The Chow Standard

General Apperance and Characteristics

Active, compact, short coupled and essentially well balanced, leonine in appearance, proud with a dignified bearing. Well-knit frame and tail carried well over the back. A quiet dog, aloof and independent, yet loyal. A bluish black tongue and is unique in its stilted gait.

Head and Skull

The skull is flat and broad with a moderate stop. Well filled out under the eyes. Muzzle moderate in length and broad from the eyes to the nose. Nose black (except creams, fawns and blues) but large and wide in all cases.

Eyes

Dark, oval shaped, medium sized. A matching coloured eye is permissible in blues and fawns. A clean eye, free from entropian, and never being penalised for the sake of mere size.

Ears

Small, thick, slightly rounded at tip, carried stiffly and wide apart but tilting well forward over the eyes and slightly towards each other giving the peculiar characteristic scowling expression of the breed. Scowl never to be achieved by loose wrinkled skin of the head.

Mouth

Teeth strong and level, jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite. Tongue bluish black, flews and roof of mouth black. Gums preferably black.

Neck

Strong, full, not short, set well on the shoulders and slightly arched.

Forequarters

Shoulders muscular and sloping. Forelegs perfectly straight, well boned and of a moderate length.

Body

Chest broad and deep, ribs well sprung, back short, straight and strong, loins powerful.

Hindquarters

Hind legs muscular, hocks well let down and perfectly straight with the minimal angulation essential to produce the breed's unique stilted gait.

Feet

Small, rounded and catlike, standing well up on the toes and well knuckled up.

Gait / movement

Short and stilted. Forelegs and hindlegs moving parallel to each other and straight forward.

Tail

Set high and carried well over the back.

Coat

  1. Rough, Profuse, dense, straight, stand off. Outer coat rather coarse in texture with a soft woolly undercoat especially thick around the neck, forming mane or ruff, with culottes or breechings on the backs of the thighs.
  2. Smooths, Short, abundant, dense, straight, upstanding, plush like in texture and not flat.
Any shortening of the coat which alters the natural outline should be penalised in both coats.

Size (at the shoulder)

Dogs Bitches
19"-22" 18"-20"

Colours

Whole coloured red, black, blue, fawn, cream or white. Frequently shaded but not parti-coloured.

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered as a fault and the seriousness that it is regarded should be in direct proportion to its degree.