Beauchamp Chow Chow

1. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59378-979-4
Verlag: CompanionHouse Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 155 Seiten

Reihe: Comprehensive Owner's Guide

The enigmatic Chow Chow continues to fascinate humankind with his complex, independent nature, his scowling expression, and his unmistakable purebred nobility. Whether adorned in the characteristic rough coat or a dense smooth coat, the Chow never hesitates to reveal his bluish black tongue, one of the breed's most celebrated traits. As a show dog, the Chow cuts an impressive image: powerful, sturdy, and squarely built. Of Nordic origins, this medium-size breed was developed for various purposes, including hunting, herding, pulling carts, and protecting the home. Today's Chows are cherished home companions for the right owners willing to put in the time to socialize and train this distinctive purebred dog. Richard G. Beauchamp, long associated with the Chow and other Non-Sporting breeds, has written an excellent primer on the Chow Chow breed, offering readers a glimpse into the breed's mysterious past in China and his many elusive charms. New owners will welcome the well-prepared chapter on finding a reputable breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy. Chapters on puppy-proofing the home and yard, purchasing the right supplies for the puppy as well as house-training, feeding, and grooming are illustrated with photographs of handsome adults and puppies. In all, there are over 135 full-color photographs in this useful and reliable volume. The author's advice on obedience training will help the reader better mold and train into the most well-mannered dog in the neighborhood. The extensive and lavishly illustrated chapter on healthcare provides up-to-date detailed information on selecting a qualified veterinarian, vaccinations, preventing and dealing with parasites, infectious diseases, and more. Sidebars throughout the text offer helpful hints, covering topics as diverse as historical dogs, breeders, or kennels, toxic plants, first aid, crate training, carsickness, fussy eaters, and parasite control. Fully indexed.

Richard Beauchamp is well qualified to write a book of this nature. He was the publisher of 'Kennel Review' magazine, was a noted syndicated columnist and is now a judge of many breeds.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Beauchamp, Richard G.

Leseproben

The romantic tales surrounding the origin of the beautiful and temperamentally unique Chow Chow are countless. The somewhat blurred origins and unusual looks of this breed have led to legendary and fanciful links to all kinds of animals outside the canine world. Not the least of these legends is the one that claims it is the bear rather than the wolf from which the Chow descends.

There is nothing to substantiate the Chow’s relationship to the bear, but those who choose to believe this cite many characteristics that the breed shares with no other animal but the bear. Supporters of this theory claim that a form of primitive wild animal, which is now extinct, is the ancestor of the Chow.

All other dogs are known to have descended from the progenitors of the wolf. This, according to the bear theorists, explains why most other dogs either look away from the Chow Chow at first meeting or immediately prepare themselves to attack.

When one stops to consider the bear’s independent nature, its blue tongue and the stilted manner in which it walks—all characteristics of the Chow Chow—it becomes understandable how the theory took root. There is also the remarkable resemblance of the bear cub to the Chow. If nothing else, all this makes one wonder if Mother Nature just might have lent some ironic twist to the evolution of the Chow.

Although China embraces the Chow Chow as one of its own, historical documents originating in China consistently refer to the breed as “the foreign Chow.” This substantiates the more scientific research that reveals the Chow was of Arctic origin, migrating to China with the barbarian tribes that frequently invaded China in the 11th century BC.

These barbarian invaders had dogs of formidable size that were described as having black tongues and being so fierce that they could easily bring down humans as if they were straws. These warrior dogs sometimes resembled lions in color as well as in their head characteristics. They also had long claws and shaggy manes that covered their necks.

CANIS LUPUS

“Grandma, what big teeth you have!” The gray wolf, a familiar figure in fairy tales and legends, has had its reputation tarnished and its population pummeled over the centuries. Yet it is the descendants of this much-feared creature to which we open our homes and hearts. Our beloved dog, Canis domesticus, derives directly from the gray wolf, a highly social canine that lives in elaborately structured packs. In the wild, the gray wolf can range from 60 to 175 pounds, standing between 25 and 40 inches in height.

Though the Chow’s long existence in China can be traced through its image on bronzes and in paintings, much of the breed’s documented history was destroyed by the Emperor Chin Shih, who wantonly destroyed most of China’s literature in 225 BC. The records that did survive add some interesting details to the earlier descriptions of the warrior dogs.

These writings describe the dogs as being completely different from other breeds of dog with large broad heads, short muzzles and small eyes. The lips are described as not overlapping but just touching, giving them a unique aloof expression.

It appears that although these warrior dogs were devoted to their keepers, they were extremely hostile to strangers. Their fierce natures made them ideal candidates for their roles as war dogs. It is interesting to note that these same dogs proved to be excellent hunters and herding dogs.

As centuries passed, the breed’s fierce nature mellowed and the dogs could be assigned duties of a more domestic nature: draft dog, hunter, herder, guardian of the home and, unfortunately for the dogs, as food for the family as well.

The Chinese (and subsequent English) slang word for something edible is “chow.” The dogs kept for this purpose were considered a great delicacy. Thus, dog meat was sold and eaten throughout China and Korea until it was prohibited by law in China in 1915.

Chinese legend gives us purely practical reasons for two of the Chow’s most distinguishing characteristics: the straighter the hind leg, the more abundant the meat; and the bluer the tongue, the more tender and delicious the meat.

WEST MEETS EAST

There can be no doubt that as the first clipper ships entered Chinese harbors, British sailors were fascinated by the multitude of curiosities this strange country afforded. Certainly not the least of these oddities was this dog that was more bear- or lion-like than anything ever seen by British seamen. It is little wonder the sailors took their canine curiosities back to England with them on return voyages. In 1780 the first Chows arrived in Great Britain.

Little is known of the fate of those first exotic immigrants to England. It was not until 1840 that a newspaper account tells of several Chows who were kept in the London Zoological Park. They were referred to as the “wild dog of China.”

In 1880, however, records document the exhibition of Chinese Puzzle, a black Chow female imported directly from China. Chinese Puzzle was shown at a dog show that took place at the famous Crystal Palace in London. Evidently the look of Chinese Puzzle caught the eye and captured the fancy of some of London’s most fashionable ladies, including the Marchioness of Huntley.

The Chinese Foo Dog is suspected of being a direct relative of the Chow Chow.

At the turn of the 20th century, China was exporting short-coated Chows. They were called edible dogs and according to customs forms they were considered food animals like swine, chickens and ducks.

PURE-BRED PURPOSE

Given the vast range of the world’s 400 or so pure breeds of dog, it’s fair to say that domestic dogs are the most versatile animal in the kingdom. From the tiny 1-pound lap dog to the 200-pound guard dog, dogs have adapted to every need and whim of their human masters. Humans have selectively bred dogs to alter physical attributes like size, color, leg length, mass and skull diameter in order to suit our own needs and fancies. Dogs serve humans not only as companions and guardians but also as hunters, exterminators, shepherds, rescuers, messengers, warriors, babysitters and more!

Author Richard G. Beauchamp, long-time Chow fancier, judge and breeder, pictured here with one of his favorite Chows.

When the Marchioness was offered a Chow that her relative, the Earl of Lonsdale, had brought back from China, she not only accepted the gift but immediately requested the Earl bring back more of the dogs on his next trip. Upon the arrival of the new dogs, Lady Huntley set about breeding Chows, heading up the kennel with an imported male she named Periodot.

A Periodot daughter, Periodot II, bred by the Marchioness was subsequently sold to Lady Granville Gordon, who established a highly respected breeding kennel on the blood of this female. Lady Gordon’s daughter, Lady Faudel-Phillips, shared her interest in the Chow Chow and became the most important and influential breeder in England. The Ladies Gordon and Phillips were to produce the first English-bred champion Chow, who was named simply Blue Blood.

EARLY CANINE GROUPS

As early as the first century AD, Romans had classified dogs into six general groups: House Guardian Dogs, Shepherd Dogs, Sporting Dogs, War Dogs, Scent Dogs and Sight Dogs. Most dogs we know today can trace their ancestry directly back to dogs from these groups. Many other breeds were developed by combining two or more individuals from those original groups to create yet another “breed.”

Lady Faudel-Phillips, circa 1932, with one of her Amwell Chows. The Amwell kennels produced many champion Chows.

The National Chow Chow Club of Great Britain (NCCCGB) was formed in 1895 and an official standard of the breed was drawn up at the first meeting. The club’s first show for the breed was held at Westminster in the same year. It is interesting to note that the same standard, with only minor adjustments, continues to exist to this day and has been used as a basis for practically every other standard around the world.

By December of that same year, the NCCCGB was able to stage its first show and no less than 54 Chows were entered. The impressive turnout of dogs was the talk of the dog fancy and helped the breed secure a position of respect among die-hard dog fanciers throughout the country.

BLUE-TONGUED COUSINS

The Chow Chow shares his blue-black tongue with another Chinese pure-bred dog, the Chinese Shar-Pei. This breed, only recently saved from the brink of extinction by dog fanciers around the world, continues to grow in popularity. Once called the Chinese Fighting Dog, the Shar-Pei today is prized as a companion dog and show dog in many countries around the world.

When Lady Gordon died, her daughter Lady Phillips fell heir to all of the Chows. With these dogs and some of her own, Lady Phillips established the legendary Amwell Chow Chow Kennel in 1919. The kennel was to remain in operation until Lady Phillips’s death in 1943.

A British dog breeder, Miss Joshua, was famed for the beautiful expressive faces of her dogs. The Chow look has been described as “scowling” but many observers describe the breed as leonine, or lion-like.

With the breed in the hands of England’s wealthy and titled men and women, the Chow Chow flourished. The breed’s fanciers could well afford huge kennels and the talented stockmen it took to manage them. The breed grew in number and in quality.

The first Chow Chow to become an English champion was an import, Ch. Chow VIII, which was described as a dog of good type though somewhat lacking in coat....