The Chow Chow is a proud, dignified and calm dog. Therefore he is also well suited as a family-dog.

Due to his self-assured character training takes a lot of patience, love and determination. Most Chows certainly aren't suitable for traditional obedience classes. The Chow Chow learns commands easily, but only follows them when he deems them necessary and estimates them to be right. He doesn't know unconditional obedience. He would, however, go to any length to defend his beloved family. The Chow Chow is an excellent guard-dog, especialy when it's dark. Even when he seems to be sound asleep, he still sees and hears everything. But Chows don't bark!

The Chow Chow has a remarkable exterior. His frowning look (Scowl) must be the result of correctly positioned ears, never of loose skin.

A particular trait of this breed is its blue tongue, the strait hindquarters and the resulting characteristic gait.

The Chow Chow is a medium sized dog with a shoulder-height of 46 – 56 cm.

His rough coat (smooth coated Chows exist too, but are rare) is most often red or black (creams, fawns and blues are rare). Coat-care is easier than you might suspect.

The Chow Chow is a very cleanly dog. He thoroughly dislikes rain and getting his paws wet. Baths are therefore only necessary if he has gotten his coat really dirty outside. Normaly regular grooming will be enough to keep him clean.

Thanks to his size and character he is easy to keep in a house or in an appartment. Having been trained from the beginning, he will also stay alone for a few hours without any problem. He will most likely spend the time taking a beauty-nap.