hello everyone i am new to this forum. I currently have a 7-8 year old saint bernard male. hes the most lovable drooly boy ever. He is fairly small for his breed (only 104lbs) the spca we got him from said that he is a mix which explains his size. Anyway, we have recently been thinking about getting him a little brother, a chow chow puppy to be specific. the only thing im womdering is would it be okay to have both these dogs in the same apartment? we live on a first floor apartment fairly sized, two bedrooms a decent sized living room and kitchen and a nice size fenced in yard. our saint bernard loves it he goes inside and out as he pleases and has the neighbors dogs to play with. we made the second bedroom an office/his room. i know our saint lives very comfortable here but i dont know if a chow would as well, especially at the same time. this would be our first time having a chow. and i just want to make sure i evaluate all the situations before making my decision.
do i have room for a chow?
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I think that just about any dog can be comfortable in an apartment as long as they receive appropriate exercise and mental stimulation.
That being said, (and the following are all generalizations) a Chow Chow is not a dog I'd recommend for apartment life. They are notorious for aggression (both human and dog aggression), are intolerant of strangers, and have landed on many banned breeds list. Even if your current apartment allows them, if you had to relocate, finding an apartment that allows a Chow to live there might be very difficult. They're also not fabulous with children, so if there are any infants in your future, I'd recommend looking into a different breed.
Also, Chows are notorious for SSA (same sex aggression), so you should be looking into a female if you decide to go forward with purchasing one. Find either an adult in rescue so that you can be assured of her personality, or go through a VERY reputable breeder who produces well tempered dogs.
A final note - don't make the mistake of thinking that nurture can undo nature. Even if you get a Chow puppy and socialize it in healthy and consistent manners, it is likely to still turn into a dog that is intolerant of other people outside of your family unit and isn't safe to have around strange dogs.
That being said, (and the following are all generalizations) a Chow Chow is not a dog I'd recommend for apartment life. They are notorious for aggression (both human and dog aggression), are intolerant of strangers, and have landed on many banned breeds list. Even if your current apartment allows them, if you had to relocate, finding an apartment that allows a Chow to live there might be very difficult. They're also not fabulous with children, so if there are any infants in your future, I'd recommend looking into a different breed.
Also, Chows are notorious for SSA (same sex aggression), so you should be looking into a female if you decide to go forward with purchasing one. Find either an adult in rescue so that you can be assured of her personality, or go through a VERY reputable breeder who produces well tempered dogs.
A final note - don't make the mistake of thinking that nurture can undo nature. Even if you get a Chow puppy and socialize it in healthy and consistent manners, it is likely to still turn into a dog that is intolerant of other people outside of your family unit and isn't safe to have around strange dogs.
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I agree with everything that Hiraeth mentioned above. Why are you looking at the chow chow specifically? What draws you to the breed?
And just to put this out there, but my breed, the Eurasier, was actually developed in part to have a less aggression-prone Chow.
And just to put this out there, but my breed, the Eurasier, was actually developed in part to have a less aggression-prone Chow.
thanks guys you brought up some really good points and with your information i was able to look a little deeper into the breed. the reason we were interested in a chow is because friends have one and we adore her. and someone at my work place is looking to rehome their pup. although we live by ourselves (no children) the idea of them not being great with kids is slightly worrisome since we do plan on having kids within the next few years. my dog is getting very old and I defiently do not want him to have troubles with a dog at his age. I am really glad for your information and unfortunately it sounds like a chow may not be the pup for us.
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