Grooming Tips wanted

Hi Sarah,
Well, your guy is just a puppy and puppy coat and the adult coat are a bit difference. (have  fun about 6-9 months down the road. He will shed his puppy coat and the new coat will grow in. It may be a "hair storm!").
About the brushing, you'll definitely need to nip this problem in the bud (no pun intened) before he gets older, because Chows (IMO) have one of the thickest coats of all the dog breeds and the undercoat matts very easily. Daily brushing will be needed.
 
About brushing him. If he can have peanut butter, this meathod works very well. (works for  Daisy and it works for a lot of my clients.) Smear some on a vertical surface, (like the refrigerator or washing machine) or get a partner to let him lick it off of a spoon. When he is happily licking away, then start to brush him. For his puppy hair, you can have a soft bristle brush, but when he gets older (and gets the adult hair) you may want to switch to a slicker brush as well as an undercoat rake.) When he gets older, the places where you'll need to concentrate on the most would be his chest and his haunches (hind end).  This is where a lot of the undercoat is, and it is very prone to matting up.

Chows are prone to skin problems. (we have a couple in the salon that come in for weekly baths) If it is an actual skin infection, then I agree you need to bathe him fairly often- otherwise too many frequent baths can dry out the skin profusely. Daisy got dried out (even though I used the best shampoo) when I bathed her once a week.  We went to once every other week and she is okay.
 
Can you describe the smell? It may be a yeast problem if it kinda smells like stinky feet. If he has no open sores, you could try a final rinse (after the shampoo) of a vinegar/water mixtue. He'll smell like a salad dressing for a couple of hours, but if it is a yeast problem, it should help the smell and make his skin a little better.
 
Also, food may contribute it. What is he eating? I know that a lot of the super premium foods may not be available in the UK. Generally anything with corn or animal bi-products are not good for skin/coat and contributes to allergies.
 
Good luck, he's such a cutie!
 

Sarah what are you feeding?

Some good UK foods are:

Jameswellbeloved- [linkhttp://www.wellbeloved.co.uk]www.wellbeloved.co.uk[/link]

Ardengrange-[linkhttp://www.wellbeloved.co.uk]www.ardengrange.com[/link]

eagle pack holistic-[linkhttp://www.wellbeloved.co.uk]www.postalpetproducts.co.uk[/link]

Burns-[linkhttp://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk]www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk[/link]

The above are mediocre foods,but are the BEST you have available in the UK [&:]

Pet foods such as Bakers,Beta,pedigree,Gusto,science plan etc are crap!!Bakers and Gusto would have to be 2 of the worst foods i have ever seen,yet seem to be 2 of the popular ones to feed over there [:@]

I feed him on Chicken & Rice Puppy Pro Plan, and he smells sort of a cross between sweaty feet and wet dog (gross i know) 
 
I will try the peanut butter trick thanks Laura!!! Also the shampoo I bought from the vet was basically to combat his dry skin caused by the infection. 

I think a lot of the odor is the food you are giving him.  I have six german shepherds eating a combination of Innova and homecooked and not ONE of them has any doggie smell at all.....and I don't do many baths with dogs this size!
 
Laura is right about the peanut butter, or even that spray cheese in a can....anything that makes brushing time a special treat, special mommy time will make it easier.  My oldest male BRINGS me the darned brush!  Doesn't matter where I hide it...he finds it and brings it to me!
 

Anyone heard of a dog food called Hills? is this good food? 

Hills is the company that makes the Science Diet that makes us all so mad. Over here, all the vets carry and reccomend it, and it's a crappy, overpriced food.

This is difficult I had been told Hills is the best, the stuff i am feeding him on now Pro Plan is supposed to be really good too thats why i buy it even though it cost £60 per bag.
 
I have been on Wellbeloved.com and ordered a free sample it was recommended by Ozzie72, so will have to see if that is any good.    

Hi Sarah,
The first thing I#%92d like to say is congrats on your new Chow puppy. He is adorable!
Grooming tips that I recommend would be to use a soft bristle slicker brush as Laura has stated. Use the brush on your own arm first so you know how hard you should/shouldn#%92t brush. Remember that this brush is mostly intended for the top of his coat while using an under coat rake or a metal grooming comb will help with getting the loose undercoat out.
About him biting while being brushed is something that you really need to help him overcome since he will have a lifetime of brushing ahead of him. Making it an enjoyable time for him is your job. Maybe start off brushing him when he#%92s calmed down and tired from play time. Talk to him in a soothing calm voice while brushing/combing. This also gives you the opportunity to see any cuts, scrapes, bumps and any foreign objects that might be stuck in his fur not to mention parasites.
Massage is something that I do with all the dogs I groom. This helps me feel what I can#%92t see and they love it, especially the older dogs I groom. There are several books that you can pick up and learn the basics about doggy massage. You can do this while he lays on your lap or next to you while you watch TV or just enjoying the quiet time together.
I would also work with his feet to make nail trimming easier and less stressful for him and the person that will be trimming his nails. Try holding his feet in your hands gently but firm. If he jerks his foot away, try again in a few minutes while talking to him softly. At this time you can also look between the pads of his feet for cuts, matts, sap, gum etc..
Looking in his ears, checking his gums and teeth is a good thing to get him use to.
About the odor, I don#%92t recommend bathing any dog more than once a month unless advised by your vet. Over bathing can cause skin problems in the future. If he does have dry skin I would suggest using an oatmeal shampoo to help sooth his itchy skin. Rinsing shampoo is very important especially in a dog with a thick coat. When you think you#%92ve rinsed enough, rinse again just incase. []
I just read your post again and noticed that you are using a shampoo from the vet. Continue to use that until you have his skin problems under control than you might want to use an oatmeal shampoo in the future on him.
If you have a self service bathing salon that you can use I would go there because of the professional shampoos, conditioners and a force dryer that you can use. Force drying can be very traumatic for some dogs especially puppies. Taking the nozzle off and putting it on a low setting will be best to start off. The force dryer will help blow the undercoat out too. Keep in mind that you should brush/comb him out before giving him a bath. If he has any matts they will be harder to remove after the bath and can tighten if left in.
When brushing him out pay special attention to the "Friction zones", armpits, behind the ears, rear end, tail and belly area.
There are doggy wipes that you can get to use in between baths. This should only be used on the surface of his coat. I don#%92t recommend using any perfumes on him since he does have skin issues. But when and if you do, make sure it#%92s perfume made for dogs.
With any breed, I would socialize him with other dogs and people as often as you can. Because he is a Chow I would maybe teach him a silly trick like “take a bow” or something like that to help ease the fear in some of the people he might come across in the park, pet store or on your walks together. I have met some very loving Chows. I have also met some Chows that I refuse to groom.
I think by coming to this forum you#%92re on a great start for you and your Chow puppy.
Sorry for going on and on.
Good luck and I hope this helps.
Oh, I agree with Glenda about the food issue. Feeding a high quality of kibble not only helps with skin and coat, it also plays a big part in his over all health and can save you a lot of money in vet bills in the future. I have seen a list of some high quality kibble somewhere in this forum. I#%92m sure you can find some in the area you live.
 
Again sorry for going on and on.
Susie
 

I appreciate all the advice, I tried the peanut butter trick last night smeared it on the fridge at face level, he was really wary at first it was almost like he knew what I was trying to do. But IT WORKED!!!!! YEY!!!!!!
 
I managed to brush him for a full 10 minutes which is a record, then he got fed up and started to bite again, Like Susie said in her post I think my next test will be to groon him after a long walk when he is pooped!!!!
 
Thanks for all the great advice guys you all rock!!!!!   

[] Hello there !!!!!
     Well, here in Brasil , in special in my city/ state ( Vila Velha - ES), the people likes its grooming tips > the baby trimmer ( for poodles, example),
they doesn't like the radical trimmers...