does anyone know anything about chows

animallover123

Hi

I am thinking about getting a chow, i want a large dog, that i can feel safe with and protection as my partner works away a lot and i would feel more safer but i want a dog that would get on with my animals, i have 4 housecats and a chinese crested dog,do you think this dog would be suited to me, i have found a breeder who has puppies due and i have to give her a deposit to save one, but i have been looking on the internet and read they dont bond with there owners, can turn nasty and people seem to not trust them, i thought they would get on with us as my partner not really a doggy person and i read chows are cat like and indpeoendent and dont really bark that much, any advice would be great,

Pthree

They are a bred that fascinates me (one of the oldest breeds) everything I have read says they are stubborn and very much a 1 person dog, which might not be so great if your OH is away a lot (I am thinking when them come back).

Need a lot of grooming and lose a lot of hair, but I guess if you have cats and a dog already then you'll be used to that.

They apparently don’t bark much. Which, as "protection" is not a good thing, you want people to stay away as opposed to come attack you then get bitten!

IMO any size noisey dog is twice the guard dog a silent large dog would be.

There is some silly statistic I heard a while back that if you had a dog your chances of being burgled were reduced by 85% where as an alarm only reduced it by 40% (I made those statistics up but it was something like that!) but they have to know there is a dog in the house to start off with.

You don’t say why you feel you need protection though, is it just being at home alone?

To be honest if you getting a pup so it grows up with the cats and other dog, you could have just about anything… why are you looking at Chows?

Very very cute looking pups though!!

animallover123

thanks for the info
i was looking at chows as my partner has aspergers syndrome so cannot stand loud noises so when he is home the sound of a bark really irrates him, the dog i have now is a toy breed and does not bark and he loves her loads, i would like a big dog as we moving into a new house which is in the country and i dont drive but learning and i guess i would feel more safe, i see what you are saying about if someone hears barking they more likely to stay away, but i am just thinking about my partner as dont want him to dislike the dog so as i read they are protective and loyal but cat like as my partner adores cats i thought this would be the breed for us, but i have read they can attack and kill cats and that was my worry you see and would not want the dog also to turn and attack my partner when he comes home - unless anyone can think of a big dog that doesnt bark much unless they have to, i know that is a big ask and i personally dont mind it, but my partner hates noises unless called for

Person_one

animallover123 wrote: »

thanks for the info
i was looking at chows as my partner has aspergers syndrome so cannot stand loud noises so when he is home the sound of a bark really irrates him, the dog i have now is a toy breed and does not bark and he loves her loads, i would like a big dog as we moving into a new house which is in the country and i dont drive but learning and i guess i would feel more safe, i see what you are saying about if someone hears barking they more likely to stay away, but i am just thinking about my partner as dont want him to dislike the dog so as i read they are protective and loyal but cat like as my partner adores cats i thought this would be the breed for us, but i have read they can attack and kill cats and that was my worry you see and would not want the dog also to turn and attack my partner when he comes home - unless anyone can think of a big dog that doesnt bark much unless they have to, i know that is a big ask and i personally dont mind it, but my partner hates noises unless called for

You can't rely on the breed to ensure you get a dog that doesn't bark. Most breeds can learn to be quiet, or only to bark at the right time, if you work really hard on their training from a young age, but all dogs will bark from time to time when there's no call for it.

Chows really do tend to be one person dogs, so you may well end up with a dog that tries to protect you from your partner every time he comes home!

Person_one

I've just read your other thread about moving in with your partner.

Either you're having us on or you're very confused.

If this is a real situation don't even think about getting another dog until the more serious issues around your relationship are resolved.

animallover123

sorry i may have misinformed you when i say works away its no more then a few days and then he is home but comes home very late so the dog would know my partner, what about family through and friends as i would like my dog to be nice to them and my family and friends to like him as well, i dont want a dog wheres they scared of him, only intruders or is a chow not really that kind of dog
also if i get a puppy and bring him in with my dog and cats would he see them as family and not something to attack

Pthree

I think you need to think about what you actually want the dog for -

Do you want the comfort of having a large dog who will put people off while actually being a sappy mutt or do you want a dog that will actually be protective?

Remembering that any dog with a protective nature will need careful and proper training (as all dogs do but some more than others) and whatever breed you decide on there are no guarentees, some of the softest dogs I know are Rotties, Mastifs etc., while the nastiest dog I ever met was poodle with issues!

animallover123

im not having you on, we are moving to the country and i wanted to know my rights about deeds etc and i would only get the dog if we moved to the house, we been together 8 years and i imagine that we always be together but if you read i said he has a form of aspergers and hard to live with, my animals and dog throughly spoilt and taken care of and my main concern as your see in that post i said i had animals and if i had no rights in the house i would not go as if we have rows at this house rented he goes

mammyof7

When I was growing up my mother had 4 chow chows and my nana also kept them. Just like any other dog they all had differnet personalities. At one point we had one who had to be rehomed due to having aggressive tendancies. However... from what I remember the others were brilliant dogs. Infact her last one only died 3/4 years ago at 10 years old when she sadly had a house fire :(:(:(:(.

They need a LOT of grooming (their hair comes out in wool like clumps) and if your extremely house proud then they are probably not for you.

We did have one whom lived with a cat. Although they wernt best friends - they did tolereate each other quite well. As for the barking, from what I remember they just barked like any other dog.

I think any dog could be a "barker" no matter what the breed. My Great Dane is the worst barker ever. She barks at any thing and everything. However my old Newfoundland hardly ever barked. I think it will just be "pot luck" with any dog you may get.

wilkies5

animallover123 wrote: »

Hi

I am thinking about getting a chow, i want a large dog, that i can feel safe with and protection as my partner works away a lot and i would feel more safer but i want a dog that would get on with my animals, i have 4 housecats and a chinese crested dog,do you think this dog would be suited to me, i have found a breeder who has puppies due and i have to give her a deposit to save one, but i have been looking on the internet and read they dont bond with there owners, can turn nasty and people seem to not trust them, i thought they would get on with us as my partner not really a doggy person and i read chows are cat like and indpeoendent and dont really bark that much, any advice would be great,

I used to look after a mature chow for an elderly lady when she went into regular respite. The dog was temperamental, extremely strong and dominant. If your partner is ' not really a doggy person ' then a chow would NOT be a suitable pet. They are a 'one-owner' pet. They require a huge amount of grooming and unless you take charge of that yourself, you will require a professional (costly?) handler to restrain the dog whilst doing it. Chows, in my experience, hate being groomed and can display undesirable behaviours each and every time they need this kind of grooming attention.

animallover123

is it true they are cat like and prefer to just like a cat sit near you and watch you and i have read they do have health problems and breathing problems, thanks for getting back to me, i appreciate that, when you say comes out the hair do you mean like strands into the atmosphere or like my mums collies like hair clumps on the floor that you can pick up
when you went to your nanas were they a dog that come up to you to greet you ? x