Chow Chow
Height43–51 cm (17–20 in)
Weight20–32 kg (44–71 lbs)
TypeNon-Sporting
Life Expectancy8–12 yrs
OriginChina
An ancient, lion-maned breed famous for its blue-black tongue and dignified bearing. Chow Chows are deeply loyal to their owners but reserved and territorial, making them excellent watchdogs.
Breed Ratings
Personality
Intelligence
3/5
Trainability
2/5
Playfulness
2/5
Energy Level
2/5
Social
Good with Kids
2/5
Good with Dogs
2/5
Good with Strangers
1/5
Lifestyle
Apartment Friendly
3/5
Exercise Needs
2/5
Watchdog Ability
5/5
Barking Level
2/5
Care
Shedding
4/5
Grooming Needs
4/5
Health Robustness
2/5
Where Are Chow Chows From?
Chow Chows are among the oldest identifiable dog breeds, with genetic studies confirming they’re one of the first breeds to diverge from wolves. Originating in northern China over 2,000 years ago, they served as temple guardians, sled pullers, and hunting dogs. Chinese emperors kept kennels with thousands of Chow Chows, and the breed appears in Han Dynasty pottery and paintings. The English name “Chow Chow” likely derives from pidgin English used by 18th-century British merchants to describe miscellaneous cargo from China — the dogs were literally cataloged as “stuff.”
What Is It Like Living With a Chow Chow?
A Chow Chow behaves less like a conventional dog and more like an independent, dignified roommate who tolerates your presence. They’re fiercely loyal to their immediate family but profoundly indifferent to everyone else. A Chow Chow won’t greet guests at the door — they’ll observe from across the room and decide whether the visitor merits acknowledgment. They’re territorial, naturally protective, and require early, persistent socialization to prevent aggression toward strangers and other dogs. Training demands patience and mutual respect; heavy-handed methods produce a Chow Chow that shuts down completely.
How Much Exercise Does a Chow Chow Need?
Despite their bear-like build, Chow Chows have modest exercise requirements — 30–45 minutes of daily walking keeps them content. They’re not athletic dogs and don’t enjoy fetch, agility, or vigorous play. Short, calm walks suit their temperament and physical design. Heat sensitivity is extreme due to their dense coat and flat facial structure, so warm-weather exercise must be carefully managed. They prefer cool environments and will seek out the coldest spot in the house during summer.
How Often Do You Need to Groom a Chow Chow?
The dense double coat — either rough (long) or smooth (short) — requires brushing three to four times weekly, increasing to daily during the heavy shedding seasons. Professional grooming every six to eight weeks maintains coat health. Health concerns include entropion, hip and elbow dysplasia, autoimmune thyroiditis, and patellar luxation. Chow Chows are disproportionately affected by pemphigus foliaceus, an autoimmune skin disease, and their sensitivity to anesthesia requires veterinarians experienced with the breed during any surgical procedure.
Are Chow Chows Healthy?
Chow Chows are well-matched with calm, experienced owners who appreciate a reserved, cat-like companion, single-person or couple households, and people who don’t expect effusive affection from their dog. They’re poorly suited for families with young children, social households with frequent visitors, or first-time owners. The detail that fascinated even Sigmund Freud (who kept Chow Chows and had them present during therapy sessions): the breed’s distinctive blue-black tongue extends to their lips and gums, and no one has definitively explained why. Puppies are born with pink tongues that darken within eight to ten weeks.
Our Honest Take on the Chow Chow
Chow Chows are not for most people, and the breed community is generally honest about that. They're cat-like, aloof, and bite when pushed — which is exactly what some experienced owners want.
Common Mistakes New Owners Make
- 1Treating them like a typical fluffy family dog. Chows tolerate handling on their terms; forcing affection is the #1 cause of bites in the breed.
- 2Skipping entropion screening. Chow eyelids roll inward in 20–30% of dogs; corrective surgery is $1,500–$3,000 and often needed before age 2.
- 3Underestimating the heat. Their double coat and short muzzle make heatstroke a real risk above 80°F; A/C is non-negotiable in most US climates.
- 4Choosing a backyard breeder. Hip dysplasia rates exceed 40% in poorly-bred Chows; OFA-tested parents are a hard requirement.
Who Should Think Twice
Skip the Chow Chow if you have young children, frequent guests, other dogs you want it to socialize with at the dog park, or expectations of cuddly affection. Also avoid if you can't commit to weekly thorough brushing of the double coat (matting leads to hot spots), or if you live anywhere consistently above 85°F without strong air conditioning. First-time owners should look elsewhere — Chows test handlers and require quiet confidence, not dominance or permissiveness.
Real Costs in 2026
Chow Chow puppies from health-tested breeders (hips, elbows, eyes, thyroid): $1,800–$4,000 in 2026 — be wary of anything cheaper, as it almost certainly skips testing. Annual costs including premium food ($55–$70/month), professional grooming every 6–8 weeks ($90–$130), and routine vet care total $2,400–$3,500. Pet insurance at $60–$80/month is wise given entropion, hip, and skin fold infection risks.
Living With a Chow Chow: Year by Year
Chow puppyhood is unusual — they are puppy-cute for about 8 weeks and then start showing their cat-like adult temperament early. By month 4, most Chow puppies are already selective about handling, prefer specific people, and refuse forced affection. Adolescence (8-24 months) brings the guardian instincts online; alarm-barking, refusal to greet visitors, and same-sex dog intolerance emerge gradually. Prime adulthood (2-9) is what experienced Chow people love: a dignified, low-maintenance dog that bonds deeply to one or two people, ignores strangers gracefully, and lives in the house like a beautiful, slightly grumpy cat. The surprise that catches first-time owners is the bite statistics: Chow Chows feature heavily in bite incident reports, almost always because someone pushed handling past the dog's tolerance. They warn clearly but briefly, and humans who don't read the warning get bitten. Senior years are typically 11-13, with hip dysplasia, entropion, and luxating patellas being the most documented late-life concerns.
The Training Reality
Chows are intelligent but not biddable — Coren ranks them at the bottom of his working-intelligence list (134th of 138), but this reflects their refusal to comply with arbitrary requests, not stupidity. Housetrained by month 4-5; the breed is naturally clean. Marker training works only if the dog respects the handler; pure cookie-pushing produces a dog that takes the treat and walks away. The realistic ceiling is reliable house manners, sit/down/come in low-distraction environments, and basic public manners. Off-leash work is not realistic for most Chows. The training pitfall is socialization timing: Chows have a brutal critical socialization window (4-16 weeks) and missing it produces adults that view strangers as threats. The breakthrough is treating them as collaborative partners — ask, don't tell, and respect the dog's autonomy. Skip harsh handling at all costs; Chows respond to physical corrections with calm, decisive bites and many never re-engage with the handler afterward. Plan for 12-18 months of consistent, respectful work before expecting reliable behavior.
A Day in the Life
Morning is a 30-45 minute leashed walk at moderate pace; Chows are not athletic and the short muzzle plus dense double coat means heat stroke risk above 80F. Daytime they lie in cool spots, observe rather than participate, and tolerate household activity from a respectful distance. The double coat is dense and matts at the skirts, ears, and pants without weekly thorough brushing; full grooming every 6-8 weeks ($90-130) is needed for non-show coats. Sheds heavily twice yearly. Most Chows sleep 13-14 hours and remain reserved even when awake. Evening is another short walk plus calm time. The quirk owners only discover after living with one: Chows have blue-black tongues and stiff stilt-legged movement (the breed standard 'Chow gait' has limited rear angulation by design). They also rarely make eye contact in the typical dog way — Chow eye contact is brief, evaluative, and quickly broken. Many Chows do not retrieve, do not fetch, and find ball-throwing boring or insulting.
How Chow Chows Compare to Similar Breeds
Compared to a Chinese Shar-Pei, Chows are heavier-coated, slightly less medically problematic, and similarly reserved; Shar-Pei have worse skin fold and FSF issues. Compared to an Akita, Chows are smaller, calmer, and slightly less guardian-aggressive; Akitas are larger and more handler-protective. Compared to a Tibetan Mastiff, Chows are smaller and more apartment-compatible but share the territorial reserve; TMs are dramatically larger working guardians. Compared to a Samoyed, Chows are dramatically more reserved and less suited to family life; Samoyeds are friendly and need constant company. If you want the look without the temperament reserve, a Keeshond is friendlier and more biddable; an Eurasier (developed by crossing Chow + Wolfspitz + Samoyed) was specifically bred to keep the Chow aesthetic with a more sociable temperament.
Great For
- Low-activity households
- Home security
Think Twice If
- You dislike cleaning up fur
- You want low grooming effort
- You have young children
- You're a first-time owner
- Vet bills are a concern
- You have frequent guests
Are Chow Chows Prone to Health Issues?
Chow Chows are predisposed to: hip dysplasia, entropion, hypothyroidism, bloat. Regular vet checkups and health screening are strongly recommended.
Health Robustness
2/5
How Much Does a Chow Chow Cost?
Purchase Price
$1,500–$4,000
Monthly Food
$55
Annual Vet
$700
Annual Grooming
$250
Est. First Year
~$4,360
Est. Annual
~$1,610
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Chow Chow cost?
A Chow Chow puppy typically costs $1,500–$4,000. The estimated first-year cost including food, vet visits, and grooming is around $4,360, with ongoing annual costs of approximately $1,610.
How long do Chow Chows live?
Chow Chows have an average lifespan of 8 to 12 years. Common health concerns include hip dysplasia, entropion, hypothyroidism, bloat.
Are Chow Chows good with kids?
Chow Chows score 2/5 for being good with children. They may not be the best choice for families with young children and require careful supervision.
Do Chow Chows shed a lot?
Chow Chows have a shedding level of 4/5. They are heavy shedders and require regular brushing to manage loose fur.
Are Chow Chows good for apartments?
Chow Chows score 3/5 for apartment friendliness. They can live in apartments with sufficient daily exercise and mental stimulation.