Chows and swimming

[Jeff&Peks]

Has anyone actually seen a pure breed Chow swim? I say pure because Chow/labs and other mix's love the water But Chows seem to hate the water except for maybe wading in it up to their ankles.
When we lived in the bay area I knew a guy that lived on a boat with 2 pure Chows and always kept life jackets on them, he said a Chow will sink like a brick if they should fall in the water because of their coats and they can't tread water, Anyone disagree with this?
Also I heard of 2 separate instances where Chows have drowned from falling in the backyard pool.
We use to take Pekoe out on our boat (She hated it)but always had a life jacket on her.

[SWANCIN]

Hi Jeff
While our Kodi is not a pure chow, she has the deep chest and stilted legs of chow, so I can imagine she'd have difficulty doing the "dog paddle" like other dogs can. She's not been in deep water yet, we can't have her off leash AT ALL or she bolts...

[Zhuyos mom]

Our family chow, Suntzu, use to swim out of the ocean from time to time. I saw something on TV way back that I mentioned on the old site of a surfing chow-mix. And a couple of months ago, I was watching CNN and there was a newstory of a woman in Florida who had a black chow (might be mix, I did notice a blue-black tongue) that rescued her from being eaten/biten by an alligator. Sadly, the chow "took the fall" and swam into the lake/lagoon to distract the alligator away from it's owner. The owner ran to escape from harms way.

[Juniper]

Mine doesn't even like to step on wet grass! Unless of course I am with her and she's on a leash and she has no choice

[Judy Fox]

Milly and Mabel hate wet grass too - however, when out on a walk they will happily paddle through puddles with gay abandon when on the scent of squirrel of bunnies or whatever!

Then when we get home they stand and pick each foot up in turn to be wiped!

[Kaylee]

Hi,

I noticed that you have two chow chows and I was wondering if you have ever had any behavioral problems with them. We have two chow chow pups who are 4 months old and are fighting. Not sure what to do....Have you gone through the fighting...do you have any advice?

Michelle

Milly and Mabel hate wet grass too - however, when out on a walk they will happily paddle through puddles with gay abandon when on the scent of squirrel of bunnies or whatever!

Then when we get home they stand and pick each foot up in turn to be wiped!

[Judy Fox]

No Michelle, we have never had a cross word between Milly and Mabel. However, we did not get them together as chowlings - Milly was 6 weeks old when we brought her home and when she was 6 months old, we heard that her litter sister needed a home so we bought her. They are litter sisters and when we took Milly to bring Mabel home I swear they recognised each other because they kissed each other and cried and snuffled each other and have been inseparable since. They are now four and half years old. So I really don't know what to advise.
When we were going to go over for Mabel, people warned us that two bitches would not get on - that they would carve each other up.
So, I am sorry cannot help but I am sure others on the site will be able to advise.
All I can suggest is that you treat them like naughty children and make it clear to them that their behaviour is not acceptable. Have they been spayed - that might cause a problem. Also I have heard that a newspaper shaken between them when they are fighting will stop them but I have never needed that.
Best of luck.

[grizzlybear]

Several years ago our Bimbi (purebred lovely black lady chow)was out on a walk, we were walking along by a fairly small river that is a feature in a nearby park. It was a sunny day and I think she wanted to get her feet wet and cool of a bit.

So in the river she went, and completely disappeared under the surface

The river was probably about 5ft deep - deeper than we all thought - Bimbi included - you could not see the bottom as the water is quite dark, not mucky or anything just dark. We thought at first it was about a foot or two deep, it has straight sides like a canal not a sloping riverbed.

Anyway if chows sink when in deep water Bimbi certainly didn't wait for this to happen. She shot straight back out from under the surface where we grabbed her and made sure she didn't fall back in.

As she came out of the water though she looked as if she was being launched by something, we aren't sure if she kicked up from the bottom or just kicked the water but she sure moved very fast.

We were all shocked - none more that Bimbi - but she was ok and soon dried off in the sun. The experience has not put her off water, she never has been a swimmer but does like a bit of a paddle.
She went right through my mum-in-laws pond the other day and we thought she may have squished the resident frog, but she hadn't

I can imagine though that if a chow is in the water long enough and struggling to get out, and their coat gets soaked right through it could weigh them down, especially if they have their full thick winter coat.

[Nick Bellenbaum]

I've taken my 8 month old Chow, Baxter, to Lake Michigan twice since i've moved to North Chicago. He loves the water! He tries to go deeper and deeper every time we go. It was quite hot yesterday (in the 80s) so it must have been a cool relief for him. So far he goes up to his chest. I'm curious to see if he'll swim.
Nick & Baxter

[Judy Fox]

Wonderful Nick!
I am going to buy Milly and Mabel a kiddie pool this year - sometimes it gets very hot in the summer here on The Island and several of the Chows over The Pond have kiddie pools - so I am going to try ome for M & M. It will be interesting to see if they go and lie in it like - Shiloh - I think for one!
It will be interesting to see if Baxter does swim - but keep an eye on him so that his wet coat does not drag him down!

[Jeff&Peks]

The day you get M&M the kiddie pool let me know how it works out if they use it I will get Pekoe one. I think Karens 2 Chows have a pool.

[kingalls]

We started out with a large storage bin that was about 7 inches tall as a pool for Shiloh. We put one of her toys (ball) to introduce her to the pool. We read about Chows having a low tolerance for heat so we tried this as an option for her to cool off. She took to it right away. I have pictures of her lounging in the water. We eventually got her a kiddie pool (less than $10). She loves it. In other posts I have mentioned how she cannonballs into the pool. I'm not joking! She totally lunges/jumps into the kiddie pool. She sits there with eyes half closed as though she is in heaven. Shiloh is a Chow mix. I think it's the mix part that loves the water. Our Mr. N is full Chow Chow. He totally shys away from the water.
If the kiddie pool works for your Chow then it would be the best way to help your Chow cool off during the hot summer days!
Our Mr. N will go beneath the deck and cool off in the cool soil during the summer.
Karen

[SuFi Jen]

mine will trot near the waterline playfully. when he gets a bath we fill the tub with some water enough so he's buyoent and he'll lay down while he's bathed. oh and sprinklers, he purposely runs through ours.

[Nick Bellenbaum]

I forgot about sprinklers! Our precious guy will stand there and let the sprinkler spray him. It is the funniest thing to watch. I would really like to know what is going on in his head sometimes.
Nick & Baxter

[Kathy]

Our 8 year old black female chow hates the water. The vet suggested the kiddie pool as a way for her to cool off. So, I bought one, put it on the patio and put Killy in the middle. She would not move, waiting patiently for me to lift her out. That was the end of the kiddie pool. We take her for walks along Lake Champlain where she will occasionally get a drink if the wind is not blowing. If it is windy, the sound of the waves coming to shore scares her enough to keep her yards away from the water. She has to be sedated for baths. And the hose is even more scary than the Lake. She likes to be outside with us, but asks very quickly to go inside once the hose comes out for carwashing. We have never tried to wash or spray her with the hose, but I think the noise bothers her.
Kathy & Killy

[Guest]

Confucius hates to go out in the rain also, or even when the ground is wet from dew. Funny thing is he loves taking a bath. We'll fill up the tub, pop him in, and after a few minutes of shampooing him, he gets so relaxed his eyes start closing. Then, he'll emit a really large sigh, wake himself up, give us this look of astonishment and close his eyes again.

[Rogansmommy]

Rogan hates water. He always has, he always will. When I give him a bath, he stands on three legs and rotates the legs that he stands on! He will not walk through sprinklers (he goes around them) or go outside in the rain.

On December 27, 2003, we were in the process of relocating to Apollo Beach. After 18 hours in the SUV with my husband, the rottweiler and the cat, Rogan arrived at my father-in-law's house on Merritt Island. Upon entering the house, the dogs immediately began to play with my father-in-law's rottie (they have all known each other since puppy-hood) so the men decided to put the dogs on the lanai. Not 10 seconds after, my husband heard a SPLASH! Rogan had fallen into the pool! (He had seen in-ground pools before; he obviously didn't notice this time!) He was swimming perfectly well. (I was still in NY with our son. I woke up to a phone call saying, "Well, Rogan CAN swim.") They were able to coax Rogue to the edge and get him up the stairs - no worse for wear. My father-in-law's pool had a coat of Rogan fur for weeks after!

[RayannaDeerfox]

My little girl Ebony absolutely hates any form of precipitation/water/dampness/etc. If it's raining or snowing outside (even just a mist) she'll only reluctantly go outside, but will quickly do her business and want back in. Winter here in Wisconsin (with all the snow that has the audacity to STAY on the ground!!!) is the devil's invention.

During the warmer months, if we take her for a walk anytime after rain where there might be puddles on the ground, we've got problems. A small puddle, she will walk around. A large puddle (i.e. one covering the whole sidewalk) and she will stop dead in her tracks. No matter how hard we pull on her leash, we cannot get her to move. Because, of course, the grass might be damp too.

I believe there has even been a few occassions where we have had to pick her up and carry her across the water hazard.

Is it any wonder we call her Princess Pretty Paws?

[chowluver]

Hi, I've just registered as a member. I have a 2 year old red male named Brisco and I'm getting an 8 week old red female on Friday.
I took Brisco to a partially dried river with large pools formed in it when he was just 9 weeks old and he went straight in and swam about 15 feet across to a sand bar without missing a beat. He still loves the water and even though he doesn't really like to swim much he wades in a bit deeper than he can stand quite often. He also has a kiddie pool that he lays in with just his head above the water on a daily basis, especially after a long or for that matter even a short walk. I'll let you know about Dixie, the new puppy in a few weeks.

[alpeterson]

Hi - I just registered as well, hoping to get some advice on our chow/husky mix. Yes, I know - what a combination! She gets very rambunctious and excited when people are swimming, or jumping in the pool - doesn't stop barking, and runs up on people at the edge almost knocking them in. I believe she's just 'protecting' my 5 year old, but it's pretty annoying at times. (She has jumped in on occasion, and loves to swim, so I don't think she is afraid of the water. She swims a few laps and then gets out using the stairs.) In addition, whenever someone comes to the door - regardless of who it is, she barks excessively, jumps up, and is more excited than anyting. It makes it very difficult to have guests come over ... anyone have any suggestions?

[chowluver]

Hi again,
I just thought that I would let you know that "Dixie"my new female puppy is now 14 weeks old and absolutely loves the water, even more than Brisco.
It's winter time here and she still gets into her pool (10" DEEP) several times a day. I've taken her to the local lake and she's straight into it. The first time over her head caught her off guard a bit but did not discourage her. I've never enticed either one into the water they both have naturally enjoyed it from pups. I'm really suprised to hear that it's not more common amongst the breed???

[Guest]

I hve a Chow -Siberian Husky mix. Several years ago we bought a house with a pool.. Not being used to a pool, he promptly fell in it. He was horrified, and now won't go anywhere even close to it. He also hates a bath or shower, so we mostly use dry shampoo. And he also won't go near the surf when we take him to the beach. I had a Norwegian Elkhound that felt the same way about water. I've always figured it was instinct. after all, if they fell in the water most of the year in their native climates, wouldn't they freeze to death, even if they made it out? Scarlett

[guest]

I have a purebred Chow, Simba, and he absolutely loves to swim. Across Lake Tahoe chasing ducks, in the ocean, anywhere there's water he will be in it. Even a 2 inch deep creek! He will sit in the river after he's tired of swimming and let his butt float, while he watches over everything going on, and whines because he's too tired to swim more right then. If he can't go in the water, he whines DESPRETELY and can't sit(stand?) still.

[Guest]

I am new here also, and have just registered. I just wanted to say I have a Chow/Lab mix and a purebred Chow. My mix HATES water. She will walk around a mud puddle, hates baths, drinks neatly, advoids rain and anything to do with water. Our purebred is 6 months old and she loves the water. We bought a kiddie pool for my grand daughter yet Gracie claimed it as her own. She jumps in it, sits, lays, loves to spash our other dog. Loves to drink out of the hose, runs thru the sprinkler, drinks in a way that leaves puddles on my floor, but get this, she hates to take a bath.

[Moshi]

Hi folks, I'm new here. My Chow Chow is Moshi and she's a purebred Cinnamon female. She has always hated water and will only wade up to her ankles when it's hot out. She does love the snow, and will refuse to come in when it is snowing.

She has fallen into water three times and was able to swim, but had a very hard time getting out of the water. She had a terrified look on her face and clawed frantically for the shore, but couldn't pull herself out. She had to be pulled out of the water all three times.

I think the story that Chows can't swim is a myth, but clearly they have a problem with getting wet and may even panic if they are put into water. I see the avoidance of water as a benefit, as Moshi is the cleanest dog around and rarely tracks in dirt and mud.