Chow Chow (Comprehensive Owner's Guide) - Softcover

Richard G. Beauchamp

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1593782608 ISBN 13: 9781593782603

Publisher: CompanionHouse Books, 2004

Synopsis

The enigmatic Chow Chow continues to fascinate humankind with his complex, independent nature, his scowling expression, and his unmistakable purebred nobility. Whether adorned in the characteristic rough coat or a dense smooth coat, the Chow never hesitates to reveal his bluish black tongue, one of the breed’s most celebrated traits. As a show dog, the Chow cuts an impressive image: powerful, sturdy, and squarely built. Of Nordic origins, this medium-size breed was developed for various purposes, including hunting, herding, pulling carts, and protecting the home. Today’s Chows are cherished home companions for the right owners willing to put in the time to socialize and train this distinctive purebred dog. Richard G. Beauchamp, long associated with the Chow and other Non-Sporting breeds, has written an excellent primer on the Chow Chow breed, offering readers a glimpse into the breed’s mysterious past in China and his many elusive charms.

New owners will welcome the well-prepared chapter on finding a reputable breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy. Chapters on puppy-proofing the home and yard, purchasing the right supplies for the puppy as well as house-training, feeding, and grooming are illustrated with photographs of handsome adults and puppies. In all, there are over 135 full-color photographs in this useful and reliable volume. The author’s advice on obedience training will help the reader better mold and train into the most well-mannered dog in the neighborhood. The extensive and lavishly illustrated chapter on healthcare provides up-to-date detailed information on selecting a qualified veterinarian, vaccinations, preventing and dealing with parasites, infectious diseases, and more. Sidebars throughout the text offer helpful hints, covering topics as diverse as historical dogs, breeders, or kennels, toxic plants, first aid, crate training, carsickness, fussy eaters, and parasite control. Fully indexed.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Regarded as one of the world s most fascinating dogs, the Chow Chow is complex and independent, known around the world for his lionlike appearance, scowling expression and bluish-black tongue. Whether adorned with a profuse rough coat or a dense smooth coat, the Chow Chow cuts an impressive image. In its native China, the breed has been used as a guard dog, hunting dog and food source, though never as a pet. The Western world has gladly adopted this noble and beautiful companion dog into its homes and hearts. Today the Chow Chow is a cherished pet and show dog in Britain and around the world. This book provides the much-needed factual information about the Chow Chow and its ancestry, character and standard, as well as the proper selection, feeding, training, preventative health care and behaviour. The new owner will welcome advice about puppy-proofing the home, preparing for the pup s arrival and preventing puppy problems. In addition to an extremely authoritative text, this book presents over 135 photographs in full colour, which prove to be as informative as they are attractive. Helpful hints and important information are highlighted to provide easy access to everything the reader needs to know about life with a Chow Chow. Whether it s basic training problems, allergies or fleas, this book is the way to prevention, providing the reader with the necessary guidance an owner needs from puppyhood through the senior years. Recommended by top breeders and trainers, this book is the responsible first choice of every new owner of a Chow Chow. Topics discussed include: History of the Chow Chow; Characteristics of the Chow Chow; The Chow Chow Breed Standard; Your Chow Chow puppy; Everyday care of your Chow Chow; Housebreaking and training your Chow Chow; Health care of your Chow Chow; Understanding the behaviour of your Chow Chow.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The romantic tales surrounding the origin of the beautiful and temperamentally unique Chow Chow are countless. The somewhat blurred origins and unusual looks of this breed have led to legendary and fanciful links to all kinds of animals outside the canine world. Not the least of these legends is the one that claims it is the bear rather than the wolf from which the Chow descends. There is nothing to substantiate the Chow's relationship to the bear, but those who choose to believe this cite many characteristics that the breed shares with no other animal but the bear. Supporters of this theory claim that a form of primitive wild animal, which is now extinct, is the ancestor of the Chow. All other dogs are known to have descended from the progenitors of the wolf. This, according to the bear theorists, explains why most other dogs either look away from the Chow Chow at first meeting or immediately prepare themselves to attack. When one stops to consider the bear's independent nature, its blue tongue and the stilted manner in which it walks - all characteristics of the Chow Chow - it becomes understandable how the theory took root. There is also the remarkable resemblance of the bear cub to the Chow. If nothing else, all this makes one wonder if Mother Nature just might have lent some ironic twist to the evolution of the Chow.

About this edition

• Publisher: CompanionHouse Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1593782608
• ISBN 13: 9781593782603
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 155