Chow Coat

[Truffle]

Hi, everyone! I am a new chow owner. Our blue boy, Truffle, is just over 6mos now and he is amazing! I like to groom him myself and wash him in the tub (with my brother giving me a hand). I've been lurking the forums here and always read how long it took people to dry their chows etc but Truffle actually dries really fast and it's like his undercoat stays dry the whole time. Is that bad? I give him a nice massage in the tub and make sure to reaally get all the gunk out, but his undercoat stays dry. Is that ok? Am I cleaning it enough when I brush him? Also, he has been a very shy shedder - not an issue at all. Maybe I should start using the rake (even though his coat is not shedding and is NOT tangled at all, i only use a regular pin brush now) ? I have the furminator, so should I start using it even before he starts shedding?

Here is my little boy, from 8wks to 5mos; don't have anything too recent (he's bigger and fluffier now)

[chunkymonkeys]

OMG, I can't believe how cute Truffle is! He looks just like a bear in the 2nd photo. Boo and Shima are always dry on their second coat after a bath; just the top gets wet. If Truffle doesn't have mats and he can be brushed with a pin brush, count your blessings, especially if he's not shedding much. Boo sheds much more than Shima, and even with little Chow furballs all over I wouldn't trade my chunky monkeys for anything!

[applebear]

Love Truffles name, and what a cutey. I think you're doing just fine. Chow's blow their coat a couple times a year, you'll see a lot of hair then. Otherwise, I never found them to be extreme shedders in the down time, unless that was just mine. I've heard mixed reviews with the furminators...I know the husky people advice against them, say they strip and damage the undercoat. Some say they are ok if you don't over use them. I really don't know. I never found a need with the chow for them...maybe that's just me. *shrug* I like the rakes, pin brushes, combs, etc..

Thanks for sharing the pics!

[Cocoa]

Truffles is adorable. Don't worry about the coat, at six months old he would still have his puppy wool so a pin brush and maybe a slicker brush should be fine. Once his adult coat comes you will start to see the seasonal blowouts like applebear said. When Cocoa is blowing her coat I use the rake and the pin brush. I have a furminator but very rarely use it.

[wokman]

Like the name and his appearance, healthy and not afraid of water. His coat sounds normal for his age. My Chows shedding when in their adult stage depended on how much time they spent outside in the warm weather; more time out of the A.C. more shedding. I do not know the Furminator but prefer hand operated tools; I will check online to bring myself up to date. Keep the ears clean with a drying type of ear solution from your Veterinarian.

[pbaker]

What a beautiful puppy!!! And I agree he looks like a little bear!

[chowpups]

Definitely a little Bear Alert( cute little bear) ! Iam not a big fan of shedding type tools on puppies especially , regular brushing alone should be enough.

[Clovers_Mom]

Oh my gosh, truffle is absolutely adorable !
I have the slicker & rake 'comb' if you will... And the furminator..
I 99.99% use the rake. The slicker doesn't seem to do the job I need it to as well as the rake. The furminator, does get both top & undercoat, but (to me) it seems to 'pull' through the fur,which Clover is not a huge fan of.
All and all (I guess) it may take a little longer, but I use the rake for all her daily brushings.

[Truffle]

Thanks for the compliments, everyone! Truffle always gets a "..that's not a dog, that's a BEAR" comment or kids yelling to their mother's: "bear!!!!!" funny when it happens on a trail, at a park, because someone shouting "bear" does not go over well
Also it's really cool how much he loves water - he runs straight into a lake or river and shoves his whole head in, starts rolling in the water and then just sits there, thinking..
I will just keep doing the same routine until his first blowout because it's working well for us. And gotta check on that ear cleaning solution, sounds good!

They say he looks just like him mommy..

[wokman]

Blue eyes for a Blue coat Chow, how is that! His coat may turn a brownish/red (Rusty) with sun exposure; one of my Blue Chows did and the other did not..... .......if he does Rust do not treat it with shampoos they will not help, it is normal and natural.