The Chow Chow
A few years ago, sitting on a bench at an outdoor dog show with my Chesapeake Bay Retriever on my left side, I became aware that the two of us weren’t the only ones occupying the bench space.
There was another big red dog, one I can only describe as a “presence,” by my right knee.
After the two dogs looked each other over and apparently decided that neither posed a threat to the other, my dog leaned over to “nose touch” with the stranger, who acknowledged that doggy greeting with the same regal attitude with which he had accepted my “Hiya, fella, where’d you come from?” and the pats that accompanied it.
Although he wore no collar or leash, the elegant stranger clearly belonged on the show grounds. As I fussed over him, hoping to uncover some hint to the answer to my question, a be-on-the-lookout announcement came over the show-grounds public-address system about a missing Chow Chow.
When his relieved owner arrived at show headquarters, she said they’d been searching for him for what seemed like hours, but it was probably less than 30 minutes after he somehow slipped away from his show-ring handler. She also expressed surprise that the dog had approached me, as he had always been quite standoffish with strangers. She then told me that all the traits the AWOL Chow Chow had displayed during his “walkabout” and his approach to me — his regal bearing, his aloofness, his dignity, his escape and evasion skills and, lastly, his ability to make decisions — are typical of the breed.
Chow Chows come by many of these qualities honestly, as the breed was once the lordly companion to Chinese nobility. But at times during their very long history — they are depicted in artifacts from China’s Han Dynasty (circa 206 BC), but the breed may be much older than that — they were also guard dogs, hunters and draft dogs, as well as being a source of protein for people in that densely populated land.
The best explanation for the breed’s name seems to have come from 18th-Century British merchant seamen. The pidgin-English words “chow chow” were used to describe miscellaneous items in a ship’s cargo that weren’t itemized. The dogs the seamen acquired in China were included on the manifest under this catchall category, which was just another way of saying “et cetera.” But this breed is way more than a “list ender,” according to the folks who own and do performance activities with them.
Zinnia (Redcloud Chowlamar Black Zinnia BN RE CAA FCAT SWA SIE SBE SHDN THDN RATO CGCA TKI ATT CS-L3 CCSS-L1 CCSS-L2) is one of Cynthia Becker’s “flying bricks” in agility.
“Chows are great overall sports dogs for people whose primary objective isn’t the World Cup Agility or national championships. They can excel at many sports and enjoy themselves doing them,” Cynthia Becker says. “I’ve always referred to my Chows as ‘flying bricks’ in agility, as they do not easily bend in the middle. But despite this, mine have been consistent qualifiers and even in the ribbons a time or two. Mostly, they like playing with their people, and if you can convince them that what you want them to do is their idea, worth their while or a combination of those two factors, they will enjoy it immensely.”
She adds that Chows are highly intelligent, and the myth that they aren’t is because Chows excel at training humans to do what Chows want, not what the human wants.
“They’re not as willing to please as, say, some of the Sporting or Herding breeds. Chows always ask ‘Why?’ and ‘What’s in it for me?’ or ‘Is this really fun?’ But if you can find the right answer to the questions, Chows are all in. They actually are very versatile and have many different areas of talent. Instinctive sports seem to be their favorites, so I always recommend scent work to anyone wanting to try a sport with their Chow, as they have really great noses. Lure coursing is also an exciting sport for them, as Chows like to chase prey even if that prey is just a plastic bag.”
Becker’s current dogs are Zinnia (Redcloud Chowlamar Black Zinnia BN RE CAA FCAT SWA SIE SBE SHDN THDN RATO CGCA TKI ATT CS-L3 CCSS-L1 CCSS-L2) and Baila (D&M’s Gypsy Whirlwind Baila RM4 RAE3 CAX FCAT2 SWE SBM THDA RATS CZ8B CGCA CGCU TKP CS-ATCH3 CS-ATCH3 SpChCL SpChWC SpChSN SpChFH CCSS-L1 CCSS-L2W-FD-M). She also owned Kobi (Kobi's Hugs and Kisses RN CAA THDX RATO CGC), who, she says, taught her that Chows can do just about anything.
“You want me to do what?” seems to be the response of Sushi (GCh. Can Ch Tin Pan Alley Just a Dream CAA CGC RATN) to Layla Loveless’ suggestion to “Go find the rat.”
Layla Loveless was attracted to the breed because of their personalities.
“The ones I had met were very alert, intelligent dogs that seemed very interested in doing whatever their people were doing,” she says. “I’ve never found the idea of spending hours throwing tennis balls for a dog to be particularly interesting, but I’ve always loved hiking with my dogs.”
Loveless adds that Chows are one of the original multi-purpose breeds and should have enough endurance to do more than just trot a lap or two around the show ring.
“While there are various levels of trainability in the breed, all of them should be capable of basic work,” she continues. “Some of my Chows have definitely preferred some sports over others, and they’ve made that clear to me. Now and then I’ll push it to see if they’ll change their mind, but Chows definitely have opinions, and it can be quite difficult to get them to abandon those opinions. So, mostly, to save both the dog and I a lot of frustration, I tend to go with the sports they enjoy most and see where that leads us. Mine are unusual in that they love to swim, but, so far at least, none of them have wanted to try dock diving.”
Penny (MBISS RBIS GChs Rosan Ayran Hong Big Bang Theory CA BCAT CGC TKN), another Chow owned by Loveless, demonstrates that FastCAT appeals to the Chow Chow’s prey drive.
Her dogs are Sushi (GCh Can. Ch. Tin Pan Alley Just a Dream CAA CGC RATN), Ozzy (MBISS MRBIS GChB Rosan Go Big or Go Home CA GCG TKN), Vivi (Ch. Ayran Hong Rosan Strike A Pose CA CGC TKN), Penny (MBISS RBIS GChS Rosan Ayran Hong Big Bang Theory CA BCAT CGC TKN) and Barkley (MBISS GChB Can Ch Dreamlands Drive It Like U Stole it CAA DCAT CGC TKN).
Linda Wilkinson has had Chow Chows for 40 years. She says that aside from their cute teddy-bear puppies and lion-like appearance as adults, what she loves about the breed are their intelligence and dignity, their independence — which makes them somewhat headstrong yet confident and self-reliant — and the fact that they are a very clean breed if their owner doesn’t mind shedding.
“They are relatively easy to house-train and being somewhat stoic and reserved they do not require a lot of attention or activities,” says Wilkinson, whose current Chows are Phantom (Zorro’s Dynasty Andy’s Phantom in the Dark CD BN RA CAX FCAT3 SWN SCNE SINE SBNE SCA RATM CA8S CGCA CGCU TKA ATT) and Pharaoh (Donpen Walk Like an Egyptian Pharaoh BN RA CAX FCAT3 SWN SCNE SINE SENE SCA SIA SBGA RATO CZ8G CGC TKA ATT).
Pharaoh (Donpen Walk Like an Egyptian Pharaoh BN RA CAX FCAT3 SWN SCNE SINE SENE SCA SIA SBGA RATO CZ8G CGC TKA ATT), another of Wilkinson’s Chows, heads out after the lure in FastCAT.
“A good walk is appreciated, and they adapt easily to their environment,” she continues. “This made them a really good choice for me since I made frequent moves while I served in the U.S. Navy. They are devoted to their owners and are quite willing to please you, as long as they are treated with respect. Many trainers believe Chows cannot be trained because they lack intelligence and they are aggressive, which makes people fearful of the breed. I suspect trainers think they lack intelligence because they tend to lose interest in an activity when they do not see a benefit. They also become bored easily, especially when they think an activity is ‘beneath them.’ The trick is to not give up but give them a break even if this means taking time away from a sport or learning a different sport.”
Becker notes that it is important to understand how a Chow thinks and equally important to tailor training to fit that dog’s temperament and personality to be successful in a dog sport.
“I have one Chow that will do all I ask and more, but she is somewhat anxious in the ring, so I have to stay calm and cheery while letting her know her performance is fabulous, even when it’s not,” she explains. “My other Chow is very outgoing, loves people, but is very soft regarding corrections. She wilts easily and pouts, so heaven forbid I should give her corrections. She’s more difficult than my other dog because she has happy attacks and zooms around the agility ring without me on occasion, or decides she’s done and leaves the obedience ring without me. I have to make things fun for her or she won’t play.”
Kobi (Kobi's Hugs and Kisses RN CAA THDX RATO CGC), an enthusiastic freestyle dancer, taught Becker that Chows can do almost any dog sport.
A constant with all Chows, however, is that they are easily bored with repetition.
“Why repeat if you already got it right?” Becker asks rhetorically. “Ten minutes is enough two or three times a day and always with a specific goal or end point in mind. Then, if you get it, STOP! Provide a big reward and let them have the time for the lesson to sink in. With a Chow, royalty has its dues. So, train with valuable items — steak or chicken or their favorite human food if they respond to treats — or a favorite toy or game, but it has to be BIG. Chows also demand a huge paycheck to start any new activity. Later not so much, but they still require an occasional big payoff.”
Loveless says that what works for her is going slow and not pushing them before they are ready.
“It’s also important to remember that they can get ‘ring wise.’ They often decide that their agenda for the day is not your plan for that day,” she reminds. “When this occurs, if it’s their day for doing zoomies, then that is what they are going to do. Changing their mind on days like these is really an uphill struggle. I’ve found that it’s usually just best to go with the flow and start again the next day.”
That Chows expect to do any sport on their own terms is something anyone planning to do any performance sport with the breed will have to deal with, and there will likely be a lot of trial and error finding something that an individual Chow is willing to do on a consistent basis.
Wilkinson notes that Pharaoh is rather lazy, which is somewhat typical of the breed, and that has meant that training has been something of a challenge.
“Also,” she says, “he gets bored quickly and especially if he doesn’t see the benefit or purpose in what he’s being asked to do. One plus, though, is that he can be bribed, and that’s one of the reasons he likes scent work, because he can be rewarded on the spot. He lost interest in FastCAT because chasing a plastic bag was boring and in barn hunt because he wasn’t allowed to get the rat. We had to stop doing obedience for now, at least, because he knows the drill and anticipates the commands, executing the exercises before he’s told to do them. So now we’re trying weight pull and tracking.”
Her dog Phantom, on the other hand, loves FastCAT, scent work and barn hunt, and his desire to please means he’ll do most sports except obedience.
“Too boring,” Becker concedes. “His CD required a lot of patience. I’ve found the key to success in any dog sport with a Chow is not giving up, not forcing them and being patient.”
Phantom knows there’s a rat in that bale pile somewhere.
The breed faces several challenges, according to these Chow folks, with the top two being temperament and health-related issues, along with the introduction of non-standard colors such as “oreo” and “chocolate.”
“Chows do not naturally have a trainable mindset, resulting in too many misfit Chows ending up in shelters,” Wilkinson says. “The lack of socialization by too many Chow owners has also resulted in the negative reputation the breed has, which has, in turn, resulted in some local ordinances and home-insurance companies preventing people from obtaining insurance if they have a Chow or having to give up a pet.”
Baila (D&M’s Gypsy Whirlwind Baila RM4 RAE3 CAX FCAT2 SWE SBM THDA RATS CZ8B CGCA CGCU TKP CS-ATCH3 CS-ATCH3 SpChCL SpChWC SpChSN SpChFH CCSS-L1 CCSS-L2W-FD-M), another of Becker’s Chows, found scent work more to her liking.
Becker adds that she hears breathing difficulties with Chows just trotting around the show ring, and sees aggression toward judges even by puppies on occasion.
“I’m also seeing eyes so inset I’m not sure how they have any peripheral vision and such short noses that heat stroke must be a risk,” she says. “Yet many of these dogs become breed champions. Elbow and hip dysplasia along with entropion are also found in too high a percentage of Chows. But until breeders are rewarded for health and temperament over other factors, the breed will suffer. Still, I’m hoping that overall health, endurance and temperament can become a goal for Chow breeders in the future.”