We will be in touch soon to confirm.
Breed guide · Dogs
He ignores every guest at the door. I introduce them slowly, with his dinner in my pocket.
Last updated 12 October 2026
We will be in touch soon to confirm.
What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Guests get a polite look, then nothing. One or two people at home get everything.
What's going onChows were kept as guards, and many are closest to one or two people in the family. Let guests ignore them, and let the Chow come to them.
At home
A fluffy puppy everyone wants to cuddle.
What's going onEarly socialisation matters in this breed. Before six months, let them meet many calm people in many places, each meeting paid with food and none of them forced.
At home
Flat out on the marble, or across the air-conditioning vent.
What's going onThat thick double coat needs careful heat management. In Dubai that means air conditioning, walks in the dark hours and a rake through the undercoat. Contact your vet before anyone clips it short.
At home
Squinting, a watery eye, or rubbing their face along the floor.
What's going onEntropion, an eyelid that rolls inwards so the lashes rub the eye, runs in the breed. It is worth showing your vet.
At home
A hard stare, a stiff stance, a head turned away.
What's going onA Chow rarely makes a fuss out loud, and this is them saying no. Give them space when you see it, and contact your vet if they start to growl.
At home
Off the grooming table, or stiff the moment someone looks in their mouth.
What's going onMany Chows dislike being held, and that coat means a lot of grooming. A few seconds on their paws, ears and mouth every day, then a treat, makes grooming and vet visits easier for life.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their weather
Built for: A northern winter.
In Dubai: 45-degree summers, in a heavy coat.
Their job
Built for: Guarding a home, and making their own decisions.
In Dubai: Often a building full of strangers.
Being touched
Built for: Keeping strangers at arm's length.
In Dubai: People they have never met reaching out to touch them.
The stiffness with visitors and the fuss at grooming mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a winter. You can give them a cool home, time to trust people and hands they know, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Chow Chow's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
That thick double coat traps heat, and a Dubai summer is the hardest test it gets.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
That thick double coat traps heat, and a Dubai summer is the hardest test it gets.
What to do
Keep them in air conditioning through the day, with a cool tiled floor to lie on. From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark, and check the pavement with the back of your hand. If they pant hard or wobble, get them into the cool and call your vet straight away.
Dead undercoat left in a Chow's mane holds heat and mats against the skin.
Every age, more as the adult coat comes in
Why
Dead undercoat left in a Chow's mane holds heat and mats against the skin.
What to do
Brush them through to the skin two or three times a week with an undercoat rake, and every day while they shed. Contact your vet before you let anyone shave them.
Many Chows dislike being held, and they need grooming, eye checks and dental care for life.
Every age, starting the day they come home
Why
Many Chows dislike being held, and they need grooming, eye checks and dental care for life.
What to do
Every day, touch their paws, lift their ears and look at their eyes and teeth for a few seconds, then give a treat. Let the people they trust do this first. Stop before they stiffen.
A Chow is less of an escape artist than many northern dogs, but a guard dog loose near a delivery rider can frighten them both.
Every age, most of all up to 2 years
Why
A Chow is less of an escape artist than many northern dogs, but a guard dog loose near a delivery rider can frighten them both.
What to do
Look over the gate and the balcony rails, and put a baby gate inside the front door so they never meet a stranger on the doorstep without you.
They are reserved with strangers and other dogs, and many Chows do not like being approached head on.
Every age
Why
They are reserved with strangers and other dogs, and many Chows do not like being approached head on.
What to do
Walk them on a harness and lead. Cross the road rather than let an unknown dog run up to them, and tell people who want to pat them that they prefer not to be touched.
A summer indoors leaves even a calm Chow bored.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
A summer indoors leaves even a calm Chow bored.
What to do
Scatter part of their dinner, hide treats for them to sniff out, and give them a stuffed chew. They prefer a job they can do on their own to a rough game.
They think for themselves, and they work best for people they trust.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They think for themselves, and they work best for people they trust.
What to do
Five minutes, two or three times a day, paid with food. Keep your voice calm and the rules the same for everyone in the house. If they ignore a cue, make it easier rather than repeating it.
A Chow rarely barks to warn you. They tell you with their body.
Every age
Why
A Chow rarely barks to warn you. They tell you with their body.
What to do
Learn their signs of discomfort: a hard stare, going still, turning their head away. When you see them, give them space and end what is happening. If they growl or guard, contact your vet.
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint) and Elbow Dysplasia (a poorly fitting elbow joint) are on their record from puppy to prime adult, and arthritis follows as a senior.
Every age, screening up to 4 years
Why
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint) and Elbow Dysplasia (a poorly fitting elbow joint) are on their record from puppy to prime adult, and arthritis follows as a senior.
What to do
Keep them lean. Put rugs where they turn on marble, and use a ramp for the car. Tell your vet if they limp or are slow to get up. Ask your vet about hip screening (a check of how well the hips fit) as a puppy, a juvenile and a young adult.
Entropion (an eyelid that rolls inwards) and hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) are both on their record.
Every age, most of all from 4 years
Why
Entropion (an eyelid that rolls inwards) and hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) are both on their record.
What to do
Once a week, look for squinting, watering or a red eye, and for thinning patches in the coat. Weigh them once a month.
Two of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Chow Chow dog breed
There is one Chow Chow, in two coats. The rough coat is the full, lion-like mane most people picture. The smooth coat is short, hard and dense, without the ruff, over the same thick undercoat. Both come from the same northern Chinese guard dogs, and both need the same cool home.
Colours
Chow Chows come in five colours: red (anything from light golden to deep mahogany), black, blue, cinnamon (light fawn to deep cinnamon) and cream. Whatever the colour, the tongue is blue-black.
The first six months
Vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Before six months, let them meet many calm people in many places, each meeting paid with food, and start touching their paws, ears and mouth for a few seconds a day.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
A cool tiled floor in air conditioning, an undercoat rake and a slicker brush, a baby gate inside the front door, a harness and lead, and rugs where they turn on marble.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Hip and Elbow Dysplasia and Entropion (an eyelid that rolls inwards) are on a Chow's record from puppyhood. Ask the breeder about both parents' hips, elbows and eyes, and meet the mother if you can.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
He'll keep vetting your guests slowly. If he starts to growl at one, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
Long ago
In northern China the Chow was an all-purpose dog, guarding homes and temples, hunting and pulling small carts. A good one kept strangers at a distance without being told.
What they still carryThe guarding, the reserve with strangers, and the thick double coat.
Late 1700s to 1894
Traders brought Chows back to Britain from the late 1700s. Queen Victoria was given one, and the mane and blue-black tongue made the breed fashionable. The Kennel Club recognised it in 1894.
What they still carryThe look that made them famous, with the guard dog still underneath.
1903 onwards
The American Kennel Club registered the breed in 1903. Through the 20th century Chows were bred mostly for the show ring and as family guards.
What they still carryA heavier coat than their ancestors had, on a dog that still decides who to trust.
Today
In Dubai a Chow Chow lives through a 45-degree summer in a heavy northern coat.
What they still carryA northern guard dog who still chooses who gets close.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Chow Chow suits you, so might these.
Shiba InuThe same kind of dog: an independent, cat-like spitz, much smaller and lighter, from Japan.
SamoyedAnother thick-coated spitz, but famously friendly and chatty where the Chow is reserved and quiet.
AkitaThe same aloof, independent temperament with strangers, in a bigger, more energetic guardian from Japan.
American BulldogA similar size and the same need for cool indoor summers, in a short coat that is easier to groom.
