Chow Chow
Reserved and independent; seldom demonstrative.
Adult weight
20–32 kg
45–70 lb
Lifespan
12.1 yrs
Class · Watchdog
also Companion
What it's like
In temperament it is reserved and independent: devoted to its own household, aloof with strangers and seldom demonstrative. It is often compared to a cat for its cleanliness and self-possession. Sigmund Freud kept Chow Chows, and one, Jo-Fi, regularly lay in his consulting room during sessions.
Day to day
Activity
Happy with modest walks
Intelligence
Easy-going, simple routines
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
Likes its own space
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Quiet
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Is a Chow Chow right for you?
Take the breed matcherLiving with one
Summary
Detail
Most of the shedding comes when the seasons change. Plan on a brush once a week, plus daily brushing through the seasonal moult. It needs a moderate amount of exercise compared with other breeds. Hot weather is a real risk: it gets heat illness more often than a Labrador, so on hot days keep exercise to the cool of the morning or evening.
Size and growth
Summary
Detail
A Chow Chow is a medium dog, heavier than a Border Collie and lighter than a Golden Retriever. It is one of the heaviest medium breeds.
It is a compact, square-built dog with small, thick ears carried erect, deep-set eyes that give it a scowling expression, and a tail curled over its back. Its almost straight hind legs give it a stilted gait peculiar to the breed. The rough coat is dense and stands off the body, with a heavy ruff about the head and neck that gives a lion-like look. The smooth coat is shorter, hard and dense. Colours are solid, including black, red, blue, fawn and cream.
Two types
The two types differ in height only, so there is one growth curve, on the record's own band (breed club figure)6.
Puppy growth
Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
Summary
Detail
By about 5 months, a male Chow Chow puppy is already as heavy as a grown Staffordshire Bull Terrier. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
Chart
Table
Age
Male
Female
2 months
4.4–6.9 kg
9.7–15.2 lb
4.9–7.6 kg
10.8–16.8 lb
3 months
6.5–10.2 kg
14.3–22.5 lb
7.0–10.8 kg
15.4–23.8 lb
4 months
9.5–14.8 kg
20.9–32.6 lb
9.9–15.5 kg
21.8–34.2 lb
5 months
12.2–19.0 kg
26.9–41.9 lb
12.6–19.6 kg
27.8–43.2 lb
6 months
14.6–22.7 kg
32.2–50.0 lb
14.7–23.0 kg
32.4–50.7 lb
7 months
16.3–25.5 kg
35.9–56.2 lb
16.3–25.4 kg
35.9–56.0 lb
8 months
17.6–27.4 kg
38.8–60.4 lb
17.4–27.2 kg
38.4–60.0 lb
9 months
18.5–28.8 kg
40.8–63.5 lb
18.3–28.5 kg
40.3–62.8 lb
10 months
19.1–29.7 kg
42.1–65.5 lb
18.8–29.4 kg
41.4–64.8 lb
11 months
19.5–30.4 kg
43.0–67.0 lb
19.2–30.0 kg
42.3–66.1 lb
12 months
19.8–30.8 kg
43.7–67.9 lb
19.5–30.4 kg
43.0–67.0 lb
15 months
20.3–31.6 kg
44.8–69.7 lb
20.1–31.4 kg
44.3–69.2 lb
Health and lifespan
Summary
Detail
In UK vet and lab records, the conditions below turn up more often in Chow Chows than in crossbreeds. Inward-rolling eyelid and skin melanoma stand out as far more likely. The most serious, mouth melanoma, can shorten a life and is much more likely. These are figures for the breed as a whole, not a prediction for your dog.
Listed by likelihood level, highest first, then by how serious it is, then by name.
- Inward-rolling eyelidFar more likelyImpact: moderate
- Skin melanomaLab-confirmed casesFar more likelyImpact: moderate
- Mouth melanomaLab-confirmed casesMuch more likelyImpact: life-limiting
- Cherry eyeMore likelyImpact: moderate
Lab-confirmed: compares dogs whose tumour samples went to a lab with dogs seen in general practice, so the figures run higher than vet-record ones.
Lifespan
Summary
Detail
In UK vet records, the typical Chow Chow lived to about 12 years, shorter than the typical medium breed.
Where it comes from
China is credited with the Chow Chow's ancestry; it served there as a guard and a hunting dog, and the FCI links it to Nordic spitz types with a trace of mastiff. With China closed off, it was scarcely seen elsewhere before about 1800; it arrived in England at some point in the late 1700s but attracted little attention there before the 1920s. Its standard calls the bluish-black tongue characteristic4.
The Chow Chow's working life in China went well beyond guarding and hunting: it also reportedly served as a draught dog, and in some regions it was raised for its meat and fur. It was first exhibited in Britain in the later nineteenth century, and a breed club followed. The name is often said to come from a pidgin English term for mixed cargo carried on trading ships, though this is told rather than known.
Breed standard
Summary
Detail
The American standard asks for a shorter dog than the UK and international ones.
Questions people ask
General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Chow Chow figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a medium-sized breed is most likely somewhere in the middle.
Compare with related
Or compare the Chow Chow with any breed you choose
Track your own Chow Chow
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Sources
- 1Morrill et al., 2022. Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science 376: eabk0639 (Darwin's Ark). ↑
- 2Dogs Trust. Finding a good, responsible breeder. ↑
- 3American Kennel Club. Screening puppy buyers: how top breeders find the best homes. ↑
- 4
- 5
- 6American Kennel Club. Chow Chow breed page. ↑
- 7American Kennel Club. Chow Chow breed standard. ↑
- 8
- 9Hawthorne et al., 2004. Body-weight changes during growth in puppies of different breeds. Journal of Nutrition 134(8 Suppl): 2027S–2030S (WALTHAM). ↑
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