What is she?

My understanding of chows is that they're fairly aloof and standoffish, especially with strangers?  I've never met a chow though, so maybe that's not true of them all.

Dahlia LOVES people.  Loves them.  She doesn't even want to sniff them first, she just wants to get petted.  She also loves other dogs and even cats.  She has a "boyfriend" (a dog named Douglas who lives across the street) and a "girlfriend" (a cat named Layla who lives upstairs).  I swear she's totally in love with those two!  It's adorable.

I should add that I swear I've seen a crouch/eye move from her when we get to the duck pond.  She stalks them and then runs at them full tilt.  It's hilarious..for everyone but the ducks!

eh - that's just a breed stereotype, like all pits eat other dogs. All the chows I've met have been friendly and snuggly!

Looks BC/Retriever mix to me! What a pretty girl! I always love seeing pictures of her!

Also, just because a dog has a given breed in there "someplace" it doesn't follow that you will ONLY see those characteristics. Chows are also laid back and calm and dignified...which you mentioned your dog, is...so again...we unfortunately (or fortunately? lol) don't get to pick and choose what temperament traits and generalities come thru...esp in a mix of more than two...you get a grab bag that is sometimes great, and sometimes challenging..sometimes the best of all, and sometimes the worst.

I've had two Chows and neither have been at all aloof.  And Aesop has a lack of any protectiveness as far as I can tell. Everyone gets a smile and a tail wag. He is laid back and dignified. And at least he looks skeery at the door (even if he wants to tackle people with hugs)

 

All the Chows I know are such teddy bears!! Plus a combination of breeds can make a dog have any kind of characteristics. You could always try those DNA testing things lol I would have to meet her to fully understand what kind of breeds she may be. but she's adorable! and as long as she's well behaved and wonderful (which it sounds like she's nothing less!) that's all that matters :)

erica1989

eh - that's just a breed stereotype, like all pits eat other dogs. All the chows I've met have been friendly and snuggly!

Looks BC/Retriever mix to me! What a pretty girl! I always love seeing pictures of her!

 

 

Interesting.  I only said the thing about the aloof because it's in the AKC breed standard ("Keen intelligence, an independent spirit and innate dignity give the Chow an aura of aloofness.  It is a Chow’s nature to be reserved and discerning with strangers.";).  I only recall seeing one chow at a dog park a year or so ago and while not unfriendly or aggressive or anything like that, it wasn't the dog that was fawning all over everyone like some of the other dogs were (*ah hem* Dahlia...lol).

 She's a very pretty dog with a lovely disposition.  She's incredibly smart, a little bit stubborn, and loves everyone.  At the dog park she tends to be the dog people like to let their shier, more nervous first-timers to the park come up to because she's just so calm.  Of course, the calmness goes out the window if she sees the ducks at the pond (she stalks them and then chases) or a squirrel. lol

 I'm gonna guess a mix of lab, golden retriever, and border collie....I know a lab/golden mix that looks just like her, but I'm throwing bc in because of her size.

 We've thought there could be some golden in there -- she has a bit of an reddish cast to her undercoat (which is hard to photograph as she just comes out black in photos).

We've also thought she must have SOME sort of herding breed, likely BC, because she seems to have moments where she does a "crouch/stalk/eye" thing which looks very border collie-like.  Whenever we come to the duck pond she does it, then chases the ducks and comes back to us with a silly grin on her face which counteracts her almost serious "working" demeanor from the moment before.

I really see either Aussie, Border Collie, or English Shepherd in all the photos. Collie, I'm not really sure. Collies have a different look to the eyes generally - it's hard to describe. The Newf makes a lot of sense, too. I once knew a known Newf/BC mix. It was a male, about 70 pounds, and looked exactly like Cressida except more white. But how much black would depend on the "irish" modifier on both sides and it's variable in both breeds. My own Lynnberger has that same glorious tail (well, somewhat less so), and she's part Golden. A Golden/English Shepherd or Aussie is a real possibility - I'm inclined towards the Aussie, or maybe an Aussie cross. I had an Aussie/English Setter mix - again, he had the dramatic tail, and only had moments of Aussie-like lunacy when he saw something he liked to chase. I suspect if he had had a normal life before us, that he would not have even had that. He had terrible fence aggression from years he spent in pens in rescue, and before that, at a dog fighting establishment. Anyway, so Setter is another breed no one has suggested that is a possibility.

I think a black lab / golden retriever cross fits very well. The head and muzzle aren't heavy and massive like a chow.

brookcove

I really see either Aussie, Border Collie, or English Shepherd in all the photos.

We've thought Aussie is more and more likely.  We've had two people meet her and say she looked "just like" their Aussie only she had a tail.  And I found out they can come in all black recently, which I didn't know.  This picture looks a lot like Dahlia from the side, except she has the giant tail.

 

 

So it's definitely possible that she has Aussie in there somewhere.

I guess golden and flat coat, or golden/black lab/border collie. I'm no expert, but sure is a pretty dog!

I definately see border collie.  My Jake is border collie/beagle and I see the same head, eyes and coat on Dahlia.

Her face/eyes definitely look BC to me!

 We were told Border collie/lab when we first got her.  I've always thought her face looked very BC to me, especially her eyes.  I scroll through pictures of Border collies at rescues (I want one someday and I spend too much time on petfinder) and I've found a lot who reminded me a lot of Dahlia.  Her nose isn't quite as pointed as most BCs and her ears don't look quite right, but I've seen the resemblence.

 I've doubted the lab bit only because it seems like most dogs that are lab mixes are short-haired, so I keep wondering if maybe she has a different retriever in there.  She does look retrieverish.

Thanks all!  This has been interesting.