Martha Stewart’s Chow Chow, a two-year-old named Genghis Khan, won the best in breed competition on Monday at the Westminster Dog Show. Although Genghis Khan was eliminated before the final round—a lot of very special dogs were sadly eliminated—he’s since had a busy schedule of television appearances, Central Park outings, and play dates with a certain divisive, prize-winning Pekingese. This morning VF.com spoke to Stewart on the phone about Genghis Khan’s upkeep, diet, and the Plaza Hotel meal tweeted ‘round the world.

Vanity Fair: Hello!

Martha Stewart: Hi, it’s Martha.

Congratulations on Genghis Khan’s win in the best of breed! That’s so exciting.

Thank you he was lovely.

Was it his first time at Westminster?

It was, yes it was, he’s only two.

Has he won any other titles?

No, no, no. Well, he’s a champion, so he had shown at other regional shows. A show in Pennsylvania, a show in Baltimore, and a show in Massachusetts. So three shows, and he got his championship, so then he could show at Westminster.

Tell us about his grooming preparations.

Chows have a very beautiful coat and they do not shed. They have a two-layer coat: an undercoat and a longer coat with long guard hairs. So basically what they need is frequent brushing, backward brushing.

He loves being groomed, he loves being brushed. He gets brushed, or he gets checked, pretty much every day … His ears are checked, his face is washed, his teeth are scrubbed with a cloth, and his feet are always, coming in from outside, he is always put in a footbath.

How often does he get his hair cut?

Oh, never. You never never never never cut a Chow’s hair.

Why?

Because that’s their beauty. Their beauty is their coat.

What do judges look for in the ideal Chow Chow?

Black eyes, almond shaped, deep set. A black tongue, blue-black tongue that does not have any spots on it. The teeth have to be white and scissor closure, so the top, the canines, fit into the bottom teeth.

Can dogs get braces?

Pardon?

Can dogs get orthodontia?

Uh, I don’t know the answer to that, but lots of dogs have other things done to them, I know that.

Has Genghis Khan had any work done?

Oh no, that’s why I knew he was a champion. He has absolutely no physical problems or abnormalities at all. He is extremely finely bred. He has to have a broad chest, a broad head, he has to have triangular ears with rounded tips set nicely on his head, and he has to be one of five colors, he has to be a red, a cinnamon, a cream, a blue, or a black.

What’s his personality like?

Totally fabulous. He’s just friendly to everyone. He is aware of what’s going on around him, but he is non-reactive. … Chows are kind of regal in bearing.

Does he get along with your other dogs, Francesca and Sharkey?

Oh, they love him. They jump all over him. And he plays with them and he runs like lightning. For a Chow—and I’ve had a lot of Chows—he is very, very fast.

So what else is special about him?

Well he gets along with pretty much everybody. I have never seen him mad, I have never seen him agitated; I have never seen him having a bad day.

What does he eat for regular meals?

I make his food. He eats either white or brown rice that’s steamed with peas, carrots, string beans, and broccoli all chopped up in it. Boiled fish—I buy blue fish by the tens of pounds—and I boil the bluefish with the skin and bones until its falling off the bones, then I take it all off the bones then I freeze it in the liquid, then it’s sort of gelatinous. They get that with every meal.

And when he goes to the Plaza what does he like to eat?

I brought his food. We don’t serve him table food.

But I noticed he sat at the table and he was very well behaved.

Oh yes, he’s like that. He’s just so regal.

He seemed like an aristocratic human being.

He is! Very polite. And also, they don’t want to poop in front of you. They’ll pee in front of you, but they want to go private when they poop. They’ll go behind a tree, under a bush—they’re very private when they poop.

How does he feel about the Westminster outhouses?

Yeah, he’s not happy in that kind of thing.

How did you celebrate his win?

Well, I haven’t had time yet, because he’s had to make appearances. Yesterday after his win he had to stay with the breeder and I took him back to my apartment late—we didn’t get back to my apartment until 11 o’clock at night. And then he slept, and I took him out five times to Central Park. He was a little off-schedule. And then he had to make an appearance on The Today Show yesterday morning—he had to be there at 7:15 a.m. So then he went home to Bedford, [New York], and he came back in this morning. So we haven’t had time to celebrate. This weekend we’ll celebrate.

How will you celebrate?

Oh! Take a long walk.

So speaking of a lot of fur, I was wondering what you thought of the Pekingese that won Westminster?

I just had him on my show! Malachy! What a fabulous dog. He’s retired now. He’s so amazing.

What does his fur feel like?

It’s stiff. Stiff but soft. He’s very beautiful.

Did he meet Genghis Khan? How did they get along?

Oh just fine! They’re two Asian dogs! They’re Chinese!

What’s next for Genghis Khan?

If he wants to go back to the Garden, he has to continue to show … he has a lot of stuff to do.

So what about Chow Chows in particular appeals to you?

He’s friendly, he’s not obsequious, he’s not demanding, loveable but he’s not, you know, in your face. He’s easy to care for. … They’re amazing dogs! Remember, there were 2,500 pairs of these dogs chained to those stone pillars in the imperial courtyard in Beijing in front of the imperial palace. And each pair of dogs had its own servant dressed in blue silk, which fed it and cleaned up after it, and they were out there in that courtyard all the time. Their job was to guard the palace, to guard the emperor.