Chow Chow

Spitz & primitive

Medium

Median 12.1 y

FCI group 5 · Spitz and primitive types · Derived from the adult weight midpoint (26.1 kg)

Median survival across 1,335 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 9–14 y

The Chow Chow is a spitz-type of dog breed originally from Northern China. 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.

Dignified

Aloof

Loyal

Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · reference ranges from the Kintail breed dataset

Adult weight

Reference

Male

20.4–31.8 kg

Female

20.4–31.8 kg

Breed club figure (the American Kennel Club)

Two types. The AKC and the KC/FCI standards describe a different-sized Chow Chow, so Kintail bands your dog against the one your region follows — set it in Settings. KC/FCI type: males 48–56 cm, females 46–51 cm. AKC type: 43.2–50.8 cm.

Varieties

Reference

Rough

Medium build

20.4–31.8 kg

46–56 cm

FCI 205 recognises a rough and a smooth coat variety under one size standard; same size as the parent — coat only; one range for both sexes

Smooth

Medium build

20.4–31.8 kg

46–56 cm

FCI 205 recognises a rough and a smooth coat variety under one size standard; same size as the parent — coat only; one range for both sexes

FCI 205 divides this breed by coat and face. The varieties are the same size — the coat is the only difference.

Weight for age

Stock data

Male

Female

Expected range

Expected range from the breed's own adult weight, kilograms. Growth reference: Salt et al. 2017, WALTHAM (15–30 kg band).

Heat cycles · females

Stock data

First heat

8–12 mo

typical

Interval

180 d

typical

Bleeding

~9 d

typical

Proestrus 9d

Estrus 9d

Diestrus 52d

Anestrus 110d

General figures for dogs, not for this breed — individual cycles vary widely.

Questions people ask

Adult males usually weigh 20.4–31.8 kg and females 20.4–31.8 kg. Most are close to their full size by around 15 months, though the last little bit of filling out takes longer. Growth reference: Salt et al. 2017, WALTHAM (15–30 kg band).

No Chow Chow cycle figures are published here yet, so this is general guidance rather than a breed number: 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.

The median is 12.1 y. Median survival across 1,335 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 9–14 y. How the later years go comes down to weight, teeth, exercise and regular check-ups far more than to the breed.