The Chow-Chow is a dog breed originally from northern China, where it is referred to as Songshi-Quan, which translates to “puffy-lion dog”.
History
The Chow-Chow has been identified as a basal breed that predates the emergence of the modern breeds in the 19th Century. One writer proposed that the Chow-Chow originated in China 2,000 years ago or possibly originated in Arctic Asia 3,000 years ago and then migrated to Mongolia, Siberia, then to China.
One Chinese legend mentions large war dogs from Central Asia that resembled black-tongued lions. One Chinese ruler was said to own 5,000 Chows. The Chinese also used Chows to pull dog-sleds, and this was remarked upon by Marco Polo. One author states that the Chow-Chow was also bred for human consumption.
Appearance
The Chow-Chow is a sturdily built dog, square in profile, with a broad skull and small, triangular, erect ears with rounded tips. The breed is known for a very dense double coat that is either smooth or rough. The fur is particularly thick in the neck area, giving it a distinctive ruff or mane appearance. The coat may be shaded/self-red, black, blue, cinnamon/fawn, or cream. Not all these color varieties are recognized as valid in all countries. Individuals with patchy or multicolored coats are considered to be outside the breed standard. Chow-Chow eyes are typically deep set and almond shaped. The breed is unique by their purple/blue-black tongue which no other breed has except shar-pei’s and has very straight hind legs, resulting in a rather stilted gait. The bluish color extends to the Chow-Chow’s lips; this is the only dog breed with this distinctive bluish color in its lips and oral cavity (other dogs have black or a piebald pattern skin in their mouths). Another distinctive feature is the curly tail. It has thick hair and lies curled on its back. The nose should be black, but blue-coated Chow-Chow can have a solid blue or slate-colored nose.
The blue-black/purple tongue gene appears to be dominant, as most mixed breed dogs that come from a Chow-Chow retain that tongue colour. However, the blue-black/purple tongue can also be found on the Shar Pei. This is not to say that every mixed breed dog with spots of purple on the tongue is descended from Chow-Chow, as purple spots on the tongue can be found on other purebred dogs.