Need Help!!

[ChowBrandon-san]

Hello, my name is Gary. I live in Lima, Peru and have just acquired a 4 month old chow puppy. I have never had a dog before and need your help. When we got him he was traumatized and shy because his mother and brothers were taken and because of abuse. I've only had him about three days but now he's friendly towards me and my mom and dad. We live on the apartment on the fourth floor and he is living on the roof. He hasn't gotten any shots and isn't fixed yet but....too put it frankly...i don't know what to do. I'm afraid to take him outside because of other stray dogs and i need to know how to train him and such. I need to know the do's and don'ts. the MUST DO'S AND MUST DON'TS. What do dogs like? WHen should i take him out and how many times to urinate and deficate? How do i train him? ...my first dog...and i definitely need your help. so there it is. oh and i will put a pic up of him soon. he's about a foot and a half long, cinnamon in color.

Edit. Is it okay if he like tries to bite me when i play with him and just randomnly sometimes. Like he'll open his mouth but he's not being hostile or barking.....

[ChowBrandon-san]

Please any help or information would be appreciated!!

[kingalls]

Hi Gary,
When will you be able to take him to the vet? It's important that he be vaccinated before being exposed to other dogs. Parvo is very dangerous and can be fatal. I think there are at least two shots required to make certain that the puppy is protected. Until you get him to a vet, make sure you puppy is not exposed to other dog feces. It's important to make sure he is up to date on all shots.
Chows are exceptional when it comes to house (potty) training - and most are trained in less than a week. Why is your Chow living on the roof? If he is part of the family he should be living indoors, too.
Food - make sure you feeding your Chow high quality puppy food. Ideally, you can avoid food that does not have any wheat or corn fillers so that you will minimize the chance of hot spots (food allergies).
Socialization - it's very, very important to socialize your Chowling.
Biting - give your puppy an alternative to biting you or your family. give him a toy or other acceptable chewy. Check the training forum about bite inhibition. Right now he's just playing but you want to discourage the mouthing/biting of you or anyone.
Check the home page of this site - I don't remember exactly which page or link, but there is a general overview of the Chow personality.

Hope this helps for now. I'm sure other members will reply, too.

Edit: Select the "ARTICLES" tab in this website - it has FAQ's that might help, too.

[ChowBrandon-san]

THank you so much. I am trying to get him to the vet as soon as possible but we're moving right now...like RIGHT NOW so we have to do that first. Once he gets his shots i will still be afraid to take him out though. THe problem is, here there are SO MANY strays and many can be very nasty. It's not uncommon to have to use physical force to keep a dogs jaw away from you. I also have a question in regards to how many times/ when should i take him out(after he's gotten his shots) for excersise, and the bathroom.
thanks a lot!

[kingalls]

Chows are sensitive to high temperatures. When the temperatures get above 70 degrees, I don't take my two out for a walk. Physically, the Chows can't tolerate the heat that much. You need to provide them protection from the high heat. (I don't know what the typical weather is in Lima.) They do love the cold temperatures - many members have posted their Chows sleeping in the snow. Dogdad takes his out for walkies at 5AM in extreme cold weather. When it's cold outside, sometimes it's tough to get them to come indoors because they are in their element of cold weather.

Unfortunately, many of us Chow owners have had issues with other dogs attacking. We think it might be because of the Chow posture - stilted back legs, tail not visable because the way it curves over the back - and, the distinct Chow smell. We think other dogs react to the unique Chow smell. If you are in an area with aggressive dogs, you need to protect your puppy - by either walking him somewhere else or at a time when those dogs are not around. Ideally, if your Chow does not have a yard to run around in, you could walk him 1-2 times a day - if not more if he does not have a place to relieve himself.

Barking - most Chows don't bark much. I have a Chow mix that rarely barks, and another Chow that didn't read the book that says Chows don't bark
Training - we are across the board when it comes to training. Chows are intelligent. They will analyze if what you want them to do makes sense or if they will benefit from what you are asking them to do. This is different from a dog that just learns a task because the result is getting a treat. Believe me, nothing is more amusing than a Chow that will turn his nose up to a treat because he doesn't see why he should sit or give a high 5. A training class is a great way to help socialize your Chow.

[ChowBrandon-san]

Well here in Peru as we're getting into the summer it's going to get really hot. Way past the 70's so we're definitely going to have to figure out a way to keep him cool since there's no AC. About walking him i heard they are supposed to relieve themselves outside so when he gets his shots would 2 walks/runs a day be good enough? Morning and afternoon/night.? About the dogs outside i guess i'll have to bring a club or mace or something lol because in peru the amount of stray dogs on the streets is breathtaking. Probably two on every block if not more. It's good to hear about the training i guess but i've already picked up on that they're intelligent! thankx for the help. still working on how to get him to not mouth.

[kingalls]

here's a link regarding the mouthing: http://forum.chowchow.org/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=13602

you can also find out more by typing in bite inhibition in the search box - there are some threads in the training forum about this.

[Coco Chow]

they are supposed to relieve themselves outside so when he gets his shots would 2 walks/runs a day be good enough? Morning and afternoon/night.?

As an adult, your chow will need to go out to pee at least 3 times a day. It is not healthy for him to hold it more than 8 hours (which is already a lot). Hold it for too long can lead to urinary infections and more. So it should be something like 7 AM, 3 PM and 11 PM for example. If your chow is alone all day long, and it is not something I wish to your chow of course, you're going to need to find someone to come to your home and take your chow out for you.

For your info, as a 4 months puppy, your chow could hold it for 4 or 5 hours max (you can roughly add one hour every month), and he will still need to go for a pee after meals, naps and especially play sessions, or he could have accidents at home.

Also, please keep your chow indoors, even if you don't have A/C, it will be cooler than outside. Chows have difficulties with heat so it is important to keep him in the coolest area of your home.

When he mouthes you, you tell him NO and you loose interest in him for 5 minutes. Your puppy loves your attention and when he will get he looses it when he mouthes, he will stop doing it. Also, give him things acceptable to chew on (I mean dogs toys, not an old shoe, or he will think that shoes are acceptable to chew on, if you see what I mean).

Please ask as many questions as you want and we'll try to help you .
What is the name of your puppy again?

[ChowBrandon-san]

THanks alot! Yes i really needed that info. I will take him out in the morning and afternoon and night.. and maybe my dad can take him out another time just in case. His name is brando in spanish but for english i just call him brandon. I have a really cute pic of him on my phone but i don't know how to put it on the computer. He's very photogenic. haha.
I've given him things like socks and other toys but not shoes.
and he's not alone all day long, but it has been hard these couple days because of moving

[chowpups]

Watch giving him socks. probably not a good choice, they will not be able to tell when its a sock for playing with or one of your good socks. Plus some dogs have been know to eat socks and get them in their intestines and cause blockages.. Dog toys are best..
To help stop mouthing when your puppy puts his teeth on your skin, yelp like you got hurt and leave the area or put him in a time out type situation( another room gated off from you). They will learn that isn't allowed..
I have said a few times on this site about cooling beds. I have one for my dog to keep her cool. Its filled with water and helps cool them down. Its a thin pad you can put on the floor or in their crate if you like but the can't be chewers either.. My dog never chewed anything but her bones. Some come with a cloth pillow case type cover. You can google it. Canine Cooling Beds.
House training for outdoor pottying we found very simple . Just take them out to the same spot each time to go. We don't walk our dog to go potty..we literally just stand in one or two areas and her on a leash and let her sniff and finally she will go, then praise her and take her in.. If we go for a walk we take her to her spot on the lawn and let her go potty first then walk her.. We didn't want to get her use to having to walk her for ever to go potty .. this worked with both our Chows and its great if its too hot to really walk a dog in high noon heat..

[ChowBrandon-san]

ok thanks for the advice. I didn't know that about the socks. I'll definitely try to find a cooling pad to buy because here in the summer it's unbelievingly hot. Especially on a 3rd floor.I thought they had to be walked outside for excersise as well as doing their business?

[Schmooshie]

Hi! I am a relatively new Chow owner also (five months) so I have asked tons of questions and the people on this site have been soooo helpful (see my thread "Hello I am Schmooshie!"). You are in for a big surprise and that is that you will love your Chow more than you thought you could! Out of curiousity who are the three chows that show up under your name (is one of those Brandon?)? I am excited for you! Good luck!
PS In terms of treats, I do not know if you can get these in Peru, but you can get them in the U.S.A. Our chow loves Dingos.

[chowpups]

I did say we walk the dog but after she goes potty.. we make her go potty first in her spot on our lawn , then go for a walk.. Yes dogs do need exercise but when its so hot in the afternoon she doesn't like to go then . but she still needs to go potty then.. So teaching her to eliminate with out a walk helps the heat thing. But as the night falls we take them for their walk then so its not so hot.. Its just a method we use for our dogs, I've seen some dogs take their owners and make them walk in all sorts of weather just to go potty . Ours we just go quickly to one spot each time they go and come in if the weather is not good.. Now that she's older we just have to open the door and she knows exactly where to go to potty.. Here is a link to our cooling beds we use. http://americaoutdoor.com/Canine_Cooler.5269.31309
Hope it helps..

[Auddymay]

Read up in the training section- especially socialization. Protect him from strays, but if there is a place that you can take him that is enclosed to keep him safe, that would be ideal. Yep, use whatever means it takes to keep him safe.

If you can find a place that trains dogs, AND uses positive reinforcement, it would be good to take Brando and learn along with him. Cute as he is, you should not let him get away with doing things that you will find unacceptable after he is grown. That is the bad part about Chows- smart and cute=being able to manipulate you to get their own way. Just say no! Also, never ever hit him. It will kill the trust. They are different than other dogs. Kind of like they live by a code, and do not forget.

Since this is your first dog, I will also say never rub his face in any accident. This is what we call an old wives tale, here in America. It does not work, and it is disgusting to all involved. Congratulations, and welcome.

Also- Chows need alot of grooming. Please read that section as well.

[GoHokiesGo]

Unfortunately, many of us Chow owners have had issues with other dogs attacking. We think it might be because of the Chow posture - stilted back legs, tail not visable because the way it curves over the back - and, the distinct Chow smell. We think other dogs react to the unique Chow smell. If you are in an area with aggressive dogs, you need to protect your puppy - by either walking him somewhere else or at a time when those dogs are not around. Ideally, if your Chow does not have a yard to run around in, you could walk him 1-2 times a day - if not more if he does not have a place to relieve himself.

You know, I was actually going to start a thread about this and ask if anyone else had the same issue. Honey was extremely well socialized and is friendly towards every dog that approaches her. I've noticed though, that most of the dogs in our neighborhood usually are aggressive towards Honey before they've gotten close or sniffed. A few times she'll happily sniff their nose, and then gets a horribly surprised look when the other dog snaps and snarls at her. I feel bad because I know she wants to be happy-go-lucky with the other dogs and just sniff to say hello or play, but the other ones are mostly pretty mean. There's only a few dogs in our neighborhood that we've met that are comfortable around her. Luckily, we visit my parents a lot on the weekends and Honey gets along very well with their dog; at least she can have one good friend!

But it's very interesting to read that other Chow owners have also had issues with dogs being aggressive towards them. I didn't know it was a common thing.

[Sharons Chows]

Can you please tell me why this pup is living on the roof?
He cannot be kept ouside like that!