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Hello Chow Lovers!

So my Chow, Simba, is now 4 months old and I had him for 2 months now.

Has anyone notice their pup smells!!
I given him 2 baths already just to get him familiarized with water and being scrubbed. I even use wipes daily, (EXAGGERATED) but most the time. The problem is he still smells! Another issue with this is that he sleeps on his puppy pad instead of his crate! Could it be that he likes the hardfloor because inside the crate is his soft cushion bed.

Well anyway, what are some ways do you pet parents do to keep your Chow smelling fresh, not STINKY?!
I also hear you shouldn't wash your Chow's fur too often because of the dry skin issue. Please help!

Your fellow Chow Owner,

Si Leong

Don't all dogs have a doggy odor? A neighbor of mine has a Bassett hound, and you would howl if you were downwind of Barney too!!

I don't know about chow pups since I got my Sheena at 3.5 yrs young, however, if Sheena began to smell I would check her body/skin thoroughly to make sure she didn't have a staph infection someplace or hidden sores and take her to the vet and get blood tests done to find out what is wrong with her. One of the things I like about chows I've met and Sheena is that they don't have the wet or dry doggie smell that other dogs have. Even her rear end and breath smells nice. I've had a collie, weimeraner and mutts and they always had bad doggie smell and breath even when they were healthy.

Brushing I believe is the key. I only bathe Sheena 1x/year if even that much, however, I brush her every week. Sheena doesn't even groom herself! You are right that bathing is very drying for the chows fur and especially skin and the last thing you want is skin problems!

I hope some experienced people who have had chow pups respond to you since what I have gotten from chow owners is that chows smell differently than other dogs. That's why sometimes dogs pick fights with chows or avoid them since they are different about the way they smell.

I think it depends on the Chow. I take Chloe to the groomers once a month because she stinks and because of the way she drinks her entire neck/chest is just nasty from being wet so much. Shug only goes every 2-3 months because he doesn't get wet when he drinks and his coat in general is much easier to maintain. They do not have any skin or coat issues at all. As far as sleeping in the crate or on a cushion I've never owned a chow that would sleep on a dog bed. I think they do prefer the cool floor.

Question: how does your chow's smell compare to other dogs?

My little boy starts smelling 5 or 6 days after his weekly bath (we live in the tropics, and he likes running around our garden, sometimes rolling in his own piss), but it's no worse than the usual wet fur stink. However, we used to have a pom/shih tzu mix (RIP) who stank to high heavens/smelled rotten at one point no matter how much time we spent to keep him clean -- my sister's vet friend had a hunch that something was wrong with one of his organs. Unfortunately, we never got to find out which, because he passed away as quickly as he contracted the disease that took him from us. Not trying to scare you, just saying that if your chow retains an unusual smell despite your efforts, it might be best to get him checked up and tested.

Chow puppy fur retains moisture and odor much more so than their adult fur. If he is lying on the puppy pads, which what i think you said, then that is going to be a source of odor. Chows are funny about not using bedding, and it definitely has a lot to do with cooling.

As you chow matures into his adult fur, i think you will see that even soaking wet, there wont be the dog odor. If it does continue, they you should look into the skin conditions. Or see if it eminates from a particular area. Chows with weepy eyes will give off an odor from the face, and any dog with dental issues will have bad breath. Those can indicate other and sometimes serious medical conditions.

Although Chows have a well deserved reputation for cleanliness, not all adhere to that standard. My 10 month old female is a sloppy drinker and her throat area is almost always wet. Believe it or not, that wet fur can foster mold growth, so keep an eye on that. Females can also develop infections in the private part areas that will result in an odor. That doesnt apply to you, but just an FYI.

Rory's dad, I find it funny because yesterday, I took out Simba's bedding and he slept on the hardcrate floor!

Doppler have slight smell and he's getting lots of brush everyday.

I remember my friend's sheltie who's always at the groomer but have some smell despite of overall grooming, have no infections on the mouth, skin or rear. They later found out he has some intestine problem and the smell pass through the body, he's on special diet now.

Frequent grooming may help.