Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Am/Can Ch Irish's NorthWyns Navigator CD JH "Connor"
Owned by Maggie Fisher and co-owned by Gary & Dorene Irish.
Northwyn Chesapeakes

While the Chesapeake Bay Retriever originated in the United States, he came from stock destined to sail from England. There is no complete and authentic record of the breeds development. The Chesapeake is the only retriever to have originated here in the USA.

In 1807, an English brig was wrecked off the coast of Maryland and crew and cargo were rescued by the American ship Canton. Also rescued were two Newfoundland puppies, a dingy red dog named "sailor", and a black female called "Canton" after the rescuing boat. Presented to the gentlemen who gave hospitality to the sailors of the wrecked brig, the two dogs were found to possess wonderful qualities as retrievers. Many of the nondescript dogs then used for retrieving were bred to them, although we do not know whether Sailor and Canton were ever bred together. Eventually other outcrosses were used, and of these, the English Otter Hound has been claimed as one of the most influential. Such a cross would probably have produced different results since the Chesapeake shows no trace of hound. It is more likely that the Flat-Coated and Curly-Coated Retrievers constituted the most important outcrosses.

By the time of the AKC's establishment in 1884, a definite Chesapeake type had been developed and was known for its prowess in the rough, icy waters of the Chesapeake Bay, where the dogs were often called upon to retrieve 100 to 200 ducks per day. Those dogs had longer and thicker coats than the dogs that we have today. Today, under leadership of its parent club, The American Chesapeake Club, the breed is active in all areas of AKC competition. Some of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever's talents include: tracking, hunting, retrieving, guarding, watchdogging, schutzhund, field sports and competitive obedience.

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a good sized, hearty breed who is devoted to their family and make a great waterfowl hunter and a trusty guard dog. Considered a duck dog they have an extraordinary ability to remember where each bird falls and then will retrieves them all efficiently. Chesapeake Bay Retrievers yellow-amber eyes are a unique characteristic to them. They also can swim for hours in icy water and are die-hard retrievers for birds, sticks, balls or anything you can throw.

Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are bright and happy dogs who have an intelligent expression. They are couragous, alert, and very intelligent. The breed also has a great love of water. From a distance, the appearance of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever you have seen may indicate that they are a chocolate, wavy-haired version of a Labrador Retriever. They are the largest of the retriever breeds and are not from the same lineage as a Labrador - the breedings are entirely different.

Males should be 23 to 26 inches and weigh 65 to 80 pounds. Females should be 21 to 24 inches tall and weigh 55 to 70 pounds. Their coats should be thick and short, not over one and a half inces long with a dense fine woolly undercoat. The color should be any shade of brown, sedge, or deadgrass. Bathing as needed as well as a regular nail trim and ear cleaning are all that are necessary.

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever needs a good deal of vigorous activity, including swimming if possible. If they do not get enough exercise they may become badly behaved from boredom. From my own personal experience with the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, I have learned that they are literally crazy about water. Most even resort to playing in their water bowl if they are bored and looking for something exciting to do. These dogs will gladly romp around with anyone at the lake, or even children playing with the garden hose.

Health concerns in the breed include:Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA). PRA in Chesapeakes is inherited by an autosomal recessive gene. In order for a dog to be affected with PRA, he must inherit the causative gene from both of his parents. If a puppy inherits the gene causing PRA from only one parent, he will not have the disease, but will be a carrier with the ability to pass this gene on to his offspring, even though he doesn’t exhibit the disease himself. In this way the PRA gene made be "hidden" for generations, until two dogs which carry the gene are bred together and produce PRA affected offspring.

Other health concerns include:
Hip Problems,
Epilepsy,
Dwarfism,
Gastric Dilitation—Volvulus (Bloat)

Keep in mind that even though there may be many health concerns listed with the breed, reputable breeders do as much as they can to keep any of their puppies from having this. They do this by properly testing their breeding dogs to make sure they do not carry any of these problems, as well as researching their dogs ancestory and making sure they are not carriers either.