chesapeake bay retriever

[Gonna Shoot a Wabbit]

Dear all.

 

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with chessies on here.

 

Am undecided between a lab / chessie next year. I have had 2 labs now and fancy something a little different though everything i have read re the chessies working ability has been positive there is nothing like an owners input.

 

I am looking for a suitable breeder preferably in the north west england so if anyone has any recommendations that would be great.

 

many thanks.

 

Adrian.

[WGD]

They have a reputation for being aggressive towards other dogs, I don't put much faith in reputation BUT the only CBR's I have seen on shoots (granted only 4 different dogs) have been aggressive so make sure you do your homework on breed lines and characteristics before committing.

 

Can't remember who but I think there are a couple of owners on here.

[Grandalf]

Friend of mine has two and they fight their own shadows on a moonlight night!

[marlin vs]

Iv'e had a couple of them and have gone back to the labrador as they had hard mouths and are headstrong a lab is a more pleasing dog,and they can be agressive.

 

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/5784/chesapeake005large.jpg

 

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/9148/chesapeake010medium.jpg

[Tadorna]

Marmite

[cracker]

Friend of mine has two and they fight their own shadows on a moonlight night!

 

Why, Byron himself was never that poetic! Then again he never had a Chessie... Ain't saying I agree or disagree with such sentiment, but have always maintained that a Boykin is

 

 

Chessie enough for me. (Very strong in their heritage, without the allegedly :yp: bad DNA baggage.) They don't have the same growl or bite as a Chessie, nor at 25 pounds, the same appetite. But them eyes will almost make a retrieve on their own.

 

MG

[Zapp]

I have a CBR bitch and she doesnt have the aggression thing at all. Quite the opposite, she is a such a soppy tart it is unbelievable.

 

She is however very headstrong, and has been quite hard work to train, but she is turning out to be a great, spirited retriever and is completely fearless where thick cover is concerned.

[WGD]

I have a CBR bitch and she doesnt have the aggression thing at all. Quite the opposite, she is a such a soppy tart it is unbelievable.

 

She is however very headstrong, and has been quite hard work to train, but she is turning out to be a great, spirited retriever and is completely fearless where thick cover is concerned.

 

But then if you want a cover basher get an ESS and do the job right

[Gonna Shoot a Wabbit]

Thanks for the replies gents.

 

The dog is going to be used for mainly pigeon shooting / duck flighting with a little pheasant work in light to medium cover and i also intend to try to teach it to follow a blood line for deer work with the intention of finding but not grabbing deer (hopefully avoiding hardmouth issues).

 

Food for thought. kind rgds

 

Ade

[MiLisCer]

Thanks for the replies gents.

 

The dog is going to be used for mainly pigeon shooting / duck flighting with a little pheasant work in light to medium cover and i also intend to try to teach it to follow a blood line for deer work with the intention of finding but not grabbing deer (hopefully avoiding hardmouth issues).

 

Food for thought. kind rgds

 

Ade

 

I would go for a GWP then

 

I have handled and trained CBR for gundog work and for search work, they can be headstrong and their only saving grace is they are good in water. If you are not doing a great deal on the foreshore - either get a GWP (Ideal for everything you have listed) or stick with a lab.

 

Just my thoughts

 

Mike

[kent]

I would go for a GWP then

 

I have handled and trained CBR for gundog work and for search work, they can be headstrong and their only saving grace is they are good in water. If you are not doing a great deal on the foreshore - either get a GWP (Ideal for everything you have listed) or stick with a lab.

 

Just my thoughts

 

Mike

 

 

Agreed and mine works the Foreshore, hunts the open Moor and loves to work the thickest cover(blackthorn like you wouldnt believe) also works deer, fox etc with the rifle. A keen wire dont like sitting around when they know thiers game out there though and also have a big reputation for aggresion and can be very head strong. They are however the most versitle gun dog on the planet.

To the OP a good Deer dog BTW will not stop at finding dead deer if they do thier hearts not in it and to be fair they wouldn't be a whole heap of use either. What you want is a real split personalty "red zone" dog that will put larger species to bay and hold them

[cracker]

A keen wire dont like sitting around when they know thiers game out there though and also have a big reputation for aggresion and can be very head strong. They are however the most versitle gun dog on the planet.

 

That would have to be a planet that doesn't include Germany, eh? - as drahts ain't even the most versatile dog in their own country. Sorry, mate, but that would be the wachtelhund.

Then you have another "keen wire" that runs a close second in versatility on the continent - that would be the spinone Italiano. Just speaking from experience here, so no offence intended.

 

MG

[MiLisCer]

That would have to be a planet that doesn't include Germany, eh? - as drahts ain't even the most versatile dog in their own country. Sorry, mate, but that would be the wachtelhund.

Then you have another "keen wire" that runs a close second in versatility on the continent - that would be the spinone Italiano. Just speaking from experience here, so no offence intended.

 

MG

 

 

MG,

 

I've not had the pleasure of seeing the Wachtelhund, but I have seen more than my share of Spin's - I guess they are different dogs on your side of the pond? as the ones over here are slow and cumbersome. I would be interested to hear more about them over your side.

 

As for GWPs and DDs - sorry, they are different dogs :yp:

 

Yours in sport

 

Mike

[WGD]

the ones over here are slow and cumbersome. I would be interested to hear more about them over your side.

 

Got to agree, like watching paint dry compared to watching most other HPRs hunt.

[cracker]

Mike, spins cover a lot of acreage in their manner and produce many, many birds. I last ran a spinone in NAVHDA some years ago - the kurzhaar testing ahead of me found a single bird on the course and was judged on it alone for field work; along came the spin and pointed (and was judged on) an even dozen. They work to the gun beautifully with a pace that's just right for pheasant or partridge on the prairie - or for that matter ruffed grouse in New England. But it's away from dry land where they excel - spinoni just became the first continental breed made eligible for AKC-sanctioned retriever hunt tests (previously limited to the traditional retriever breeds including poodles). At retrieving, they've got few equals, and in the water almost none can compare - well, the black dogs might be a bit more numerous, but trust me, they doff their thinking cap to how a spinone works in the wet stuff.

 

MG

[MiLisCer]

Mike, spins cover a lot of acreage in their manner and produce many, many birds. I last ran a spinone in NAVHDA some years ago - the kurzhaar testing ahead of me found a single bird on the course and was judged on it alone for field work; along came the spin and pointed (and was judged on) an even dozen. They work to the gun beautifully with a pace that's just right for pheasant or partridge on the prairie - or for that matter ruffed grouse in New England. But it's away from dry land where they excel - spinoni just became the first continental breed made eligible for AKC-sanctioned retriever hunt tests (previously limited to the traditional retriever breeds including poodles). At retrieving, they've got few equals, and in the water almost none can compare - well, the black dogs might be a bit more numerous, but trust me, they doff their thinking cap to how a spinone works in the wet stuff.

 

MG

 

Thanks MG

 

Maybe they need to send some new blood over here!

 

Mike

[mudpatten]

If it helps, I`ve had Chesies since 1976.

 

In no particular order, some observations.

 

Some Chesie breed lines have temperament issues but much of the bad behaviour arises from owners who thought they were buying a curly coated chocolate labrador, some thing the Chesie most certainly is not.

 

It`s temperament is utterly different from a lab. Most are stand offish with other dogs and people they don`t know and are possessed of a very strong guarding instinct. Although my current bitch has never bitten anyone you could be forgiven for thinking that she would like to kill any stranger trying to enter, for instance, my car from the snarling, barking and general aggression. Unless she knows you that is, and then you can waltz right on in, if you`re brave enough!

 

I was recently at a breed working test attended by over forty Chesies.If their propensity for fighting was as bad as is sometimes portrayed, this event should have been a dogfighting bloodbath. It was`nt. There was not a single growl or raised hackle and the dogs mostly ignored each other.

 

My own bitch is used as a demonstrator in my dog training classes as well as being used for socialising young dogs. At the last session she had a young spaniel running between her legs and playfully nipping at her and just ignored it.Likewise three boisterous year old labs.

 

All of mine have been easy to train and are/were steady, solid workers.

 

They have a great sense of humour. When out pigeon shooting with company she thinks it great fun to show her teeth to the other shooter and generally try to intimidate them from re entering the hide. She respects the shooters who stand up to her and shoo her away but will ruthlessly exploit any weakness she finds in humans.

 

If you don`t find that sort of behaviour either slightly amusing or an interesting canine phsycology problem to be solved, then do`nt get one because I promise you that such issues WILL manifest themselves.

 

If you do bite the bullet, you could have the best working and most loyal dog you`ve ever owned.

[cracker]

Nice take, mudpatten. Also like the way you use the olde Americaine derivative for the breed - haven't seen that spelling since last reading James Lamb Free's "Training Your Retriever." (Good book that, even with a pejorative or two toward you breed from a Lab man through and through.)

 

Whilst not enamored of their "sense of humour" even among their own - a training partner just had to put his elder Ches(s)ie down and his 14-week-old pup in animal accy because of a middle of the pack upstart - for a one-dog fowler, always thought they're the best gundog going. Too slow - since we've invoked spinoni and other breeds above - for my taste at training, however.

 

MG

Edited July 19, 2011 by cracker

[kent]

Mike, spins cover a lot of acreage in their manner and produce many, many birds. I last ran a spinone in NAVHDA some years ago - the kurzhaar testing ahead of me found a single bird on the course and was judged on it alone for field work; along came the spin and pointed (and was judged on) an even dozen. They work to the gun beautifully with a pace that's just right for pheasant or partridge on the prairie - or for that matter ruffed grouse in New England. But it's away from dry land where they excel - spinoni just became the first continental breed made eligible for AKC-sanctioned retriever hunt tests (previously limited to the traditional retriever breeds including poodles). At retrieving, they've got few equals, and in the water almost none can compare - well, the black dogs might be a bit more numerous, but trust me, they doff their thinking cap to how a spinone works in the wet stuff.

 

MG

 

Don't take me wrong i have spent a fair amount of time over on your side and have made many friends there - but your dogs are generally poor and breeds evolve differently in other countries. Spins here? forget it, American wires Indeed there is a marked difference here in true import lines and British lines

[kent]

If it helps, I`ve had Chesies since 1976.

 

In no particular order, some observations.

 

Some Chesie breed lines have temperament issues but much of the bad behaviour arises from owners who thought they were buying a curly coated chocolate labrador, some thing the Chesie most certainly is not.

 

It`s temperament is utterly different from a lab. Most are stand offish with other dogs and people they don`t know and are possessed of a very strong guarding instinct. Although my current bitch has never bitten anyone you could be forgiven for thinking that she would like to kill any stranger trying to enter, for instance, my car from the snarling, barking and general aggression. Unless she knows you that is, and then you can waltz right on in, if you`re brave enough!

 

I was recently at a breed working test attended by over forty Chesies.If their propensity for fighting was as bad as is sometimes portrayed, this event should have been a dogfighting bloodbath. It was`nt. There was not a single growl or raised hackle and the dogs mostly ignored each other.

 

My own bitch is used as a demonstrator in my dog training classes as well as being used for socialising young dogs. At the last session she had a young spaniel running between her legs and playfully nipping at her and just ignored it.Likewise three boisterous year old labs.

 

All of mine have been easy to train and are/were steady, solid workers.

 

They have a great sense of humour. When out pigeon shooting with company she thinks it great fun to show her teeth to the other shooter and generally try to intimidate them from re entering the hide. She respects the shooters who stand up to her and shoo her away but will ruthlessly exploit any weakness she finds in humans.

 

If you don`t find that sort of behaviour either slightly amusing or an interesting canine phsycology problem to be solved, then do`nt get one because I promise you that such issues WILL manifest themselves.

 

If you do bite the bullet, you could have the best working and most loyal dog you`ve ever owned.

 

 

I think your comments just convinced me - i want one Is it possible you could put me in touch with anyone in the NWest by PM?

[cracker]

Don't take me wrong i have spent a fair amount of time over on your side and have made many friends there - but your dogs are generally poor

 

Kent, good assessment, just wondering: Which of "our" dogs are generally poor, especially as they do indeed evolve differently in different places?

 

This one

 

 

or this

 

 

or this

 

 

or this

 

 

or this

 

 

or this

 

 

or maybe this one (already "judgeable" at 9 weeks)

 

 

So "generally" speaking, it may be (way) wide of the mark to generalize about gundogs. But you will also have noticed not to generalize, ain't no Chessie in the ranks, nor has been, nor will there be. And that's speaking in specifics.

 

MG

Edited July 20, 2011 by cracker

[kent]

Kent, good assessment, just wondering: Which of "our" dogs are generally poor, especially as they do indeed evolve differently in different places?

 

 

Anyone who cares to look on the internet at American gundog training or working vidio will have a real good laugh there are some total corkers, dropped retrieves and running in being excepted common place on many shooting footage also. Its also a fact that a heck of a lot more dogs leave here to go there than the reverse, strange when you look at the size of our two countries. You might have some very good dogs yourself but photos of dogs with birds in thier mouths actually prove nothing of a nations dogs nor the individuals, i used to have a terrier that i could photograph carrying allsorts of game - as long as i ambushed him with the camera as he was departing to eat it

 

Perhaps our two nations often work on differing criteria? hence breeds evolve differently. I notice some talk of pointing labs and kennels specialising in the type advertising such in the USA for instance- yet a lab is a retriever pure and simple, indeed it was origonally used to pick up what the English pointers and setters found. Now if that isn't evolving into different dogs i don't know what is

 

i do think there is much we can learn from each other as nations though we need to keep an open mind to the situation in both countries

[cracker]

Anyone who cares to look on the internet at American gundog training or working vidio will have a real good laugh there are some total corkers, dropped retrieves and running in being excepted common place on many shooting footage also.

 

You've not seen any vids of US retriever trials, I take it? Else you'd be commenting on the most advanced trained dogs in the world, whatever the planet and universe that that world resides in.

 

Fact is, Yanks have the worst trainers as well as the best trainers - and the best trainers are US retriever trainers, because as retrievers go, so much more is expected of them, infinitely more than what they're asked to do in the UK, that the training never stops because the scenarios in trials put before them are endless.

 

Even the "wash-out" or sold on dogs go on to acclaim elsewhere - the Lab that took 2d in the World Obedience Trial recently at the NEC was a US field trial washout; it had also won the US invitational obedience trial two years running. And hundreds of field trial retrievers - FT Labs - that didn't make the grade in trials have gone on to become bomb and explosive detection dogs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

As for

Its also a fact that a heck of a lot more dogs leave here to go there than the reverse, strange when you look at the size of our two countries.

 

Not a lot of argument here, except that the quarantine makes a mighty large argument for shipping pups to the UK. Six months in lockup - that's the age that this pup

 

 

will run her first field trial. (She's 13 weeks in the photo.) So there's some mitigating circumstances as to why there is what you call a "trade imbalance" in gundogs going and coming.

 

As for "pointing" Labs, don't get me going. But as a retriever "pure and simple," it's a little-known fact in both the US and UK (and Canada), that Labs are the most popular flushing dog in North America. I've got no problem with them putting a bird up as a flusher...well, sort of flushing anyhow

 

 

but the "pointing" doesn't rate for what I'm looking for in a Lab. Nor does it get the imprimatur of the parent US Labrador retriever club, either. But the notion of Labs and "pointing" (more like standing game or hesitating over it) seems to be soaring in popularity, and far be it for me to tell people how they must or mustn't work their gundogs.

 

MG

[mudpatten]

PM sent.

[kent]

Cracker,

You chance of getting a run in a FT here with a 6mnth old pup? About zero. You know we overcome quarantine regs all the time here to import many German dogs etc. have done for years. The pointing and flushing lab totally proves the point - dog breeds evolve differently in different countries