how to know if my chow is pure bred?

[emil]

hey i got a 10 weeks chow couple of days ago, he is really thin, but he's getting better every day. yet im not sure he's a pure bred, so could anyone help me to figure if he's pure or not? ... thank you

[pjstay]

Does it have papers where arecthe parents what coler. Is the toung?

[Rory's Dad]

Emil, post pictures, that is the best way for any of us to give you an opinion.

[emil]

those are the parents, they have pedigree papers, but my Simba doesnt... ill upload his pic soon

[Rory's Dad]

Decent looking chows, so if those are the parents i wouldnt worry a whole lot.

What are you concerns exactly? A pic of your pup and a detailed question might help.

[emil]

this is Simba.. is he pure?

[emil]

im worried because when i first researched about chows, they had a bear look with a smaller face and smaller eyes. this boy here has a fox looking face with long nose and pointy ears. this is not how i thought he would look like, but still i love him soo much.
and also, he is nothing like what google describes chows, he is playfull, always seaking attention, and he runs quit fast. thats why im worried

[emil]

any help plz

[DrewBear]

im worried because when i first researched about chows, they had a bear look with a smaller face and smaller eyes. this boy here has a fox looking face with long nose and pointy ears. this is not how i thought he would look like, but still i love him soo much.

As someone has already mentioned, if the previous photos are truly his parents, his facial structure should be similar to theirs. It's a bit hard to see the black Chow's face, but he seems to have the longer nose without heavy wrinkles. My Chow's ears are pointy, though maybe not as long? I imagine there's a good range of ear size, just as with people. Here's an article about the changing "look" of Chows: http://andruska.wordpress.com/tag/chow-viii/

and also, he is nothing like what google describes chows, he is playfull, always seaking attention, and he runs quit fast.

My pup is 10 weeks old and he already runs very fast. He also often seeks attention, but can also play on his own. But again, that's an individual personality trait that will vary...some will be very active, while others may prefer to sit around. Puppies in general are pretty playful; that's one of the reasons they're so cute. They can make a toy out of just about anything: a leaf, twig, string, even a small piece of carrot.

Here's a link to details of the USA Chow Chow breed standard (UK version may be slightly different): http://chowclub.org/ccci/content/category/7/28/35/

[emil]

and what about the pics of my chow? does he look pure?

[DrewBear]

and what about the pics of my chow? does he look pure?

My experience with Chow puppies is limited to what you see in my avatar & signature, so I'll let others who've seen more pups to comment in detail on your photos. Your pup is very cute. He's a rough coat with interesting coloring that in my inexperienced eyes will turn into some shade of red. I do know that pups change very quickly and the adult Chow will look very different. As an example, here's my Bear at puppyhood, middle age & just before he passed at 15 1/2 years of age. What the photos do not show is that his gums were not a solid black. He was probably pure Chow, just not of breeding or show quality.

[emil]

thank you drew for the pics, and im sry for your loss. yeah my Simba looks really cute and i love him so much, and his color is due to the mixed colors of his parents
i was told when i got him that he's the smallest one between his brothers, he was really slim and small at first but now he's gaining a lot of weight daily. thats normal right?

[DrewBear]

Thanks, Emil. Yes, it's normal for puppies to grow very quickly. Thor went from 11 lbs., 9 oz at 8 weeks to ~15 lbs. at 10 weeks. I'm actually feeding him towards the low-end of the recommended feeding range for the kibble he eats. He gets plenty of exercise playing with my 11, 13 & 14 yr. old nephews and niece, so he's not fat. I'm hoping he'll stay on the compact side (sub-60 lbs.) like both his parents, but we'll just have to wait and see.

[maikinda]

There is no way of telling for sure if your chow is pure bred unless you do DNA tests. He looks all chow from the picture you posted. Chows have many types and he looks like he will grow up to look like the parents. They also have different personalities. I have some that were "wild and crazy" and some very laid back. Sounds like you love him, that is all that counts.

Laura

[Rory's Dad]

I agree with Maikinda, and thanks for the pics.

He definitely appears to be all Chow.

[emil]

thank you all for the help. he is a crazy playful puppy who eats a lot and runs a lot, and he's really smart and only obeys my commands. but i need to ask you something, what is the best thing to feed him to keep his coat shiny and beautiful and to keep him healthy, other than dry food cz he seems not to like it that much.
again, thank you all so much for the help and support your giving me

[emil]

can anyone help me?

[DrewBear]

There is no simple answer as to what to feed your Chow. You really need to read & research, then come to your own conclusion based on what is available to you with the time & money resources you have. Here are a few links that I found helpful in my search. I can only post 3 per comment, so I'll add the others separately. I didn't include any links to raw feeding, but you can find plenty of info here with a search.

http://www.forum.chowchow.org/viewtopic ... mcyWzK9KK0
http://www.forum.chowchow.org/viewtopic ... mcc6JGBuiY
http://www.consumersearch.com/dog-food? ... 18232209:s

[emil]

simba is big now and he learns everything reallg fast. he sits stays shakes hands and shakes the other hand when asked, he's doing his business outside and when told to in a specific place, but i still have 1 more thing to ask you guys, he still cant hold it much when it comes to peeing, in fact yesterday he did it around 15 times in 2 hours. i stop giving him water at 9 pm. is it normal?? oh and one more thing, his hair is starting to fall down and he's scartching all the time and biting himself, yet he is very clean cz i give him a dry shampoo shower every 3 days and comb him every 2 days and give him flee powder ever week. any help?

[DrewBear]

...he still cant hold it much when it comes to peeing, in fact yesterday he did it around 15 times in 2 hours. i stop giving him water at 9 pm. is it normal??

It depends if he's marking or really peeing in ernest. My first Chow was intact and would mark (small pees) dozens of times on even a 30 min. walk. But if he was home and went to the backyard (already well marked by him) to relieve himself, the pee would be one long stream of much more urine. If your Chow is doing that several times each hour, then you should take him to the vet. That is not normal.

...oh and one more thing, his hair is starting to fall down and he's scartching all the time and biting himself, yet he is very clean cz i give him a dry shampoo shower every 3 days and comb him every 2 days and give him flee powder ever week.

You may need to describe what you're doing in more detail. My initial reaction is that any type of "shower", dry or wet, should be less frequent. (details: what shampoo are you using and why so frequently?) Same for the flea medication. Grooming can be done every day, just gently so that the skin is not irritated. There are many reasons why a Chow might scratch or bite himself. It can be a long process of eliminating the various possible causes (many types of allergy, dry skin, etc.).

You may want to browse through recent discussions in the Health section here. This is a common problem in Chows.
http://forum.chowchow.org/viewforum.php?f=2

[Rory's Dad]

Drew makes several good points.

You need to identify whether he is marking or relieving. Big difference. You should be able to see it in his attitude and approach. Relieving will be pretty much need based and a quick process. Marking will involve a plan, sniffing & adjustments, then as Drew said, a real quick aimed process. If he is less than about a year old, relieving won't involve a lifted leg, marking will.

As for the bathing, be careful not to overbath. This varies greatly by region and climate. Unless the average daily temp is around 100 degrees, i would not bath him more often than every couple months. Dirt and mud issues aside. I show my dogs, and in the busy season we only give them a full groom, not a bath. Over bathing can remove oils from the skin that are needed for healthy skin and fur growth. Certain shampoo products can really make it much worse. Just a full brush out removes most of the dirt and stimulates the skin and natural oils. Make sure the food is also a good quality, poor food mixes can cause alergies. Foods with high grain content, byproducts, or other additives can cause fur growth issues as well as other health products. I would avoid any pet product produced in China, as lead is still not a prohibited ingredient in animal food.