Chow Chow

AKC Group: Non-Sporting

Club: Chow Chow Club, Inc.

Corresponding Secretary : Joyce Dandridge
Address: 8132 Eastern Ave Nw, Washington, DC , 20012-1312
Website: www.chowclub.org
Email: JUSTUS6@ATTGLOBAL.NET
Club Type: Specialty

General Apperance:

Characteristics - An ancient breed of northern Chinese origin, this all-purpose dog of China was used for hunting, herding, pulling and protection of the home.  While primarily a companion today, his working origin must always be remembered when assessing true Chow type.  A powerful, sturdy, squarely built, upstanding dog of Arctic type, medium in size with strong muscular development and heavy bone.  The body is compact, short coupled, broad and deep, the tail set high and carried closely to the back, the whole supported by four straight, strong, sound legs.  Viewed from the side, the hind legs have little apparent angulation and the hock joint and metatarsals are directly beneath the hip joint.  It is this structure which produces the characteristic shorter, stilted gait unique to the breed.  The large head with broad, flat skull and short, broad and deep muzzle is proudly carried and accentuated by a ruff.  Elegance and substance must be combined into a well balanced whole, never so massive as to outweigh his ability to be active, alert and agile.  Clothed in a smooth or an offstanding rough double coat, the Chow is a masterpiece of beauty, dignity and naturalness.  Essential to true Chow type are his unique blue-black tongue, scowling expression and stilted gait.

Size:

Size --The average height of adult specimens is 17 to 20 inches at the withers but in every case consideration of overall proportions and type should take precedence over size. Proportions -- Square in profile and close coupled. Distance from forechest to point of buttocks equals height at the highest points of the withers. Serious Fault Profile other than square. Distance from tip of elbow to ground is half the height at the withers. Floor of chest level with tips of elbows. Width viewed from the front and rear is the same and must be broad. It is these proportions that are essential to true Chow type. In judging puppies, no allowance should be made for their failure to conform to these proportions.

Substance --Medium in size with strong muscular development and heavy bone. Equally objectionable are snipy, fine boned specimens and overdone, ponderous, cloddy specimens. In comparing specimens of different sex, due allowance must be made in favor of the bitches who may not have as much head or substance as do the males. There is an impression of femininity in bitches as compared to an impression of masculinity in dogs.

Coat:

There are two types of coat; rough and smooth. Both are double coated. Rough In the rough coat, the outer coat is abundant, dense, straight and offstanding, rather coarse in texture; the undercoat soft, thick and wooly. Puppy coat soft, thick and wooly overall. The coat forms a profuse ruff around the head and neck, framing the head. The coat and ruff generally longer in dogs than in bitches. Tail well feathered. The coat length varies markedly on different Chows and thickness, texture and condition should be given greater emphasis than length. Obvious trimming or shaping is undesirable. Trimming of the whiskers, feet and metatarsals optional. Smooth The smooth coated Chow is judged by the same standard as the rough coated Chow except that references to the quantity and distribution of the outer coat are not applicable to the smooth coated Chow, which has a hard, dense, smooth outer coat with a definite undercoat. There should be no obvious ruff or feathering on the legs or tail.

History:

The Chow Chow is more than 2,000 years old as a breed and many authorities believe it may date back much farther. The breed probably originated, as one popular theory states, as a result of crossing the old Mastiff of Tibet and the Samoyed, a breed originating from the northern parts of Siberia. Refutation of this theory lies in the fact that the Chow possesses a blue-black tongue, leading some to maintain that the Chow is the basic breed behind the ancestors of the Samoyed, the Norwegian Elkhound, the Keeshound and the Pomeranian.

While today the Chow is a fashionable pet and guard dog, in the early development of the breed it functioned as a sporting dog. Indeed, a bas-relief was discovered not so very long ago from the Han Dynasty (about 150 B.C.) period that depicts the Chow as a hunting dog. Throughout history this one breed of dog's uses have run the gamut of work done by nearly all other recognized breeds. Credited with great scenting powers, with staunchness on point and with cleverness in hunting tactics, the Chow has been used frequently on Mongolian pheasant and on the francolin of Yunnan, and on both, has received great praise for his speed and stamina.

Undoubtedly the Chow Chow is of far northern origin, but he has always been found in greatest number in the south of China, particularly in the district centering about Canton, where he is considered indigenous. The name "Chow Chow" has little basis for its origin in China; it is believed that expression evolved from the pidgin-English term for articles brought from any part of the Oriental Empire during the latter part of the 18th century. It meant knick-knacks or bric-a-brac, including curios such as porcelain and ivory figurines, and finally what is described today as "mixed pickles", whether of the edible variety or not. (It is an unfortunate fact of the Chow's history that the breed was often used as food in China, with the coat of the long-haired variety sometimes being used as clothing.) It was far easier for the master of a sailing vessel to write "chow chow" than it was to describe all the various items of his cargo. So, in time, the expression came to include the dog.

The importation of Chows into England began about 1880 and the breed started toward its present popularity after Queen Victoria took an interest in this "Wild Dog of China," as it was called when on display in the London Zoo. The first specialty club was formed in England in 1895. The breed was exhibited for the first time in the United States in 1890. The American Kennel Club officially recognized the breed in 1903. The Chow Chow Club of America was admitted as an AKC member club in 1906.

The Chow Chow is aloof and standoffish in general, but with the human members of his family, he is extremely protective and loyal, although he does have a tendency to be a one-man dog.