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.

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.