Reds can be split into two separate colours shaded and self-reds. A puppy can vary in colour from dark red to near cream in colour (sometimes having no relevance to their adult colour), the only clue as to their colour can be their points (muzzle, ears and legs). Some puppies can have a black/ dark mask which fades with time. As this puppy coat dies it tends to turn a grey colour at the root, at this time the adult coat will be coming through. The longer guard hairs will tend to start to be visible through the puppy coat at around 9 months to 18 months pending the maturity of the puppy in question.

A shaded red as the name suggests will have shaded areas. Some of the Chow will be darker some will be lighter. They will have lighter featherings (tail and backs of legs), and darker points (muzzle, ears and legs) their body will have darker and lighter areas of the same colour (between red and yellow). As an adult gets older they will lose their pigment (getting lighter).

A self-red will have a colour which is more uniform throughout its body (unlike a shaded red), it should be nearly one colour over the whole of themselves (self-red). A self-red will still have slightly lighter featherings (tail and backs of legs) but not white (like a shaded red) their points (muzzle, ears and legs) will be the same as the rest of their body. A self-red can have worse pigment inside the mouth to a shaded red. As with a shaded red the pigment will lighten with age.