What is the best ?

[Scarlets Mom]

I am trying to find a good reliable book on Chows. I have been to the book stores here in Houston but am unable to find anything on chows. Does anyone have a suggestion?

[Traci]

I would suggest A New Owners Guide To Chow Chows_ by Richard G Beauchamp;
_Chow Chows_ edited by Beverly Pisano; and _The Chow Chow_ by Paulette
Braun. You may be able to find them at your library or for pretty cheap used on amazon.
I've found browsing this forum vry helpful too.

[Jeff&Peks]

This website has a website store you can find books, they have the book that was mentioned.

http://astore.amazon.com/chowchowonlin- ... TF8&node=1

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0793827809?tag ... KPDJ6VKE46&

[Dogdad]

I have several books that I purchase on chows and honestly they all were so generic that you could have replaced poodle instead of chow and it would be as accurate. Most of them include showing chows and/or the history of the chow in early America and England. I have learned soo much more from asking questions and reading posts than from any of the chow books out there. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. Pictures, yes they are nice, breeding info, some has information, care... really basic and a lot of misleading or outdated information. I tend to buy all the books on the animals I have and read everything I can, I really can honestly say the books are a waste of money .

Dogdad

[Jeff&Peks]

"I really can honestly say the books are a waste of money ."

I was going to say that but thought an argument would start, I'm glad someone agrees. the Chow books are mostly dog books, just like you said all they have to do is change the name of the breed. The pictures are nice though.

[Victory]

Frankly I have to agree with Dogdad, the trick to knowing and understanding chows is to be observant on your own and also to talk to those who have been observant and actually learned to about chows. The information on this site for the most part is more informative than anything so far published. If we could get together and publish the info on here in a book called, chowchow.org's book of the chow chow it would be the best book out there...and what a great way to support the site.

[IliamnasQuest]

There are some very excellent chow books out there that I highly recommend. These were written by people who have owned/bred/handled hundreds of chows and have a real understanding of the breed, its history and behavior.

The main two are "The Book of the Chow Chow" by Dr. Samuel Draper and Joan McDonald Brearley, and "The World of the Chow Chow" by the same two authors. The books go into origin and history of the chow, and then address the chows from various areas of the world. It also discusses what to look for in a chow and what the proper temperament is. There are sections that could be considered generic (like the information on veterinarians, showing, etc.) but that's going to happen in any dog book. The sections on training are pretty meager, I will admit.

Another decent book is "The Chow Chow" by Anna Katherine Nicholas. All of these books are filled with tons of great photos, too, which is really neat. You can usually find them all on ebay (which is where I got mine). The first two books are huge books, the third one is much smaller.

While there is information on this site, for the most part it's based on people's experience with one or two or three chows. There's a lot of great information out there from people with a much larger experience level and we shouldn't just shrug that off. Yes, we live with chows but our involvement in the breed is pretty darn limited (even for me, and I've worked with a number of chows other than just my own).

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

[Rowlee]

There are some very excellent chow books out there that I highly recommend. These were written by people who have owned/bred/handled hundreds of chows and have a real understanding of the breed, its history and behavior.

The main two are "The Book of the Chow Chow" by Dr. Samuel Draper and Joan McDonald Brearley, and "The World of the Chow Chow" by the same two authors. The books go into origin and history of the chow, and then address the chows from various areas of the world. It also discusses what to look for in a chow and what the proper temperament is. There are sections that could be considered generic (like the information on veterinarians, showing, etc.) but that's going to happen in any dog book. The sections on training are pretty meager, I will admit.

I agree with Melanie. These two books are both great. Also good is a book by Bob & Love Banghart called the Proper Care of Chow Chows.

Unfortunately, there are alot of books that are supposedly about chows that like Dogdad said, could be about any breed.

Sabina

[coleywoley]

I joined this site rather than buy a book. Its free and I can have specific questions answered with many different perspectives. You are stuck with just one thinking and idea you can work with what sounds best for you and your chow based on your experience with them that way. Just thought I would throw that out there!

[Scarlets Mom]

Thank you all for your replies. I find I am learning as I go along. I had heard so much about Chows before I rescued Scarlet, unfortunately most of it was negative. I am glad I knew enough to take it with a grain of salt. I don't know anything of her history other than the vet said she had quite a few litters. It has taken almost a year for her to relax enough to trust us and play. What a gentle soul she has and how lucky I am to have her.

[chow fancier]

Bless you for rescuing a chow. Thank goodness you took all you heard with a grain of salt.

I am always amazed at how I hear my chows are the exception, well behaved, gentle, trustworthy, non-aggressive..... All four of mine have been the exception then, perhaps maybe the stereotype is wrong???? Just a thought!

Feel free to ask questions here. You will find a variety of opinions, some quite passionate. Weigh them and use what works for you. Every person and every chow is unique and different things work for each.