Quick answer
Which is the easier overall choice?
The Newfoundland is better with kids, other dogs and strangers, and trains more easily - but it needs real space and a bigger budget. The Chow fits smaller homes and tighter budgets, with the tradeoff of a harder training process and less natural warmth toward strangers.
Chow Chow or Newfoundland? On paper they differ most on apartment suitability, and on the scales Newfoundland is the heavier at 100–150 lbs. Here is how the two compare on everything that shapes an ordinary week.
This is for someone already down to Chow Chow and Newfoundland and deciding between them. For this pair the decision usually turns on apartment suitability and good with kids, so those are covered first and in most detail. Anyone choosing from a flat has a clear answer here: Chow Chow rates 4/5 against 1/5. The focus throughout is on daily consequences rather than breed background.
Between Chow Chow and Newfoundland, apartment suitability is what separates them, and Chow Chow is the lower-effort dog of the two to keep.
Choose Chow Chow if you are in a flat or a smaller home, shedding is a problem in your house and your walking routine is modest.
Choose Newfoundland if this is your first dog, you do not want a standing grooming appointment and there are young children at home.
| Feature | chow chow | newfoundland | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size class | medium | giant | Equal |
| Weight | 45–70 lbs | 100–150 lbs | Equal |
| Height | 17–20 in | 26–28 in | Equal |
| Lifespan | 9–15 years | 9–10 years | chow chow |
| Exercise need | Low (2/5) | Moderate (3/5) | chow chow |
| Grooming need | Very high (5/5) | High (4/5) | newfoundland |
| Shedding | High (4/5) | Very high (5/5) | chow chow |
| Energy level | Low (2/5) | Low (2/5) | Equal |
| Barking | Moderate (3/5) | Low (2/5) | newfoundland |
| Apartment suitability | High (4/5) | Very low (1/5) | chow chow |
| Good for first-time owners | Low (2/5) | Moderate (3/5) | newfoundland |
| Tolerates being alone | Moderate (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Equal |
| Trainability | Low (2/5) | High (4/5) | newfoundland |
| Good with kids | Moderate (3/5) | Very high (5/5) | newfoundland |
| Good with other dogs | Low (2/5) | High (4/5) | newfoundland |
| Friendly to strangers | Low (2/5) | High (4/5) | newfoundland |
| Cost level | High (4/5) | Very high (5/5) | chow chow |
| Coat | Thick double coat | Heavy water-resistant double coat | Equal |
| Origin | China | Various | Equal |
| Typical monthly cost | $120–$250 | $150–$310 | Equal |
| Typical first-year cost | $1,600–$3,000 | $2,200–$4,200 | Equal |
A Newfoundland is one of the largest breeds on this site - 100 to 150 pounds and 26 to 28 inches tall, giant class, against the Chow Chow's medium-class 45-70 pounds and 17-20 inches. A full-grown Newfoundland can weigh more than double a Chow, and its heavy, water-resistant double coat adds even more visual mass.
Both are relatively easygoing - energy level ties at low (2/5) for each - but the Newfoundland edges up slightly on exercise need, moderate (3/5) against the Chow's low (2/5). Given its size, a Newfoundland's exercise sessions also tend to mean more space and more caution around obstacles than a Chow's do.
The Chow needs marginally more grooming attention - very high (5/5) versus the Newfoundland's high (4/5) - but the Newfoundland actually sheds more, very high (5/5) against the Chow's high (4/5). A heavy, water-resistant double coat on a 150-pound dog produces a genuinely large volume of loose hair, grooming time notwithstanding.
This is one of the widest apartment-suitability gaps in this comparison set: high (4/5) for the Chow against very low (1/5) for the Newfoundland. Barking runs the other way, though - low (2/5) for the Newfoundland versus moderate (3/5) for the Chow. A Newfoundland's size, not its noise level, is what makes small spaces a poor fit.
The Newfoundland rates high (4/5) on trainability, well ahead of the Chow's low (2/5), and moderate (3/5) on first-time-owner suitability against the Chow's low (2/5). Its sweet, patient, devoted temperament tends to make training sessions cooperative, though its sheer size still makes early obedience work important rather than optional.
The Newfoundland is rated very high (5/5) with kids and high (4/5) with both other dogs and strangers - a near-total sweep against the Chow's moderate (3/5) and low (2/5), low (2/5) on the same measures. Newfoundlands have a long-standing reputation as gentle giants around children, and these numbers back that up.
The Chow lives longer on average, 9 to 15 years against the Newfoundland's shorter 9 to 10 - a steep lifespan cost that comes with giant-breed size. The two share hip dysplasia and bloat risk; beyond that the Newfoundland's list turns cardiac, with subaortic stenosis and dilated cardiomyopathy, plus cystinuria, a kidney stone-forming condition worth screening for.
The Newfoundland is meaningfully more expensive to keep - $150-$310 monthly against $120-$250 for the Chow, and $2,200-$4,200 in year one versus $1,600-$3,000. It also lands in the very high (5/5) cost tier where the Chow sits at high (4/5) - a direct function of feeding and treating a dog that can weigh 150 pounds.
Chow Chow weighs 45–70 lbs and lives 9–15 years; Newfoundland weighs 100–150 lbs and lives 9–10 years. The two diverge most on apartment suitability, good with kids and trainability and 2 other rated axes. They are level on tolerates being alone and energy level, so those cannot decide it. The table below marks a winner only where one breed is genuinely easier for a typical owner; size and origin are facts rather than merits and stay level. Ratings come from one source applied to both breeds, so they are meaningful against each other rather than as absolute scores.
Substantially - 100-150 lbs against the Chow's 45-70 lbs, putting the Newfoundland in the giant class versus the Chow's medium.
The Chow Chow, by a wide margin - rated high (4/5) against the Newfoundland's very low (1/5), largely a function of size rather than temperament.
The Newfoundland, rated very high (5/5) against the Chow's high (4/5) - its heavy double coat produces a large volume of loose hair.
The Newfoundland, rated high (4/5) against the Chow's low (2/5), thanks in part to its patient, devoted temperament.
The Chow Chow, at 9-15 years, well ahead of the Newfoundland's shorter 9-10 year range - typical for a giant breed.
Hip dysplasia and bloat appear on both lists. The Newfoundland's list also includes two heart conditions, subaortic stenosis and dilated cardiomyopathy, that the Chow's list doesn't carry.
The Newfoundland, at $150-$310 monthly and $2,200-$4,200 in year one, against $120-$250 and $1,600-$3,000 for the Chow.
The Newfoundland is better with kids, other dogs and strangers, and trains more easily - but it needs real space and a bigger budget. The Chow fits smaller homes and tighter budgets, with the tradeoff of a harder training process and less natural warmth toward strangers.
$150-$310 for a Newfoundland versus $120-$250 for a Chow Chow - the Newfoundland's size drives real cost at every stage.
Both are relatively low-key - Chow at low (2/5), Newfoundland slightly higher at moderate (3/5).
The Chow Chow, at 9-15 years, considerably ahead of the Newfoundland's 9-10 - a common tradeoff for giant breeds.
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Health information here is general and is not veterinary advice. If your dog shows pain, sudden behaviour change, or worsening symptoms, consult a licensed veterinarian.
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