The Chow Chow puppy is absolutely fascinating and enchanting,
and to the inexperienced they all look of the same quality!
However, remember that this cuddly little ball of fluff
is going to grow up into a solidly built, sometimes very heavily
coated dog with very strong opinions on how to live life!

The Chow Chow's lifespan averages 8 - 16 years, therefore
you want to be sure that you are choosing your pup well.
It is very important to know what you want, before you even start contacting breeders. And know without fail, that there are many people out there breeding puppies purely for perceived profit.

Are you looking at a pet Chow? Do you want a show Chow?
Do you intend breeding with your Chow? What lifestyle do
you have? Is your property fenced? Who will take the responsibility to groom the Chow? Can you afford the kind of food that best suits the Chow's needs?

Selective, responsible breeding is time-consuming and very costly!
Expect the concerned breeder to ask many questions, and feel free to raise your own concerns.

Choosing a Chow Chow as a Pet:
Start off with the decision that if you acquire a Chow Chow strictly as a pet, you will have it
spayed/neutered as soon as recommended by your veterinarian. To discourage the tendency of folks saying
they'd like a pet quality Chow - in order to pay less - and then actually breeding that pet, you will find
responsible breeders have a similar price for pet and show quality pups, with individual arrangements based
upon the assesment of each pup. Because of all the effort & money going into improving Chow Chows as a breed, registered dogs will usually be more expensive than back-yard bred chows.

Pet quality pups are those pups that have breed faults which should not be perpetuated. Some faults are:
spotted tongue, light coloured nose/eyes, drop ears, one/no testicles, over/under shot bite (misaligned teeth), narrow chest, entropion, or simply too 'light' or too 'heavy' in bone or head.

Do not buy a puppy which has not received it's first vaccination and deworming at 6 weeks, done by a
qualified veterinarian (NOT the breeder). Make sure you receive a valid vaccination certificate as proof!

"Caveat Emptor!" - Buyer Beware!
Ever heard the expression - "you get what you pay for"? This has proved true way too often true when buying back-yard bred or unregistered chow chow puppies at a cheap price. Neither the cheapest nor the most expensive are indicative of quality or proper rearing. Be an informed buyer - know what you are letting yourself in for when buying any chow chow puppy.

Please be extremely careful when buying a chow chow as a pet for a child. Do not make the mistake thinking that buying "just a pet" means it is fine to buy an unregistered Chow Chow. Buying a pet quality Chow is not buying a reject - it's quality is as important as buying a show dog! It must be sound and healthy (proven by health tests in it's pedigree), able to live a normal life. Of course it must look like a Chow (look at chows in it's certified official pedigree.) and it must have a good temperament! Pups are clumsy, but it should have no discomfort in getting up from sitting or lying down. It should have no discomfort moving. If slight entropion is already present, it will only get worse, and in pricing the pup, the breeder should have taken into account the operation you will need to do, to correct the problem.

Beware of so-called 'Bargain Puppies' and unregistered puppies! Cheap puppies are raised cheaply for sale at as large as possible a perceived profit or just because the owners were too careless to prevent the litter from happening. This can, and mostly does, lead to heartbreak, including problems and vetbills, which all add up to the initial expense of buying a properly reared dog.

The breeder choosing to breed unregistered chows is avoiding accountability completely and is interested only in the money the puppies will bring in (despite the most innovative & convincing claims to the contrary). This should set off alarmbells in your head as the buyer - registration is relatively inexpensive. These breeders will promise you that the parentage is excellent (even perhaps predominantly registered - usually from parentage sold by the breeders as not suitable for breeding, but then bred by pet owners anyway). They will attempt to prove this by numerous (photocopies) registration papers or grand parents registration papers (which may not at all be accurate - how would you know the parent is not the chow look-a-like down the road?). They will swear to you that health is excellent (which may not be true - how do they prove it if they do no health testing?). They will promise you that temperaments are great (but how do they prove that this puppy is not from grandparents known for sheer aggression?)

They don't, in reality, care - for once you have parted with your money - the relationship between buyer & breeder effectively ends. You cannot complain to a registry body about their practices, you may have enormous vet bills to pay & you may have to euthanase your dog because of temperament issues - after much trauma to the family. If there are registered breeders who succumb to these practices (and yes, there are the odd ones) how much stronger your chances are to encounter these practices in unregistered breeders where quick money is the main motivating force! It is ultimately your decision - you take the risk - but please know - we did say "Caveat Emptor!" - Buyer Beware!!

The Chow Chow's rich history, 
breed standards, colours and coat types,
the smooth chow chow, and much more! 
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