Chows are more mean then Pitts. Pitts are made mean by man.
They are naturally lap dogs.....

Been around many in my life, most I have known, have been owned by women..... 1 owned, by a man, and as a puppy, he used to beat the shit out of it because he'd let it run off a leash, and then it would get excited and wanted to be around people, and the male owner would grab it and sock it if it ran away from him, while off leash, it just wanted to play with the passing people.

While working as a vet tech a few years back, we had a few chows that would come in, and most could not be treated unless the owner was present. They are very protective dogs, and usually only care for interaction with their owners.....

That is my experience with both dog breeds.