Chinese Foos

Description

Some other aliases are the Chinese Choo Hunting Dog, the Chinese Temple Forest Dog, the Chinese T'ien Kou (Chinese Celestial Dog) and the Chinese Lung- Kou (Chinese Dragon Dog).

The Chinese Foo dog is compact and has a square profile. It comes in three sizes: Toy, Miniature or Standard. It has a moderately broad head with pricked ears and the tail is carried over its back (like other Spitz family members). Their chest is deep and moderately broad with a short, powerful and compact body, well-sprung ribs, and short, wide, muscular loins.

It has a broad wedge shaped heal and the muzzle and back of the skull look to be of equal length when regarded from the side. The stop isn't large, but it is clearly defined. The nose is straight and usually black in color. Its ears are set high and are firm and erect when on alert. They are rather small considering the size of the dog, and are rounded at the tips.

The Chinese Foo has wonderfully strong teeth that meet in a snug scissors or reverse scissors bite. Its mouth and tongue may be blue/black or pink/red. Eyes are usually dark brown, not protruding and are almond in shape. They are bright, showing their intelligence, fearlessness and inquiring nature.

The Chinese Foo sports a very strong neck that is muscular with a slight arch as well as muscular and sloping shoulders.

Their legs are straight and powerful, firm and moderate in length. Pasterns upright or slightly bent.

Chinese Foo Puppies

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Coat Description

The Chinese Foo is double-coated and the thick, weather-resistant (and often standing up) coat is a coarse, straight-haired outer coat with a soft, dense, woolly undercoat. It is smooth, short, thick and rich on the head and on the front of the legs. The neck, buttocks, chest, hind part of legs and underside of the tail have the longest hair. The double-coat comes in a short Plush or the longer Rough.

History

The Chinese Foo (A Spitz-type dog ) hails originally from China and was bred for guarding Buddhist temples, and can be dated back to Antiquity.

The naming of this dog is extremely significant to the Buddhist religion. The Chinese Foo looks like a lion, which is a sacred animal to Buddhists. The Chinese word for Buddha is Fo, which led to the original name - the Dog of Fo.

It is said the Chinese Foo Dog came to be through a crossing of Northern European hunting dogs and that of the ancient Chow Chow from the barren steppes of Mongolia. Another belief is the Chinese Foo Dog is perhaps the missing link between the Chinese Wolf and the Chow Chow.

The Chinese Foo is from China, and probably gets its name from the city of Foochow (now Minhow) in southeast China. This multi-talented breed has been used as a herding and hunting dog as well as a sledding and watchdog throughout its history.

The Chinese Foo Dog is the mascot of the Tongs who believe it brings good luck. The Tong is a Chinese fraternity and the oldest secret cult in the world. The Tong bred and kept this dog as a symbol of its organization.

Temperament

Temperament-This is an active, courageous, agile, alert, hardy and strong dog, which speaks to its hunting and working heritage. Bold and energetic in temperament-it makes a very effective and efficient (but friendly), guardian. The Chinese Foo is a highly devoted family pet with great dignity and independence of character-meaning it tends to be an independent thinker and not always as obedience as you might like.

Working dogs, like the Chinese Foo, are medium to giant size and strong, and can be domineering and difficult to manage. This together with their size can make many working dogs unsuitable as a normal family pet or for first time dog owners. These dogs must be properly trainer and need a firm handler.

Despite its size, this is an excellent indoor pet and does not become destructive when left alone indoors. It's filled to the brim with energy and treats companion family members with affection. It responds well to training and is easily socialized. It is playful and does well with children. It is an even-tempered breed, but it will not back down when confronted. It is brave and will effectively guard its family property.

Health Problems

The Chinese Foo Dog is not associated with any major Health Problems. However, due to its size, it's susceptible to develop problems with its bones and joints.

Grooming

The Chinese Foo coat needs regular maintenance. Brushes don't work that well on coats this thick, so try gently combing the coat to prevent it from becoming tangled. General cleaning of the other parts of the body is recommended.

Keep their nails trimmed to make sure their paws remain healthy and they are comfortable walking. If the nails get too long, they can become ingrown and be very painful for your dog to walk on.

Always check your dog's ears and be on the lookout for excessive hair, dirt, too much wax build up. If their ears are dirty, you will need to clean them very gently and carefully with a gauze-covered finger. Avoid Q-tips as you can cause damage to their eardrums.

Check for ticks and fleas in the summer, and dry coats in the winter. Always make sure they don't have hot spots in the summer from getting too wet and not drying off properly.

Check their eyes to see if they are running and make sure they're bright and alive. Clean any eye debris away from the corners of their eyes.

Exercise

The Chinese Foo's-particularly the larger sizes - need a lot of high-energy exercise. The smaller ones are usually content to be pillows on your couch, but still need to be given a work out.

All puppies and many older dogs have unlimited energy, and that energy needs to be funneled towards constructive ends by exercising vigorously and lots of play time. As your Chinese Foo matures, appropriate exercise is still needed, but their energy level is not quite as high. Although with this breed, they tend to maintain a high energy level well into later life especially with good care and nutrition.

Jogging, walking and running or playing in your yard with your Chinese Foo is something that would give them a good workout. A good game of Frisbee, hide and seek, fetch the tug rope or ball works too. If they happen to get bang out of chasing the lawnmower as you cut grass, you can turn that into play time as well.

Training

The Chinese Foo dog needs firm control and MUST be properly trained. Their formal obedience training needs to include a proper socializing program.

These dogs are quick to learn and highly intelligent, so make sure when you train to train the right way first, or they will pick up bad habits really quickly. The Foo is an independent thinker, meaning you may get compliance some of the time, but not always obedience. This improves with age and training.

You may want to consider crate training for your Chinese Foo. Dogs are den animals and the crate will become his den/safe spot. This has lots of benefits for you and for him. It helps you with house training, with solving problems like chewing, and if you travel, the crate is a home away from home (and prevents property damage). Bottom line is, it also is a place where your dog can go to relax when he wants some peace.

Make sure the crate is large enough for your dog to stand up, turn around and lie down in-in comfort, not all scrunched up. When they're smaller, make sure the crate is the right size, as you do not want them using half the crate as a potty spot and the other half to sleep in. If the crate is too big, block off a portion of it.

You don't want your Chinese Foo to be biting- taking your hand in his mouth and nipping. To stop this, yell Ouch in a very loud and annoyed voice. This tells your Foo it hurt and you are not happy. Once your Foo lets go of your hand, then just ignore him for a couple of minutes.