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LargeNon-Sporting Group

Chow Chow

The Chow Chow is among the oldest documented breeds in Chinese imperial records, with relief imagery from the Han Dynasty depicting the type.

Calculate Chow Chow age
Lifespan12.1 yrrange 11–13
SizeLargeNon-Sporting Group
Weight45–70 lb20.4–31.8 kg
Senior at6 yrgeriatric at 10

Gallery (3)

About

About the Chow Chow

The Chow Chow is among the oldest documented breeds in Chinese imperial records, with relief imagery from the Han Dynasty depicting the type. The blue-black tongue is breed-defining (shared with the Shar-Pei); rough and smooth coat varieties exist.

Aging

How Chow Chows age

RVC VetCompass gives a median 12.1 years (n=1,335). Entropion from the heavy head conformation, elbow dysplasia (OFA moderate), and autoimmune thyroiditis are the defining late-life concerns; gastric torsion is a secondary GDV risk.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 12.1 yr · range 11–13Senior careSenior at 6 · geriatric at 10Common health issues6 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
45–70 lb(20.4–31.8 kg)
Height
17–20 in(43.2–50.8 cm)
Coat type
Double
Colors
CreamRedCinnamonBlackBlue
Temperament

Temperament

How Chow Chows tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

dignifiedbrightserious-mindedaloof
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • High prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • High prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~2 yr

    Patellar Luxation

    Description and veterinary guidance for Patellar Luxation land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
45min
per day

Chow Chows are satisfied by around 45 minutes of daily activity (energy level 3/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.