Does my chowling develop bad behavior?

[rhemie14]

Got my almost 2 months old chow named King just last Sunday and this is my first time having one.I've read articles and other blogs about chows as reference but I still got anxious with his behavior.He's fine and behaved when we got home.He also stays still or walks away when we got mad at him.My brothers got him a squeaky toys and starts playing with it.He also responds when my brother started making aound from the toy but after that,we left him to do whatever he wants but when tried calling him and even touching him,he starts walking away as if he's suspicious.Is it still normal?And also any tips you can share?

Thanks much!highly appreciate your advises!God bless!

[Pinoy51]

If you need to get used to one thing, then it will be the timid behavior of a Chow. I would be really surprised if your King would let you touch him right a way and come if you call him.
I'm still surprised, if I call one of my two and he or she indeed follows. The good news is that, the intelligence of the Chow will enable him to learn from you by example rather than by classic obedience. E.g. instead of commanding Simba to get brushed, I just sit down and show him the brush. instead of asking them to follow me in the evening , I tell them 'Let's go" and each one at his or her own timing will come after me.
So take it easy with the touching and cuddling in the beginning, if he isn't up to it. It will come in time. Start a routine and claim the alpha position by owning spaces and food. If he understands that the sofa, the chairs, the bed are untouchable because you own them and that food only comes if he sits and relaxes you will be high up in the hierachy, from there on he will understand your commands and will try to please you. The cuddling might come over time or not, same like playing with toys. So let him be, just set firm boundries. A touch to stop him or direct him is giving much better results then endless calls and command chains getting louder and louder. Chows have very good senses incl. hearing, but that doesn't mean they always follow. But that's also why we love our Chows, they're way smarter than most other breeds and follow once you earn their respect but they always will decide on their own. Good luck with yours, be calm assertive, be a caring boss.

[Fozzbear]

Dont expect too much from such a young puppy.
You say that you 'get mad at him' ; you have to establish boundaries and rules from an early age but dont shout at or hit/be rough with your puppy or you will scare him.
He is still settling in - I am sure he will get more confident and learn quickly.

[rhemie14]

Thank you both so much!nope,you misunderstood fozzbear about "get mad at him",what I meant is when we verbal reprimand him but of course,no hitting,shouting or anything that will cause mistrust.As of now,he's doing quite well and starts running and playing around the house.He doesn't want to sleep on his bed but loves to play tug or scratch his rug.As of potty training,both of us are adjusting though with his poop,I bring him outside the garage to do his thing but with him peeing,we still haven't established it,still peeing anywhere the house,so stubborn.

Are there anything more I need to know?Also,what are things I need to buy for him?His things are not complete yet.thanks again so much! )

[Victory]

Patience, presistence, and respect. The three tools you must use with a chow puppy. He isn't showing timid behavior, but typical chow independence. In the house especially where they are secure, they may not want to come to you all the time. This is normal behavior, it just means, "I know where you are, I'm a bit busy right now, I'll get back to you." Allow him time and space to play by himself. but when you want to brush him, or take him out, call him to you and if he doesn't come after a 2-3 calls go get him, don't allow him to try to avoid you, and never allow him to become assertive, (no barking, baby growling, or snapping, if he does any of these a firn NO should be issued) Also you can try treating him when he comes to you, call him and when he obeys give him lots of praise and a treat. This will help with recall training in a few weeks. Always use his name when you call him, the sooner he learns it the better.

At his age he should not have the run of the house without supervision or he will go potty where ever he is. A small area where he eats and sleeps is best because he won't want to soil it. He should go out for peeing several times a day, before and after eating and drinking, before and after sleeping, before and after playing. Let him sniff around and go, don't take him back in until he goes. Also praise, praise, praise when he does go outside. Inside, ignore it and clean up after him thorougly so he can't smell it so well. Like someone else said, he is a baby, and needs gentle handling and the basics first, his name, potty training, the first part of "No biting" and that's about it for the first month, (until he is 3 months old) then sit, lay down, and walking nicely on a leash, (maintaining the first month's training) Also socialize, socialize and socialize from 3 months on. For the next 3 months that should keep you and him busy until he is 6 months old, concentrate on these things. Also any other things you don't want him to do, like being up on furniture don't let him do it at all, not even at this young age. A good rule with any dog (or cat) is to have an idea of what you will want to put up with with an adult dog and stick to this for a puppy. Never allow any behavior you don't want as an adult. Now is the time to keep bad habits out of the picture.

[Rory's Dad]

OK, so my take...as of the original post you had had the dog about a week. He doesnt know his name, so expecting him to come when called is a bit much. You will need to lure him to you, with toys, treats, high pitched silly voice, whatever, and teach him his name.

He may not feel like being touched or cuddled, but dont be put off by it, and dont tolerate it...to a degree. He is a Chow, and needs to be socialized to touching. If allowed to separate and set his own boundaries in that way, he will not be a friendly, well behaved dog.

As Victory said, be firm and assertive with negative behavior. Solid verbal commands should be all that is needed (or the occasional time out). Never hit or pose a hit with him. Also, the old 'rub his nose in accidents' rule is a bad idea.

Chows, by nature, are a very clean dog. They will not want to soil what is considered (by them, not you) to be their home. Set yourself as the Alpha by controlling food, treats, and verbal praise. He will look to please the leader. Positive reinforcement is much more successful to having a well balanced Chow.

Again, your Chow is probably not being timid at this stage in his life, he is checking boundaries and trying to control his space.

[cherriemater]

I'll throw this out for you because I wish I would have had pictures when I was looking for items I needed. Fortunately, I had LOTS of advice on what to get.

First off, a comb. Not many people suggested this but my husband already had this one and I have found it to be INVALUABLE, especially with some of the tough puppy fur clumps and mats starting to form behind the ears.

Fur Pets Sake.jpg (56.22 KiB) Viewed 4113 times

Next, this is what the undercoat rake looks like. SUPER important, especially for the chow chow's wonderful double coat. This, too, will help eliminate mats behind the ears or other places where there is alot of movement.

ConAir Pro Undercoat Rake.jpg (54.17 KiB) Viewed 4113 times

We also have a ConAir Pro Pin Brush. I like both of these because of the gel handles. When you're spending a couple hours grooming like we do (we have two chow-boys) it helps with old wrists and my poor grip.

Finally, this is the BEST nail clipper I could find.

Ultimate Touch Super Nail Clipper.jpg (61.37 KiB) Viewed 4113 times

I HATE the guillotine ones because they crush the nail and are hard to adjust to make the right cut. Max is fine with trimming (and he actually skuffs his paws when he walks so his nails, generally, stay nice and trim to begin with) but Leo HATES, HATES, HATES it! No matter how much I touched them when they were pups, Leo just doesn't like any part of grooming. Joe has to help me with his nails for two reasons, 1) they are black so I cannot see the quick through the nails. 2) he wriggles so much that it helps to calm him a bit.

Now, a word on grooming. First, I hope King will LOVE it and it will be a good bonding experience for the both of you. Since you mention that he is a bit leery of being touched, I recommend that you plan your grooming time after a good walk. This way he's relaxed and TIRED. I found that to be the best with Leo. Also, while grooming, this a great time to get him used to being touched everywhere! Like the odd places: between toes, under chin, under leg pits and privates. This will be much appreciated by your vet when you bring him in and will make him more comfortable when a "stranger" does this during his appointment. We live in Deer and Elk country so it was important for us to establish this practice because we have to look for ticks after walks out in Pigeon River Country State Forest.

Finally, a word on his "bed." Leo and Max would have nothing to do with it the first eight months they were with us (we got them at 9 weeks old). I don't know if it was because they didn't like the "new" smell or what, but it laid empty for many months until one day we couldn't find Leo in any of the "usual" places. I just happened to look at the floor of the closet (where their crate was and then the bed) and wouldn't you know it ... there he was curled up in a ball on the bed. Go figure! Max very rarely lays on it but Leo uses it as a place of solace.

Oh ... and last thought on the "peeing" thing. I love and appreciate all the other comments so I will only add this: a puppy can only "hold" their bladder the number of hours they are old in months. So, if your pup is six months old, then six hours. Seven, then seven, etc. I found this to generally be true with our boys so I made it a practice MYSELF to calculate when to get them outside for relief. By doing so, there were less accidents and more opportunities for praise. And you should PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE!! I sounded like a fool with my, "Good boy Pee Pee" or "Good boy, Poop Poop" as soon as they were done but I do feel like it helped them learn those words. I never got them to be able to do it on command, as was suggested, but we certainly established that praise would be given if their business was done outside and that awful smell would come out if they did so inside (we cleaned up messes with Windex ... they hate the alcohol smell ... because we don't have carpeted floors).

Okay, I'm done now. Sorry for the long dissertation. I hope it was helpful to you. Congratulations on your choice of a chow-boy. You'll have 10-14 years of the most fun, the most love, the most wonderful adventure you could ever dream of. I'm very happy for you!!

[Ursa's daddy]

Wow Marti, that was great, especially all the photos. I may get some clippers like that. The other day, my son nipped Ursa with our nail clippers, and that was it. No more for her. That night, I was able to complete the job, but she was a nervous wreck the whole time. It took a long time to reassure her. I brushed the crew out on the deck the other day. It was warm and sunny. They seemed to really enjoy it.