The Chesapeake Bay Retriever: The Strongest Of All Retrievers

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.