One of the difficulties in any form of commumication... especially in 'humor' is being sure you & your audience 'speak the same language'. "Chowchow" is not a really common term..it took ME a second to think about the context and remember what it was. It is often hard for some folks to be aware of what parts of their speech are universal, and which parts are local, or dialect, or slang, or 'brand names' (Kleenex...Jello)

Similarly, clever or humorous remarks can just be mystifying to those who lack the context to 'get it'.
I have had Brits 'explain' Cockney rhyming slang to me on several occasions, but it-just-ain't-funny when you don't know what is being rhymed!
There have been places where *I* worked where I just never tried to tell certain jokes or make many puns.

Ya' gotta be careful.......