Grooming your Chow

The Chow Chow's great lion‐like coat is one of the breed's most appealing characteristics.   Chows do not require trimming but do need a few hours of brushing, bathing and nail trimming to maintain their magnificent appearance.  Grooming should begin as soon as you bring your Chow home whether he's 10 weeks or 6 months old.  Chows are inherently clean and have very high opinions of themselves.  
Let's start with the right equipment.  Quality tools are important and help you get the job done right in the shortest amount of time and last longest.  You can find some of these tools at your local pet supply store.  Good tools aren't cheap and you get what you pay for.  
* A sturdy grooming table.   You'll have better control of the dog on a table and it'll save your back.  You can also build a table using inexpensive materials found at the hardware store.   
* A "Greyhound‐style" medium/coarse steel comb, with rounded teeth.   
* A small fine‐toothed comb with a handle.   
* A "Universal" slicker brush and a "Safari" pin brush.   
* A good pair of nail clippers and a product called "Quik Stop".   
* A spray‐on coat dressing and a conditioning shampoo.  Don't use shampoo meant for humans.  Dogs require a different pH balance.   
* A blow dryer.  The handheld kind for humans is okay but if you can afford it, specially designed high powered dryers designed for dogs will save you much time and do a better job without drying out the coat.  
 
Bathing
Now that you have your tools and your dog handy, we can start.  Bathing should be done at a minimum every three months.  Generally, bathing monthly is a good rule of thumb and can be done more or less often if you prefer.  Bathing as often as once a week will not dry out the coat if you're using good products and doing the job properly.   Most show Chows are bathed weekly during show season.    Before the bath, remove any large mats or dead hair that might be shedding out.  Wet the coat thoroughly and apply shampoo being careful to keep soap out of his eyes.    Rub vigorously to work up a lather, adding more water as needed.  The soap has to get all the Grooming Your Chow Chow  way to the skin.  Rinse well, then lather once more.  Use a washcloth to clean his face, being careful not to get the soap in his eyes and ears.    Now it's time for the final rinse.  This is the most important part of the bath.  Absolutely no shampoo should be left behind or it will irritate his skin and cause "hot spots".  An old rule of thumb is to rinse till the water runs clear, then rinse again; then rinse thoroughly yet again just to be safe.  Towel dry the dog while still in the tub, making sure to get the water out of his ears. Now you're ready to blow dry.  Lay your Chow on his side on the table.  This may take two people at first so insist that he obey you.   Drying and grooming is much easier with the Chow on his side and after awhile, he'll be so comfortable, he may even fall asleep while you work! Start with the belly hair and legs, working your way to the spine, blowing the coat while brushing down to the skin with the pin brush.  Take care to dry the areas between his rear legs and around his private parts.  Brushing to the skin is critical ‐ you must be able to see the skin as you brush even on the most heavily coated Chow!  Otherwise, the hair closest to the skin will pack down, retain dirt and moisture and cause serious skin problems.  If you brush the coat in small sections, reaching the skin is easier.  Use the slicker and/or pin brush, following up with the comb to make sure all dead and shedding hair has been removed.   Turn him over and repeat the process on the other side.  Then he can stand or sit up so you can dry his ruff and bib.
​
Paws & Toenails
Trimming toenails should be done on a weekly or bi‐weekly basis.    Long toenails damage feet and are uncomfortable to walk on.   Some Chow owners prefer filing to cutting nails.   Using either a file designed for dog nails or a rasp file from the hardware store, file the Chow's nails down until you can see the quick.  Usually you will know when you've reached the quick as the Chow will jerk his or her foot away.  Filing dew claws is not so simple, so often these are cut with a set of clippers.    The latest in filing tools that many Chow owners are now using is the Dremel "MiniMite," a small rechargeable, battery operated "rotary tool" that has as one of its interchangeable tools a sand paper band.  This allows nails to be rapidly "ground".  Again, the dog will pull away as soon as the nail gets close to the quick.  If this is introduced to an adult Chow, some patience will be needed as the sound and vibration can be off putting to the Chows. Nails are easiest to cut after bathing when they're softest.  You may want to ask your vet or your dog's breeder to show you how to clip nails the first time.  If you accidentally cut a nail too short and it bleeds, apply a pinch of "Quik Stop" to the cut end.  No dog enjoys having his nails cut and you must be firm about it.  Give treats and praise for being co‐operative.   With practice, he'll behave better and you'll become quicker and more efficient.    Chows have the most compact, cat‐like foot in all dogdom.  To keep them that way, keep the nails short and trim the hair underneath the foot between the toes and pads as well as Grooming Your Chow Chow  around the outside of the foot.   Use the 3" sharps (scissors) for this trimming  ‐ they are smaller and easier to use in an around the pads.  Too much hair and long nails can cause the foot to spread and become flat along with picking up dirt and causing the Chow to slip on smooth surfaces.

Regular Grooming
Your Chow should be brushed weekly between baths.  Lay the Chow on his side, mist the coat with coat dressing (one recipe is 3/4 water and 1/4 Listerine) and brush/comb thoroughly to the skin.   Coat dressing prevents hair breakage, static and generally makes grooming easier.  Use the slicker brush on the shorter hair and the pin brush on the longer coat.  Follow with the medium/coarse comb.  The fine‐toothed comb is used on legs, feet and face and is good for removing shedding and dead hair.  Remember, always brush to the skin! When finished, use the shears to trim off any long, wispy hair that sticks out beyond the Chow "silhouette".  Trim a small area around the anus for cleanliness.  You can also trim the Chow's hocks and pasterns (ankles) for neatness.    Ear cleaning should also be done weekly using a product designed for that purpose.  It's a good idea to have your veterinarian or groomer show you how.  
 
Clean Teeth
If you feed your Chow raw neck bones (chicken, lamb) or chicken carcasses regularly, you should find that your Chow's teeth stay clean and disease free.  However, sometimes this doesn't always work.    If you find you have to clean your Chow's teeth yourself, your veterinarian can show you how to brush your dog's teeth and prevent future dental diseases.

Special Summertime Tips
​Many people feel sorry for their Chows in the summer and wonder if they should shave them.    The Chow's thick coat is designed to protect him from heat as well as cold.    The undercoat helps insulate the skin.  Shaving your Chow may not help him feel cooler and in some cases, may contribute to skin problems as well as sunburn. The best way to keep your Chow comfortable in hot weather is to keep him well‐groomed!   Dirty, dead and shedding hair packs down next to the skin, trapping dirt, heat and moisture.   Circulating air isn't able to reach the skin.  Regular grooming and bathing helps avoid these problems.    If your Chow's coat isn't especially thick in the summer and if it is particularly dry and warm where you live in the summer, you may be able to skip the blow‐drying process after the bath.  However, Chows with heavy undercoats and puppies still in puppy coat need to be blow‐dried because the coat will take forever to dry on its own and retains moisture, often causing hot spots, especially in humid weather.  
If your chow has excessive coat and or is desex which causes the coat to not shed as it normally would discuss with your breeder weather clipping might be the best option for you. This should not be done on a whim and changes the coat texture and brings with its own issues but for "some" dogs it is the best option