medium-to-large breed
Chow Chow
Two coat types: rough, the familiar dense standoff coat with the mane, and smooth, a hard plush coat with no ruff at all. Five colors - red, black, blue, cinnamon and cream. The blue-black tongue is a breed hallmark, and the almost straight hind legs give the Chow Chow the stilted, deliberate gait no other breed has. Source: AKC breed standard.
One of the oldest breeds there is, from northern China, and a dog of enormous dignity and self-possession. Chow Chows are aloof, quiet, catlike, devoted to one or two people and indifferent to everyone else - not affectionate in the way most people expect a dog to be, and choosing one hoping to change that is choosing the wrong breed. A heavy northern coat and a shortened muzzle also make heat genuinely dangerous.
Pup Height
17-20 in
Pup Weight
45-70 lb
Pup Lifespan
8-12 years
Your pup, at a glance
What’s Life With This Pup Really Like?
Low, and it is the defining thing about them. They are loyal and undemonstrative - they will lie in the same room rather than on you, and they decide when contact happens.
Poor as a general rule. They have little patience for rough handling, dislike being grabbed, and give less warning than most breeds before they object. Better in adult households.
Difficult. Same-sex aggression is common, they are territorial about their space and possessions, and prey drive toward small animals is real.
Low. A notably quiet dog who speaks rarely, which means it is worth investigating when they do.
Low. Forty-five minutes suits them and they are genuinely content to do nothing for the rest of the day.
Very heavy - among the worst on this site. A dense undercoat that sheds year-round and comes out in sheets twice a year.
Minimal. Puppies play a little; adults are dignified and largely uninterested in games.
Low.
Low. Intelligent and thoroughly indifferent to your opinion - they cooperate on their own terms and never reliably under pressure.
Very strong. Territorial, watchful, serious, and quiet enough that the warning comes late.
High. Several deep brushing sessions a week for life, daily in season, plus professional de-shedding - one of the biggest grooming commitments here.
Moderate. Their low exercise needs suit small homes well, and heat, humidity, other dogs and a stream of visitors all suit them badly.
Lifestyle fit
Could This Be Your Best Breed?
A Chow Chow needs a cool home more than a large one - exercise runs to thirty or forty-five minutes - and an experienced owner with patience and no illusions. Grooming is several thorough sessions a week and daily during the shed, and the total runs $2,200 to $3,600 a year across a life of eight to twelve years. The people who give these up wanted an affectionate family dog in a lion's coat, usually in a warm climate and usually on a first dog.
Living Space
A house or a decent apartment - their exercise needs are genuinely low. What matters far more is temperature: a heavy northern coat and a shortened muzzle make them one of the worst breeds on this site in heat.
Pup Experience
Not a first dog. Chow Chows are independent to the point of indifference, naturally suspicious of strangers, and often difficult with other dogs - and none of that responds to the training approaches that work on a Labrador. Owners need patience and realistic expectations.
Daily Pup Time
Thirty to forty-five minutes of steady walking, in cool parts of the day. Grooming is the real commitment: several thorough sessions a week, and daily during the seasonal shed.
Allergies & Coat
The Chow Chow scores 9/10 for shedding and 2/10 for drooling. No dog is truly hypoallergenic. The allergens come from dander and saliva, and a dog that sheds this much will leave plenty of hair behind - especially on your furniture, floors, and clothes.
Quirks & challenges
The Not-So-Easy Stuff
Aloof by Nature
They are not demonstrative and will not become so. Getting one hoping for a cuddly dog ends badly for both of you.
Suspicious of Strangers
Territorial and serious about it. Heavy early socialization is what keeps that from becoming a real problem.
Dog Aggression
Same-sex conflict is common and they do not back down. Dog parks are usually a mistake.
Entropion Is Near-Universal
Deep-set eyes and heavy folds mean rolled eyelids. Most need surgery, often before their first birthday.
They Overheat Badly
A dense double coat and a shortened muzzle. Summer walks belong at dawn and dusk, never midday.
The Coat Is a Real Job
One of the heaviest shedders on this site, with a dense undercoat that mats if it is left.
The good, the bad & the hairy
Health, Care & Costs
Understanding the health risks and ongoing costs of a Chow Chow helps you plan for a happy, healthy life together.
8-12 years
$85-$130
per groom (bath, full blow-out, de-shedding, nails, ears), every 6-8 weeks ($650-$1,100/year)
$2,200-$3,600/year
all-in (food, routine vet, grooming, insurance, incidentals)
Health Risks
Conditions this breed is prone to.
The eyelids roll inward so the lashes scrape the cornea, causing pain, ulceration and eventual scarring. Deep-set eyes and heavy facial folds make it very common in this breed, and it usually needs surgical correction in the first year. Budget for it as likely rather than possible.
The joints develop loosely or unevenly and wear into arthritis, sometimes needing surgery. The breed's unusually straight hind legs change how force travels through the joint, and rates here are high even by large-breed standards. Ask to see both parents' scores.
Pressure builds inside the eye, which is painful and destroys vision quickly if it is not treated. It is an emergency when it happens, and the breed is predisposed - any squinting, redness or cloudiness warrants a same-day appointment.
The immune system attacks the thyroid, which then under-produces, causing weight gain, lethargy and coat and skin problems. Diagnosed by blood test and controlled with an inexpensive daily tablet for life.
The soft palate is too long for the shortened muzzle and partially obstructs the airway, causing noisy breathing and poor heat tolerance. Combined with the dense coat it is the reason this breed struggles so badly in summer, and severe cases are corrected surgically.
The stomach fills with gas and twists, cutting off its own circulation, and it kills within hours without emergency surgery. Split meals and keep hard exercise well clear of them.
Insurance & Health Coverage
Two separate problems, and the first is not medical. The Chow Chow appears on home insurer exclusion lists and landlord restricted-breed lists regularly, and an aloof, territorial dog rehomes badly. Get a position in writing before there is a puppy.
On health, take cover out before the first vet visit if you can. Entropion surgery is close to expected in this breed and it usually happens inside the first year - exactly when most owners have not organized a policy yet. Once it is on the record, eyes are excluded, which also removes the glaucoma cover you would badly want later.
Joint disease is the other expensive one, and grooming is the recurring cost people underestimate: a professional de-shed on this coat every six to eight weeks for a decade runs well past a thousand dollars a year in some markets.
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Care needs
The Daily Routine
Grooming
A dense standoff double coat that needs thorough brushing right down to the skin two or three times a week, and daily through the twice-yearly shed when the undercoat lets go completely. Surface brushing is not enough - mats form underneath and become a skin problem. Smooth coats are easier but shed just as heavily. The face folds and eyes want checking regularly, and the coat must never be shaved, since it insulates against heat as well as cold.
Exercise
Thirty to forty-five minutes of steady walking, split and timed around the temperature. They are low-energy dogs with no interest in running, and their straight hind legs make sustained high-impact work a poor idea anyway.
Food & Weight
Two measured meals with hard activity kept clear of them given the bloat risk. They are easy to overfeed under all that coat, and extra weight worsens both the joint problems and the heat tolerance - go by feel through the ribs rather than by eye.
Similar breeds
If This Isn’t Quite the One
Chinese Shar-Pei
The closest match - another ancient Chinese working breed with the same aloofness, the same edge with other dogs, and a similarly long list of eye and skin problems. The Shar-Pei needs far less grooming; the Chow needs far less skin management.
Akita
The same dignified, independent, one-family temperament in a larger northern package. Both are serious guardians, both are difficult with other dogs, and both shed enormously. The Akita is more active and more trainable.