The Chow Chow Dog as China's Most Ancient Lion Like Dog Breed
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The Chow Chow is undeniably one unique dog breed and it is often defined by experts as a dog having the nobility of a lion, the jocosity of a panda, independence and grace of a cat, appeal of a teddy bear and loyalty and devotion of a true dog breed. These characteristics and 4000 years of existence is what make this breed mystical and interesting to many fanciers. The Chow mainly flourished in China and innumerable ancient Chinese art illustrated its popularity during those times.
Recent scientific studies have revealed that indeed, the Chow Chow is one of the oldest breed of dogs and that it is one of the first breeds to have evolved from the wolf that inhabited the northern part of China and Mongolia. There are also some speculations which state that the Chow Chow have come from the Arctic Circle and migrated to Mongolia, China and Siberia. Some scholars theorize that the Chow Chow is the forerunner of other breeds such as the Samoyed, Pomeranian, Keeshond and Norwegian Elkhound.
In China, the Chow Chow was mainly used as a guard dog, hunting dog, cart-puller and watchdog. This breed is that effective in hunting that Chinese history said, an emperor once own 2500 pairs of Chows, all of which accompanied him and his 10,000 hunters during hunting expeditions. Not only do the Chinese consider the Chow Chow as pets but as food as well for Chow Chow meat is considered a delicacy from then till now. The Chow Chow is not only favored by the ancient Chinese but of today's many families as well including the then President Calvin Coolidge, which owns a Chow named Timmy.
The Chow Chow is a unique kind of dog and a lot of owners don't understand this kind of personality and so misconceptions often arise. Owners who do not fully understand the characteristics of Chows tend to mistreat and mishandle the dog and these results to a disconcerting disposition of the dog. The best thing that owners can do, however, is to research well about the Chow Chow so they may understand the special trainings and unique treatments that the dog needs.
The Chow Chow is dignified and noble in temperament and is generally a one-person kind of dog therefore it often chooses to be alone when there are a lot of chaotic people around it. It doesn't mean, however, that this breed does not like to socialize for it does love meeting new people only when it is trained to be so at an early stage. Chows who are raised to be social can live with cats and other dogs inside the house and can be accepting to strangers but only when being introduced gently by the master.
A Chow owner must be a good leader and by this it means that the owner should be consistent, firm, confident and patient in handling and training the dog. If the owner fails to impose that he/she is the leader of the pack, the Chow will manifest bad behaviors and these include aggressiveness, irritability and small dog syndrome wherein it tends to act as the leader of humans and not the other way around. The Chow is also interested in new activities and will love to participate in training sessions so long as it is not repetitive as Chows tend to get bored easily.
In terms of obedience and intelligence, the Chow Chow performs rather poorly and ranks 76th only in Stanley Cohen's The Intelligence of Dogs. Indoors, the Chow Chow is not very active and is in fact, placid for most part of the day. An apartment living suits the Chow Chow and a small fenced yard will suffice their activities, however, it still needs daily forms of exercise such as walking in order to keep it healthy mentally and physically.
What gives the Chow Chow a lion-like appearance is its big ruffle around its neck and its double coat of dense hair all over its body. It is also unique physically through its bluish-black/purplish tongue, stiff gait due straight back legs, and a hairy and curled tail. The Chow often appears in shades of red, black, blue, fawn or cinnamon, and cream.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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