Chesapeake

[Ttfjlc]

Evening all, I've spent a fair few hours researching Chesapeakes, this site has been helpful amongst others but noticed there hasn't been much about them recently. My Labrador turns 10 this year and I'm considering getting another dog later this year or early next year and since I'll be doing mainly wildfowling I was hoping to get any info from people who own a chesapeake. I'm certainly not the best trainer in the world but I can do ok if the dog has a bit of ability and is willing to learn, I'd still consider a Labrador as I love the breed but think I've only met 2 Chesapeakes so curiosity has led me to ask on here, cheers.

[iamspuddy]

me first then,

i was in the same position as you 4 yrs ago, i also surfed the web looking for info. Read all the usual stuff that  they are aggressive , alligators,  my mates mate had one and it was a complete whatever!!!!.  etc etc etc .

i decided to speak to actual owners before i made my mind up. Some who are on this site.

These are my views others may differ 

i didn't want a lab , for the £1000 i paid for the chessie pup i could have bought a top of the range lab at the time. i didn't because i wanted something different and i wanted big dog to handle the tides around here and not be bothered with the cold , my springer although an excellent retriever didn't like sitting for hours and getting frozen. All my friends had fowling labs at the time but as i saId  i just fancied something different . there were only 180 pups a year born compared to 1000's of labs so you have to pick the right breeder. The breeders i know now spend 1000's of pounds refreshing the blood line  with US and Scandinavian  dogs . So as with labs pick the right breeder and you have a better chance of a good dog.

They are not for everyone, they are big dogs and grow fast, so you have a big playful pup (6 months and 20+kg) with a baby brain.

I think they are slow burners , they best info i had was its not a lab . They are smart which also means if your not in charge he will be. 

Mine is now a 3yr old   solid 43kg  dog. This season it all clicked fowling wise ,last year he was 18months in september  and a bit mentally young . 

He lives in the house with us and the springer no problem . Fantastic with the grand kids ,  extremely loyal i can't move around the house without him following me .

i have not seen any aggression from him , apart from a growl when another dog came over  to look at his ducks .vocal yes  bang on the front door and there is a set of paws 6ft off the ground on the glass with a barking dog . 

he is good with other dogs .

he is in his element fowling absolutely loves it ,its been extremely bitter and looking at him you would think it was July. He will sit on the marsh like the terminator for hours scanning for birds . Mine gives me the look when i miss.

i would advise speak to owners and dig out a breeder you like the  look of and pay a visit and have a chat .

i have absolutely no regrets this is the breed for me   and in 2/3 yrs  i will definitely be buying another .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ttfjlc]

1 hour ago, iamspuddy said:

me first then,

i was in the same position as you 4 yrs ago, i also surfed the web looking for info. Read all the usual stuff that  they are aggressive , alligators,  my mates mate had one and it was a complete whatever!!!!.  etc etc etc .

i decided to speak to actual owners before i made my mind up. Some who are on this site.

These are my views others may differ 

i didn't want a lab , for the £1000 i paid for the chessie pup i could have bought a top of the range lab at the time. i didn't because i wanted something different and i wanted big dog to handle the tides around here and not be bothered with the cold , my springer although an excellent retriever didn't like sitting for hours and getting frozen. All my friends had fowling labs at the time but as i saId  i just fancied something different . there were only 180 pups a year born compared to 1000's of labs so you have to pick the right breeder. The breeders i know now spend 1000's of pounds refreshing the blood line  with US and Scandinavian  dogs . So as with labs pick the right breeder and you have a better chance of a good dog.

They are not for everyone, they are big dogs and grow fast, so you have a big playful pup (6 months and 20+kg) with a baby brain.

I think they are slow burners , they best info i had was its not a lab . They are smart which also means if your not in charge he will be. 

Mine is now a 3yr old   solid 43kg  dog. This season it all clicked fowling wise ,last year he was 18months in september  and a bit mentally young . 

He lives in the house with us and the springer no problem . Fantastic with the grand kids ,  extremely loyal i can't move around the house without him following me .

i have not seen any aggression from him , apart from a growl when another dog came over  to look at his ducks .vocal yes  bang on the front door and there is a set of paws 6ft off the ground on the glass with a barking dog . 

he is good with other dogs .

he is in his element fowling absolutely loves it ,its been extremely bitter and looking at him you would think it was July. He will sit on the marsh like the terminator for hours scanning for birds . Mine gives me the look when i miss.

i would advise speak to owners and dig out a breeder you like the  look of and pay a visit and have a chat .

i have absolutely no regrets this is the breed for me   and in 2/3 yrs  i will definitely be buying another .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for a detailed reply, I was beginning to think nobody had one!  I like the idea about speaking to owners, another site said to try and find owners locally to meet a few dogs to get a better understanding. Thanks again 

[Gerry78]

Great reply iamspuddy i myself have been thinking when i buy my next dog it would be a chessie my fox red lab is a loyal companion and great duck dog  but here in N Ireland ive never seen anyone shoot over one[chesapeake] and know of no breeders

[Walker570]

Great dogs. Just a quick story about a pals Chessie. She never ever showed any malice to any other dog, but another friend had a GSP dog which thought itself the tops. It would be sniffing around here and there and the Chessie had made it known a couple of times she did not desire his attentions. I didn't see it happen but did see the GSP being carried across the shoulders of it's owner with blood pouring from its ear. The Chessie had bitten half of the ear off un one quick snap and to add insult further, swallowed it.  A further insult was when the GSP arived back from the vets they had bound it's wound and head up with a pink bandage. We always called him Puff after that.

Apologies for hijacking the thread a bit, but yes, go for a Chessie, great dogs, solidly loyal to their owners.  ...spuddy is absolutely correct in every way .

Edited February 3, 2018 by Walker570

[Old farrier]

Hi 

I’ve got a client that has 3 of them definitely a Wildfowlers dog and was very tempted to have a pup maybe next time 

as said there a very loyal and protective breed and do need to have you as the boss 

there’s a face book group 

try mammy peak aka Donna for advice or possibly asking the same question in the Wildfowlers section maybe get a few more replies 

All  the best 

Of 

[Ttfjlc]

10 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Great dogs. Just a quick story about a pals Chessie. She never ever showed any malice to any other dog, but another friend had a GSP dog which thought itself the tops. It would be sniffing around here and there and the Chessie had made it known a couple of times she did not desire his attentions. I didn't see it happen but did see the GSP being carried across the shoulders of it's owner with blood pouring from its ear. The Chessie had bitten half of the ear off un one quick snap and to add insult further, swallowed it.  A further insult was when the GSP arived back from the vets they had bound it's wound and head up with a pink bandage. We always called him Puff after that.

Apologies for hijacking the thread a bit, but yes, go for a Chessie, great dogs, solidly loyal to their owners.  ...spuddy is absolutely correct in every way .

no need to apologise mate, part of me feels bad for smiling after reading that story but then again that dog was warned! 

6 minutes ago, Old farrier said:

Hi 

I’ve got a client that has 3 of them definitely a Wildfowlers dog and was very tempted to have a pup maybe next time 

as said there a very loyal and protective breed and do need to have you as the boss 

there’s a face book group 

try mammy peak aka Donna for advice or possibly asking the same question in the Wildfowlers section maybe get a few more replies 

All  the best 

Of 

Thanks OF, I was wondering which section to put it in, then again wildfowlers can be secretive 

[Big Mat]

riptide? I think that's what he's called on here. He knows a think or two about chessies!

I'm a big fan of them, so is my girlfriend, so much so that when my current lab gets to about 7 we'll be looking for one.

[marsh man]

I have only seen one working chessie in all the years I have been fowling , the chap who had the shooting on the other side of the river from me had one , what I remember about it was he treated the fast flowing river as if it was a small dyke , that dog thought nothing of crossing it and work the reed beds out , a truly excellent water dog, that was one of his good points ,  one of his bad ones was he was very head strong .

I know one afternoon when we were shooting his dog crossed the river and started to hunt amongst the reeds , now and again he would put a Moorhen up and then he got on the scent of a Pheasant and he was off , all the time his owner was calling him back and he was either stone deaf or he was going to go back when he wanted to go and not when his master wanted him to.

I know Labs vary but in the 50 years I have owned one I dare say some have been better at some things than the others but I haven't had what I would call a bit of a nutter  I have kept everyone from a puppy until they have reached old age and then made comfortable until there time is up.

I don't think at my age I would try another breed in case it turned out a wrong um and he tried to train me instead of me training him , good dogs in the right hands but not for me.   

[Walker570]

Don't blame the dog !!!!!! 

[marsh man]

10 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Don't blame the dog !!!!!! 

I am not blaming the dog , as I said , GOOD DOGS IN THE RIGHT HANDS , but not for me.

[loriusgarrulus]

 

This is worth a watch. Echo a Chesapeake.

Edited February 3, 2018 by loriusgarrulus

[scotslad]

1 hour ago, Walker570 said:

Don't blame the dog !!!!!! 

 

While that quote is often true, many breeds have a reputation for a reason. so not always the owner

It's not a breed I'd ever consider, seen a couple and not impressed and some of the stories I've heard about them from his fowling mate.

I've heard of a few occasions where its picked labs up and shook them like rats for getting to close to 'HIS' birds, sometimes the owner struggles to get retrieves of it too.

 

Minority breeds tend to be minority for a reason (other options could be curly coated retriever or irish water spaniel but still hard to find decent 1's and not as easy as a lab to train)

 

While trying to speak the owners and breeders is good advice, I'd also try and get out and see them work/train, and a word of caution I'm always wary of breeders who only have 1 breed of dog in there kennels (wether lab, cocker, ess and often more so with minority/fashion breeds like hpr's, bmh's etc) most think there dogs/breed are the best thing since sliced bread.

I have seen plenty of very passionate breeders/owners of hpr's whose dogs are completely rubbish yet if u only spoke to them u'd think they're dog/breed is the best in the world

 

Not a breed for me but as long as u do ur homework/research and get out and see them in flesh ur going into it with ur eyes open.

Is there not a working cheasopeke club or something wher eu could see a lot in the same place at once, try looking on KC site

[Walker570]

Fantastic. Great camera work as well.

Ever so easy to blame the dog though.  Have some 50yrs of watching other people with dogs. The good the bad and often the ugly and thats only the owners.

I had a chocy labrador a few moons ago and an 'expert' said it would never work as it's legs where all wrong. It proved to be the very best jumping dog I have ever had and would clear five bar gates just for fun.  I still hear people say a chocy lab is no good, but mine turned out to be the best dog I will ever have and I have owned 14. Stalking, water, peg, rough shooting, he always came good and had a trait where he would dive under water and chase a diving duck if necessary, often coming up with a disgruntled bird.  We spent many hours together, he sat motionless under a high seat or in a pigeon hide. Proved all the 'experts' wrong.

 

Edited February 3, 2018 by Walker570

[mudpatten]

If you`ve read through the comments on this forum, a few of them will have been mine. I would`nt want to change anything that I wrote then. They still hold good.

 

 

 

Edited February 3, 2018 by mudpatten

[scotslad]

I just had a search and there is a cheasopeake bay club, which holds some gundog training wknds etc (see some up at doncaster) I'd ask if u can go along and watch or assist (throwing dummies or something)

Then u'd get a really good idea of the standard and nature of the dogs and how hard it is to get them to that standard.

Not trying to make out lab's are the best breed ever but it is generally pretty easy to train them to a decent enough working standard.

[iamspuddy]

94000 ford fiestas were sold in the U.K. last year!!!!

?

very good car reliable and easy to drive

does what it says on the tin 

but not for me 

 

Edited February 3, 2018 by iamspuddy

[marsh man]

23 minutes ago, scotslad said:

 

Not trying to make out lab's are the best breed ever but it is generally pretty easy to train them to a decent enough working standard.

I agree with what your saying , all my Labs have been used a lot for fowling and even now with me being over 70 I still managed over 60 flights this season , cold and water have never been a problem , as long as the dog is fit being out in extreme conditions shouldn't worry the dog .

As I said in my first post , I have only seen one and he wasn't my type of dog , weather it was the dog or the owner at fault, that I couldn't tell you but if the op want to go ahead and get a chessie puppy then I wish him the best of luck and I look forward to any forthcoming reports on progress .

[Ttfjlc]

Well I appreciate all who have commented, plenty to ponder, like I said I'd still look at labradors as well when the time is right. How you described that chessie marshman is a bit like my Labrador, headstrong and was 'hot to handle,' don't get me wrong in the right hands he could of field trialled as he's always been a stylish worker, just to clever for my training ability. One time I'll always remember was walking the boundary of a wood we used to shoot, thick brambles everywhere, waved him left to work, he looked at me and went right and put up half a dozen pheasants, mixed feelings as he'd ignored me but got the result at the same time. Now if you had seen me with one of my dad's old labs you'd think I was a pro gundog trainer, her and me just clicked, working to hand signals 200 yards away on blind retrieves, walking at heel almost tripping me over at times, running back to me at full speed with a dummy but would drop instantly at the slightest pip on the whistle without ever dropping the dummy! Not bad for a dog who the seller said wouldn't become a gundog, apologies for going off topic on my own thread, just wanted to give an insight as to whether a chesapeake would walk all over me.

[Gerry78]

My fox red lab can be headstrong sometimes ive had him since hes been a pup NOW im no expert trainer any faults in my dog is my fault but he gets me shot duck i think you find picking a pup from a litter is a lotto no dogs have the same temperament so reading all the stories about chesapeakes it would depend on the pup just my thoughts

[Ttfjlc]

4 hours ago, Gerry78 said:

My fox red lab can be headstrong sometimes ive had him since hes been a pup NOW im no expert trainer any faults in my dog is my fault but he gets me shot duck i think you find picking a pup from a litter is a lotto no dogs have the same temperament so reading all the stories about chesapeakes it would depend on the pup just my thoughts

You make a very good point, when I see a few 8 week old pups I pray I'll get one that doesn't run on nitrus oxide 

[marsh man]

2 hours ago, Ttfjlc said:

You make a very good point, when I see a few 8 week old pups I pray I'll get one that doesn't run on nitrus oxide 

You took the very words out of my mouth TtfjIc , we are told by the experts what to look for when choosing a puppy from a litter around 8 weeks old , really speaking it is all down to luck .

I went to look at my present one when the litter was 6 weeks old as the breeder was taking deposits , I was after a Black dog puppy , he had four dog pups which all looked identical , the mother and father were both there and looked cracking dogs , friendly , well built and both looked healthy .

After weighing them up I picked the slightly biggest one , the owner marked him on the ear with a drop of Blue nail varnish and the deal was done , when I picked him up three weeks later one had already gone and the others looked the same apart from different markings on there ears.

From that moment on he was going to be part of our family for the rest of his life, and a very nice dog he have turned out to be .

[Walker570]

I have always liked big dogs and consequently have normally been drawn to the big one in the litter.  I like to see them out in the open and see what thier attitude is.  Look for the one wanting to see whats about and not the one sitting on it's backside whimpering.  It has worked for me over all the dogs I've owned.  Went all the way to the east coast to buy my first viszla and the lady turned them out of the stable onto the lawn. One of the big ones headed straight for the reeds and the pond and started sniffing and rooting around. He got his toe nails painted bright pink as a result. Turned out to be my second best dog ever.   I had the opposite when offered the runt of a litter of viszlas, he was small compared, but within two weeks I said he would be a killing machine, which he proved to be.   He was also a thief. When his owner(I trained him for a friend) and I would be pigeon flighting. He would slide across and nick one of my pigeons and take it back and place by my mate, looking all innocent like. Clever little dog.  Don't you just love 'em ?

Edited February 4, 2018 by Walker570

[marsh man]

Lovely looking dogs Walker570 , the front one is like me , getting on a bit but hopefully good for a few more years yet  .

[Ttfjlc]

45 minutes ago, marsh man said:

You took the very words out of my mouth TtfjIc , we are told by the experts what to look for when choosing a puppy from a litter around 8 weeks old , really speaking it is all down to luck .

I went to look at my present one when the litter was 6 weeks old as the breeder was taking deposits , I was after a Black dog puppy , he had four dog pups which all looked identical , the mother and father were both there and looked cracking dogs , friendly , well built and both looked healthy .

After weighing them up I picked the slightly biggest one , the owner marked him on the ear with a drop of Blue nail varnish and the deal was done , when I picked him up three weeks later one had already gone and the others looked the same apart from different markings on there ears.

From that moment on he was going to be part of our family for the rest of his life, and a very nice dog he have turned out to be .

Nice story marsh man, reminds me of when I went to look at the litter where we got Ronnie from, a lovely guy near King's Lynn had a mixed litter of labs for sale, 5 dog pups for sale, 3 yellow 2 black, said to my eldest lad who was 3 at the time that we'll see which of the 5 appeals to us the most. He insisted we get a black dog so my choice dropped to 2, 1 was too busy trying to get back to the others but Ronnie went over to my lad,  sat down and licked my son's finger and that was it....I still blame my son to this day.