congratulations

For grooming I think that the undercoat rake is the most important thing. That is ALL I use on my Loha and am constantly getting compliments on what a beautifull dog he is Looks aside, it must feel great to him to have all of that dead fur out of his coat.

Loha's Dad

A young dog's throat and neck are very very vulnerable and damage

Again, only in uneducated hands.
Victory I don't agree with you about your trainer comment(s), but we are all entitled to our own opinions.

but an 8 week old puppy can't go to classes in most US cities, they have to be 10 weeks old,

There are only 2 weeks between 8 and 10 weeks old. If the puppy doesn't have all it's shots, it should not be going out on walks either. The risks are just as great. I truly hope this owner opts to take their dog to school when the dog is ready.

Thank you all for your advice. I couldn't be happier with my decision to get a Chow.
I have been doing some research as well and there are some great places in my area for puppy training classes and I'm all set up with a local vet to complete Freud's shots and for his check ups as well. My husband and I don't have children yet and as it's not something we are planning on for awhile we have talked to some of our friends who do have kids and have grown up along dogs that will come over as well so we can introduce Freud gradually to children and other people as well. I want to make sure he is well socialized too.

I'm glad I came across this site as it has TONS of useful advice. I'll try and post a picture when I get a chance. The last time I tried it didn't work.

For socializing with kids, take him to parks, walk him when school lets out, and walk him by kids sporting events (soccer games, baseball games, etc.) This will help him get used to kids running around and commotion. I used to take Boogie to all my daughters sporting events. The siblings of the kids playing loved playing with him while the game was going.

Freud'smom wrote:Thank you for all the advice so far. I have a good list going. I'm also attempting to attach a picture of Freud at two weeks-so we'll see how this works. I have to wait until May 31st to bring him home. I can't wait!

Freud's Mom

Oh my goodness! I didn't see the picture before, what an absolute cutie! It's rare to see one that young. Can't wait to see more pictures of him as he gets older.

I'll echo what Victory says, how precious.

Did you get Freud (Otis) from DJ's Puppys, MO?

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