Chow Chow

The Chow Chow is a spitz-type of dog breed originally from Northern China.<ref>Case, Linda P. (2005). The Dog: Its Behavior, Nutrition, and Health (2nd ed.), p. 23. Blackwell Publishing. Template:ISBN.</ref> 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.<ref name="Wilcox1999" />Template:Rp The fur is particularly thick in the neck area, giving it a distinctive ruff or mane appearance. The coat may be shaded/self-red, black, blue, cinnamon/fawn, or cream.<ref name="Wilcox1999" />Template:Rp<ref name="Colours and coat types">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

File:Animal-Photo-Dog-ChowChow-780x652.jpg

Red Craze, a prominent male red Chow Chow, c. Early 1900s

File:Chow-Chow from 1915.JPG

A Chow Chow in 1915

The Chow Chow has been identified as a basal breed that predates the emergence of the modern breeds in the 19th century.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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 sleds through swampy terrain, and this was remarked upon by Marco Polo.<ref name="Wilcox1999" />Template:Rp

Today, the American Kennel Club registers approximately 10,000 Chow Chows a year. The Canadian Kennel Club registers approximately 350.<ref name="Wilcox1999" />Template:Rp

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Appearance

File:03 Bokeh the Chow.jpg

A close-up of the Chow Chow's characteristic blue-black tongue in a female Chow Chow

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.<ref name="Wilcox1999" />Template:Rp The fur is particularly thick in the neck area, giving it a distinctive ruff or mane appearance. The coat may be shaded/self-red, black, blue, cinnamon/fawn, or cream.<ref name="Wilcox1999" />Template:Rp<ref name="Colours and coat types"/> 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 breed is unique by their purple/blue-black tongue which no other breed has except Shar Pei, and has very straight hind legs, resulting in a rather stilted gait.<ref name="Wilcox1999" />Template:Rp The bluish color extends to the Chow Chow's lips; this 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).<ref name="Wilcox1999" />Template:Rp Another distinctive feature is the curly tail.<ref name="Wilcox1999" />Template:Rp 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.<ref name="AKC">Template:Cite web</ref> FCI countries, however, do allow a self-colored nose in the cream.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Temperament

Owning a Chow Chow can raise the cost of homeowners' insurance because some companies consider them high-risk dogs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Different canine clubs worldwide may acknowledge different coat colors or even use alternative names for the colors mentioned above.<ref name=":0" />

• The different Chow Chow colors
• 5 Chow Chows of different coat colors
  5 Chow Chows of different coat colors
• Cream
  Cream
• Fawn
  Fawn
• Red
  Red
• Blue
  Blue
• Black
  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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Ophthalmological conditions

A North American study looking at glaucoma 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

A review of studies in Australia found the Chow Chow to be prediposed to atopic dermatitis with a 7.1 odds ratio.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

A US case study found a predisposition to pemphigus foliaceus with an odds ratio of 12.3.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

A breed specific mutation causing tyrosinase deficiency which results in leukotrichia exists in the Chow Chow.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Gastrointestinal conditions

A UK study looking at exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in breeds found the Chow Chow to be predisposed to the condition.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Neoplastic conditions

An Austrian case series found an odds ratio of 23.53 for contracting stomach cancer.<ref name="chowchow">Template:Cite book</ref>

A US study looking at cases of oral melanoma found the breed to be over-represented with an odds ratio of 7.89.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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.<ref name="chowchow"/>

Other conditions

The Chow Chow can suffer from diabetes mellitus,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and gastric cancer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Chow Chows are a high risk breed for autoimmune disease.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• A Chow Chow with reddish coat
  A Chow Chow with reddish coat
• The Chow Chow's fur is particularly thick in the neck area, giving it a distinctive ruff or mane appearance.
  The Chow Chow's fur is particularly thick in the neck area, giving it a distinctive ruff or mane appearance.

Notable dogs

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A female Chow Chow competing in dog agility

Sigmund Freud 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

U.S. Navy admiral George Dewey acquired a Chow Chow in Hong Kong in 1898 and named it Bob. Bob rarely left the admiral's side and had the run of the cruiser Template:USS. Bob died in 1899 from eating chocolates given to Dewey by well-wishers upon OlympiaTemplate:'s arrival in New York City.Template:Citation needed

Walt Disney and his wife, Lillian Disney, had a Chow Chow named Sunnee. It was the couple's first dog. Allegedly, Walt gifted Lilly the Chow Chow inside a hat box, which inspired the scene in Lady and the Tramp where Lady is gifted in the same way.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed

See also

• Dogs portal
• List of dog breeds
• Eurasier, a dog-breed created through crossing Chow Chow, Wolfspitz and Samoyed dog
• Tibetan Mastiff