Chow Chow Question - Page 1

Hi:
My name is Carol and I have a wonderful Chow named Chub Chub. He is going to be 6 end of January.

Here is my question and the background of the two of us!

Chub Chub came to me when he was 6 weeks old. It was only him and I for the first 3 years.
He has always been protective of me, but he seems to be getting worse. No animal or person can come near me without him going into protection mode. This is in my home or even out for walks. Lately, I can't even answer my door, without him actually starting to get snarly, and even tried to bite me twice. Just for getting him away from the door, holding his collar. This is all new behavior for him.  He is fine with people he is familiar with.

Today for the first time ever, he growled at me, when I went to take his dish up after he was done eating. I could literally take the food out of his mouth and it would not have bothered him. Now this happen today.

I am not really sure why his temperment has changed in the last few months, but I am not sure how to handle him with this. He is not like that to anyone else in the house.

Any input would be so appreciated. I love my puppy so so much (well not really a puppy anymore LOL)

Thanks
Carol

get him checked out at the vets. any new behavior needs to be checked out, could be a health problem causing this. check his eye's and hearing.

that said, we bought our first chow when I was 4 years old (he died when I was 18!) we had chows all my life.  I learned to respect dogs and to read dog body language with this breed.  if you tugged on them, or grabbed hair, you were liable to get bit.  living with them as a child was a test of mutual respect.  I was never bitten or nipped without provoking it.
Ours were excellent family dogs, though you did have to respect them.  they did not trust anyone outside the immediate household.

every chow that I've ever know has taken a bit out of me......i guess i though all chow's are like that.

Chows can be very aggressive,,,mostly directed at their owners.  They have a problem being told what to do.  Chances are he has been giving you signs that this behavior was brewing for some time now but you may not have seen it or just dismissed it.  Handler aggression can be tough to deal with for a novice and may require some help.  Problem is, a lot of geniuses here are going to tell you it's no big deal,,,,you can fix it yourself.  After all, we all know now how unnecessary professionals are don't we??  Right Deanna and Kelly?  BTW, how did the house call go?? 

having lived with Chows, I disagree most are aggressive especially towards their owners.
they are not meant for everyone, but I wouldn't change a thing having grown up with them.  they are one of my favorite breeds.

I'll send some pics of my chows tomorrow. I had a pair of Chows for 17 yrs and had two litters of five pups while over in Germany. My female, Sasha, was larger than my male, Ky-Lin but Ky-Lin was fiercer to an extent. They NEVER once showed aggression towards me or when I returned from Germany towards my family.

Chows were used to guard the temples of ancient high priests and their families. They were also used for war to take down horses. Children loved them, Ky-Lin you could grab his tail, ride him like a minature horse, even grab his mane and hug/kiss him. Sasha on the other hand, could never touch her tail or mane. And she would always want to get between me and whoever when sitting on the couch. One of the hardest things to hear and see both in the miltary (with americans) and abroad were parents telling their chidren, (after they (children) were so excited to see them and wanted to pet them etc;) parents telling their children to get away from the dogs that they were very mean and would bite them, or that Chows didn't like children or couldn't be around children. Like I said, they loved children.

While stationed in Germany, Ky-Lin was an escape artist, doing some unbelievable stuff to get down the farm road to see the farmers' geese, ducks and turkeys. He wouldn't kill them or even torment them. Just wanted to see them. For a time I was at my wits end with him. The germans loved them because where I was at no one had seen chows and they looked like little bears or ewoks to them. They always wanted to see the "Americans' Chows"

There is a solution that i have....place the chow on the leash...tell another person to come in., especially the one that he goes into protection mode...ignore the barking...dont go near the chow...in face turn ur back while he barks as if he is not there ...talk with the other person...then leave the other person with the chow...let the other person feed the chow at one time...the other person should feed the chow only when the chow is not barking without your presence...then do this with your presence if he is improving

ignoring a chow is the best way to create a rounded personality with a chow...when i did this to my chow he was so submissive to me and other persons...no aggression developed...

Black Samuri, I'm not a huge fan of letting strangers feed an aggressive dog. I understand the logic, but what happens when you're on the street and an actual stranger approaches? The dog is eager to see a "treat machine" and approaches the stranger. The stranger thinks the dog is a freindly little bear and goes in for lovin. No treats and unwanted love can be a recipe for disaster.

Hi Everyone:

Thank you all for giving me your input on how to deal with Chub Chub.

I have already started to do some of the things you suggested.  He is willing to give paw and sit for anything I do for him.  Started that right away last night. 

He will come around, and thanks again

Carol