Domestic Breeds & Types Codexery

Chow Chow

Ancient spitz-type dog with a distinctive blue-black tongue.

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The breed is distinctive for its purple or blue-black tongue, a color that also extends to the lips, and is the only dog breed with this bluish color in its oral cavity.[1] Originally from Northern China, the Chow Chow is a spitz-type breed with a square, sturdy profile and a very dense double coat that can be either smooth or rough.[2][3]

Biology and range

Genetic research indicates the Chow Chow is a basal breed, meaning it existed before the modern breeds that appeared in the 19th century.[4] Through its ancient development, the breed acquired distinctive morphological and physiological traits such as a dark tongue, a thick coat, and a more robust physique.[5] It is recorded that a Chinese ruler possessed 5,000 Chow dogs.[3] Marco Polo noted that the Chinese used Chows to pull sleds through swampy areas.[3]

The neck area has especially thick fur, which creates a noticeable ruff or mane.[3] The hind legs are notably straight, leading to a stilted walking style, and the tail, which is thickly haired, curls up and rests on the dog's back.[1]

What the specialist sources record

A UK study found the Chow Chow to be predisposed to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.[6] The American Kennel Club records about 10,000 new Chow Chow registrations each year, while the Canadian Kennel Club records about 350.[3] In a North American study, hip dysplasia was found in 6.44% of Chow Chows, compared to a 3.52% rate across all breeds.[7] A separate North American study reported that the Chow Chow has the highest rate of elbow dysplasia, with 48.6% of dogs over two years old being affected.[8]

Another North American study identified the Chow Chow as having the third-highest prevalence of glaucoma, with 4.7% of dogs affected versus 0.89% for all breeds.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Chow Chow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wilcox, "The Chow Chow", Capstone, April 1, 1999; Wilcox, "The Chow Chow", Capstone, April 1, 1999; Wilcox, "The Chow Chow", Capstone, April 1, 1999 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Chow Chow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Case, Linda P. (2005). The Dog: Its Behavior, Nutrition, and Health (2nd ed.), p. 23. Blackwell Publishing. . (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Chow Chow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wilcox, "The Chow Chow", Capstone, April 1, 1999 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Chow Chow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Larson, G, "Rethinking dog domestication by integrating genetics, archeology, and biogeography", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2012, p. 8878–83 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Chow Chow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hechuan Yang, "The origin of chow chows in the light of the East Asian breeds", BMC Genomics, 2001–2010, p. 174 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Chow Chow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Batchelor, "Breed Associations for Canine Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency", Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2007, p. 207–214 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Chow Chow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Witsberger, "Prevalence of and risk factors for hip dysplasia and cranial cruciate ligament deficiency in dogs", Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2008-06-15, p. 1818–1824 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Chow Chow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Oberbauer, "Long-term genetic selection reduced prevalence of hip and elbow dysplasia in 60 dog breeds", PLOS ONE, 2017-02-24 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Chow Chow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gelatt, "Prevalence of the breed-related glaucomas in pure-bred dogs in North America", Veterinary Ophthalmology, 2004, p. 97–111 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Chow Chow (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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