Chow Chow Profile
If dogs ever find out what we did to them we’ll be in trouble. Over 25,000 years ago, the grey wolf, once an apex plains and forest predator, put a little too much trust in their biggest rivals and now some of them are carried around in the handbags of fashionistas.
Many were bred for their incredible abilities: hunters, sniffers, guardians, shepherds, and so on. But as those pursuits dwindled and became more niche, old working dogs became status symbols.
Chow chow is the result of a once-proud working lineage, relegated to an apartment complex in the Bronx.
Chow Chow Facts Overview
| Habitat: | Domestic |
| Location: | Worldwide, originating in Arctic China |
| Lifespan: | 13 years |
| Size: | 56cm (22 inches) tall |
| Weight: | Up to 40kg (90lb) |
| Colour: | Golden brown |
| Diet: | Pet food |
| Predators: | None |
| Top Speed: | Unknown |
| No. of Species: | 1 |
| Conservation Status: | Domesticated |
Chows came from working stock, likely in Asia. The exact origins are unknown, as is the reason for their distinctive tongues.
They’re bold, loyal, and stubborn animals, and when this attitude is attached to a powerful carnivore mandible, it can cause problems for the inexperienced owner.
A chow chow is not a good choice as a fashion accessory or therapy dog, but in the right hands, like all dogs, they can be very good company.
Interesting Chow Chow Facts
1. They’re old!
Domestic dogs have been a part of human society for tens of thousands of years, but selective breeding would likely have come much later, and even these would have been bred for a working purpose.
It’s thought that deliberate breeding may have occurred around 9000 years ago, and chow chows were bred in Arctic Asia at least 3000 years ago, possibly as far back as 8300 years ago, to pull sledges, among other things.
But they’re an all-rounder and would have traditionally been used for hunting, guarding livestock and even as a source of meat and fur.
2. They’re adapted for toughness
As sledge dogs, they need to be strong, and as Arctic animals, they need to be well-adapted to survive in the cold. Chow chows are both of these things and have characteristics that make them more than fit for purpose.
Their coat I double-layered and dense, and they have a thick mane around their necks to both increase heat retention and provide armoured protection in scraps or during hunts.
The tail curls up like other classic arctic breeds such as huskies and malamutes; likely an adaption that prevents heat loss from the extremities.
3. They have blue-black tongues
This is kind of strange, and very few animals come with this feature. In dogs, it’s commonly said that chow chows are unique in this regard, but in fact, there are several breeds that have it.
However, these breeds do appear to have an Asian origin, so the gene, which seems to be a dominant one, may originate from the same ancestors.
Still, nobody seems to know why this is, or if there’s any good purpose to it. The tongue in chow chows is usually pigmented completely, and in other breeds, it can range from a few spots to total coverage. 1
4. They’re not always easy to care for
As a breed selected for its strong will and independence, chow chows might not be as eager to please as some other breeds.
Owners and breeders describe them as stubborn and aloof and suggest that they need early socialisation to prevent anxiety towards strangers. Professional training is sometimes recommended to overcome some of the inherent challenges with the breed.
They’re also said to have a high prey drive from their history as hunting dogs, so are not necessarily suitable in a household with other pets or young children.
5. But they can make great pets
The character of a dog can be a blessing or a curse with any breed, and with chows, their fierce loyalty brings with it some challenges. They can be overly defensive and when poorly-socialised, potentially dangerous, but a well-adjusted chow chow can make an excellent companion.
They’re intelligent and not overly reactive, which can make them good service dogs, and with the right owner, they can be very good pets. Some need relatively little exercise, which means they’re said to make good apartment dogs, though the ethics of this are dubious.
There are many famous chow chow enthusiasts, including Elvis, Martha Stewart, Janet Jackson and Walt Disney. 2
6. There are two types
Chow chows come with two main coat types, rough and soft. Soft, or smooth-coat chows are said to be more active, possibly due to being more able to release heat.
Still, their build makes them poor runners, and they’re likely quite different from their ancient sledge-pulling ancestors. 3
7. They suffer from poor genetics
Chow chows, like many, if not most, pure-breed domestic dogs, have been bred deliberately to look a certain way. This often involves pairing genetically similar individuals over many generations and can lead to various by-products of in-breeding.
Chow chows are known to commonly exhibit conditions such as cataracts, gastric cancer, elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation, autoimmune thyroiditis, and other abnormalities as a result of their breed. 4
8. The kennel club is implicit in the poor health of pets
Having rigid yet arbitrary criteria that dictate what a breed ‘should’ look like leads to unethical practices in the breeding required to get them there.
Whether it’s breed clubs or the Kennel club as a whole that have more power over the standards that are set for pet phenotypes, the drive for a specific look seems to have little consideration for the health and fitness of the animal.
In 2011, it was established that the gene pool for the 10,000 pugs in the UK was equivalent to only 50 healthy individuals. German Shepherds are bred to have sloped backs that give them hip dysplasia. Pugs are well known for their inability to breathe properly.
The list of unhealthy attributes in show dogs goes on, and despite recent exposure of these concepts to the wider public, little appears to have changed.
The sad truth is that the more dog breeds move away from their practical role in human life and towards a social status symbol, the less healthy they are becoming. 5
Chow Chow Fact-File Summary
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Canis |
| Species: | Lupus Familiaris |
Fact Sources & References
- Davy Falkner (2017), “The ancient origins of the Chow Chow”, BMC.
- “Chow Chow Facts & Advice”, PetPlan.
- “Chow Chows: What’s Good About ‘Em, What’s Bad About ‘Em”, yourpurebredpuppy.
- (2010), “DOGS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD: THE RISE OF THE DOG”, PBS.
- George Dvorsky (2018), “Why Purebred Dogs Are Sick, Miserable, and Ugly”, Gizmodo.