What are the characteristics of the Chow Chow? First of all, in appearance, the average height of an adult Chow Chow is 17 to 20 inches, the body is square, the expression is proud, the neck is strong and plump, the color is bright, the gait is brisk and concise, fast and powerful; and Characteristics are very loyal, smart and arrogant, territorial, and independent. In short, the Chow Chow is a dog with a lot of personality.

1. Appearance characteristics

Body type

The average height (height at the withers) of the adult breed is 17 to 20 inches, but the most important thing is overall proportion.

When viewed from the side, the body is square and compact in structure. The distance from forehead to croup is equal to the height of the highest point of the withers. If the profile is not square it is to be considered a serious fault. The distance from the tip of the elbow to the ground is equal to half the height at the withers. The bottom line of the chest is level with the tip of the elbow. The body is wide and the same width when viewed from the front and back. For a true Chow Chow, these proportions are crucial. No deviation from these proportions is allowed when judging puppies.

Body

Medium-sized dog, muscular, strong, and thick-boned. Also unpopular are breeds with long muzzles, small bones, and those that are too bulky and lumpy. When comparing different genders, standards should be established in favor of female dogs. Their heads and bodies may not be as large as male dogs. Compared to the masculinity of male dogs, female dogs have a feminine feel.

Head

A proud look, slightly larger than the body size, but not so large as to make the head heavy or lead to a humble demeanor. Expression - basically chubby, noble, dignified, insightful, serious and pretentious, very independent. Wall forehead is caused by obvious eyebrows and obvious eyebrows. It is caused by the skin wrinkles above the inner corners of the eyes, above the eyes and at the corners of the eyes. Too much skin forms wall eyebrows, and appears between the eyes. It begins at the base of the muzzle and extends earthward to the forehead to form a distinct furrow. Also due to common factors such as the shape and position of the eyes, as well as the shape, posture and position of the ears, the eyebrows and obvious grooves are formed.

Neck

Neck is strong, thick, muscular and slightly arched. When standing, the neck should be long enough, with the head held high and confident, above the topline. Topline straight and strong, level from withers to base of tail. Body short, compact, solid, strong, muscular, broad, deep, somewhat sunken in flanks. The body, back and croup must be short to accommodate the square body. The chest should be broad, deep and muscular, not narrow or flat on the sides.

Coat

Chow Chows have two types of coats: coarse and soft, both of which are double coats. Coarse - The coat of a rough-coated dog has a large number of outer hairs, is thick, straight and erect, and is quite rough in texture. The undercoat is soft, thick or woolly. Puppies have soft, thick, woolly hair all over their bodies. The coat forms a large amount of ruff around the head and neck, framing the head and surrounding it.Neck hair is longer in male dogs than in female dogs. The tail is also covered with a lot of hair, and the length of the coat varies significantly among different Chow Chows. Thickness, texture and condition are more important than length.

Color

Vibrant color, solid color or with some slight color variations in the ruff, tail and tufts. Chow Chow has five colors: red (light golden yellow to dark reddish brown), black, blue, cinnamon (light brown to dark reddish brown), light yellow on the hands and mouth. These colors are equal and have equal status.

Gait

The gait must be correct, straight, brisk, concise, quick and powerful, and must not be cumbersome or slow. The gait of the hind legs is short and exaggerated to accommodate the straighter hind legs. Viewed from the side, its unique Gaoyuan-style movement is most easily seen. When walking straight, the hind legs move upward and forward from the marrow joint, forming a pendulum-like straight line. The arms have a little bounce, the legs don't stretch forward and back much, and the back foot has a strong driving force. Since the rear leg has very little flexion, it can drive the body forward powerfully and run almost in a straight line, while the front foot also cooperates very well. The cooperation of the front and rear legs must comply with the dynamic balance. The Chow Chow lacks speed to some extent. Its sound and straight hind legs provide good endurance for its movements.

2. Personality characteristics

Loyalty

The Chow Chow is a dog that is very loyal to its owner and will only recognize one owner in its life. Some people say that Chow Chow is a very stupid dog, but in fact Chow Chow is quite smart. Once it recognizes its owner, it will not change.

Clever and arrogant

Their personalities are smart but not easy to teach, because their nature is not to please their owners, and their self-centered character cannot be treated with ordinary dog ​​training techniques. They will not compromise for corporal punishment, let alone do things they don’t want to do. Their likes and dislikes follow their own emotions and do not pay attention to others or other animals. They are an extremely arrogant and characterful dog breed.

Strong sense of territory

They are often mistaken for a very wild and aggressive animal. In fact, they don't like strangers and are very territorial. As long as they are in their territory, they will defend everything, and they will also be very unfriendly to strangers. So Chow Chow needs a strong and stubborn owner.

Strong autonomy

Has relatively strong autonomy. In life, Chow Chow is arrogant. For example, when you take it out, it basically turns a blind eye to other dogs. Chow Chow also has a strong personality in life. Of course, it will also bring you happiness.