How often should I groom my Chow dog?

I can't tell you how many times I have heard that question. I also have been appalled at the wrong answers. The most common wrong answer is - everyday. If you brushed out your Chow thoroughly everyday it would take you several hours - everyday. Remember, to brush out a Chow, you need to brush from the roots out, not just the top fur. The next most common WRONG answer is once a week. If you brushed out a Chow dog either once a day or once a week, then you would break most of the fur/hair and the Chow would look awful. Their fur would look flat and smooth, which is not good.

The true answer is that a Chow should be thoroughly groomed out once every 3-4 weeks. This includes a bath, drying, complete brushing from root of coat to the tip, taking care of the nails and tiding up the coat. The only exception to that is if your Chow suffers from flea allergies and you vet suggest once a week bathing. Of course with the newer spot on flea treatments like K9 Advantix Flea Control or Frontline Plus Flea and Tick there is no need for that once a week bath.

The worse Chow Chow grooming video I have ever seen

The video below is a fairly poor one to use to show the grooming on a Chow Chow. I picked it to point out some major flaws that are shown in the video. First the video shows a line up of tools used to groom the Chow. They show clipper blades. This is a BIG no-no for using on the breed if you plan on doing a show groom. Clipping is against the AKC rules for a Chow Chow. The video points to a book that shows the grooming and clipping areas, again a no-no. I guess they show a book to stay away from. Next they have a very poor quality dog with a minimal Chow coat to demonstrate the grooming. I did not like the remark from the groomer that stated "this is not your typical Chow, this one is a love bug." My guess is that she does not know many Chows.



The end result is a hideous clip job that leaves the Chows body venerable to heat and sunburn. Chows are NEVER clipped that close to the skin. I use to do a "summer" clip to my own Chows years ago and I left at least a 1.5" length of hair all over their bodies. 

Why teaching your chow to lay down for grooming sessions is so important

The coat of the Chow dog is so thick that just brushing it out thoroughly will take hours. Brushing out the Chow's coat properly means brushing out sections of the coat from root to tip of hair shaft. This process is done in sections. Because it is a long process, Chow dogs are taught to lay down on their sides quietly during the brushing.

Start having your Chow Chow pup lay down on its side while young while you brush its coat. It takes patience and time to get them use to the idea of laying on their side while you brush every inch of their coat.

At the same time you need to give yourself a break in the grooming process as just the brushing will take a toll on your wrists. Often owner will brush out a 1/4 of their dog's coat at each grooming session, breaking it up over a series of days rather than just devoting one day to the complete brush out process. That gives both dog and owner a break.

Grooming rakes for the double coat of the Chow Chow

The Chow Chow is a double coated dog. Its outer coat has the stiffer and longer fur, while the undercoat is soft and fluffy. It is the undercoat that is often the hardest to groom. It takes a specialized type of "rake" to groom that type of double coat. The rake must have a sturdy and strong handle. Don't use what I did when I first started to groom my Chow Chow and pick a plastic handled rake. The rake handle broke only after 3 grooming sessions. It was not a cheap rake but cost $25, so price is not always a good indicator of quality or strength. You want to have the teeth of the rake spread wide apart. Too close to together and they often break and take you longer to groom your dog. Avoid rotating teeth rakes and combs, the teeth often bend too easily while being used. Here are some of my recommendations for a good quality grooming rake for your Chow Chow:

• The good old fashioned wood handled rake, which has lasted me for years is the 4 PAWS tangle remover. 
• The Oster Professional Pet Grooming Undercoat Rake is one that I have seen in action but never used myself. If you go to the link you will see the many praises of this product. Of course it is made by Oster which to me screams of quality.

The big plus about my recommendations are that they are both cheaper than that plastic handled rake that I broke a few years ago.