It is always a good idea to learn as much as you can about any breed you may be considering bringing into your home. If you already are owned by one or many Chows, you can still continue to learn more about these amazing beings. The following articles and links are ones that we have found to be of interest and certainly of educational value.

If you wish to link to this page, please feel free to do so. If you would like to suggest any other articles or links that we can include here, please email us with the information.

We hope you enjoy your reading,
Brian and Judith-Ann

DON'T BUY A CHOW! - an long and indepth article that gives the potential Chow owner a LOT to go on and a lot to think about. It speaks volumes for the character of the Chow and should get people to look beyond the physical beauty of the Chow.

Chow Chows - an indepth and informative article about Chows, by Stephen Miller, who with his wife Sandra, operates a small show kennel in Portland, Oregon.

The Chow - a summary article about Chows.

The Chow Chow Breed Standard

A pedigree is your Chow's family tree. When you purchase a pedigreed, registered pup in Australia, the Kennel Club affiliate in your area will provide you with a certificate of registration (when you transfer the ownership) that has listed on it a certified pedigree of your puppy showing three generations. Many breeders have information going back even further on your puppy and may provide it to you if you ask for it.

While someone knowledgeable can pick up a pedigree and be able to tell a great deal about the puppy, many of us don't have the knowledge or the skill. Something I read once suggested that if you are unfamiliar with pedigrees, it is a good rule of thumb to look to see how many of your puppy's parents, grandparents and great grandparents were titled Champions. What this will tell you is that other people (dog show judges) considered those with CH (champion) in front of their name to be sound representations of the breed.

At present, if you are interested in looking at pedigrees, there are two sites on the internet of which I am aware that provide pedigrees for the many Chows with strong American, Canadian and English lineages. Many of these Chows also have pictures accompanying the data. These two sites are:
Lohan Chows Pictorial Pedigrees - a most comprehensive site, with over 80,000 entries; and

Buying a Puppy - Some questions to ask.

Choosing Your Chow Puppy - another must read!

Where to buy a Puppy - A Consumer's guide

Genetic Defects common to Chows - The wise puppy buyer will know what the different health concerns affect their breed of choice. Each breed has a different set of potential problems; this is a compilation of those most common to Chows. This information is not meant to scare, but rather educate you.

Hip Scores in Australia - An informed puppy buyer will seek to learn all they can about the health of their future puppy's parents. An important consideration for Chows are soundness of the hip and elbow joints. Both hip and elbow dysplasia can be quite debilitating, so it's important to know about what lies behind your puppy. This website doesn't go into either disorder, but does explain how to understand what your puppy's parents' hip scores mean.

One of the most important aspects about pet ownership is commitment. Unfortunately, many owners find themselves in situations where they can no longer care for that cherished pet. Hard as it is to believe, this even happens with Chows. This is why we often suggest to people who are looking for a Chow that they consider inviting an older Chow into their homes, their hearts, their families. With an older Chow, you don't have to go through the many stages of training necessary with puppies, and it is a myth that Chows won't or can't form new bonds with people. In addition, sometimes you are rescuing them from an unhappy situation, sometimes you are giving them a second chance, sometimes you are giving them an opportunity to be a cherished only dog or a cherished companion for another dog.

Rescue work is an important part of rehoming Chows. Rescuers put in a great deal of time in assessing and retraining a Chow for a new home. Here in Australia, you can go to the following link to see the sort of work that Chow rescuers do: Chow Chow Rescue of New South Wales

One of the more poignant stories I would like to share with you about rescuing a Chow comes from a friend of mine and can be found here at this link A Leap of Faith. The author of this story is Linda Clark of Arcata, California and this story is available here with her permission.

So what are you feeding your Chow? We recommend a raw foods diet. Here are some suggestions:

The diet we recommend to our puppy buyers.

K9 Raw Diet - an excellent site about feeding raw foods, and a source of raw foods for folks living in the US.

Training and socialisation of your Chow is very important. It begins when the puppy is born by the puppy's breeder and you as the owner have the responsibility to continue working with your Chow so that your Chow is all that he or she can be.

Properly exercising your Chow is important from the time she or he is a small puppy, until their senior years. Here's an outline of what we recommend to our puppy buyers.

If you follow the link given here, this will take you to a page with a series of articles on training and socialising written by Vicki DeGruy. Vicki is the Welfare Officer for the CCCI in the United States, the secretary of the Wisconsin Chow Chow Club and helps run the national and state Chow Chow rescue programs.

Some information to read through before making up your mind about breeding.

Thoughts to consider before you breed your Chow

Breeding Your Dog by Cindy Tittle-Moore. This has to be one of the most informative, no-nonsense articles about breeding dogs. We highly recommend anyone who is considering breeding their dog/s to read this through thoroughly.

Virtual Breeding: A journey through the many aspects faced by new (and experienced) breeders. Time well spent working through this site.

Another must read is the Realities of Breeding site, which is an unromanticized, practical, reality based view of breeding and events that are all too common. Another must read.

Check out the exciting Chow Chow Champions of Europe written by Isabella Milani and Siro Baruffaldi

This page last updated 20 January 2005.