Presented 2008 - Pretoria

Presented 2009 - Kwa Zulu Natal

To be presented within the 1st 3 months of  2010 - Cape Town

 

 

contact kimekai@mweb.co.za for your full copy

  

Chow Chow Seminar

 

Firstly I must thank:

The Judges sub-committee for hosting this seminar

To all of you who have taken the time out to attend

Thanks to the many specialists from across the world

The Commonwealth contingent at the 100th CCCI.

And lastly the Chowists, new and old - in South Africa.

  

The full standard with notes and essays and articles provided by Chow Chow specialists and all-breed specialists from across the world is available in the manual which you will all receive a CD copy of, free of charge.

 * *

Our breed standard in Southern Africa is based upon the UK standard, and we will need many more hours than we have to go through this in great detail. Therefore, I have chosen to embellish on the breed defining characteristics only. These characteristics have also come up as common reference points in the vast amount of historical reference books that are available on the Chow Chow. And as the historians say, �these traits are not only desirable but also necessary and have come about from a dog that has lived by his wits, his strong body and quick action for centuries in a land where this was essential for survival�.

 

 I quote from Will Judy�s book The Chow Chow written in 1934

�Some of the uncertainty and curiosity concerning the Chow Chow and its official standard can be cleared away through consideration of the background of the breed. The physical and mental traits and inheritances of the Chow come from this native habitat, the land within the shadow of the North Pole. For instance the Chow is easily housebroken and is especially clean in the house. In the far north, unless the dog is secretive about these acts of nature, there would be evidence for other dogs or enemies to know the dog was nearby. The squint eye of the Chow comes from the constant looking upon the snow as the sunlight shines on it. The tail on the back must be carried because otherwise a long, low tail would be caked with snow, and would become sore, and could not be moved.  In fact a dog with a hard- �snow� caked tail could not run, could not get game and in time would starve. Those who did not keep their tails clear of the snow passed out of the race.

 

The squint eye, the tail on the back, the round cat-like feet, and the scowl - all are souvenirs of the far northland and its snows and cold.

 

Northern climes with their long twilight nights tend to cause a silent, moody race whether of men or animals. Noise or excessive barking would be out of place and would only betray the location to an enemy. The straight hind legs which most Northern dogs possess , are best adapted for moving through the snow with an up and down or somewhat stilted gait.

 

The tendency towards low Chows and short-legged Chows both in America and England in recent years surely is not in accordance with the original necessity of the Chow. On the ground where there has been snow for much of the year, or for a breed which, as in the case of the Chow, is used for herding and sled work, there must be plenty of daylight under the dog: the legs must not be too short otherwise the dog cannot move properly or with any speed.

 

The small pointed erect ears with its slight forward tilt is especially necessary for northern dogs where both sight and hearing must be brought into play as the dog looks out upon the terrain. The forward tilting ears help the Chow to hear and help to protect the eyes against the glare of the snow

 

The off standing coat, really a fur, both the outer and undercoats, of course is decidedly necessary in a country of extreme cold.

 

The gait of the Chow is peculiar. You will note as you observe your Chow when he trots, that he raises the front feet rather straight and then throws them forward. The hind legs do not move with any leverage but are rather stilted. This is the result of the necessity of running through the snow. Otherwise the dog would push his feet against the snow and soon would have the hair of his legs snow caked and would move only with difficulty.

 

As one considers the heritage of the Chow from the past, particularly in view of his northern nativity, many of the mental traits of the chow and quite a few of the physical qualities as set forth in the standard are explained logically and clearly."

  

The breed defining features of the Chow Chow are

  1. The silhouette
  2. Pigment
  3. Scowl
  4. Temperament
  5. Tail set
  6. Stilted gait
  7. Coat

 Along with the presence of the breed defining features the Chow Chow should be judged as a complete picture. He is a balanced breed with no single feature being exaggerated. It is the combination of elements fitting perfectly together that creates BALANCE. A beautiful dog fits together in a symmetrical whole, their features fit together with harmony and not necessarily because they are perfect.

 

The dog may have faults, but if it balances out and moves correctly, it is acceptable.

In judging dogs one must not judge on faults alone but should be looking at the whole animal, measuring the animal's virtues by the Breed Standard, examining the fitting together of all the parts into an eye-catching, harmonious whole and not just the individual parts.

 

A judge must have a positive mental image of a correct Chow Chow.

 

The Examination

 

Before starting on the characteristics of the Chow Chow , I felt it pertinent to discuss the examination of the Chow Chow.

 

The Chow Chow is a breed that shows his best when he is allowed to move into the judge. This is best achieved by allowing the Chow Chow to circle the ring and come to a stop in front of the judge at the area where the judge has chosen for the �hands on� examination of the breed. 

 

Bear in mind that the Chow Chow has limited peripheral vision as well as being a dominant breed. It is best for the judge to approach the dog within the sight limitations of the dog and to allow the dog to be aware of the judge before the �hands on.�

 

When examining the Chow Chow do not hesitate to touch the dog for fear of being attacked - majority of the exhibitors do control their dogs and those that don�t one can see from their first entrance into the ring. Being wary to touch as well as being aggressive in your touch does no good for the examination. When examining the head, don�t put your hand on top of the Chow Chow�s head, he will instinctively pull away from you. Rather put one hand on to the side of his head and go from this point to examine the eyes, ears, scowl, stop  and shape of skull. When examining the teeth and pigment, if you are opening the dog�s mouth , don�t close his nostrils in order to see. Once again he will instinctively pull away from you. When checking for the pigment, please check the tongue, the flews as well as the roof of the mouth.

 

Going over the body, its re-assuring for any breed to always have one hand on the body rather than a series of �lift my hands and grab the next place to examine�.

 

A huge mistake many judges make is to stand very close to the Chow Chow upon examination � this crowds the Chow Chow and he seldom stands comfortably in this type of situation.

 

When you have finished your  �hands on � assessment of the Chow Chow and you now want to see his movement ask the handler to move the Chow Chow in a triangle. Remember that the stilted gait is best assessed for the side  and by moving in a triangle , you see the 3 sides necessary in order to assess his movement.

 

The Points for discussion  as well as "You be the Judge" are available in the full seminar (contact kimekai@mweb.co.za)