Rob he's a beautiful dog!!!

Thanks. He's going to be skijoring on Mt. Humphries in northern Arizona this winter. My house is like a morgue without that big lug around tho

 Quote: LucilleHollander

 Quote: randy allen

Ever met or been around any Chows?

I have, and currently I own two young adults. I have read Ed's well reasoned essay on why it is a bad idea to raise puppies together, but by the time I read it, it was unthinkable to give one away. I have taken his suggestions to heart and they are housed and trained separately.
So far the pups, although as different as night and day, show no signs of aggression and have been wonderful pets. I am of course concerned with some of the comments I have read.

How old are they? males/females?

I think the big issue with Chows is that many people get them for their beauty and fail to grasp their temperament. They appear to be low key as pups and often times are void of all the annoying destructive puppy stuff,all the ones I have known are this way, owners tend to become lax in the OB department, and Simba takes over!

Good for you in keeping them seperated!

You know, most of the time when someone makes generalizations about a breed, there are lots of folks saying "it's the individual dog - not the breed." I'm a little surprised we don't see that in this thread. Within any breed - 'tendencies' and generalizations aside - there are individuals dogs that are at both ends of the curve in drive, temperament, biddability and so on. No reason Lucille's dogs couldn't be exceptions in this way, and she certainly is attuned to their training and pack needs.

Totally agree with Tammy - it's almost a 'small dog' syndrome - the dog's "cute" overcomes the trainers need to train.

Nope,
I'll stand by my generalization on Chows.
Never met one that wasn't iffy. Granted I haven't met every one in the world, but the ones I have met are just like that....iffy.
Everything is fine one second and then the next.....snap!
Owners, handlers, family, strangers it doesn't matter.....

Brittle.

Not sure you can be too confident about a generalization unless you have sampled alot of dogs. I certainly don't have enough experiences with them to be able to prove anything one way or another.

There is another breed that fosters a similar line of thinking, and I think unjustifiably - the pitbull. Shelters around here are chock full of pits that were in most cases given up by unstable individuals and crappy trainers. Yet there are lots of individual dogs in the breed kept by responsible owners that are absolutely outstanding dogs.

While grooming and working at a boarding facility, Chows and Shar Peis were the only breeds that I felt uneasy with as a breed.

There was an older black male chow that would come often, and he was a VERY aloof, but stable guy. He was so stable that I would often let him hang out in the back office with me while doing payroll stuff.

No other member of these two breeds ever felt comfortable to be around. This coming from a devoted Rott owner and lover of Pitties (two other misunderstood breeds)...

There was a member here from years ago, Eric I think, who had a male Chow. He had a very typical example of the breed, down to the beautiful looks, and following his posts was like reading a journal of Chow ownership. He had children in the home and was, by all accounts, and excellent owner for this dog. I'll see if I can pull up one or more of his posts for you Lucille...

And the Shiba we had was VERY cat like. Independent and aloof, difficult to train and quite aggressive to unknown animals, of any variety. Not a breed I would choose to own again as I like the breeds that need me and want to interact with me (perhaps I am the one that needs help! ) She was a beautiful sesame red and looked like a little fox! I loved her to pieces

Bruno Update

This is a post from Eric about his Chow Bruno. You can follow his other posts by clicking on his name and going to "All Posts By This User"

Thanks for that, Rob. I was just about to post something similar about breed generalizations. The only akita I knew well was my last dog's best friend and play buddy. A great, confident, stable dog that lived with young children and never had any issues.

I also think chows and akitas are quite different, and were bred for different purposes. I would never consider owning a chow. Too much of a risk, and I don't find them attractive. Akitas on the other hand are known for their intelligence and I have seen them make great family dogs. Also, the Karelian bear dog is in that same 'family' of dogs, and I consider myself privileged to have known a few of these brave, loyal, highly trained working dogs.

I don't think you can lump all 'asian' breeds together. Chows originate from China, while Akitas are a Japanese breed.

Rob,
Did I say anything about the bullies? Did I say anything about Akitas? Did I say any anything about Shar Peis?

As all generalizations are fundimentally wrong, they are also generally true.
So if you really want a capitulation from me about my generalization okay.
Chows are fine up standing dogs of the highest order, whose temperament tend towards loving faithful followers. Making for the best companion dog in the world.

I just haven't met any Chows that match the description is all.

Is that better Rob?