Chow Chows and Wikipedia...

So the Chow page on Wikipedia has these quotes...

"Chows are an aggressive breed, fiercely protective of their people and property and should only be adopted by experienced dog owners who have the time and energy to devote to proper training and socialization."

Okay, I agree with some of the last bit, but not the first part. I, personally, do not believe that aggression is a characteristic of ANY breed. It may be a characteristic of individual dogs, and some breeds may have more dogs prone to it, but it is not a characteristic of any breed. I have never met a responsible, intelligent breeder/handler/trainer say "blank is an aggressive breed". Maybe "Chow Chows are a breed that is more inclined to be territorial, over it's home and owner, and is not overly happy to have its space invaded" or "Chow Chows are an aloof breed that often regard strangers with suspicion" would be better.

Due to their aggression towards strangers or other animals, they should not be let off a leash or kept in an unfenced yard.

This I find particularly annoying. Any dog with a reliable, tested and true, recall and well socialized can be off leash (provided it is "safe" and legal to do so). While Chows can be defiant, the majority of the ones in my neighborhood (there's a whopping 8) are well socialized and have a good recall. It's up to the owner to assess whether or not it is safe to allow their dogs off-lead. This blanket statement is annoying. Now

Also, one of the links sited went on to say...

Chows are naturally aggressive toward dogs of the same sex... Chows should be kept in a single-dog family, or raised alongside a second dog of the opposite sex and similar size.

Depending on the individual dogs, their temperaments, and the experience/willingness of owners, more than one chow, of the same sex, can live peacefully under the same roof. I have a friend who has three, all female. I know of another who has two males.

Chows should not be raised around small children...

Chows are not inclined to allow roughhousing and abuse. If your four year old insists on grabbing the dog's tail, or riding it, the dog may practice avoidance or retaliate. Sure, and there are a lot of great bully breeds who will happily tolerate that type of handling from children. Chows aren't one of them, but that doesn't mean they can't be raised with kids. It just means that the owner/parent should use their head, supervise at all times, and teach their kids from an early age what is good-touch and what is bad-touch for dogs.



Give Chows a chance! They aren't all dog-aggressive, human-aggressive, child attackers!

ChowChow.org • View topic - Chows and Kids-- Any Questions?
ChowChow.org • View topic - Latest Picture of Matilda and Maisie
ChowChow.org • View topic - Respectful Girls
(None of these dogs are mine, I only have the one chow mix Cameron, and my other dog is a boy, and I'm not a kid, so alas, I have no proof of my dog)

I take anything on Wikipedia with a grain of salt. That said, unfortunately, I've only met 3 Chows in my lifetime who have not fit their description- 2 were raised by the same people, and, according to my vet (who I worked for at the time), those people have always had very nice Chows. The other one was adopted from a shelter by one of our sons's friends.

this attitude has put so many pit owners in trouble because they think love will overcome genetics.
the fact is there are many breeds bred for aggression of some sort. LGDs were developed w/ high levels of animal aggression (and some were also bred for high human aggression) & expansive pack bonds. bull & terriers were bred for high levels of dog aggression. terriers in general are bred for high levels of aggression toward other animals. sighthounds & scenthounds also. cur dogs from the frontier era were bred for a high level of stranger aggression and old fashioned leopard dogs (catahoulas) & blackmouths are very fila like in their dislike of strangers on their property & around their family.
understand too that some people will argue that some of this is prey drive. but prey drive w/o aggression results in dogs chasing things but not catching, even though they could.
not understanding this sets yourself & the dog up for failure.

I would rather have a breed description over-warn about a breed's potentially bad aspects than under-warn and have a novice owner in over their heads.

I have to agree with pops on this one!!

Genetics will always usually win. Terriers were bred to kill rodents. Its an aggression towards the rodent. They also can be aggressive towards other dogs. My terrier might not be full outright aggressive, but she has a low tolerance for some dogs which as she matures more might turn out full blown aggression who knows. Genetics plays a role. Its happened.

You have to fully look into a breed when researching, The good the bad and the ugly. Although I don't agree with a lot of what was said in Wiki.

Like the SSA quote that is something I would take very seriously. It might not be the norm to have three females together for me its not worth the chance. You bet my next dog which is going to be a mastiff is going to be a male. I am not taking that change of having a SSA Mastiff or terrier.

Chows are great in the right home. Assuming you can find a well bred chow, the owner is dog savvy, and the moon and the stars align to actually place a chow in a home that is up to dealing with a training a chow. Far too many of these dogs however end up in the wrong homes, and are poorly bred.

While you should take what you read on the internet with a BS meter and a splash guard if you chat with people who see a ton of dogs in a year you will hear trends about chows and chow mixes. I wish I could say after encountering as many chows as I have that I felt their rep was entirely undeserved. I have met some very randomly aggressive mentally wrong chows which weren't above self mutilation. I've seen those those who would take seriously solid swipes at their owners for applying any pressure like *get in the car*. I have met some seriously dog aggressive chows,with intent to kill.

I think of the numbers of chows I've met over two states I can count on one hand the dogs that weren't seriously off in some way.

Hmm, I get what you are saying.

My problem is that it's becoming easier and easier to say "all blanks are like this, and all blanks are like this". I think it was too biased, and it didn't advocate owner responsibility (although the article was copy and pasted from other sources).

It puts the entire breed in a bad light, and I think an article that articulates owner responsibility, sound breeding, and proper socialization would do more people good who are interested in the breed.

Maybe I'm being unrealistic, but I don't think aggression should be sited as a characteristic of breeds that guard. Rather, "natural guarding behavior can become aggression due to blah blah blah."

that's because you've never watched a pack of LGDs leave their sheep and run 400 yds across open desert to bite the doors & tires on 3 humvees full of Marines.

I'm on my third Chow and none have been remotely human aggressive or nasty *shrug*

Now, they have had varying attractions to strangers...my late Legend would happily accept strangers if they wanted to pet him, but could take them or leave them. Aesop loves strangers. All of them. He lets people walk in the gate if he's in the yard (pizza delivery people have, indeed, done this), reach over the gate to pet him (delivery people and road workers have done this) and will approach any and all people with his butt end wiggling. Goose wants nothing to do with strangers. Ever. She never growls, gives stinkeye or anything else threatening, she just promptly leaves and doesn't deign to give them a second glance. She likes her immediate family and that's it. She's fine for vets and such handling her.

All of my Chows have accepted grooming and other handling happily..Aesop will lay on his side for his two hour bath,brush,blow dry process. They lay still for nail dremeling. They don't mind being told to do things and are well mannered. Sits, downs, wait, in and out of the car (and waiting to get out of the car) etc are routine things we do. None pull on the leash. I do not train with collar corrections or harsh methods, perhaps this helps.

We'll always have Chows in our home as they're the perfect fit for us

That said, I never recommend the breed to anyone. Not because I think they are challenging, but because I can't stand the thought of the wrong person getting my breed.

I will also note that there is a vast difference in the well bred Chows I know and the BYB Chows I see...both in looks and temperament.

i've truly enjoyed the chows I have met.

This would be the moment I would swoop in and eat the flock of sheep... stoopid dogs.

That's just sort of sugar coating it though. Breeds bred for guarding were developed to have aggression in certain situations. Isn't it better to just come out and say it? I always tell people that if dogs exhibiting aggression is a problem for you, don't consider getting a GSD. Their proper temperament includes a certain amount of "aggression". It doesn't makes them them dangerous or untrustworthy dogs but it isn't something everyone wants to deal with.

I haven't been around a ton of Chows but the ones I have experience with have like many breeds had a range of temperament types. I know someone who absolutely loves chows and chow mixes. Their oldest child learned to walk by balancing herself against their Chow If you dispute what's on Wiki, why not add your own info? I think there's a way you can do that but I'm not totally sure.

they just breed them to be more proactive. no real pack predators there, brown hyenas, jackals & desert lynx are about it.

So I now know the secret if I'm hungry and stranded in the middle east... The old bait and switch. ;-)

I'm going to drag out my old rant about the overuse of the word "aggressive."

Very few dogs are truly aggressive. Most of what is termed aggression is really defensive behavior. Aggression implies an offence as opposed to defending a position, territory, livestock, family.

I must admit, I agree with you. I have never met a chow in my life, however I am a firm believer in every dog is different.

There are exceptions to every rule. Same sex aggression occurs quite often with a lot of different breeds. Heck, one of the general bits of advice here and many other dog places, is to get an opposite gender dog to the one you have to give better odds for them getting along, no matter what breed.