Cart
0
0 items
$0.00

Cream Chow Chows: Separating Fact from Fiction

11/12/2026

By Laura Price | Hoku Kennels

Cream Chow Chows: History, Nose Pigment & Genetics 


Among the five standard colors of the purebred Chow Chow, cream is often the most misunderstood. Frequently mistaken by the public for a Samoyed, a white Pomeranian, or a "rare white" hybrid, the cream Chow Chow has a documented history stretching back to the earliest Western encounters with the breed in 19th-century England and Northern China.

Because cream coats are governed by unique pigment genetics—and are frequently targeted today by exotic-color breeders selling mislabeled "platinum" crosses—understanding the true history and biology of the cream Chow Chow is essential. Here is a closer look at the facts, genetics, and common myths surrounding this classic color.

1. Are Cream Chow Chows an Original, Historic Color?

The Verdict: 

Fact—

Documented in early Western art, royal kennels, and Chinese records for over 140 years. While red and black Chow Chows were the most numerous imports when Western traders first brought the breed from China in the 1800s, cream (often referred to in early Victorian literature simply as "white") was present from the very beginning of Western breed history:

  • Early Artistic & Newspaper Documentation: One of the earliest known European portraits of a cream/white Chow Chow is an 1884 painting by renowned British wildlife artist Archibald Thorburn, titled simply "Chow," depicting an ivory-coated Chow with a distinct blue-black tongue. By 1906, newspapers such as The Sun featured photographs of aristocratic owners—including the Princess of Montaglyn—with their prized white/cream Chow Chows.
  • Northern Working & Sled Roots: Originating in the frigid climates of Northern China and Manchuria, pale cream and ivory coats offered natural winter camouflage alongside the breed's dense double coat. Early travelers and breed historians noted pale cream Chows working as guard dogs, sled dogs, and companions alongside darker reds and blacks.
  • Official Breed Standard Recognition: Since the formalization of Western breed standards in 1906, cream has stood alongside red, black, blue, and cinnamon as one of the five official solid colors recognized by the Chow Chow Club, Inc. (CCCI), the American Kennel Club (AKC), and the UK Chow Chow Breed Council.

2. Why Cream Chow Chows Have Unique Nose Pigment

One of the most fascinating—and frequently misunderstood—traits of a true cream Chow Chow is its nose pigment. Unlike red, black, or blue Chows, a purebred cream Chow Chow does not have to have a solid jet-black nose.

  • Permitted Nose Colors: Under AKC and CCCI standards, a standard cream Chow Chow may legitimately have a solid black nose, a pinkish/flesh-colored nose (often called a "snow nose" or Dudley-style fading), or a black-and-flesh mottled nose.
  • Why It Happens: Cream coats are caused by a recessive genetic switch that stops dark eumelanin pigment from entering the hair shaft and reduces eumelanin production in the skin of the nose—often causing a puppy born with a dark nose to gradually fade to pink or mottled flesh as it matures.
  • What Never Changes: Regardless of whether a cream Chow's nose is black, flesh-colored, or mottled, a true standard cream (B/B e/e) must still retain a solid blue-black tongue and dark brown eyes.

3. Separating Fact from Fiction: Common Myths About Cream Chow Chows

Myth 1: "White Chow Chows and Cream Chow Chows are two different colors."

  • Fact: Under AKC, CCCI, and FCI standards, there is no separate "white" color category—cream encompasses all shades from pure ivory-white to warm biscuit/cream, often showing slightly richer toasted or apricot shading on the ears, ruff, and tail. When breeders advertise "polar white" or "snow white" Chow Chows at inflated prices, they are simply marketing a light-shaded cream coat.

Myth 2: "A flesh-colored or pink nose on a cream Chow means it is mixed or faulty."

  • Fact: Because the recessive red (e/e) gene naturally restricts black eumelanin in the nose leather, seasonal or permanent nose fading to pinkish-flesh or mottled black-and-flesh is completely normal and accepted in purebred cream Chow Chows. However, a brown/liver nose, a slate-gray nose, or a lavender nose paired with light amber eyes and a pinkish tongue is not normal—those indicate non-standard outcross genetics.

Myth 3: "Cream Chow Chows are created by crossing Chows with Samoyeds."

  • Fact: While genomic research confirms that ancient Arctic spitz breeds share distant evolutionary roots with Northern Chinese dogs thousands of years ago, modern purebred cream Chow Chows are notSamoyed mixes. Cream is an authentic, naturally occurring recessive trait within the purebred Chow Chow gene pool.

Myth 4: "'Platinum' Chow Chows are just extra-light creams."

  • Fact: In modern exotic-color marketing, "platinum" (or "champagne") is used to sell non-standard outcross colors that have been falsely registered as "Cream" on kennel club paperwork. Unlike true purebred creams (B/B e/e), platinum Chow Chows carry foreign recessive mutations introduced through historical outcrossing to other breeds:
    • Chocolate Platinum (b/b e/e): Carries two copies of the foreign b (brown/chocolate) allele on top of recessive cream, resulting in a brown or liver-colored nose, brown eye rims, light amber eyes, and a pinkish-lavender tongue rather than a solid blue-black tongue.
    • Lilac Platinum (b/b d/d e/e): Combines both the foreign recessive brown (b/b) allele and recessive dilution (d/d), producing a slate-gray, blue-gray, or pale lavender-colored nose, washed-out eye rims, light eyes, and a pale/lavender tongue.
    • Why Outcrossing Is Required: Because purebred Chow Chows do not naturally carry the b(chocolate) locus, both chocolate platinum and lilac platinum could only enter the breed through crossbreeding with outside breeds carrying the b gene (such as Chinese Shar-Pei, Pomeranians, or French Bulldogs) and registering the offspring forward under "Cream."

4. The Genetics Behind the Cream Coat

Genetically, a cream Chow Chow is produced by the Extension (E) Locus rather than the dilution gene that creates blue and cinnamon:

  • The E-Locus (MC1R Gene): Coat pigment switching between dark eumelanin (black/blue) and pale phaeomelanin (yellow/cream) is controlled by the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene. To produce a cream coat, a puppy must inherit two copies of the recessive allele (e/e)—one from each parent.
  • Masking Other Colors: Because e/e prevents black pigment from expressing in the fur, a cream Chow Chow can genetically carry black (Kᴮ), red (Aʸ), or even blue dilution (d/d) underneath its cream coat. Breeding two creams together will always produce cream puppies (e/e), whereas breeding a cream to a black or red carrier can produce an entire rainbow of standard colors in a single litter.
  • Pigment Preservation Tip: Experienced preservation breeders avoid repeatedly breeding cream-to-cream (or cream-to-dilute) across many consecutive generations without introducing strong black-pigmented lines, ensuring dark eye rims and deep blue-black tongues remain strong in their pedigrees.

5. Early Kennel Club Milestones

During the formative decades of Western Chow Chow breeding in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, dedicated British and American fanciers worked to stabilize cream coats while preserving heavy bone and dark mouth pigment:

  • Early notable dogs in England and North America—including documented cream/white imports associated with Far East Kennels in the 1920s and British breeding programs in the 1930s—demonstrated that cream Chow Chows could carry the exact same cobby, square profile, dense stand-off double coat, and scowling expression as top-winning reds and blacks.
  • Today, preservation breeders continue to exhibit cream Chow Chows in AKC and international conformation rings alongside full OFA/CHIC health clearances (hips, elbows, patellas, thyroid, and annual ACVO eye exams).

Conclusion: 

The cream Chow Chow is a classic, historic part of the breed's heritage—documented in 19th-century European portraits and preserved for over a century under official breed standards. By understanding how the MC1R (e/e) gene works—and knowing the difference between a true B/B e/e cream with its solid blue-black tongue and a mislabeled "chocolate platinum" or "lilac platinum" outcross with liver, slate-gray, or lavender nose pigment—puppy buyers and breeders can appreciate and protect this striking standard color for generations to come.

Laura P.

Owner, Hoku Kennels

Diary Of A Mad Chow Breeder

  • "A true cream Chow wears its heritage in a solid blue-black tongue—no matter how much winter snow fades its nose."





References

  1. Chow Chow Club, Inc. (CCCI). Official Breed Standard & Accepted Coat Colors (Black, Blue, Cinnamon, Cream, Red). chowclub.org
  2. ChowTales Archives. The White Chow: Historical Documentation from Archibald Thorburn (1884) to Early 20th-Century Kennels. chowtales.com
  3. ChowTales Archives. Circa Late 1800s – A Matter of Original Chow Colors. chowtales.com
  4. Coats and Colors. Chow Chow Coat Color Genetics (A, K, E, B, and D Loci). Canine Coat Color Genetics Database. coatsandcolors.com
  5. Schmutz, S. M., Berryere, T. G., & Goldfinch, A. D. (2002). TYRP1 and MC1R genotypes and their effects on coat color in dogs. Mammalian Genome, 13(7), 380–387. nih.gov
  6. Schmutz, S. M., & Berryere, T. G. (2007). The genetics of cream coat color in dogs (MC1R e/egenotype and phaeomelanin dilution). Journal of Heredity, 98(5), 544–548. nih.gov
  7. The Chow Chow Breed Council (UK). Breed Standard Colours & Pigmentation Guidelines.chowchowbreedcouncil.com
  8. UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL). MC1R Including Mask, Grizzle, and Red/Cream (E Locus) and Brown (B Locus / TYRP1) Canine Coat Color Genetics. University of California, Davis. ucdavis.edu & ucdavis.edu
  9. Yang, H., Wang, G., Wang, M., et al. (2017). The origin of Chow Chows in the light of the East Asian breeds. BMC Genomics, 18, 174. nih.gov
  10. Genetics of Cream Coat Color in Dogs | Journal of Heredity | Oxford Academic 
  11. Recessive Red (e) | Coats and Colors 
  12. What is the Difference Between Eumelanin and Pheomelanin
  13. Genetics of Cream Coat Color in Dogs | Journal of Heredity | Oxford Academic 
  14. Melanocortin 1 receptor variation in the domestic dog
  15. Coat colour E locus / MC1R (6 variants) - Dog | DNA & genetic tests | PentaVet 


Share