She melts my heart ❤️

I'm in the market for a new collar for my boy. Above is what I've used for my last 3 chows, a rolled leather collar. But I wanted to see if there were any other ideas out there.

Notes:
He is a runner, This collar is for an ID Tag, not for walks.
Yes, I've heard the discourse on why collars are bad, until I can trust him not to bolt, he's wearing a collar 24/7 w/ an airtag.

Hello everyone!

I recently rescued a 3-year-old female Chow, and I’m looking for some advice from people who have experience with the breed, especially rescues.

The first few days were pretty tough, but she is slowly starting to settle in. She’s eating and drinking, allowing me to put a leash on her and take her for walks, and she’s peeing/pooping normally. I know these are small things, but considering how overwhelmed she was when she first arrived, I’m really happy to see this progress.

I’ve done a TON of research on Chows, but this is also my first time owning a dog, so I’ve definitely signed myself up for an interesting learning experience!

There are a few things I’m struggling with and would really appreciate some advice on.

1. Leash walking & prey drive

It’s very obvious that she was never leash trained by her previous owners and likely wasn’t taken for walks regularly.

She pulls constantly, tries to back out of her collar, and goes absolutely INSANE when she sees squirrels, birds, or cats. Unfortunately, I live in an area with tons of all three. Once she locks onto something, she does not listen when I try to redirect her.

I’ve ordered a harness and am waiting for it to arrive, which I’m hoping will make things easier, but I’d love to hear any tips you have for teaching a Chow to walk calmly on a leash.

I’d especially like to work on desensitizing her to squirrels, birds, and cats. Interestingly, she seems to be okay around other dogs, so I know she is capable of being calm around other animals.

How would you approach this with a dog who is starting from basically zero leash training?

2. Fear & lack of socialization

It’s also very clear that she wasn’t properly socialized as a puppy. Her previous owners seemingly didn’t expose her to many people, environments, or new experiences.

She is extremely shy and scared of unfamiliar situations.

For example, I live in an apartment complex, and if someone walks past us in the hallway, she immediately backs away and tries to get out of her collar. The same thing happens if someone gets into the elevator with us.

She also refuses to get into my car and is terrified of going into places like the pet store. I’ve been trying to gradually expose her to different areas and things around the neighbourhood, but because she isn’t leash trained, even that can be extremely difficult.

I don’t want to overwhelm her or force her into situations she isn’t ready for. I’m trying to take things slowly, but I’d really appreciate advice on how to build her confidence and help her feel safer around new people and environments.

3. Grooming

This is probably my biggest immediate concern.

She was clearly not groomed regularly before I rescued her. She has some matted areas behind one ear and around her tail, and she desperately needs a proper bath.

The problem is that she absolutely HATES being brushed and will not tolerate it for very long. I bought two proper grooming brushes and a comb, but she won’t let me use any of them.

She also refuses to let me give her a bath. I’ve been using dog wipes and a damp rag with a little of her shampoo to clean her as much as I can, but she only tolerates that for a short time.

Unfortunately, she also won’t get into my car, so taking her to a professional groomer is currently very difficult. I’m also worried that she may be too fearful or reactive for a groomer to safely work with her.

For those of you who have rescued Chows in similar situations, how did you approach grooming? Did you work on desensitization at home first, or find a groomer experienced with fearful/reactive Chows?

I know that patience is going to be extremely important, and I’m completely willing to put in the time and work she needs. I just want to make sure I’m approaching everything correctly and not accidentally making her fears worse. She’s already made progress in a very short amount of time, and I want to give her the best chance possible to feel safe, confident, and happy. Any advice, personal experiences, resources, or things that worked (or didn’t work) with your own Chow would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you! ❤️

This beautiful 35lbs chow is still looking for his forever home 🥹 3yo Male Neutered. Located in AZ ! Great with dogs and kids ! Super social ! Loving and potty trained!

Adoptable through https://rescuestreet.com/dog/bear/

We have a chow of almost 4 years. We had a regular grooming service for him, but due to financial issues we haven’t had the ability to take him out to get properly for coat maintenance. We have some shampoo that we use and works well with him. Are there any brands that would help with care maintenance between going to a professional groomer? Along with any tips to have have with brushes, combs, or other useful tools?

Along with us, taking him on a family vacation later this year. He will be experiencing the beach for the first time. So any salt water chow owners, advice would be very appreciated. There will be a pool and lots of sand. Just wanna make sure that Theo would be taken care of.

We’ve had Basil for about 1.5 months now! She’s a ten month old husky/chow mix. I posted on r/husky but now I want to hear from her other half’s community! She is a shelter rescue with a lot of anxiety but we are working on helping her with that and building confidence. We all have a lot to learn still :)

DoorDash caught this for us. 😂

*delete if not allowed*

Hi guys. Im a foster mama. And was called to get a chow out of the shelter and acclimate him to society lol as hes a "difficult" one. He was an owner surrender. Someone once loved him as he is VERY GOOD. But apparently aggressive. Ive had him a week and have seen no issues. Anywho ive had a lot of dogs. I understand the coat needs but other than that if anyone wants to give any tips or input so I can be the best transition mama for him lmk. And I dont understand the nose shape, what shape do yall think he has and is he a full chowchow? I told my hoa he's a eurasion lol

Hi guys this is as good as a picture as I could get my boy has this red spot on his ballys, sees to be panting a lot and just not himself. Got him in the vets today and put his cone on as he’s been licking it a lot, do we think hot spot or would one not appear in his intimate area ?

He loves going to work with me I wish I could post the videos of him playing :(

My mom is considering giving up her two cats due to her health issues.

Both cats are quite old, around 13-14 years. I’d take one, and my sister would take the other. One is my childhood cat, and I can’t bear the thought of him going to the shelter. However, I’m worried that my chow would eat him.

My chow has already chased away a friendly neighborhood cat, and it hasn’t returned to our house since.

I’m at a loss for what to do. I could keep the cat in one of the bedrooms, but that wouldn’t be fair to him.

My chow is 9 years old and has a high prey drive.

So, I’m asking for advice. Has anyone ever brought a cat into a household with a chow? How did it go? What did you do to ensure a smooth transition?

Edit: He isn’t a mix he’s akc registered and I have his pedigree I’m just curious because ppl say he’s a mix

I keep having ppl tell me his nose is to long and he’s not a real chow even though he is

Today I said goodbye to my Big Bear a few hours ago. Jorah was 14 and a member of our family for 12. The heartbreak will hurt for a little while, but the memories and love will last my lifetime.

I try not to give my boy any people food, but he can have a single French fry every once in a while. What foods do your chows like?