Chow Chow grooming
Chow Chow grooming in Gloucester, MA
The AKC describes the chow as dignified, serious-minded and aloof, with a lion's-mane ruff and a dense coat that stands off the body. Each of those matters on a grooming table: the coat is slow to dry, the dog overheats easily, and a stranger's hands are not always welcome. This page covers all three, and the lion trim question.
The coat
A rough chow's coat stands off the body over thick wool; a smooth chow's lies hard and close
The AKC standard recognizes two coats, rough and smooth, and both are double. The rough coat's outer hair is abundant, dense, straight and off-standing, rather coarse, over a soft, thick, woolly undercoat, and it forms a profuse ruff around the head and neck. A smooth chow has a hard, dense, smooth outer coat with a definite undercoat and no obvious ruff or feathering. The AKC puts the breed at 17 to 20 inches and 45 to 70 pounds.
The AKC's grooming notes warn that the puppy coat and the coat around the head can become badly matted without regular grooming, and that every mat has to come out and the undercoat be brushed or combed through. VCA's breed guide suggests brushing a rough coat every other day to remove dead coat and prevent serious matting, and a smooth coat once or twice a week. Shedding, VCA says, is above average.
- Rough: an off-standing coat and a full ruff
- Smooth: a hard, close coat with no ruff
- Mats start in the puppy coat and around the head
- Brush a rough coat every other day, per VCA
Heat on the table
Chows do not handle heat well, so the bath and dryer are planned around a cool dog
The AKC says the chow does not tolerate high heat or humidity well and advises avoiding exercise in the hot part of the day, and VCA notes that the breed overheats easily. A grooming table is not exercise, but a dense coat, a long dry and a humid Cape Ann afternoon can still add up for a chow. The AKC's own grooming advice is that a cool-air dryer is preferable for drying a chow thoroughly after a bath.
Our menu does not name the dryer, so tell us when you book that your dog is a chow and ask how the studio will dry it; the groomer confirms the plan with you at check-in. In July and August, a morning drop-off between 6:30 and 9:30 AM on weekdays keeps the groom in the cooler part of the day. If your chow has struggled with heat before, at a groomer or on a walk, put it in the booking notes.
- 01
In summer, book a morning slot inside the 6:30 to 9:30 AM weekday window
- 02
Tell us at booking that your dog is a chow and how it copes with heat
- 03
Ask at check-in how the coat will be dried
- 04
Walk your chow in the cool of the morning before drop-off, not at noon
- 05
Collect promptly and keep the car cool for the ride home
The lion trim
A lion trim is a choice to make with the groomer, and the breed standard and the AKC both lean against it
Some owners ask for a lion trim: the body clipped short and the mane, tail and feet left full. The AKC standard prefers a chow in its natural coat, calling obvious trimming or shaping undesirable and listing trimming of the whiskers, feet and metatarsals as optional. Separately, the AKC's chief veterinary officer explains that a dog's coat works as insulation and that shaving can leave a dog more open to heat stroke and sunburn, and the same article warns the coat can grow back patchy.
Our full service includes a breed-specific or custom haircut, and on a chow the breed-specific version is a tidy of the feet and hocks with the coat brushed out. If you are thinking about a lion trim, ask before you book and bring the reason: a matted coat, a senior dog that cannot stand for long brushing, or summer heat. The groomer looks at the coat and skin at check-in and confirms what the studio can do for your dog.
- Natural coat: brushed out, feet and hocks tidied
- Lion trim: a conversation before booking, not a default
- Matted coat: dematting at $15 per 20 minutes, or a shorter restart
- Summer heat: clearing dead undercoat comes first
A reserved dog
Chows are reserved with strangers and see best straight ahead, so handling starts slowly and from the front
The breed standard says it is a chow's nature to be reserved and discerning with strangers, and that because of its deep-set eyes the chow has limited peripheral vision and is best approached from the front. That is useful on a grooming table. A hand that arrives from the side, or a dryer nozzle that appears at the edge of vision, can startle a dog that never saw it coming. The AKC trait chart rates the breed two out of five for openness to strangers.
Tell us at booking about your chow's history with groomers, vets and strangers. The $20 behavior or handling surcharge covers extra time and a second pair of hands for dogs who need slower, more careful handling, and you hear about it before the groom starts. A chow that already comes to daycare can be groomed on a day it is settled in the building. At home, touch the paws, ears and ruff with a treat each time, so handling predicts good things.
Price and rhythm
$85 or $110 for full service, $65 or $75 for a bath, and a monthly bath is the AKC's rhythm
The AKC suggests thorough brushing at least twice a week and a monthly bath, with eye and ear care and a nail trim as part of each grooming. At Dogtown that monthly bath is $65 for a chow up to 50 pounds and $75 from 51 to 90, and full service with a tidy of the feet and hocks is $85 or $110. The groomer confirms the band and the price at check-in after a look at the coat.
Skip the brushing and the bill grows: mats around the head and in a puppy coat are dematting at $15 per 20 minutes. Nail clipping is $16, a face trim around the eyes $10. The AKC also says to deal with fleas or ticks right away, and from April to November on Cape Ann the twice-weekly brush is where you will find them. Rebooking at pick-up takes $5 off the next visit, which keeps a monthly rhythm cheaper.
| Chow Chow visit | 26 to 50 lb | 51 to 90 lb |
|---|---|---|
| Bath: wash, blow-dry, brush-out | $65 | $75 |
| Bath with Shed Release | $75 | $85 |
| Full service: feet and hocks tidied | $85 | $110 |
| Behavior or handling surcharge, if needed | $20 | $20 |
| Dematting | $15 per 20 minutes | $15 per 20 minutes |
At Dogtown
Where a chow's groom fits
Book the bath or full service on its own, or set it on a daycare day so a reserved chow is groomed in a building it already knows.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Can you give my chow a lion cut?
My chow does not like strangers. How is the groom planned?
How often should a chow be bathed?
Is summer a bad time to groom a chow?
Can the Pup Van bring my chow for a groom?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- AKC: Chow Chow
- AKC: official standard of the Chow Chow
- VCA: Chow Chow
- AKC: is it OK to shave your dog's coat in summer?
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Book a cool groom for your chow.
Choose the bath or full service for your chow's weight online or in the Dogtown app, and tell us about the heat and the handling when you book.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
