FCI-Standard N° 205 / 09. 06. 1999 / GB

CHOW CHOW

ORIGIN : China.

PATRONAGE : Great Britain.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 24.06.1987.

UTILIZATION : Guard dog, companion.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. :       
Group 5 Spitz and primitive type.
Section 5 Asian Spitz and related breeds.            
Without working trial.     
                                            
GENERAL APPEARANCE : Active, compact, short-coupled and essentially well balanced, leonine in appearance, proud, dignified bearing; well knit frame; tail carried well over back.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Quiet dog, good guard, bluish-black tongue; unique in its stilted gait.  Independant, loyal, yet aloof.

HEAD

CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Flat, broad; well filled out under the eyes.
Stop : Not pronounced.

FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Large and wide in all cases black (with exception of cream and near white in which case a light-coloured nose is permissible, and in blues and fawns a self-coloured nose).
Muzzle : Moderate in length, broad from eyes to end (not pointed at end like a fox).
Flews : Flews and roof of mouth black (blue black), gums preferably black.  Tongue bluish black.
Jaws/Teeth : Teeth strong and level, jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.

Eyes : Dark, oval shaped, medium sized and clean.  A matching coloured eye permissible in blues and fawns.  Clean eye, free from entropion, never being penalised for sake of mere size.
Ears : Small, thick, slightly rounded at tip, carried stiffly and wide apart but tilting well forward over eyes and slightly towards each other, giving peculiar characteristic scowling expression of the breed.  Scowl never to be achieved by loose wrinkled skin of head.

NECK : Strong, full, not short, set well on shoulders and slightly arched.

BODY :
Back : Short, level and strong.
Loins : Powerful.
Chest : Broad and deep.  Ribs well sprung, but not barrelled.

TAIL : Set high, carried well over back.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS : Forelegs perfectly straight, of moderate length, woth good bone.
Shoulders : Muscular and sloping.

HINDQUARTERS : Hindlegs muscular.
Hock joint : Well let down, with minimal angulation, essential to produce the characteristic stilted gait. Never flexing forward.
Hock : From hock joints downwards to appear straight.

FEET : Small, round, cat-like, standing well on toes.

GAIT / MOVEMENT  : Short and stilted.  Forelegs and hindlegs moving parallel to each other and straight forward.

COAT

HAIR : Either rough or smooth.

Any artificial shortening of the coat which alters the natural outline or expression should be penalised.

COLOUR : Whole coloured black, red, blue, fawn, cream or white, frequently shaded but not in patches or parti-coloured (underpart of tail and back of thighs frequently of a lighter colour).

SIZE  :
Height at withers : Dogs         48-56 cm (19-22 ins) at shoulder.
                            Bitches      46-51 cm (18-20 ins) at shoulder.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.