I want to get a Chow Chow so i can feel more protected around the house couse i have two little dogs a Yorkie and a Schnauzer, and they are a really great house alarm but that's it i love the mso much anyway, is it safe to get a chow chow , wen i have a baby hes 1 year old and i'm planning to get a baby chow but if is not safe for my son than i rether not, and if a chow is not good what dog would be a good protector and good with kids????
2007-08-04 15:35:38 · 9 answers · asked by sweet kiss 4 in Pets ➔ Dogs
I love chows, had them for years (pic shows my late buddy Ninja) However, while they are mellow, excellent guards of the home and many can make excellent companions for kids.....as a GENERAL rule they're NOT good with kids because they don't put up with or tolerate being teased, hugged, etc. as well as other dogs do. Their more "cat like" in temperment. They are very prone to snapping if annoyed (my brothers chow snapped at me for gently petting it). This doesn't mean the breed is vicious or bad with kids, but I probably wouldn't trust this breed with my kid if I had one as well as I would a breed say like a lab or something.
German Shepherds are excellent family guards and usually very good with kids (I adopted a white one who was raised with 5 screaming kids, one of which slammed the dogs back leg in the door crippling it....thus the dog came to me, he tolerated quite a bit).
Boxers are usually also good kid dogs & can be excellent deterents.
Pit bulls are amazing with kids, and very few people will mess with one. My neighbor has 7 kids who are anything BUT kind. They have a big pit in the backyard that is tied up in the heat, has to put up with these kids trying to ride it (3 at a time) throwing toys & stuff at it, dumping water on it...etc......and it happily asorbs the attention. However a stranger walks into that yard.....they may not walk back out again.
My friend also has a pit and 4 kids, who are kind to the dog. It is also protective of it's family & loves the kids.
2007-08-04 16:15:19 · answer #1 · answered by Onyx Ninja 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Let me tell you a few things I know from experience about Chows. I have a dog that is part Lab and part Chow. He is very aggressive and protective of his home, which is not a good thing. He also kills rabbits if he can catch them, which I really work hard on getting him to not do, as well as work hard on getting him to relax and not get all crazy when someone knocks on the door. I attribute a lot of this behavior to his Chow background. I have read that this is common behavior, especially the chasing of other animals. My friend has a full-blooded Chow and she loves this dog and does not seem to have these issues, maybe because it is a female, I dont know. Her dog is also about 11 yrs old. There are better dogs for you to get if you want a protector. And even if you get a dog for protection, don't be surprised if you have to crate it when you are gone, which will not serve as much protection for the house. Dont be surprised if you end up with a Chow that is really more than you can handle either. By the way, my dog is also not very good around kids, and the neighbor kids have been chased. I have spent a great deal of time working on this issue, because I truly am a dog lover and responsible pet owner. As a little background info, we got this dog from the Humane Society, at age 4, and they didnt know much about his upbringing, so I can't totally say his behavior was all due to the Chow background.
2007-08-04 15:50:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would not suggest a Chinese Chow-Chow. Chows were originally bred for food, in other words they bred them so they could eat them (which coincidentally is why many people call food "chow"). The breed as a whole was not developed with any regard for temperament, and so can be extremely unpredictable. I have met quite a few Chows that were as friendly as any other dog, but that is not as common as with most breeds.
Someone suggested an American Pit Bull Terrier, and while I breed them and love them more than any dog, they are more prone to animal aggression. They are great with children, very tolerant, and great deterrents, but with a baby you may not have enough time to train an APBT to tolerate the antics of the itty bitty dogs.
A few good options would be the Boxer, the German Shepherd Dog, or the Great Dane. Drawbacks to each breed are that the Boxer and the Dane tend to have relatively short lifespans (7-10 years, compared to a Schnauzer's 10-15 and a Yorkshire Terrier's 13-20 years), and the GSD takes a lot of grooming (and three dogs that need a lot of grooming would be a lot for one person to handle).
2007-08-04 16:29:40 · answer #3 · answered by carleegresham 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ok this is coming from my own experiance with all kinds of breeds. Chows can be great dogs, but most of the time they dont like other animals around, or dont like kids. If you get one make sure the breeder has papers on both of the parents. And if you get one make sure its from a breeder, not a pet store. It will not be a cheap purchase, but the breed has been inbread and the attitude issues are sometimes carried through to the next generation of chow.
I would say a great dane. The breed is great with all animals, and loves kids and will just sit there while its jumped on and pulled at. It is a large breed, but easy to take care of. With chows you HAVE to get them groomed. Great danes have short hair that is easily vacuumed up. The only down side is they are large, and they dont have a long life span (7-10 years). But great for protecting and a family life.
All in all go with what you want. But please dont go to a pet store, those animals can come with big problems . Just because they come with a free vet visit doesnt make it worth it, most breeders do the same thing, and offer a much better garentee.
2007-08-04 15:48:29 · answer #4 · answered by lilrebelgalk 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
We had a chow chow for 13 years (actually, it was my dad's dog). He was very, very protective and aggressive. If ANYONE came in our yard, he would bite them. He was okay with us kids and the family...but that's only because we were his family. This is typical behavior for a chow chow. Also, I'm a dog groomer and we have a very hard time with chows at work, for that reason. I love the breed, however, they are very high maintenance and pickey eaters. Make sure you brush, brush, brush him! Chows also love to be outside. Ours never wanted to come in the house. I believe it takes a special kind of person to own a chow. They have a lot of issues, but somebody's gotta love them!
good luck!
2007-08-04 15:40:49 · answer #5 · answered by Gym♥RAT♥ 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I would reconsider and look into a different breed. I had a Chow and he was sweet to me, but could be quite aggressive with others.
They only thing you really need is a dog that alerts you when strangers approach. With having children, you don't want an aggressive dog, just an alert one that will alert you.
2007-08-04 16:02:17 · answer #6 · answered by Pom♥Mom Spay and Neuter 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I've worked for a vet for over 20 years and haven't met too many Chows that weren't very aggressive and tried to bite us. I don't recommend them around kids. Even a lab or golden will bark at strangers. You don't want a dog around your kids that is aggressive or isn't afraid to bite. That's asking for big trouble.
2007-08-04 15:46:34 · answer #7 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't get a chow with children.
2007-08-04 16:11:11 · answer #8 · answered by mama woof 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Chow Chow Maintenance
2017-03-02 17:42:44 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋