Most ancient breed

[Red Dragon]

Looks like the Chow was named most ancient breed according to DNA. http://www.dogguide.net/blog/2007/09/mo ... -genetics/

[Jeff&Peks]

I agree with the Chow being one of the most ancient thats been covered a few times on Discovery but I don't agree with the China part, Chows have been traced way back before China started taking credit for them. From what I have read it was the shu sitzu I think it was that was breed and brought over from China not the Chow but China took credit for the Chow. I haven't yet to meet a Chinese person that hasn't asked me what kind of dog is Pekoe, most of them never even heard of a Chow. Way back during the ice age there was a dog that looked exactly like a Chow same built, same look but was pure white that was used for everything, Sled pulling, food and clothing, way back before the Chow became a delicacy on the Chinese restaurant menu. Chow tongue soup is an expensive dish in China.

Don't know where they came up with pictures of the Ice age Chows, did those people have digital camera's on their sleds.

[jacqui]

very interesting article.and I agree with Jeff that most Asians don't know what breed of dog a chow is

[Red Dragon]

The origin is Asia, it doesn't say China specifically. It is believed they migrated into China with the Mongolian war tribes. The Chow dates back a few thousand years in China though. A couple of thousand years ago, one of the Chinese emperors ordered all the dogs be killed and all the records be destroyed, so there are no records of them. The Chinese were always very meticulous in their record keeping and breeding practices, if they were not destroyed we would have excellent records on the dogs. The monks hid the dogs and continued to breed them, even against the wishes of the emperor, otherwise the breed may have been lost forever.

[Jeff&Peks]

The origin is Asia, it doesn't say China specifically. It is believed they migrated into China with the Mongolian war tribes. The Chow dates back a few thousand years in China though. A couple of thousand years ago, one of the Chinese emperors ordered all the dogs be killed and all the records be destroyed, so there are no records of them. The Chinese were always very meticulous in their record keeping and breeding practices, if they were not destroyed we would have excellent records on the dogs. The monks hid the dogs and continued to breed them, even against the wishes of the emperor, otherwise the breed may have been lost forever.

Don't care what the Chinese have to say, I know for a fact Pekoe's origin was in Northern Ca during the era of the Golden Gate bridge and Starbucks. along about the time of the construction of Ikea in Albany and the great price increase of the Bay bridge toll. It's been documented.

[Auddymay]

If you look at a map, Northern Asia and Northern Russia (i.e. Siberia) are one in the same region. Humans drew the lines, the animals don't recognize them. It is likely the Mongols did bring them 'down' as well as to other regions. That is why it is hard to tell where exactly they started. Interesting article.

[Babs64]

Interesting. It seems I have two of the ancient breeds ruling my home--Ty, shih tzu, and Sophie, chow-mix. I am kind of suprised that shih tzu are considered an ancient breed. I can understand a chow being on the list, they were hunters, work dogs, and protectors for their humans. But shih tzus are lapdogs -- their job was/is to keep their human's lap warm and to bark when strangers approach. Hmm, although the shih tzu came out of China to the west, they originally came to China from Tibet. And given Sophie's affinity for the cold, I can see how her ancesters could have come from Mongolia or other cold northern Asian areas.

[ChowLady]

Chow Chow, or Chow, is a breed of dog that was first developed in Mongolia about 4,000 years ago and was later introduced into China, It is believed that the Chow Chow is one of the native dogs used as the model for the Foo dog, the traditional stone guardian found in front of Buddhist temples and palaces.
Many people who think the chow originated outside of China suggest that the breed was forged in Arctic lands from whence it emigrated with barbarian tribes that invaded China in the 11th century B.C. To be sure, historical records reveal that these invaders were accompanied by huge dogs with black tongues. The dogs were reputedly strong enough to dispatch a person with no assistance and fierce enough to be more than happy to do so. These warlike dogs, which were said to resemble lions so closely it was impossible to tell one from the other, were different from any other breed. They had large, broad heads, short muzzles and tiny, deep-set eyes. Their lips touched without overlapping, giving them a distinctive, aloof expression.
As centuries passed and the warrior dogs were no longer needed in battle, their savage temperaments were refined; and they were given new duties by their masters -- hunter, draft dog, herder, guardian of the home, and food group. In truth, the chow's utility as food, many people believe, gave the breed its name. Chow chow is Chinese slang for anything edible, and for more years that it is delicate to contemplate, chows were considered edible. Legends say that two of the breed's most distinguishing characteristics -- its blue-black tongue and its straight hind legs -- evolved as a consequence of the Chinese taste for this breed. The blue-black tongue, the bluer the better, bespeaks a sweeter meat; and a straight hind leg yields more meat. (Fortunately selling and eating dog meat was outlawed in China in 1915.) Unique in having a blue tongue, it has relevance to a Chinese myth: "when God created our planet, the only dog granted the privilege to pick up blue droplets that bounce on the earth's soil from the sky was the Chow Chow."
Kathy

[Jeff&Peks]

Chow Chow, or Chow, is a breed of dog that was first developed in Mongolia about 4,000 years ago and was later introduced into China, It is believed that the Chow Chow is one of the native dogs used as the model for the Foo dog, the traditional stone guardian found in front of Buddhist temples and palaces.
Many people who think the chow originated outside of China suggest that the breed was forged in Arctic lands from whence it emigrated with barbarian tribes that invaded China in the 11th century B.C. To be sure, historical records reveal that these invaders were accompanied by huge dogs with black tongues. The dogs were reputedly strong enough to dispatch a person with no assistance and fierce enough to be more than happy to do so. These warlike dogs, which were said to resemble lions so closely it was impossible to tell one from the other, were different from any other breed. They had large, broad heads, short muzzles and tiny, deep-set eyes. Their lips touched without overlapping, giving them a distinctive, aloof expression.
As centuries passed and the warrior dogs were no longer needed in battle, their savage temperaments were refined; and they were given new duties by their masters -- hunter, draft dog, herder, guardian of the home, and food group. In truth, the chow's utility as food, many people believe, gave the breed its name. Chow chow is Chinese slang for anything edible, and for more years that it is delicate to contemplate, chows were considered edible. Legends say that two of the breed's most distinguishing characteristics -- its blue-black tongue and its straight hind legs -- evolved as a consequence of the Chinese taste for this breed. The blue-black tongue, the bluer the better, bespeaks a sweeter meat; and a straight hind leg yields more meat. (Fortunately selling and eating dog meat was outlawed in China in 1915.) Unique in having a blue tongue, it has relevance to a Chinese myth: "when God created our planet, the only dog granted the privilege to pick up blue droplets that bounce on the earth's soil from the sky was the Chow Chow."
Kathy

It sounds good to me, it sounds like you were there at the time. How old did you say you were?

[ChowLady]

Im old but dont think Im that old , Cant think of nothing worse than eating dog, let alone a Chow. Just thought that I would share that other info, seeing we were talking about the breed.

[Jeff&Peks]

Im old but dont think Im that old , Cant think of nothing worse than eating dog, let alone a Chow. Just thought that I would share that other info, seeing we were talking about the breed.

What you posted is pretty much the same as what Discovery or National geographic was saying they didn't say chow but the white dogs they were portraying and talking about living in extreme cold weather and ice with the Mongolians sounded and looked just like Chows except for color, I would tend to go along with what you posted then what China is saying.

[Cara&Haley]

Chow chow is Chinese slang for anything edible, and for more years that it is delicate to contemplate, chows were considered edible.
Kathy

Chow Chow is ENGLISH slang for anything edible. Chow means to fry, as in fried noodles, or chow mein. When the Chinese immigrants came to America, the words eat and food were often used together with "chow", the way they cook their food in the wok. Americans mistakenly thought chow also meant food.