page_title: Chow Chow
section_title: Appearance
hierarchical_section_title: Chow Chow / Appearance
caption_attribution_description: Chow Chow dog
context_page_description: The Chow-Chow is a dog breed originally from northern China, where it is referred to as Songshi-Quan, which translates to "puffy-lion dog".
context_section_description: The Chow-Chow is a sturdily built dog, square in profile, with a broad skull and small, triangular, erect ears with rounded tips. The breed is known for a very dense double coat that is either smooth or rough. The fur is particularly thick in the neck area, giving it a distinctive ruff or mane appearance. The coat may be shaded/self-red, black, blue, cinnamon/fawn, or cream.
  Not all these color varieties are recognized as valid in all countries.  Individuals with patchy or multicolored coats are considered to be outside the breed standard.  
  Chow-Chow eyes are typically deep set and almond shaped. The breed is unique by their purple/blue-black tongue which no other breed has except Shar Pei, and has very straight hind legs, resulting in a rather stilted gait. The bluish color extends to the Chow-Chow's lips; this is the only dog breed with this distinctive bluish color in its lips and oral cavity (other dogs have black or a piebald pattern skin in their mouths). Another distinctive feature is the curly tail. It has thick hair and lies curled on its back. The nose should be black, but blue-coated Chow-Chow can have a solid blue or slate-colored nose. According to the American Kennel Club breed standards, any other tone is not acceptable for contests. FCI countries, however, do allow a self-colored nose in the cream.
  The blue-black/purple tongue gene appears to be dominant, as most mixed breed dogs that come from a Chow-Chow retain that tongue colour. However, the blue-black/purple tongue can also be found on the Shar Pei. This is not to say that every mixed breed dog with spots of purple on the tongue is descended from Chow-Chow, as purple spots on the tongue can be found on other purebred dogs.
caption: A close-up of the Chow-Chow's characteristic blue-black tongue in a male Chow-Chow.
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