🐕Chow Chow: gear and buying guides

The Chow Chow is a primitive Chinese dog of 20 to 32 kg with a lion-like look and a blue tongue, calm, dignified and aloof with strangers. Not very sporty but highly territorial, it mainly requires rigorous care of its thick coat and careful heat management. Its marked independence makes it a dog for experienced owners.

Profile : Medium dog, 46 to 56 cm and 20 to 32 kg, very thick coat with woolly undercoat, low to moderate energy.

Species profile

Lifespan

9 to 12 years

Adult weight

20 to 32 kg

Size

46 to 56 cm

Temperament

Aloof and dignified like a cat, attached to its home yet undemonstrative.

Health watch

entropion · hip dysplasia

🩺 This health information is general in nature and does not replace a consultation: at the slightest doubt about your animal’s condition, talk to your vet.

Chow Chow gear, family by family

• 🍖 Food

  Not very active, it gains weight easily: around 250 to 350 g of kibble per day with close body-condition checks, as the compact silhouette quickly hides excess weight. With the breed prone to skin sensitivities, an omega-3-rich diet supports skin and coat.

• 🧴 Care & grooming

  Its woolly coat mats quickly: brush at least 3 times a week with a slicker and long-toothed comb, focusing on the ruff and breeches. Clean the facial folds and watch the eyes, as the breed is predisposed to entropion.

• 🎾 Toys & enrichment

  With little adult play drive, it prefers short dignified walks to fetch sessions. Offer natural chews and quiet scent games: forcing a Chow Chow to play never works.

• 🏠 Bedding & habitat

  It often picks cool tiles over a plush bed: offer both, including a size M/L bed in a quiet corner. Highly heat-sensitive under its dense coat, it needs shade, a cooling mat and walks at cool hours in summer.

• 🧳 Travel & safety

  In the car, use a well-ventilated rigid size M/L crate and never travel in hot hours without air conditioning: heatstroke is its main risk. Its powerful neck makes an adjustable harness safer than a collar it can slip out of.

• 🧰 Accessories

  Choose an adjustable harness that does not compress the thick ruff and a solid leash, as this primitive breed keeps an approximate recall. A complete grooming kit and possibly a force dryer (from 100 euros) are the real investments for this breed.

Guides to read

• No-pull front-clip harness for dogs: what does the science actually show?Accessories

  Front-clip no-pull harness for dogs: what a recent study measured on pulling force, compared with a plain collar and a prong-style collar.

• Why does my dog eat grass? What the research actually saysCare & grooming

  Dog eating grass: what two studies show about how common the behavior is, its link with vomiting, and the cases that should raise concern.

• Reflective vest vs light-up collar for dogs: what's the real difference?Accessories

  Dog visibility at night: what pedestrian-conspicuity research reveals about the real gap between a reflective vest and a light-up collar.

• Anxious dog in the car: motion sickness or real fear of the ride?Travel & safety

  Dog car travel anxiety: what a veterinary study shows about the signs of travel-related problems and the factors that explain them best.

• BARF raw diet for dogs: what are the real benefits, what are the real risks?Food

  Raw BARF diet for dogs: what studies actually show about the claimed benefits, bacterial risk, and real nutritional balance.

• Separation anxiety in dogs: what does research show, what actually helps?Care & grooming

  Dog separation anxiety: what a veterinary study reveals about how common it is, its risk factors, and the solutions that actually work.

• Mental activities for dogs in winter: which indoor games actually work?Toys & enrichment

  Winter mental enrichment for dogs: what a study shows about scent games and indoor activities that make up for shorter walks.

• Microchip or tattoo: which ID actually gets a lost dog home?Travel & safety

  Dog identification: what a study shows about return-to-owner rates depending on whether the dog is microchipped or not.