The Chow Chow is a spitz-type of

dog breed A dog breed is a particular type of dog that was purposefully bred by humans to perform specific tasks, such as herding, hunting, and guarding. Dogs are the most variable mammal on Earth, with artificial selection producing upward of 360 globall ...

originally from

Northern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions that display certain differences in terms of their geography, demographics, economy, and culture. Extent The Qinling, Qinling–Daba Mountains serve as the transition zone ...

. The Chow Chow is a sturdily built dog, square in profile, with a broad skull and small, triangular, erect ears with rounded tips. The breed is known for a very dense double coat that is either smooth or rough. The fur is particularly thick in the neck area, giving it a distinctive

ruff Ruff may refer to: Places *Ruff, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community *Ruff, Washington, United States, an unincorporated community Other uses *Ruff (bird) (''Calidris pugnax'' or ''Philomachus pugnax''), a bird in the wader famil ...

or mane appearance. The coat may be shaded/self-red, black, blue, cinnamon/fawn, or cream.

History

The Chow Chow has been identified as a basal breed that predates the emergence of the modern breeds in the 19th century. A research study has concluded that the Chow Chow dog breed originated from other indigenous dogs in central China about 8,300 years ago. The ancient breed evolved and manifests both morphological and physiological features, including its dark tongue, coat of fur, and stronger build. One Chinese legend mentions large war dogs from Central Asia that resembled black-tongued lions. One Chinese ruler was said to own 5,000 Chows. The Chinese also used Chows to pull

dog sled A dog sled or dog sleigh is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow, a practice known as mushing. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for Sled dog racing, dog sl ...

s through swampy terrain, and this was remarked upon by

Marco Polo Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...

. Today, the

American Kennel Club The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit breed registry, registry of purebred dog pedigree (animal), pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions eve ...

registers approximately 10,000 Chow Chows a year. The Canadian Kennel Club registers approximately 350. ChowChow2Szczecin

The English name ''Chow Chow'' is unlinked to any Chinese name such as the modern 鬆獅狗 (''song shi gou'', lit. "loose lion dog") for the same breed, and hence of uncertain origin - possible and folk etymologies refer to Pidgin English.

Appearance

The Chow Chow is a sturdily built dog, square in profile, with a broad skull and small, triangular, erect ears with rounded tips. The breed is known for a very dense double coat that is either smooth or rough. The fur is particularly thick in the neck area, giving it a distinctive

or mane appearance. The coat may be shaded/self-red, black, blue, cinnamon/fawn, or cream. Not all these color varieties are recognized as valid in all countries. Individuals with patchy or multicolored coats are considered to be outside the breed standard. Chow Chow eyes are typically deep set and almond shaped. The tongue is purple or blue-black; this color extends to the lips. The Chow Chow is the only dog breed with this distinctive bluish color in its lips and oral cavity; other dogs have black or a piebald pattern skin in their mouths. The hind legs are very straight, resulting in a rather stilted gait. Another distinctive feature is the curly tail. It has thick hair and lies curled on its back. The nose should be black, but blue-coated Chow Chow can have a solid blue or slate-colored nose. According to the American Kennel Club breed standards, any other tone is not acceptable for contests. FCI countries, however, do allow a self-colored nose in the cream. The blue-black/purple tongue gene appears to be dominant, as most mixed breed dogs that come from a Chow Chow retain that tongue color. However, the blue-black/purple tongue can also be found on the Shar Pei. This is not to say that every mixed breed dog with spots of purple on the tongue is descended from Chow Chow, as purple spots on the tongue can be found on other purebred dogs.

Temperament

Owning a Chow Chow can raise the cost of homeowners' insurance in the US because some companies consider them high-risk dogs. In a study in the ''Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association'', Chow Chow were responsible for 8 out of 238 fatalities related to dog bites from 1979 to 1998.

Colors

Chow Chows can come in a variety of coat colors. The American Kennel Club (AKC) has classified Chow Chow colors as either standard or non-standard (rare colors). The standard colors for Chow Chows are black, blue, red, cream, and cinnamon. However, colors such as fawn, white, and merle are not considered standard for this breed. Different canine clubs worldwide may acknowledge different coat colors or even use alternative names for the colors mentioned above. File:Chowspecialen 012.jpg, 5 Chow Chows of different coat colors File:ChowChow1.jpg, Cream File:02 - Chow-chow.jpg, Fawn File:01 Chow Chow.jpg, Red File:Көгілдір чау.jpg, Blue File:Chow chow czarny głowa 61.jpg, Black

Health

A UK study found the life expectancy of the Chow Chow to be 12.1 years, just higher than the 12 year average for crossbreeds and lower than the 12.7 years average for purebreeds.

Skeletal conditions

A North American study looking at more than a million records of dogs found 6.44% of Chow Chow dogs to have hip dysplasia compared with 3.52% overall. The study also found 4.3% of Chow Chow dogs to have cranial cruciate ligament deficiency compared to 2.52% overall. Another North American study looking at more than 250,000 elbow scans found the Chow Chow to have the highest prevalence of elbow dysplasia, with 48.6% of dogs over the age of 2 having elbow dysplasia.

Ophthalmological conditions

A North American study looking at

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...

in dog breeds found the Chow Chow to have the third highest prevalence with 4.7% of Chow Chow dogs having glaucoma compared to 0.89% overall.

Dermatological conditions

A study looking at records from a small animal clinic at the University of Montreal found the Chow Chow to be predisposed to alopecia X. A review of studies in Australia found the Chow Chow to be prediposed to

atopic dermatitis Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a long-term type of inflammation of the skin. Atopic dermatitis is also often called simply eczema but the same term is also used to refer to dermatitis, the larger group of skin conditi ...

with a 7.1 odds ratio. A US case study found a predisposition to pemphigus foliaceus with an odds ratio of 12.3. A breed specific mutation causing tyrosinase deficiency which results in leukotrichia exists in the Chow Chow.

Gastrointestinal conditions

A UK study looking at exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in breeds found the Chow Chow to be predisposed to the condition.

Neoplastic conditions

An Austrian case series found an odds ratio of 23.53 for contracting

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a malignant tumor of the stomach. It is a cancer that develops in the Gastric mucosa, lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a numb ...

. A US study looking at cases of oral

melanoma Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). In very rare case ...

found the breed to be over-represented with an odds ratio of 7.89.

Reproductive conditions

In a Belgian study Chow Chow bitches made up 6.4% of cases of pyometra despite the breed making up 1.6% of the population. Pyometra was found to be more extreme in the breed with anaemia and endotoxaemia reported.

Other conditions

The Chow Chow can suffer from

diabetes mellitus Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained hyperglycemia, high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or th ...

, and gastric cancer. Chow Chows are a high risk breed for

autoimmune disease An autoimmune disease is a condition that results from an anomalous response of the adaptive immune system, wherein it mistakenly targets and attacks healthy, functioning parts of the body as if they were foreign organisms. It is estimated tha ...

. File:IMG 0382 - Chow Chow, front.jpg, A Chow Chow with reddish coat File:IMG 0383 - Chow Chow, side.jpg, The Chow Chow's fur is particularly thick in the neck area, giving it a distinctive ruff or mane appearance.

Notable dogs

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...

had a Chow Chow named Jo-Fi Ling who attended all of his therapy sessions because he felt that dogs had a special sense that allows them to judge a person's character accurately, and admitted he depended on Jo-Fi for an assessment of a patient's mental state.

References

External links

{{Authority control FCI breeds Dog breeds originating in China Spitz breeds