henry d Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Due to a shift in circumstances I do not go beating much nowadays and my springer is 12/3 yo and going to 1/2 days if we go beating, so I will be looking to getting a pup in about 15 months time. I anticipate that this will be an only dog in the house after the springer is gone. I have however got back into wildfowling, which along with pigeon shooting is my main shotgun sporting loves. I shoot the Tay and the Eden here in Scotland, so mainly shore gunning and a couple of days inland decoying a year. I`ve had a read and just wondered what people thought of Chessies as a mainly retrieving dog with a few days beating throughout the year? Possibly some deer tracking too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Good water dogs without doubt , will do the water work better than a lab but as a all round dog a lab would be a better bet . Generally they can be difficult to train , I know a couple of people that have had them in the past who found them very hard going . They are also said to have aggression issues , mainly towards other dogs , but I cannot say that I have first hand experience . The two guys I knew that had them have both now got labs , so that may tell you something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 I've got a chesapeake bitch. She is en extremely keen worker and a very good retriever who loves water to the extent that it is hard to keep her out of it, She has the classic Chesapeake strong headedness which can be a pain sometimes, but that is mostly my fault due to her not being worked as regularly as either of us would like. I'm sure that with more time and structure to her training she would be a first class gundog. Temprament wise, she is a real character, bags of fun and incredibly friendly (which chesapeakes are not always noted for). I wouldnt change her for anything, faults included, because she makes up for some of her more frustrating habits by being such enjoyable company both in the field and at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted March 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Yeah, forgot to say it has to be a bitch, cheers for the replies so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 I honestly cannot understand someone who thinks a Chessie is better in water than an experienced lab with the proper breed std. lab coat. What a Lab isn't (as a breed) is much of a guarding dog, this to many is more of a blessing than a hindrance. Heck its harder to work water in Labrador than it is Chesapeake bay The limited blood pool of the Chessie in the UK rules it out for me. I know of a few Chessies and strangely the only one I should consider or wish a pup off carries half American imported blood ( I don't think that's pure coincidence). Most of our Labs and Spaniels bred here in the UK for work have fairly bomb proof temperament as nobody wants a dog fight or a badly mauled guest on shoot day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blunderbust Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 I have one, he is a big boy and is as gentle as they come. He does not fight with other dogs but he does want to play with them all the time. As a worker he is fine and I believe after another year or so he will settle down. He loves water and will retrieve no problem but is not keen on sitting still if you are on the line or in a ditch, his excitement gets the better of him. He has been out with me for Deer and does find them if they run but he will not sit by the beast and tends to just run off. I have not tried him on a harness and have no intention of doing so. All that being said, I have had many Labs and can honestly tell you that I will not be getting another CBR when the time comes. In my experience they do nothing that Labs cant do, they are very head strong and take a lot longer to train. I will be back to a lab the next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosd Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 My turn to get some popcorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 I have one, he is a big boy and is as gentle as they come. He does not fight with other dogs but he does want to play with them all the time. As a worker he is fine and I believe after another year or so he will settle down. He loves water and will retrieve no problem but is not keen on sitting still if you are on the line or in a ditch, his excitement gets the better of him. He has been out with me for Deer and does find them if they run but he will not sit by the beast and tends to just run off. I have not tried him on a harness and have no intention of doing so. All that being said, I have had many Labs and can honestly tell you that I will not be getting another CBR when the time comes. In my experience they do nothing that Labs cant do, they are very head strong and take a lot longer to train. I will be back to a lab the next time. he actually sounds very much like a dog not yet fully mature. Of course no breed comes with a guarantee to be true to expectations every time. I have know GWPs given away as they had no real desire to work one was from a top guy and would have impressed the heck out of any who saw it gathering canvass dummies and dropping to the whistle well out in the country. I am darn sure on that count a chessie could be found that didn't like getting its feet wet or let anyone come and go from your property totally unchallenged, be rare mind you . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGD Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 If it was me making the choice I'd go for a lab. A far bigger range of proven, quality lines will enable you to find a dog that will do everything you need. The attraction of CBR's being the "ultimate" fowler's dog sounds great, but then how many "ultimate" fowlers are there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 not keen on sitting still if you are on the line or in a ditch, his excitement gets the better of him I'll second this, mine is a real fidget in the hide too, especially once the shooting starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mat Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 (edited) There are some good tales of chessies on here, http://www.ladwaca.com/# in the libary , articles are written by pw member mudpattern. I've no experience of chessies, i've only seen one on the shore, the sod jumped up on me in the car park and knocked my goose call apart! Edited March 10, 2014 by Big Mat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mat Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 (edited) If it was me making the choice I'd go for a lab. A far bigger range of proven, quality lines will enable you to find a dog that will do everything you need. The attraction of CBR's being the "ultimate" fowler's dog sounds great, but then how many "ultimate" fowlers are there? It depends on how you define "ultimate" fowler. One fowler who might fall into that category uses nothing but golden retrievers, personal choice at the end of the day. Would i go out and buy a chessie? Probably not Edited March 10, 2014 by Big Mat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGD Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 personal choice at the end of the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 I'll second this, mine is a real fidget in the hide too, especially once the shooting starts. If its not a young dog lacking experience but knowing the score we are talking about I think it down to how you bring them on. IMO part of a fowling dogs training should be to settle were put and this can be accomplished in the off season (the only training aids required are a good book and somewhere to sit for a few hours outdoors) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blunderbust Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Kent, you are bang on and I agree that he will settle as he matures. Indeed I had him out last week and I sat him at the bottom of a high seat where he settled quite well. However as Zapp said, as soon as any firing starts he just wants to get going, starts to whine and cant sit still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Here she is, enjoying a wet and muddy walk with my lab/spaniel cross. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azzurri Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 A friend of mine had a Chessie, his was a great worker for him but a real nasty ****** with other people and dogs, i'd certainly never trust it but maybe it was a one off or the way he brought it up when it was a pup I don't know. But I still think they're a cracking dog despite my experiences with this particular one I can still see it now though walking into his mothers kitchen cocking its leg peeing into his rigger boot, infact it peed that hard it knocked it over....priceless I have a Toller which have a bit of Chessie in them and I can certainly relate to the headstrong temprement which used to be a battle when she was younger Azzurri. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Kent, you are bang on and I agree that he will settle as he matures. Indeed I had him out last week and I sat him at the bottom of a high seat where he settled quite well. However as Zapp said, as soon as any firing starts he just wants to get going, starts to whine and cant sit still. Take a gun and a few shells with that book then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Here she is, enjoying a wet and muddy walk with my lab/spaniel cross. Gosh it looks wired even in the photo, what you feeding it speed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 It's because I was making her sit still and she wanted to be in the water in that ditch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hedd-wyn Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 It's because I was making her sit still and she wanted to be in the water in that ditch. She's lovely though zapp Never come across one before, they look quite tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 She's lovely though zapp Never come across one before, they look quite tough. They are quite big, burly dogs, like a more muscular lab. You can see how deep her chest is in that pic, and they have a thick neck and broad, strong head. They also have a wooly coat on their back and neck. It is because of this that she has acquired the nickname "Bungle" after the bear from Rainbow, because she is big, brown and hairy (and a bit stupid), but I dont tell her that. There is a resemblance though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Last post now and I'll stop derailing Hd's thread. Here she is giving me her stern look because there is a towel on the floor, and the second pic is of the sheer indignity Mrs Zapp subjects the poor beast to each Christmas. Check out the desperation in her eyes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 My turn to get some popcorn Others - with native education - might say "Time to get the 2X4." And that ain't about wheels but board feet.... Personally I prefer the "mini-Chessie" bitch otherwise known as the Boykin spaniel. With Boykins, a palm frond rather than those board feet makes the best "training aid." Truth be told, a la big water-cold water, a Chessie (a trained Chessie) is hard to beat. But you don't want to be beatin' on 'em, anyhow... MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee-kinsman Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Chessies..... I like em, I'd have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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