Bringing Home a Chow Chow: First Week in Calgary

Before pickup: the Chow Chow supply checklist

A Chow Chow is a medium-to-large dog (40 to 70 lbs), with a heavy double coat, deep-set almond eyes, and a temperament the American Kennel Club Chow Chow page calls dignified and cat-like. The Chow Chow Club Inc (the AKC parent club) underlines two practical realities every new owner should plan for: the eyes need attention (entropion is the headline breed health item) and the coat needs regular maintenance, with two heavy seasonal sheds. Buy the core kit before pickup so the first 48 hours are about settling, not shopping. Calgary cost ranges below are directional and typical at Pet Valu, Bosley's, Tail Blazers, and large-format pet stores; online options vary.

Calgary cost ranges are directional; actual prices vary by retailer and season. Costs cited for example only.

Pickup day: what to expect on the drive home

Calgary pickups happen across the city: from Calgary Humane Society in the south, from AARCS intakes, from Pawsitive Match Rescue Foundation fosters, and from breeders or rural surrenderers in Airdrie, Okotoks, Cochrane, and the country south of the city. For a Chow Chow the drive matters more than the breed pages let on. Three details to plan for:

• Secure restraint. A crash-tested medium-large crate strapped to the back seat, or a seatbelt-clipped back-clip harness, is safest. A loose 60-lb dog in the front seat is dangerous for both of you and not legal under Calgary distracted-driving rules.
• Temperature. In summer, pre-cool the cabin and never leave a Chow unattended in a parked car, not even for 5 minutes. In winter, the cabin can be cooler than you would normally drive: the double coat heats up fast in a closed car.
• Quiet ride. Skip the meal right before pickup (carsickness is common), bring a towel, and keep the trip direct. No errands, no stops, no “just one quick introduction” on the way home.

Expect a quiet, watchful dog on arrival. Many Chows shut down completely for the first 24 to 48 hours, observe everything, and only start engaging on day 4 or 5. Some appear neutral on arrival and crash on day 3 when the adrenaline wears off. Both patterns are normal. Almost none will greet you at the door wagging. That is not coming. That is not what you adopted.

The 3-3-3 rule, applied to a Chow Chow

The 3-3-3 rule is the directional timeline rescues use to describe decompression: 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months. With most breeds the bond is visible by the routine-forming phase. With a Chow Chow, the aloof temperament extends each phase, and real affection signals usually do not appear until well into the third phase. The pattern most Chow owners describe:

Setting up the home: spaces, gates, and the safe spot

A Chow does not need a big setup, but it does need a deliberate one. Six zones worth defining before pickup:

• The safe spot. A 42-inch crate in a low-traffic corner with bed, water, and a Kong. Place it in or near your bedroom for the first week so the dog is not isolated overnight, but far enough from the door that it is not the welcome committee for every visitor.
• Gated areas. Baby gates block off any room you do not want the dog in until housetraining is solid. Chows are stair-tolerant as adults, but young or recovering Chows should not have free run of the whole house for the first week. Keep stairs limited until the orthopaedic conversation with your vet.
• Potty area. One outdoor spot near the door for fast trips in cold weather. Indoor backups are less needed than with small breeds: the double coat handles Calgary winters comfortably. The harder month is July, when many Chows resist daytime outdoor potty trips because the pavement is too warm.
• Feeding station. Quiet corner, raised bowls, slow-feeder, away from foot traffic. A startled Chow at the bowl will learn to guard food, and Chows already sit in the higher-risk bracket for resource guarding. Do not stand over the dog while it eats, do not let children near the bowl, and do not test the food bowl by reaching in.
• Grooming station. A non-slip towel on a counter or low table where eye-wipe checks, ear inspections, and short brushing happen daily. Familiarising a Chow with this spot in week 1 saves grooming battles later. The aloof breed will accept handling much better if it associates the spot with treats and short sessions, not full grooming marathons.
• A “no-go” couch zone for week 1. Decide before pickup whether the dog is allowed on furniture. Switching mid-week confuses a settling dog and Chows sometimes guard sleeping spots. Easiest first-week default: not on the furniture, then re-decide at week 3 with calm intent.

Daily routine in week 1

Predictable schedules speed up settling more than any single training trick. A reasonable Chow Chow day for the first week:

Feeding: gradual transition over 7 to 10 days

Whatever food the rescue or breeder has been using, get a 1 to 2 week supply at pickup. A cold-turkey food switch causes diarrhea, vomiting, and skipped meals on top of an already stressful arrival. Transition gradually over 7 to 10 days per AAHA general guidance:

• Days 1 to 3: 75% old food, 25% new food.
• Days 4 to 6: 50% old, 50% new.
• Days 7 to 9: 25% old, 75% new.
• Day 10+: 100% new food.

Feed 2 small meals daily for adults, 3 to 4 for puppies under 6 months. Use a raised slow-feeder bowl: many Chows gulp food, and slow-feeders reduce regurgitation and the deep-chested-breed bloat conversation. Keep the meal spot quiet, do not stand over a dog while it eats, and let the dog finish at its own pace. A bowl that gets reached into is the most common starting point for food guarding in this breed.

If your Chow refuses food entirely for more than 24 hours and you also see vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or breathing difficulty, call your vet. For puppies under 6 months, any skipped meal is worth a phone call. Per the AAHA puppy guidelines, puppies can drop into hypoglycemia quickly.

Critical socialisation window note. If you are bringing home a Chow puppy under 16 weeks old, the AAHA-recognised socialisation window is closing fast (roughly 6 to 16 weeks). For an aloof breed already wired to be wary, the calm, positive exposures you build in this window matter for the rest of the dog's life. Calm visits to a quiet vet lobby, controlled meetings with one calm dog at a time, low-pressure new surfaces and sounds, all with treats. Skip dog parks and crowded environments. Most of the Chow Chow aggression cases Calgary trainers see in adulthood trace back to a missed socialisation window in puppyhood.

Sleeping arrangements: crate, bed, or yours

Most Calgary trainers recommend the crate near your bed for the first 1 to 2 weeks. An aloof breed separated to another room can take longer to settle simply because nothing in the environment is familiar yet. After settling, the choice is yours. A few realities:

• Crate in bedroom. Best default. Quiet, contained, the dog can see you. Most adult rescue Chows sleep through within a few nights and continue to choose the crate even with the door open.
• Dog bed on the floor. Works once housetraining is solid (typically week 4+ for adults). Use a cooling-style bed rather than a thick orthopaedic foam in summer.
• Your bed. Many Chows will accept this in time, but most prefer the cool floor or their own crate. Two caveats: some Chows guard sleeping spots once attached, and bed-sharing during housetraining slows progress.
• Puppies. Stay crated near you for at least the first 2 to 3 months. Bed-sharing under 6 months can suppress housetraining progress, and a young Chow needs the safe-spot conditioning.

The first vet visit: book within 7 days

Book the wellness exam before pickup if you can. The first appointment is short (30 to 45 min) and for a Chow Chow it has two headline items beyond the standard checklist:

• Eye exam for entropion. The deep-set, almond eye is the breed's most-claimed insurance item. Entropion (lashes rolled inward) irritates the cornea and, untreated, can scar it. The vet looks for redness, squinting, excess tearing, and inward-rolling lid margins. Surgical correction, if needed, is most successful when caught early. The Chow Chow Club Inc lists entropion as the breed's top monitoring item.
• Hip and elbow baseline. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals lists Chow Chow among breeds at elevated risk for hip and elbow dysplasia. A baseline conversation with the vet about gait, stair behaviour, and any limp lets you catch problems early. X-ray screening can happen later if symptoms arise.
• Baseline weight, body condition score, dental check.
• Vaccination status review and any missing boosters.
• Microchip and parasite-prevention plan.
• Diet review, including any rescue-flagged sensitivities.

Calgary wellness exam pricing typically runs $80 to $150 for a first visit (directional; costs vary by clinic). Bring all paperwork from the rescue or breeder. Ask about a baseline blood panel for seniors. Take notes on the vet's recommended deworming, flea and tick, and heartworm schedule. The ASPCA new-pet guide also recommends scheduling a wellness exam within the first week for any newly adopted dog.

Enrol pet insurance before the wellness exam. Anything noted at that appointment can become a pre-existing exclusion later. For Chows, the items that most often become exclusions are entropion (the single highest-cost surgical item if missed), hip and elbow dysplasia, and any skin issue tied to the double coat. These are exactly the things owners most want covered.

The most common first-week mistakes

These are the patterns Calgary rescues see most often in week-1 follow-up calls. None is fatal, but each makes the first month harder than it needs to be.

• Forcing affection. The single most-common Chow mistake. New owners read about “cat-like” and think they will be the exception. They will not. Hugging, kissing the face, pulling the dog onto a lap, or invading the safe spot can damage trust for months. Wait for the Chow to ask.
• Over-handling. Brushing for 30 minutes on day 1, full bath on day 2, ear and eye exams every couple of hours. The dog will tolerate it briefly and then start avoiding the grooming station. Short, calm, paid sessions only.
• Strangers and other dogs too soon. An aloof breed still decompressing cannot process your whole social circle. Hold guests off for 7 to 14 days, neighbour dogs longer. Set up the home so the dog can retreat from any visitor at any time.
• Misreading aloofness as something is wrong. A Chow watching from the corner, sleeping for long stretches, and not greeting you is decompressing as a Chow does. That is not depression. That is the breed.
• Ignoring early aggression signs. The flip side of misreading aloofness: missing actual warning signs. Stiffening at the door, hard staring at visitors, lip lifts at the food bowl, low growls when handled around the face. These warrant a force-free trainer consultation within the first 30 days. Chows escalate from warning to bite faster than most breeds when warnings are missed.
• Cold-turkey food switch. Causes diarrhea and skipped meals during a phase when you need stable digestion.
• Walking in summer above 22 degrees Celsius. A Chow on a Calgary July afternoon overheats fast. Shift the schedule entirely around heat.
• Returning to a full work day in week 1. Build alone time slowly. Chows can develop separation issues if isolated suddenly, even though they are not classically a velcro breed.
• Shaving the coat to “cool the dog down.” The double coat regulates both heat and cold. Shaving damages regrowth and reduces the dog's heat tolerance, not the other way around.

Frequently asked questions

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