When we chose to own a dignified, versatile Chow Chow in the 1970s, we became aware of the two coat types of Chows… the Chow Chow can have a beautiful full coat (rough coat) or a beautiful short, thick coat (smooth coat). The rough-coated Chow is most common and the smooth-coated Chow is identical other than the length of coat. Both are very beautiful and worth serious consideration. Both can be found in any of the five Standard-approved colors: red, black, cinnamon, blue, or cream, and with or without shading. This difference in coat type may be significant to the owner who grooms and lives with the dog. The smooth coat is easier to maintain, less likely to mat, and generally repels water and soil easier than the longer rough coat.
The CHOW CHOW – Coat and Condition
One of the most beautiful sights is a Chow Chow with a magnificent coat (rough or smooth). The AKC Breed Standard describes the Chow Chow as: “Clothed in a smooth or an offstanding rough double coat, the Chow is a masterpiece of beauty, dignity and naturalness.”
The AKC Breed Standard defines coat and color as:
“Coat: There are two types of coat; rough and smooth. Both are double coated. Rough – In the rough coat, the outer coat is abundant, dense, straight and offstanding, rather coarse in texture; the undercoat soft, thick and wooly. Puppy coat soft, thick and wooly overall. The coat forms a profuse ruff around the head and neck, framing the head. The coat and ruff generally longer in dogs than in bitches. Tail well feathered. The coat length varies markedly on different Chows and thickness, texture and condition should be given greater emphasis than length. Obvious trimming or shaping is undesirable. Trimming of the whiskers, feet and metatarsals optional. Smooth – The smooth coated Chow is judged by the same standard as the rough coated Chow except that references to the quantity and distribution of the outer coat are not applicable to the smooth coated Chow, which has a hard, dense, smooth outer coat with a definite undercoat. There should be no obvious ruff or feathering on the legs or tail.
Color: Clear colored, solid or solid with lighter shadings in the ruff, tail and featherings. There are five colors in the Chow: red (light golden to deep mahogany), black, blue, cinnamon (light fawn to deep cinnamon) and cream. Acceptable colors to be judged on an equal basis.”
Puppies will frequently be seen while changing from the soft, wooly puppy coat to their adult coat (i.e. transition coat). Color 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 Appearance 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.
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 determining 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.
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