Presented by

Vanessa Nicolau     Kimekai Chow Chows ( South Africa)

Will Judy’s writing in 1934 best sums up the Chow Chow .

"Some of the uncertainty and curiosity concerning the Chow Chow and its official standard can be cleared away through consideration of the background of the breed. The physical and mental traits and inheritances of the Chow come from this native habitat, the land within the shadow of the North Pole. For instance the Chow is easily housebroken and is especially clean in the house. In the far north, unless the dog is secretive about these acts of nature, there would be evidence for other dogs or enemies to know the dog was nearby. The squint eye of the Chow comes from the constant looking upon the snow as the sunlight shines on it. The tail on the back must be carried because otherwise a long, low tail would be caked with snow, and would become sore, and could not be moved. In fact a dog with a hard- snow caked tail could not run, could not get game and in time would starve. Those who did not keep their tails clear of the snow passed out of the race.

The squint eye, the tail on the back, the round cat-like feet, and the scowl - all are souvenirs of the far northland and its snows and cold.

Northern climes with their long twilight nights tend to cause a silent, moody race whether of men or animals. Noise or excessive barking would be out of place and would only betray the location to an enemy. The straight hind legs which most Northern dogs possess, are best adapted for moving through the snow with an up and down or somewhat stilted gait.

The tendency towards low Chows and short-legged Chows both in America and England in recent years surely is not in accordance with the original necessity of the Chow. On the ground where there has been snow for much of the year, or for a breed which, as in the case of the Chow, is used for herding and sled work, there must be plenty of daylight under the dog: the legs must not be too short otherwise the dog cannot move properly or with any speed.

The small pointed erect ears with its slight forward tilt is especially necessary for northern dogs where both sight and hearing must be brought into play as the dog looks out upon the terrain. The forward tilting ears help the Chow to hear and help to protect the eyes against the glare of the snow

The off standing coat, really a fur, both the outer and undercoats, of course is decidedly necessary in a country of extreme cold.

The gait of the Chow is peculiar. You will note as you observe your Chow when he trots, that he raises the front feet rather straight and then throws them forward. The hind legs do not move with any leverage but are rather stilted. This is the result of the necessity of running through the snow. Otherwise the dog would push his feet against the snow and soon would have the hair of his legs snow caked and would move only with difficulty.

As one considers the heritage of the Chow from the past, particularly in view of his northern nativity, many of the mental traits of the chow and quite a few of the physical qualities as set forth in the standard are explained logically and clearly" .

A Few Reminders from the History Books ….

• the ideal chow is one, who first of all, impresses you with his balance. No virtue stands out in excess of the others. His outline is square and his coat, longer in places and shorter in others, showing the outline of his body. The legs are long enough to support the deep chest and not to look as if they had been cut off at the lower joint. His muzzle and head are large and wide but do not strike you as such till you see him with other dogs of less good heads and muzzles-.it would be a pity that one of the most unspoiled breeds should allow exaggerations to creep in and destroy what is so charming in our breed, the balance and type which are the great attractions as well as the virtues of the Chow Chow (Foreword to the second edition of the Popular Chow Chow 1933 by Alice O Fullerton (Surrey UK))

• head and expression a compact body and plenty of offstanding coat make up the general chow appearance... Unless the Chow has an upstanding carriage, a quick light step, he is not a true Chow. The good Chow must be upstanding in gait and off standing in coat(The Chow Chow by Will Judy 1934)

• the Standard requires an active, compact, short-coupled and well balanced dog, with proud, dignified bearing. Balance is a matter of proportion not size, and is of first consideration. If there is balance there is usually the rest of the requirements, be it big, medium, or small animal. The Standard calls for a lively, compact, upstanding dog, active and alert with perfect balance. This is being lost with the diminishing size (C E Collet The Chow Chow 1953)

• Let the words a well balanced dog remain foremost in your mind. The proud dignified bearing speaks for itself (The Popular Chow Chow by L Ingleton & D Rybot 1954)

Back to the present …...

Along with the presence of the breed defining features (hallmarks)  the Chow Chow must be judged as a complete picture.

He is a balanced breed with no single feature being exaggerated. It is the combination of the elements fitting together that creates BALANCE.

A beautiful dog fits together in a symmetrical whole, his features fit together with harmony and not because of perfection.

In judging dogs one must look at the complete animal, measure the animal's virtues by the Breed Standard then examine the individual parts and assess if these fit together to create an eye-catching, harmonious whole.

A judge must have a positive mental image of a correct Chow Chow

(Vanessa Nicolau – Kimekai Chow Chows)

 

The standard in Southern Africa calls for an active, compact, short-coupled and essentially well balanced dog that is leonine in appearance with a proud, dignified bearing.  His frame is well –knit and the tail carried over back. The chest is broad and deep with well sprung ribs .The back is short and level with powerful loins The shoulders are muscular and sloping with moderate length, yet good bone straight forelegs. The hind legs are muscular with well let down hocks that appear straight with little angulation and the hocks should never flex forward nor point/break inward or outward. The neck is strong and full, set well on shoulders and slightly arched and the head is carried above the topline.

Note : …This standard should be the basis of all judging and breeding, one cannot change the standard to fit the dog… The Chow Chow by Honor Green  1975

The Chow Chow – a balanced dog with many “S-s“

Around the world and in South Africa many refer to the Chow Chow and his/her "S-s””:

• Sound

• Solid Pigment

• Scowl

• Short Coupled

• Square

• Stilted Gait

Complimented  with his aloof attitude and leonine magnificent appearance , never without true balance.

The silhouette

In 1934 Will Judy wrote:

' Whether we consider the straight hind legs, the bluish-black tongue, the luxurious coat, the tail fan-like on the back, the squinting eyes, the strong muzzle, the lion-like head, or the aloof disposition of the chow, he is above all things a breed of his own kind and need never be mistaken for any other”

KUSA Breed Standard : GENERAL APPEARANCE  Active, compact, short coupled and essentially well balanced, leonine in appearance, proud, dignified bearing; well-knit frame; tail carried well over back. Should always be able to move freely and must not have so much coat as to impede activity or cause distress in hot weather.

One of the best pieces of advice ever given is to imagine that dog you are examining in a black silhouette and if the breed shape is unmistakable, open the mind to the breed defining features and examine these, if all of these are in place go through the rest of the features. At the end of this examination get the dog to move in the best way to show his gait and then award to the exhibit, which in your mind is the best example of the breed. Remember, the judge is there to find the dog’s best attributes in accordance with the breed standard and not to fault judge.

When the exhibit enters the ring and you view him on the move, you should look at the following to establish if he is essentially a Chow Chow…

• Is the dog balanced, with no single feature overdone or exaggerated?

• Does he give the impression of being an active, alert and agile dog?

• On his entrance - does he move with legs swinging like a clock pendulum from the hips and is he light in moving without lumbering ?

• Is the dog square?

• Is he proud and lion-like?

• Is his tail high set and flat on the back?

• Is his head carried above the top line?

• Does he have 4 straight solid legs?

• Is he high up on his pasterns?

• Are his stifle joints seemingly straight?

• Are the hock joints seemingly straight and relatively short?

• When standing do his back legs naturally place directly under the line of his hip joint?

• Does his luxurious, coarse off standing coat finish off the picture?

• Does he have a scowl?

• Is his mouth pigment blue-black?

• Are his eyes dark? Remember the blue and fawn may have self-coloured eyes.

• Is his nose leather black? Remember the blue and fawn may have self-coloured nose leathers and the cream may have a light nose.

  Soundness  It must be stressed that a judge is not acting in the capacity of a veterinarian on the day of his judging appointment. The chow chow is a natural breed and the issues which impact on the soundness of the dog are often caused by exaggerations.

  Some judges and breeders tend to over emphasize the importance of the head . So often we hear that a chow chow is  “Head breed”  and therefor a big head with lots of wrinkles and deep set eyes is deemed to be correct. However  a  chow chow with only an exaggerated head cannot be well balanced. This imbalance in structure then affects his everyday life and as such cannot be considered sound and healthy. It would also interfere in his ability to perform his historical function ( for example: hunting , guarding the home, herding and war).

  A few visible health issues affecting the breed include entropian (the American standards says the pupil of the eye should always be visible) and ectropion. Both are could be caused by genetics. It can also be caused by the eyes being too deep set , or by having too much flesh on the forehead that presses down over the eyes blocking the vision of the dog . It must be noted that wet eyes are not necessarily due to entropian so be careful when you make bold statements.

  Insecure hocks which flex forward when moving and even more when stacked. “Popping hocks” are a giveaway when the dog does not stand firmly on his rear legs. However, it must be noted that the chow chow stifle and hock joint is much straighter than the average canine.

  The chow chow is an active dog  and regardless of his coat type he must  move comfortably without  signs of distress.

  An elongated palate and/or small nostrils would cause a chow chow to sound like he is grunting, not to be confused with normal panting or excitement.

  Note for judges : FAULTS Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect on health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

   Note : To destroy the breed is to create exaggerations....be they in bone, in head or in coat....all which are foreign to the basic, natural beauty of the dog and ultimately to the animal's health... C E Collet The Chow Chow 1953

Measuring the square

Two American greats in the breed and each having a different measure for the square. Balance, once again, is the key word.

            Left : Samuel Draper   (Liontamer Chow Chows USA)                                                          Right: Love Banghart  (Rebelrun Chow Chows USA)

                                                      

Note for judges :  Balance and Correct proportions (square body, width of forequarters equal to width of hindquarters, distance from elbow to ground equal to one-half the height at the withers, lowest point of chest level with elbows) are to be given more emphasis when judging this breed than size.

 

Short coupled -  Harold Spira says the definition of a short back is either a back shorter than height at withers or one merely short in relation to a specific breed requirement.  Close Couple - a dog is termed short coupled or close coupled when the distance between the last rib and the commencement of the hindquarters section is relatively short and therefor stronger. (Not mentioned in the standard)

 

Pigment is important ….

Remember the man in the street recognises the Chow Chow because of his ‘blue’ tongue.

Pigment is a critical breed defining feature. There are many articles written on the genetics of the pigment across the different colours within the Chow Chow breed. Bearing in mind that the standard is written for the ideal and not necessary for what every litter produces as well as the debate as to why the Chow Chow has blue black mouth it is a fixed breed-defining feature that must be preserved.

KUSA Breed Standard : MOUTH : A solid black mouth including the roof and flews with a bluish black tongue is ideal. However some dilution may be evident in the gums of blues and fawns and this dilution may be more pronounced in creams and whites

The Chow Chow is distinctive in his breed that he requires a tongue and mouth pigment of blue / blue-black. In the black, red and solid cream Chow Chows the pigment is dark.

While there is no scientific evidence as to why, it often happens that a self red could have diluted gums. The tongues of the blues, fawns and dilute cream Chow Chows will not be as dark, and are often seen as a blue/grey or slate colour,  and medium to light in colour.

Born with pink tongues and mouth, the development of the full depth of mouth pigmentation in a Chow Chow varies and can take up to six months to fully develop.

It often happens that an injury causes the loss of pigmentation on the surface of the tongue and this may not necessarily return. Older Chow Chows can also lose their pigmentation along the edges of the tongue or on the lips from the wear & tear of the teeth.

Chow Chows under stress, in hot conditions or after exercise naturally would  show a mottled, patchy tongue - this is due to the excessive blood flow to the tongue in order to cool off (easily identified) .

Remember the solid pigment is not limited to the mouth!

KUSA Breed standard EYES: Dark, oval shaped, medium sized and clean. A matching coloured eye permissible in blues and fawns. Clean eye, free from entropion, never being penalised for sake of mere size

The eyes of a black, solid cream and red Chow Chow will always be dark with black eyerims. Blue and fawns would have a matching self coloured eye and eyerims  as per their coat colour and dilute cream Chow Chows would have a lighter eye and eyerim colour.

KUSA Breed standard  NOSE: Nose, large and wide in all cases, black with exception of cream and near white in which case a light coloured nose permissible, and in blues and fawns a self-coloured nose.(but black preferable in all cases).

In black and red Chow Chows  the nose must be black, though once again there is no scientific explanation as to why occassionally a self red can end up with a lighter nose colour.

Blues will have blueish-grey to slate (dark grey) noses and fawns will have slate (dark grey) noses.

Cream Chow Chows have either brick-red noses (a dull brick brownish red with dark outlines) or the commonly termed ‘dudley’ noses (splashed pinkish/brownish red interspersed and outlined with black, or interspersed and outlined with blue/grey).

NAILS, FOOT PADS, ANUS -  usually dark (black) , but self coloured will give you the clue as to whether those indecisive colours are solids or dilutes .

 

Chow Chow Expression: the Scowl, the Ears , the Eyes

“it is really the outward expression of the inner soul of the chow”  (Will Judy 1934)

The scowl is created by a number of points. The scowl and expression add to the uniqueness of the Chow Chow - an active, intelligent somewhat reserved and snobby dog.

The scowl is noted between the eyes, in the centre of the forehead and the top horizontal line of the forehead. Eyes and ears are important contributors to the scowl but do not singly make up the expression. It is created with the correct bone structure as well as the way the skin covers this bone. Excessive skin, folds or wrinkles do not create the scowl and is undesirable. This is then accentuated with the eyes, ears, expression  and the structure of the head.

The buttons – which are not spoken about in any breed standard, are a huge contibuting factor to  the scowling expression. Created by the bone structure and the skin and coat , the buttons are placed just above and towards the inside of the eyes.

The eye is oval shaped and when placed correctly in the skull, adds to the Oriental squinting expression, which is unique to the breed. The eyes are not actually small and one does not want eyes that are too deep set . Quite often it is presumed the eyes are deep set because of the 'button' which is present above the eyes and the coat which creates the lion-like look. The eyes must be clean from entropian but do not presume that wet eyes are caused by entropian. A Chow Chow with round eyes very seldom has the correct expression.

Spitz type ears - Small, thick, slightly rounded at tip, carried erect  and well coated. The ears are set on the top of the skull . The width is determined by an imaginary line running from the inner ear to the outer eye. The ears are tilted forward and slightly inwards towards each other, which finishes off the expression. With the Chow Chow being able to move each ear independently, it is often hard to determine the ear set.

KUSA Breed Standard : EARS  Small, thick, slightly rounded at tip, carried stiffly and wide apart but tilting well forward over eyes and slightly towards each other, giving peculiar characteristic scowling expression of the breed. Scowl never to be achieved by loose wrinkled skin of head

KUSA Breed Standard : HEAD & SKULL  Skull flat, broad; stop not pronounced, well filled out under eyes. Muzzle moderate in length, broad from eyes to end (not pointed at end like a fox).

The stop of the Chow Chow Chow adds to the expression. A scowl is seldom completed  with a snipey muzzle or with a stop that is too defined or lips that hang too much. Another feature of the Chow Chow is the lips that just touch - creating a 'grin'.

 

Tail Set

‘Those who did not keep their tails clear of the snow passed out of the race’ – Will Judy 1934

KUSA Breed Standard :  Set high, carried well over back

Complimenting the uniqueness of the head and expression is the tail of the Chow Chow. The Chow Chow tail is carried high up on its back and ideally is straight for the length of the tail until midway after which it sometimes falls slightly to one side of the dog. It lies flat and snugly against the back of the dog creating a depression in the coat where it fits.  The tail is thick at it root and tapers towards the point.

Ideally, regardless of the how the tail lies, there should be no 'space' between the tail and the back because of how tightly it lies against the body of the Chow Chow. The tail is covered with long, fanlike  plumage. The tail of the smooth Chow Chow has no plumage and puppies have little plumage. 

 

Gait – the Pendulum Swing

The word ‘stilted’ was removed from the UK and FCI standard based on a belief that the straight, minimal angulation was/is  the cause of injuries.

RSA Breed standard :

Relatively short striding, hind feet not lifting high, appearing to skim the ground in pendulum like action when seen in profile. Forelegs and hindlegs moving parallel to each other and straight forward. Dogs should always be able to move freely and soundly without any sign of distress.

A Chow Chow is powerful and agile yet his straight movement is brief and quick in its step.  Dead straight hind legs with absolutely no angulation is anatomically impossible. A Chow Chow’s movement is often emulated by asking the human to walk on tippy toes and without bending one’s knees.

Viewing from the side is best for the correct assessment of the characteristic unique gait. A true stilt is similar to a pendulum swing from the hips. The movement in the rear hip joint is relatively short. Because of the straighter rear assembly the movement is stilted. (Stilted adj. = stiffly). Watching the movement from the side, it's easier to assess whether the legs are swinging in pendulum style without over- extended reach to the front or back and it should be accompanied with a slight bounce in the rump. The bounce must not be mistaken for a roll in the torso, which will inevitably happen should the Chow Chow be longer in coupling.

From the front and rear view the legs move in a straight line. If the speed is increased the forelegs incline slightly inward. The front and back action works in harmony and equilibrium. The Chow Chow is usually not a fast mover but has considerable endurance.

A Chow Chow speed is determined by each individual exhibit.

The Chow Chow has 4 straight powerful legs that fall directly under the shoulder and hip joints when the dog comes to a natural stand still. The legs are complimented with ight cat-like feet, high up in the pasterns and the appearance is almost that the legs come to rounded ends.

Note : Unless the Chow has an upstanding carriage, a quick light step, he is not a true Chow. The good Chow must be upstanding in gait and off standing in coat…   The  Chow Chow by Will Judy   1934

 

Coat

‘his coat, longer in places and shorter in others, showing the outline of his body’

The Popular Chow Chow 1933 by Alice O Fullerton

KUSA Breed Standard : COAT  Either rough or smooth. Any artificial shortening of the coat which alters the natural outline or expression should be penalised with the exception of feet which may be tidied.

 Rough: profuse, abundant, dense, straight and stand-off, but not excessive in length. Outer coat coarse, with soft woolly undercoat. Especially thick round neck forming mane or ruff and with good culottes or breechings on back of thighs.

 Smooth: short, double coat, dense, straight, upstanding, not flat, plush-like in texture.

The finishing touch of the Chow Chow - his glorious, shiny, offstanding unique coat - presented in its natural state, with trimming of the feet and around the anus allowed. A topic of much discussion in the show ring, but as our historians all agree, it is a breed defining feature and an essential one.

Abundant; n = plentiful, rich

Profuse; adj = abundant, generous, extravagant

Dense; adj = difficult to see through, massed closely together

Regardless of whether the exhibit is a smooth or rough coated variety - the Chow Chow coat is straight, and consists of a coarse outer coat and a softer undercoat (double coated).  The quality of coat is the important feature.

The Chow Chow can’t have too much undercoat or too much outercoat - however the two must compliment each other without exaggeration and in order to do this the outer coat has to be of the correct harsh texture. A soft outer coat usually will lie flatter against the body and usually grows too long.

The coat does not lie flat against the body, in both the rough and smooth the coat is offstanding. The coat must be dense with no bald or bare spots.

There is no definition as to how short a smooth coat is or how long a rough coat is – the deciding factor is the balance of the final picture. In both varieties the coat must never be an open coat i.e. lacking in undercoat

 Each variety is judged to exactly the same standard with the exception of the length reference.

KUSA BREED STANDARD COLOUR  Whole coloured black, red, blue, fawn, cream or white, frequently shaded but not in patches or parti coloured (underpart of tail and back of thighs frequently of a lighter colour).

The only acceptable solid colours in the Chow Chow are red, black, blue ,fawn (cinnamon) , cream or white.  Along with this there is the self-coloured as well as a shaded variety within the acceptable colour spectrum. Only the blue and fawn Chow Chow is allowed self-coloured nose leather and eyes. The cream Chow Chow's nose leather inevitably turns a self-colour or Dudley with maturity.

There is no chocolate, liver, silver blue, champagne or other exotic colours.

The colour of a Chow  Chow is determined by the colour of its outer coat. Though it must be noted that the colour of the outer coat is not a uniform colour, often black hairs are seen in the outer coat across the spectrum of colours and types.

There is a wide range of acceptable red colours, ranging from a light shaded red to a deep solid mahogany red .  Red Chow Chows without any shadings are referred to as "self-reds" , Red Chow Chows with minimal shadings are referred to as “dark red” , and Red Chow Chows with light shadings are called "shaded reds". 

Black Chow Chows without any shadings are referred to as "self(or solid) blacks”. A “shaded black” has acceptable silver shadings in the tails or breechings. 

Creams can vary from an ivory, nearly white to a butterscotch colour.  The solid cream colour tends to have biscuit or almost tan coloured ears, while the diluted cream’s nose is often dark grey with lighter coloured ears.

Blue can range from a very dark bluish grey to a lighter silvery-bluish colour And can also appear in a solid or shaded blue . Often the muzzle and legs have a salt and pepper mixture of light and dark hairs, giving them a "frosted" look. Blues are considered "dilute" colours, a genetically diluted form of black.

Fawn/ Cinnamon ranges from a light beige with a grey or even pinkish cast to a darker shade that is not quite red . A true cinnamon adult has a salt and pepper mixture of light & dark hairs on its muzzle, giving it a noticeably "frosted" appearance. Cinnamons /fawns are considered "dilute" colours , a genetically diluted form of the red.         

Black

Blue

Cream

Fawn/Cinnamon

Red    

 

Temperament

The Chow Chow is an aloof, dignified, 'one man' dog.

KUSA Breed Standard: TEMPERAMENT  Independent, loyal, yet aloof.

                                      CHARACTERISTICS   Quiet dog; good guard;

It's best to allow the Chow Chow to 'walk into' the judge before handling him - allow the Chow Chow to circle the ring and come to a stand still in front of you.  Remember a Chow Chow has limited peripheral vision and its best for the judge and the Chow Chow to approach within these scopes. Do not approach the Chow Chow when the sun is behind you. The show rings around the world have moved to presenting a Chow Chow on a ramp rather than the floor.

Aloofness aside, in the show ring he should  allow himself to be handled without showing any signs of aggression or timidity - both being equally unacceptable. The Chow Chow that growls or fights when attempting to be touched and equally the Chow Chow that cowers is not really a tribute to the Chow Chow temperament.

It is acceptable to ask the owner to open the mouth - actually it preferable if the judge is wary of the Chow Chow, as the hesitation from the judge's side is not well received by the typical Chow Chow. Added to this is the hygiene factor.

Only the owner can testify to true Chow Chow aloofness.

 

In conclusion

I can only stress that the perfect Chow Chow has not been bred.

This is also not an excuse to take any and every Chow Chow into the show ring or to breed with. At the end of the day show ring is a competition where the Chow Chow is judged as a complete picture against a standard.

It is the harmony of the way the complete Chow Chow is put together which creates balance and beauty. The judge must have a perception of the whole, ideal chow Chow Chow in order to evaluate the exhibits successfully.

No judge should attempt to judge the Chow Chow without knowing and understanding the breed defining characteristics. 

Thank you for your interest in the Chow Chow

 

THE KUSA CHOW CHOW BREED STANDARD  – EFFECTIVE 01.01.2018

A Breed Standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics,temperament and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Active, compact, short coupled and essentially well balanced, leonine in appearance, proud, dignified bearing; well-knit frame; tail carried well over back. Should always be able to move freely and must not have so much coat as to impede activity or cause distress in hot weather.

CHARACTERISTICS

Quiet dog; good guard; bluish-black tongue; its distinctive short-striding gait allows it to move freely, never lumbering and with excellent endurance.

TEMPERAMENT

Independent, loyal, yet aloof.

HEAD & SKULL

Skull flat, broad; stop not pronounced, well filled out under eyes. Muzzle moderate in length, broad from eyes to end (not pointed at end like a fox). Nose, large and wide in all cases, black with exception of cream and near white in which case a light coloured nose permissible, and in blues and fawns a self-coloured nose.(but black preferable in all cases).

EYES

Dark, oval shaped, medium sized and clean. A matching coloured eye permissible in blues and fawns. Clean eye, free from entropion, never being penalised for sake of mere size.

EARS

Small, thick, slightly rounded at tip, carried stiffly and wide apart but tilting well forward over eyes and slightly towards each other, giving peculiar characteristic scowling expression of the breed. Scowl never to be achieved by loose wrinkled skin of head.

MOUTH

Teeth strong and level, jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. A solid black mouth including the roof and flews with a bluish black tongue is ideal. However some dilution may be evident in the gums of blues and fawns and this dilution may be more pronounced in creams and whites.

NECK

Strong, full, not short, set well on shoulders and slightly arched. Of sufficient length to carry the head proudly above the topline.

FOREQUARTERS

Shoulders muscular and sloping. Elbows equidistant between withers and ground. Forelegs perfectly straight, with good bone.

BODY

Chest broad and deep. Ribs well sprung but not barrelled. The distance from withers to elbow is equal to the distance from elbow to ground. Back short, level and strong. Loins powerful.

HINDQUARTERS

In profile the foot is directly under the hip joint. Well-developed first and second thigh with only slight bend of stifle. Hocks well let down. From hocks downwards to appear straight, hocks never flexing forward.

FEET

Small, round, cat like, standing well up on toes.

TAIL

Set high, carried well over back.

GAIT/MOVEMENT

Relatively short striding, hind feet not lifting high, appearing to skim the ground in pendulum like action when seen in profile. Forelegs and hindlegs moving parallel to each other and straight forward. Dogs should always be able to move freely and soundly without any sign of distress.

COAT

Either rough or smooth. Any artificial shortening of the coat which alters the natural outline or expression should be penalised with the exception of feet which may be  tidied.

Rough: profuse, abundant, dense, straight and stand-off, but not excessive in length.  Outer coat coarse, with soft woolly undercoat. Especially thick round neck forming mane or ruff and with good culottes or breechings on back of thighs.

Smooth: short, double coat, dense, straight, upstanding, not flat, plush-like in texture.

COLOUR

Whole coloured black, red, blue, fawn, cream or white, frequently shaded but not in patches or parti coloured (underpart of tail and back of thighs frequently of a lighter colour).

SIZE

Dogs: 48-56cm (19-22 in) at shoulder Bitches: 46-51 cm (18-20 in) at shoulder

FAULTS

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to itsdegree and its effect on health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.

NOTE

• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum

 

Test your self

1.       If the pigment of a chow chow is considered a unique breed defining feature: should allowances be made for patches of pink on the top of the tongue?

a. yes

b. no

c. sometimes depending on the coat colour

2.       When judging the smooth against the rough, do you use a different standard and / or different guidelines for the two varieties?

a. yes

b. no

c. I don't know

3.       Why, when you judge a chow chow and you place you hand directly on top of his head, the likelihood is that he will pull away.

a. he is aggressive

b. he doesn't have great peripheral vision

c. he is unsocialised

4.         In the judging of the chow chow, which is possibly the most important criteria

a. the head, as he is a head breed and without a 'good' head he does not meet the standard

b. that he allows himself to be touched

c. overall balance and harmony

5.         You are judging the chow chow on a hot day, and the chow chow is breathing heavily as are all the other dogs. Do you ask the exhibitor to …

a. put only the chow in the shade because his coat is making him hot

b. treat him as you would all the other dogs in the ring

c. ask him (and only him) to do limited moves due to the heat

6.         Amongst the many breed specific features of the chow chow is the 'grin'. What is this?

a. created because he has pendulous lips

b. created because he has lips that just touch, not overhanging and this gives the impression of a smile

c. nonsense, the smiling breed is the Samoyed.

7.         You are aware that the chow chow has unique movement - ie the stilted gait or pendulum swing. You are judging and want to check the movement. Which is the best view for this?

a.front

b.side

c.back

8.         When stacking the chow chow are the back legs

a. directly under the line of the hip

b. extended backwards

9.         Judging the chow chow coat, the standard says with no trimming . How do you ascertain whether the coat is in its natural state

a. the tips of the hairs will be blunt

b. the tips of the hairs will taper

c. listen to what the people around the ring and competitors in the breed say

The Answers

1.b. no

The pigment of the tongue and mouth should be blue -black , and the darker the better. Cinnamon (fawn) , blue and dilute cream  chow chows sometimes have much lighter pigment due to the dilute genes.

2 b. no

The smooth coated Chow is judged by the same standard as the rough coated Chow except that references to the quantity and distribution of the outer coat are not applicable to the smooth coated Chow, which has a hard, dense, smooth outer coat with a definite undercoat. The structure of both types should be the same. Train your eye to look past coat and at structure (this applies to all coated breeds).

3 b. he doesn't have great peripheral vision

The chow chow doesn't have good peripheral vision and is a breed that is best 'walked into' the judge. Regardless of temperament, the judge that asks the chow chow to come directly into the ring for the hands-on before moving the chow chow will most likely have the dogs pull away. The chow chow will pull away if he cannot see you first hand on his terms. It is also an unforgiving breed and only needs one bad experience regardless of age to ruin a dog's show career.

4 c. overall balance and harmony

Quoting the American standard: In judging the Chow, the overall picture is of primary consideration. Exaggeration of any characteristic at the expense of balance or soundness shall be severely penalized. Elegance and substance must be combined into a well balanced whole, never so massive as to outweigh his ability to be active, alert and agile. Clothed in a smooth or an off-standing rough double coat, the Chow is a masterpiece of beauty, dignity and naturalness. Essential to true Chow type are his unique blue-black tongue, scowling expression and stilted gait.

5 b. treat him as you would all the other dogs in the ring

It's a myth that the chow chow's coat cause undue heat and makes him breath badly. His coat acts as insulation against the elements .Bad/heavy breathing is due to the structure of the nose , air passages and lungs. However, do not be quick to judge on shortened soft palettes and narrow respiratory passages when you hear the breathing - watch for uncomfortable movement of the torso, the chow chow can be quite  'chatty' .

6. b. created because he has lips that just touch, not overhanging and this gives the impression of a smile

The upper lips completely cover the lower lips when the mouth is closed but should not be pendulous. This is a breed feature often overlooked by breeders and judges.

7. b.side

From the side you can see the rear leg moving forward from the hip in a straight, stilted pendulum-like swing. Although the Chow doesn't have speed of movement , he has excellent endurance.The movement must be sound, straight moving, agile, , quick, and powerful and never lumbering.

8. a. directly under the line of the hip

Quote from the American standard : Viewed from the side, the hind legs have little apparent angulation and the hock joint and metatarsals are directly beneath the hip joint.

Quote from the English standard: In profile the foot is directly under the hip joint. Well developed first and second thigh with only slight bend of stifle. Hocks well let down.From hocks downwards to appear straight, never flexing forward.

9. b. the tips of the hairs will taper.

There are chow chows who have a natural 'neat' shape, then there are those that don't. Do not presume that all shorter coats are trimmed as you should not presume that all coats of quality are trimmed

 

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