air vents

[Maxwell]

My chow, Maxwell loves to sit in the sun on top of the air conditioning vent... does this mean he is to hot or that he just likes it there?

[Rogansmommy]

My chow, Maxwell loves to sit in the sun on top of the air conditioning vent...

It sounds like he's getting the best of both worlds to me!

Rogan does the same thing. He loves laying in the sun with the a/c blowing right on him.

[Maxwell]

ok, cool. i thought maybe he wasn't cool enogh cause i was freezing!

[Rogansmommy]

If he is too warm, he will pant heavily. Chows drink ALOT of water, more than alot of other breeds... I think it helps cool them down. He will also blow his coat to adjust his body to the temperature. As long as your house is at a comfortable temperature (we keep ours around 76 F) and you are not warm, your dog will be comfortable as well.

It sounds like your boy is lucky to have such a caring and concerned partner!

[Maxwell]

i'm getting there! we were having a lot of house training issues. and he was a little aggressive with the kids. but once he was out and about more in the house and the kids stop being scared of him we all ajusted. only problem we have now is that when he sees my husband he would get excited and wag his tail. now he still does that but he also pees on the floor. this started about 3 weeks ago when i was out of town. i asked my husband what did he do to him and he said nothing. we also moved him to the basement about this time to sleep. i don't know if he likes it or not. but by 6 in the morning hes whining to come up. no one is up at that time so he whines till about 7:30. but back to the peeing, he doesn't do it all the time but he does do it the majority of the time. and he only does it when he greets my husband... any thoughts?

[Rogansmommy]

It's submissive urination, and technically a good thing. Dogs do it to show respect to the individual they feel is the Alpha of the pack. You should think about taking Maxwell for obedience training. It will help him get some confidence, but also reinforce his role in the pack. You should try and let him go out just before your husband gets home. I don't know if that will help, as Rogan seems to have an infinite supply of urine himself... but it might cut it down. Also, when your husband gets home, he should ignore the dog. This will let Maxwell think he's nowhere near as important as he is... and your husband can greet him on his terms.

As for the basement thing... most Chows don't like to be locked up in any fashion. They are incredibly clean dogs; he might have to go to the bathroom and is whining because he doesn't want to mess. Rogan has always slept on the same floor as us... but he usually has chosen the hallway (our guardian). I have found that they tend to sleep better if they are near their people. NEVER let him on the bed though. That will create all types of dominance issues. Good luck.

[Maxwell]

thanks. ok with all that said... should i crate him at night or not?

[Rogansmommy]

As long as it's in your bedroom, the crate should be fine. If not, you will hear ALOT of noise coming from your chow. They don't like to be away from their family, especially when they know their family is in another part of the house and they can't get to them. They were bred to be protection dogs; how can they guard when locked in a box? But Rogan was always fine at night in his crate, as long as it was in our bedroom.

[Maxwell]

i can't put him in my room. hes not allowed in the back of the house. of course he cames back there anyway. but i already have a crib in there, a crate would not fit, plus Max farts and snores and i already got a husband 4 that! why do you crate Rogan?

[Rogansmommy]

I don't anymore. When he was younger, I crated him for his own safety, when we weren't home and overnight. He was crated overnight until he was about 3; crated during the day until about 5. He's 8 now, so he's got the run of the house all the time.

[Maxwell]

ok. i crate him at night. he is 9 months today! i posted pics of him.