My Chow Sounds like a Pig

[GoHokiesGo]

We just got our chow and she is 4 years old. She makes this snorting sound nonstop and she sneezes a lot, but she never barks. I'm not sure what to make of this, is she sick? Or is the snorting in replace of barking? Please let us know if your dog had done this before and if there's anything we can do to stop the snorting.

Thanks!

[teeram]

my chow is 6 yrs old,and sounds like a pig also.this is my second chow,and they both have done this.the first one lived to be 13 yrs old.my dog barks,but in the middle of the bark he snorts,kinda sounds like a sneeze.hope this helps.

[Sirchow]

Bramble works up to a bark by snorting very loudly six or eight times really like a pig. But if the situation then doesn't warrent a bark she may go no further except to give a couple more snorts of a lesser sort just to show she's still got her eye on the situation. She snorts at other times, playing, running excitedly, waiting for food and lots more.

[Ellie]

Khan snorts and snuffles heaps too, although doesn't sneeze much.... Apparently it could be something to do with the dogs being bred to have shorter muzzles. Pugs snort heaps! But if she's doing proper sneezes (rather than just sounding like it), perhaps she's allergic to something? That'd congest her nose too I guess, and increase the snorting. Thanks to everyone's urging here, I took Khan to the vets when we first got him. Good just for peace of mind if nothing else, and it's worthwhile getting a new dog checked out, so a health baseline can be set for future reference.

Khan doesn't bark much either - only at pesky cats (and my pesky boyfriend )

[Coco Chow]

Coco doesn't bark a lot: only when she invites you to play, or when she hears someone behind the front door. But before she barks at something she doesn't like, she will snort a lot, like saying "what is that I hear?? what is that?", snort, snort!
So I think chows can snort instead of barking.
For the sneezing it's different though, it's not something they control I think, if you chow sneezes a lot, it might be worth taking him to the vet IMO. As Ellie said, a vet visit is in order as you just got her anyway ...

[GoHokiesGo]

Ahh, I had a nice reply typed up and then accidentally closed my browser after looking at another tab, oops!

We had her checked out at their local Vet the day before we bought her, and they gave her a great bill of health and made sure all her shots were up to date. Maybe we should still bring her in to our local Vet for an introduction and to double check. My Chow chow book didn't mention anything on the snorting, but after reading the replies and a few google searches, it sounds like it's common for chows to do this. She doesn't bark or make any other real noises, I just hadn't heard a dog make these sounds before. She's also starting to calm down a little more now that she's been with us for a few days, and a little less snorting in the process.

She's been doing ok with us other than that since we picked her up Saturday night. She's a retired dog from a breeder; she's 4-1/2 and had a tough time with her 2 litters (Cesarean's), so the breeder thought she'd be a better fit in a pet home. Since she was kennel trained at the breeder, we're having a bit of a tough time getting her to adjust to house training; she also always wants to just sit outside since she's used to a kennel also. On the other hand though, she's absolutely beautiful and loves attention. She'll let anyone come pet her, and does well with kids and other dogs; you can tell she enjoys the attention when we go on walks, I think she knows she's cute . So now we just have to work on the house-training and obedience and she should be fitting in nicely.

The snorting just surprised us and we weren't sure if it was cause for alarm. I guess the shorter snouts make them do this a bit.

[chowpups]

I think that once your dog settles into its new home and the smells become familiar it might help with the excessive snorting and sneezing. The snorting could be causing more nasal congestion and that could be whats causing the sneezing..? Nikki will snort and huff when smelling for a rabbit. Then start sneezing alittle to clear the nostrils. She mostly sounds like a little monkey when she gets excited about a squirrel or rabbit. But her bark is normal when someone approaches our door..
She also snorts alot when I take her to a new house if we're visiting.. New smells..
A dr. check is always good though, but its nice to have a place to get some info before going in too..

[Sirchow]

That is great that you have been able to give her a home and I'm sure once she understands what is expected of her she will fit in fine. It is hard for a dog that has not been a pet to understand the whole different world they find themselves in. It sounds like you will have the patience to house train her and that she will be a wonderful addition to your family. So now all we need are lots of photos and a name.

[chow fancier]

Chows talk by snorting, haw-hawing, ar-raring, etc. Barks are usually reserved for extreme situations such as someone at the door or desire for a playmate.

[GoHokiesGo]

Well, she seems to be settling in more and more. The extra panting is calming down, and now she just snorts if she gets excited or sees someone passing by she wants to meet (person or another animal outside). Once we get the house-training down, I think she'll be just perfect for us (my wife is a bit less patient on that aspect than me, so I'm hoping she learns quickly).

I actually got her to play some this morning, and she was quite cute She was pouncing around me and chasing her tail.

The only other thing that somewhat concerns me, is that she constantly wants to go outside and go for walks. I think she's exhausting herself on the walks though and doesn't know her limits. It's fairly hot and humid here in VA, and when we come back it takes her awhile to stop panting and cool down. I've read some of the precautions about heat exhaustion with Chows, and I don't know if I'm overreacting, but I want to be sure she's safe. Do Chows know their own limits? She still walks around when we get back to the house, but seems to pant for an hour after we're done. She worried me with the heavy panting yesterday, so I tried to pet her with a bag of ice to cool her down and have her drink plenty of water. She also smells a little of wet dog, but just was groomed last friday, so she may be sweating a bit too.

Otherwise, she's a total sweet heart. We can't help but smile every time she trots over to us. She had a litter of pups back at the end of April/early May, so she was too busy nursing the pups for the breeder to take her aside for grooming. She gave her a short cut after the breeding and her coat seems to be coming back in beautifully. She's got that lion cub look right now, and everyone loves her.

And of course, here's a few pictures of Honey as well:

[chowpups]

So glad to hear things are going good..Nikki will pant for quit some time after a walk.. She has always been a chow that gets overheated easily.. I've had 2 others that did not seem as bad.. Our first experience with Nikki was at the training class she got so worked up running after class to play (she looked like she was rapid with foaming at the mouth) that the trainer told us to look into a cooling bed..(fancy name for a water bed for dogs). It does cool her down and she loves it (it took getting use to at first l put treats on it and left the room and thats all it took). And it doesn't hold an odor like some beds can. We put it on top of a comforter for extra cushioning, but don't need to.
You are experiencing I think chow sweat..that odor when they come in from the heat .. Nikki would go for a walk even if shes in the back yard if we say walk she runs to the door for her collar. Sometimes she will pester to go for a walk and I just tell her No go lay down and she does..

[willowchow]

Willow snorts when we clean her ears. She's done it a few times at the vets and the vet has just looked over her shoulder at me smiling with a what in the world expression, it's hilarious.

[sukie435]

My Chow is 3yrs old & she huffs whens she gets excited. She hardly ever barks, she's only barked about 30 times her whole entire life. When she does bark it's because someone she's never seen is usually in the backyard (ex. landscaper), but she doesn't do it all the time either, she selectively barks. She also sneezes too. I guess it's just something that Chows do.

[Sirchow]

Honey is gorgeous. Such a beautiful colour and it will be nice when her coat grows back. She looks very trim considering she had to feed puppies so recently.

Here in Scotland our temperatures are much more reasonable but Bramble still gets over heated. She gets back from her walk and imediately wants to go in the garden and lie on the paving slabs to cool off. In Scotland it is generally cooler out doors not like where some of you live. She will lie out for an hour panting usually before she gets back to normal and in that period she will drink from her outdoor water bowl but will not eat. I would say that a chow never knows its limits on anything. It is not their nature - or certainly not Brambles. She throws herself into every aspect of life if she wants to be involved and if she doesn't you might as well be talking to a rock!

[GoHokiesGo]

Well, she finally started letting out a few barks.

Our house AC went out this past week in the middle of our VA heat wave, it's a blistering 91° inside my house. So we went to my parents house with the dog last night, I didnt want to leave Honey at home in that heat all day, especially while we're crate training her still; it seemed unfair to be cramped in a crate in that much heat. But anyways, she started playing with my parents dog and got down and just started barking away. The two dogs got along great (although my parents dog gets a slightly confused look when she snorts, I'm not sure he knows what to do with another dog, haha), and I think she liked having a buddy to play around with.

Hopefully I can finish fencing in our yard this weekend so she has a yard to play in. I know she'd rather the yard than sitting on our deck. Hopefully that can also cut down on the walks, it's killing me to take on on 4-6 walks each day since it takes her 20-30 minutes to find a spot to relieve herself.

[chowpups]

you might try this.. Instead of walking her to go potty just go to the same spot on your yard with her on the leash (we us a retractable leash for this to give her some space) and just stand there and let her sniff and go in that area.. If we walk Nikki she will not go . She likes having one area in the yard then she likes to go for a walk..on a regular leash. Until you get your yard finished. Its better than walking 20 =30 min. and in this heat.. just a thought.. Our neighbors like this idea too. keeps Nikki from going on their yards.

[JasonandNat]

Hehehe, this made us laugh. FengHuang has been a snorted since she was a pup. She can be so loud that some people thinks it her bark. Then every so often she barks and that is a sound that doesn't belong on a small beautiful girl! ShenLung snorts when he catches a sent, he's like a truffle-hunting pig then with his nose a mere inch above the ground. We have always thought these noises to be cute and distinctive.