Breed # Chow Chow The Chow Chow is a non-sporting breed from China, standing 17–22 in at the withers, weighing males 40–90 lb · females 35–85 lb. Recorded lifespan is 11–13 yrs. ![A photograph of the Chow Chow](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/chow-chow.webp) Breed group Non-Sporting Origin China Height 17–22 in Weight males 40–90 lb · females 35–85 lb Lifespan 11–13 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Chow Chow is taller than 37% of the measured breeds, heavier than 69%, one of 22 in the Non-Sporting group, one of 6 from China. Compare the Chow Chow with another breed ## Living with the Chow Chow Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Chow Chow’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 3 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 2 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 2 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 2 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 5 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 2 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 2 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 2 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 1 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 1 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 3 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 5 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 5 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Chow Chow on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/chow-chow/)[Chow Chow on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/chow-chow) ## Breeds that look like the Chow Chow A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Chow Chow. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/shiba-inu.webp)Shiba Inu](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/shiba-inu/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/icelandic-sheepdog.webp)Icelandic Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/icelandic-sheepdog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/hokkaido.webp)Hokkaido](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/hokkaido/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/finnish-spitz.webp)Finnish Spitz](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/finnish-spitz/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/pastor-garafiano.webp)Pastor Garafiano](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/pastor-garafiano/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/eurasier.webp)Eurasier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/eurasier/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Chow Chow17–22 in 2. Shiba Inu14–17 in 3. Icelandic Sheepdog12–16 in 4. Hokkaido19–20 in 5. Finnish Spitz17–20 in 6. Pastor Garafiano24–28 in 7. Eurasier20–24 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Chow Chow40–90 lb 2. Shiba Inu18–25 lb 3. Icelandic Sheepdog25–30 lb 4. Hokkaido44–66 lb 5. Finnish Spitz26–29 lb 6. Pastor Garafiano77–101 lb 7. Eurasier51–71 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Chow Chow11–13 yrs 2. Shiba Inu13–15 yrs 3. Icelandic Sheepdog~12 yrs 4. Hokkaido12–15 yrs 5. Finnish Spitz13–15 yrs 6. Pastor Garafianono recorded figure 7. Eurasier12–14 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. See the Chow Chow on the breed map Read about the Chow Chow on Wikipedia