Things to keep in mind when buying a dog

Please keep in mind breeders get lots of inquiries every single day, and it's hard to reply to them all, making a personal connection/contact can often be the best way to go. The best way to do this is by going to dogs shows and club events. Gentle persistance can be the best way to go. Follow up emails never hurt.
When contacting any breeders, be sure to take some time to introduce yourself and indicate why you are looking for a Chow puppy and what your expectations for having a Chow may be. The more info you can give about yourself, why you would like a chow the more likely you are to get a response. Sending a one-line inquiry like " I would like a chow chow puppy, how much are they? " Is not going to make a breeder who has spent years breeding the best dogs they can and weeks of sleepless nights and countless $$ raising a litter want to then sell you one of their babies. Chows are also very unique and not for everyone so be prepared to be asked a lot of questions - breeders tend to want to know where their puppies may be going and with whom they will be living. They want to make sure you are prepared for what you're about to get your self into, chows are unlike any other dog their temperament is very unique. 

And do ask questions of your own. We encourage you to ensure you do your research and your due diligence with any breeder you contact and make sure you are comfortable with the breeder from whom you may eventually choose to get a puppy.

When wanting to buy a chow you will need to have patience - Chows tend to have small litters (avg 3-4) and the number of registered breeders across the country is small as well. In 2018, there were approximately 200 registered, pure-bred pedigreed Chow puppies born across all of Australia. As you can see by these numbers, the less common colours are going to be fewer in number. So, the less attached you are to a particular colour or coat type (smooth or rough) or gender, the greater your chances. Wait times can be a couple of years.

I would also strongly recommend you avoid any generic "for sale" web sources (e.g., Trading Post, Gumtree, etc.) for a breeders since we get frequent reports and complaints of bogus breeders (be very suspicious of an Australian “breeder” whose English is poor and has had to move from one state to another for whatever reason… and never agree to send money to a so-called Australian "breeder" with an overseas account), as well as puppy farmers and back yard breeders posing as registered breeders. Laws have recently changed around selling dogs online you need to "registered" to be a breeder of any sort, please make sure you ask if they are registered. If you have found a puppy that seems too good to be true 
and you are unsure if its a scam please feel free to contact the club and we will do our best to see if we know of the "breeder". we are a small community and even if they are not members of the club we will generally be able to tell you of they are legitimate breeders. 

The purchase price of a pure-bred, registered (pedigreed) puppy at this time varies between $3000-5000, with an average of about AUS$4000 - that is for any colour and whether the puppy is on a full or limited register. All Chow club breeders will ensure their puppies go to their new homes with their initial puppy vaccinations,  with a healthy puppy check up from their vet and with a microchip number. 
Any pure breed puppy will come with a Registration paper - sometimes they maybe pending depending on when the breeder registered the litter, they may have to post you the certificate - that being said you will still be able to look up on your states governing bodies website to see if they are registered. I have put links below to each states controlling body.

Do keep in mind that there are only five acceptable colours for Chows, all of which are a solid colour, though some may have lighter shadings. The most common colours are red and black , followed by the less common (in terms of numbers of puppies available at any one time) cream , blues and fawns. There is no such thing as a rare coloured Chow you should not pay any extra for any particular color, if any one tells you otherwise its a scam! please see below for definitions of the colours 
All five colours come in the two coat types: either rough (long around the head, on the backs of the legs and on the tail) or smooth (shorter all over).
Red - comes in various shades from a self coloured - dark red all over -  to light shaded red - lighter colour over body with white tall, pants, feathering on the back of the legs and bib or chest. As puppies they can a have black face/muzzle and they generally lose this as they get older.
Black - should be black all over, can sometimes have silver shading on the tail - this is a sign of the chinchilla gene and nothing to worry about. 
Blue - should be the same colour all over. 
​Cream - White body with biscuit coloured ears and markings, can have varying shades ie darker cream color over the body not just the markings. 
creams will also have a lighter colored nose, this is normal and nothing to worry about. 
Fawn - also known as "Cinnamon" in America - Fawn will vary in colour also you can get get a light almost silver coloured fawn and a darker or "dirty" fawn thats almost a brown/chocolate color. As puppies they will generally have a blue face/muzzle and they will lose this as they get older.

Most breeders will be willing to ship a puppy to you; however, understand that there are extra costs involved. Transportation will depend on where the puppy is being transported from and the distance it will have to travel - the best way to do that is to work with a pet transport company.

Please feel free to contact the club if you have any questions.