Chesapeake Bay Retriever

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Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Chesapeake Bay Retriever Characteristics

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Chesapeake Bay Retriever Breed Information

Breed Group: Sporting

Weight: Mle: 65-80; Female: 55-70 lbs

Height: Male: 23-26 Female: 21-24 inches

Color(s): any color of brown, sedge, or deadgrass

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Overview

Originating in the United States, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever is often referred to as the Chessie. An avid hunter of fowl on both land and water, this breed was the first retriever breed to be recognized by the American Kennel Club. Although not as well known today as the Golden or Labrador Retrievers, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers make a wonderful family and field companion.

Character

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is the most rugged and powerful of the six retriever breeds. This breed is a true nature lover. They are alert, intelligent, courageous, and extremely versatile. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is independent, tough, and possesses stoic determination. They are tenacious workers; bold and athletic.

Temperament

Intensely loyal and deeply devoted, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever has a strong protective nature. This breed is friendly, loving, and affectionate. They do best in a home with older considerate children. They will generally get along with other dogs they have been raised with but have a tendency to be combative and aggressive with dogs they do not know. They do not do well with cats or other small household pets. This breed thrives on family interaction and will become destructive if ignored, lonely, or bored. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is not recommended for the novice, apathetic, or sedentary owner.

Care

This breed requires once a week brushing to remove dead hair. It is important to not over groom, as this will damage the coat. Bathing should only be done when absolutely necessary to preserve the integrity of the water repellant coat. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is prone to such health issues as elbow and hip dysplasia, Von Willebrands Disease, PRA, and cataracts. They prefer cooler climates.

Coat

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a double coat breed. The outer coat is dense, slightly wavy, short and harsh. The under coat is thick and wooly in texture. The coat is water repellant. The color of the coat comes in various shades of brown, red, and tan. This breed is an average shedder.

Training

Slow to mature, willful, and stubborn, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever must have an experienced owner. Early socialization and obedience training are an absolute must. They do not respond to harsh or heavy-handed methods. Training must be done with firmness, fairness, patience, respect, and consistency. This breed displays talents in tracking, hunting, competitive obedience, schutzhund, field spots, and hunting.

Activity

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever requires daily vigorous exercise. They enjoy swimming and make excellent walking, jogging, and bicycling companions. This breed must have physical and mental stimulation. They are not suited for apartment or city dwelling. Chesapeake Bay Retrievers do best in a home where they can run and romp freely in a safely fenced area.

Ask a Question Chesapeake Bay Retriever Questions & Answers

QUESTION: Do Chesapeake Bay Retriever's shed alot?

Anonymous - 1/1/2012 7:09:36 PM

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QUESTION: Do Chesapeake Bay Retrievers shed and if so what are some medium sized dogs that dont shed?

Anonymous - 11/9/2011 10:54:18 PM

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QUESTION: I have a rabbit, if I were to get a Chesapeake Bay Retriever dog, what do you think will most likely happen if the two were together?

Anonymous - 10/1/2011 8:56:18 AM

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The dog would have rabbit for supper...

Anonymous - 12/6/2011 6:26:29 PM

QUESTION: Does anyone know how a Chesapeake Bay Retriever might do with a cat in the same house?

Anonymous - 8/15/2011 4:35:16 PM

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I've raised two Chessies and too many cats and in my experience if the cat is an adult when the puppy arrives, after a few scratches to set the tone, the cat will remain the dogs boss for life. If a kitten comes into your (well socialized) dogs life, the dog will "parent" the kitten. It takes all kinds to make a breed but the Chessies I've raised were brave, athletic, protective when necessary and SWEET.

Anonymous - 1/4/2012 7:05:21 PM

We have raised two Chessies (one after the other) from puppyhood thru ripe old age. Both, in their turn, treated kittens, cats, toddlers and kids as their family, friends and responsibilities. Young Chessies, under two years age are clumsy goofballs and might accidentally bowl a toddler over. As the dog matures, your child couldn't have a more devoted or patient companion. When my son was learning to walk, our dog would allow him to cling to his fur while they move in slow baby steps around the room.

Anonymous - 1/4/2012 6:55:38 PM

We have five indoor cats with our chessie...she was wonderful with them all. many times they played and in the evening would lay down next to her on the floor curled between her front paws.

Anonymous - 10/21/2011 3:03:09 PM

I bought a kitten to keep my young chessie company when I worked ten to twelve hours a day. She did fine with it when I wasn't home, but would get very jealous of the kitten when I was home and wouldn't let it near me. I ended up giving the kitten away.

Anonymous - 8/26/2011 3:26:35 PM

QUESTION: We have a rather large apartment on the outskirts of a city with plenty of open spaces and parks for walking and playing. We would like to raise a Chessie, but aren't sure if it's the right environment for the dog. Does anyone know if a Chesapeake would work well in this environment?

Anonymous - 3/7/2011 6:08:11 PM

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A Chessie is a lovable but very demanding puppy and will mentally remain a puppy for 24 months +/-. Given the opportunity they can eat the sheetrock off of your walls but with LOTS OF EXERCISE' consistency and a strong commitment it can work. When they mature they are treasures but will still be unhappy without an active life. More is needed than a walk in the park. They need heart pounding, tongue dragging runs. If you can jog with them great, but if you aren't a runner, wthen another option is them running while you ride a bike. IF YOU ARE THE RIGHT PEOPLE, they are more than worth the effort.

Anonymous - 1/4/2012 7:50:31 PM

Chessies are very energetic. They can do fine in apartments but you must exercise them regularly. If you can bike or rollerblade with them that's great. You can also take them swimming, enroll in obedience, agility, tracking and hunt training. Remember they are an double, oily coated dog and may need regular baths and brushing otherwise you may have lots of fluffballs rolling around your place.

dogdoc - 7/18/2011 7:50:56 PM

I don't completely agree with the response of the person above me. I have a chessie and i live in an apartment. They are OK as long as you give them a TON of exercise. They really do need a lot of it. If you are an active person then you should be ok, but if you are a couch potato i would consider an other breed. They can be a handful and are a handful when young, it takes a lot of training and patience. I love my chessie and wouldn't trade him for the world.

Anonymous - 4/26/2011 6:52:30 PM

The chesapeake bay retriever REQUIRES lots of exercise. Please consider a different breed for your apartment life. I work with the chessie rescue and too many times people turn over their chessie because "too much to handle".

Anonymous - 3/13/2011 12:27:25 AM

QUESTION: How well do Chesapeake Bay Retrievers do with small children and are they hard to house break ?

Anonymous - 1/31/2011 5:05:10 PM

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Chessies do very well with children. They are a bit more serious and protective than other retriever breeds especially when raised from puppies with children. Chessies will often put themselves between strangers and their children or their home. It would take a brave individual to get out of their car on my farm when my kids are out. They are fairly easy to house train but are extremely smart!! They can have accidents in the house to get back at something you did that they didn't like. But rest assured, they are very reliable in the house.

dogdoc - 7/18/2011 7:58:08 PM

I went from Labs to Chessies and am a huge fan. My second female is a very affectionate playful dog. She is great with my two young children. I think that the breed is misunderstood, and the dog gets a bit of a bad rap. I am not a hunter and appreciate the dog as a family dog that is a little more protective than other retrievers.

Anonymous - 4/27/2011 9:02:19 AM

Got my first Chessie in Nov. of 2008. Got her around kids right from the start. She sleds and plays great with the 2,5,6 and 10 yr olds in the family. A little more hyper than the English LabsI had for 20 yrs, and much stronger. She is a little more mindful of the kids when we swim, she grabs them and pulls them back to shore. Heard all the stories, but we have had ZERO issues.. Chessie #2 will be here this summer.

Anonymous - 2/18/2011 4:10:54 PM

QUESTION: How many puppies are usually in aChesapeake Bay Retriever litter?

Anonymous - 10/14/2010 10:19:01 AM

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Chessies, like many large breed dogs, can have anywhere from 5-12+ puppies.

dogdoc - 7/18/2011 7:51:41 PM

My Chesapeake Bay Retriever was one of 15 pups.

Anonymous - 11/14/2010 10:56:49 PM

QUESTION: Is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever in the family of the Labrador Retriever?

brjtj8910 - 10/12/2010 3:41:22 PM

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After having two Chessies through their whole lives we decided to adopt from a Chessie rescue org. We picked a black pup whose mother was supposed to be a Chessie, We had him DNA tested...pure Labrador. He's a fine, good natured fellow; very lovable but no where near a sensitive, perceptive or intelligent as either Chessie. By age two they were our partners. Our Lab is a pet.

Anonymous - 1/4/2012 7:23:20 PM

No, other than both being water retrievers they are not related. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever was originally bred from Newfoundlands and probably curly coat retriever. They also have some black/tan hound in them as well. They were bred originally to tolerate the harsh, cold weather on the Chesapeake Bay and spent days on end retrieving from icy water for hunters who sold birds as a means of living.

dogdoc - 7/18/2011 7:54:34 PM

My Chesapeake Bay Retriever's were aLL LARGER than Labs, as well as smarter. We had Labs as well as Chessies, and the Chessies took top desireability every time. Their personality is reflective of their owner - - ours were raised in the house with the family, never became aggresove. but were definitely protective of our little kids, positioning themselves betwen the kids and strangers. The last one grinned! And all of mine lived to be at least 13, except for one that developed luekemia at age four.

Anonymous - 12/21/2010 4:20:38 PM

Certainly related, they're not terribly dissimilar dogs. I have grown up with both breeds, and they are very alike; Chessies tend to be slightly shorter, but stockier and muscular, with an oily-water resistant coat. In all honesty, they make better hunting dogs (in my opinion, clearly debatable), but not as good family pets. More aggressive by nature, but extremely protective of their homes, and if trained well, excellent dogs. So in short, yes, they're related and rather similar.

Anonymous - 10/18/2010 11:02:24 PM

If you are looking for Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppies for sale from reputable Chesapeake Bay Retriever breeders or to adopt a Chesapeake Bay Retriever from a Chesapeake Bay Retriever rescue then make sure you understand as much about the dog breeds you are interested in as you can. Every puppy breed is different. Begin your research by reading the breed information about the Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppy above. Search our dog breeds section to find Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppies, dogs and puppies that make great pets.

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