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Anonymous
I was thinking about getting a chow but I have heard mixed reviews on them. Are they friendly or what? Does anyone here know? Also do they get along with other dogs?
>> Anonymous
A high school friend's neighbor had a chow. That fucker was mean.
Maybe because its owner kept it chained to a pole in the backyard.
>> Joker is a FEMALE!
I had a chow shepard mix, she was the most loving, gentle thing ever.
>> Anonymous
I had a pure chow and she was the sweetest dog in the world. If you don't mistreat them or train them to be aggressive, they shouldn't be a problem.
>> Anonymous
Chows can be trained to be non-aggressive, but I've never seen a chow that was simply sweet by nature. I'm not saying they don't exist. They're just rare.

I had one when I was growing up, and despite lavish attention and moderate training, it eventually had to be put down for attacking people.

They also tend to be violent around other domestic animals, especially cats, although I've seen them maul chickens to death before too. I've got (many) scars to prove that they'll attempt to maul children as well.

Unless you feel like spending a LOT of time training and supervising the animal, I would avoid getting a chow in favor of just about any other breed of dog.

I've seen trained wolves that weren't as violent as the average chow.
>> Anonymous
Chows by nature are guard dogs. Thats what they are made for.

My girlfriends family has owned Chows now for about 20 years. They have 3 at the moment. 1 is pure business but is sweet when everyone first gets home for the day then she is on the clock and wont be nice for hours.

the other 2 are family inside/outside dogs. They still guard stuff without trying tho. Its just who they are.

I never really cared for them until I met these dogs and they are awesome.
>> Anonymous
Before I was born my parents had a chow named Bear. To this day, I still hear stories about how insanely mean it was.
>> Anonymous
A friend of mine has a male and a female. While the Male is picky and tends to hate men, the female falls in love with everyone and everything she comes in contact with. If you want to get a breed like this, i'd try to get one from a reputable breeder so you can meet the parents. Sometimes, no matter how much you try to train them or how nice you are, it's just too hard to get past their genes. It's the same with people as well. Some families have long histories of violence and it's hard otherwise to get it out of them. Just be very observative!
>> Joker is a FEMALE!
>>46188
Me and my husband;s friends, The Hanks', have a Chow, pure, she's not aggressive at all, great with children and other animals (she met my cats recently and was very sweet to them, even when one of them kept attacking her)

She has not an agressive or mean bone in her body, and they've not done extensive training to make her like that, she was always a loving and protective, sweet chow.
>> Anonymous
Guard dogs are like that. They are either angry guards or loving guards.

I have a sharpei who has never hurt another animal or person, ever. But she barks and growls at any stranger because that's what they were bred to do. Sharpeis can also be mean and aggresive. Same with chows.
>> tigerfeather
Simply put? Generally not. Not friendly with other dogs, or with strangers, sometimes not even with members of the family.

Most Chows are very stubborn about being trained, especially if you're trying to change their inbred behaviours. I work with dogs, and although every dog breed has the ability to be a mean dog, Chows are by far some of the worst to deal with. They are generally very difficult to work with, and will accept basic training, but are for the most part very uncomfortable with being touched, especially around the rump and feet areas. Keep in mind that most Chows are of the longhaired variety, and you'd HAVE to brush this rear, and you would have to trim those nails.

Now, I HAVE seen Chows that are very good and very sweet and let us do anything to them, but they are rare and hard to find and are usually "born that way." Whenever a Chow is set to come into our shop, we fully expect to have to muzzle the dog with nail trims and brushouts, possibly having to have another person hold the dog while we trim the nails, and in about 35% of the cases send the dog home without clipped nails because the dog needs to be sedated to do so.

To sum it up? I would only recommend Chow Chows to experienced dog owners who have had well trained (not well-behaved or calm, as that is part personality) dogs and has been through at least an advanced obedience class.
>> Anonymous
The people in this thread with the nice, gentle chows are the lucky minority. I'm going to suggest against getting one since the majority of these dogs seem to be very aggressive in nature.

Chows are one of the oldest 'purebred' dogs in existence. They were domesticated for the purpose of being guard dogs in ancient China.

In other words, if you're looking for a gentle, playful chow, you're going to have to overcome 3000 years of breeding, either through training, genetics, or luck.
>> Anonymous
At least the OP had the sense to ask for advice about the breed. It drives me nuts when people get a dog for looks but, have no idea what the breed is like. They then can't understand what went wrong then give the dog to a pound.
>> Anonymous
Some insurance companies won't insure you if you have a chow. It's on the list of dogs that they don't allow. I was bitten by one when I was a child (I was only petting it on the head softly). I still have the scar. I had to go to the hospital. I would not recommend getting one.
>> Anonymous
I had a purebred chow about 9 years back.

She was a very good and loving dog, got along very well with our big Labrador we had, and was very gentle even around little kids. I don't think I ever heard so much as a growl out of her aside from playing.
>> Joker is a FEMALE!
>>46659
every chow I've ever met was a sweetheart.
I've had more issues with Rots then any other dog ever.
THOSE fuckers are mean X_x;
>> Anonymous
once i saw a lady on the street with two chows and i pet them and they weren't mean. they're not like labs or golden retrievers who lick you and go crazy affectionate on you, but theyre so cute ;3;
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
I have a chow about 2.5 years old right now, a really cool dog to have. My dog never bark before except sometimes the doorbells, and treats strangers very nicely. Too bad that everyone are afraid of chows because my dog is pretty big but it's a funny dog that it get really scared when it's raining and hide in the basement for no reason.
>> Anonymous
There used to be a chow chow that lived around the corner from us. Beautiful dog, obedient and intelligent. Friendly to strangers and other dogs. It died though. It is a bigger dog so, like other big dogs, they tend to have more health issues related to them.
>> Anonymous
I've been a vet tech most of my working career, so I have come into contact with many chows as well as have owned a few. It seems like it is hit or miss with this breed.
But like with all dogs, the way they are raised has alot to do with how they are as adults.
If you are worried about agression, go to a reputable breeder, meet the parents first, choose your pup and socialize, socialize, socialize with people, children, other dogs, and cats. If you raise it to be a nice dog, it more than likely will be.
>> Anonymous
Personally coming from knowing someone who took in bouvies (sp?) that were abused and turned them around and was known worldwide the most important thing with large dogs is knowing you are in control. They can overpower you, they are stronger, and faster than you. So you have to make sure you are in control. If your not with a large dog, people can get hurt.