THE CHOW CHOW: ROUGH COAT OR SMOOTH COAT? COAT COLOR
Puppies will frequently be seen while changing from the soft, wooly puppy coat to their adult coat (i.e. transition coat). Col- or variation is most noticeable in the darker red puppies (which may have dark red hairs interspersed or in patches throughout the much lighter-colored red puppy coat) and in shaded red (light reddish blonde with cream or white shadings) puppies (which may have a notable amount of gray undercoat). In most cases, the color deviation will be totally corrected by two years of age when the transition to adult coat is complete. As adults, all Chow Chows should be in conformance with the Standard’s requirement for a clear-colored, solid or solid with lighter shadings in the ruff, tail, and featherings. The Chow Chow Standard, like many of the AKC Standards, describes the characteristics of the ideal adult specimen of the breed. The official Standard for the breed defines the General Appear- ance as: “A powerful, sturdy, squarely built, upstanding dog of Arctic type, medium in size with strong muscular development and heavy bone. The body is compact, short coupled, broad and deep, the tail set high and carried closely to the back, the whole supported by four straight, strong, sound legs. Viewed from the side, the hind legs have little apparent angulation and the hock joint and metatarsals are directly beneath the hip joint. Clothed in a smooth or an offstanding 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.” The two types of coat are defined in the Standard; rough and smooth. Both are double-coated.
Photo shared by breeders/owners Bob & Love Banghart.
It is difficult to differentiate the two coat types during the first weeks of a puppy’s life, but at about one month of age the coat types become distinct. It is possible to have both coat types in a litter, depending upon the sire and dam’s characteristics. Experienced Chow fanciers have said that they believe the smooth-coated Chow Chow to be more elegant and active than the rough-coated, but many other attributes come into play in deter- mining these characteristics. Whichever coat type your Chow Chow has, you can be assured that it will be a devoted, versatile, and beautiful member of your family.
These pages from our Chow Chow Club, Inc. breed education materials illustrate acceptable colors and shading.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Linda Love Banghart (Rebelrun Chow Chows)
Bob and Linda Love Banghart have been actively involved with Chow Chows since 1976. They are proud of the Rebelrun Chows and have worked to educate the public regarding the wonderful qualities of the Chow and to improve the health of the Chow Chow. They enjoy owning and showing their dogs in Conformation events, having bred more than 70 champions, including many Best in Show winners and 80 Chows receiving OFA health certifications. They owned and handled the No. 1 Chow in 1994 and 1995 and received the esteemed Pedigree Award in 1995 as well as the AKC Non-Sporting Breeder of the Year award in 2018. Bob and Love co-authored the book, The Proper Care of Chow Chows, published in 1996 by TFH Publishing. Love has judged National Chow Chow Specialties in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and several large American Chow Chow Specialties, including the Chow Chow Club, Inc. National Specialty in 1998, 2010 & 2017.
SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2024 | 155
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