Chesapeake Bay Retriever
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is also referred to as
the "Chessie". The Chessie is said to have been originally
from the British. This breed is even better at retrieving
than the Labrador Retriever because he is bigger and
stronger. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever has the ability
to hunt in very bad weather conditions and is known
to have the ability to break through ice for a tough
retrieve. He also has the ability to catch ducks for
hours on end in the icy, rough waters of the Chesapeake
Bay.
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever can weighs anywhere between
sixty and ninety pounds and is about twenty-one to twenty-six
inches at the shoulder. He stands very majestically
and powerfully due to his great size and strength and
his medium-to-large bone structure. He has a "waterproof"
double coat that tends to wave on shoulders, neck, back
and loins, and can feel slightly oily compared to others
in this breed mix. The coat at times can also have a
slight musky odor. This breed is usually anywhere from
a light to deep dark brown, a sedge color, which can
be anywhere from a reddish yellow to a chestnut shade
or a dull straw or faded tan color. There may also be
spottings of white in his coat. The Chessie's hind legs
are very strong and his toes are usually webbed, which
gives him a great edge since Chesapeakes need to have
superb swimming ability.
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is commonly known for it
happy attitudes and intelligence. This breed can also
have a tendency to be affectionately protective, while
possessing a quite good sense. Sometimes they express
their happiness by barking and becoming vocal, which
can be misjudged as a growl. Rest assured, they are
happy. This breed is also known to "smile" when they
are happy by showing their front teeth, which can alarm
those that are not used to it and see it as a threat.
This breed is not overly aggressive, even with other
dogs, however, they do seem to be naturally dominant.
For this reason, it is important to begin obedience
training early, so they know that they are not the leader.
If they are not trained and socialized early, they may
have dominance and training problems later down the
road.
The Chessie tends to cling towards one specific member
of the family and consider him as the master. This dog
sees anyone else as either equal or subordinate, but
there can only be one master. With strangers, the Chesapeake
is different than other retrievers because he tends
to be reserved and more aggressive. Other retrievers
are usually friendlier with strangers. However, the
Chessie also has a tendency to be territorial, so this
could lead to his reservation with strangers.
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a quick learner and
very smart. When this breed knows what his trainer or
owner expects from him and is trained that way, he will
pretty much conform and behave that way from then on.
He does not easily break the rules once they are learned.
This breed can be fed anywhere from one and a half to
two and a half cans of a high-quality meaty product
with a biscuit or, if they prefer they can have five
cups of a dry dog food, complete with vitamins and minerals.
About the Author
For more information on the Chesapeake
Bay Retriever
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