Dog Training, Breeds, Care, And Health! - Canine HQ
Home / Dog Breed / Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Fine By Breed Name

Explore By Characteristic or Group

View all Breeds

RESOURCES FOR NEW & PROSPECTIVE DOG OWNERS

Find Your Match

Answer a few simple questions and find the right dog for you

Compare Breeds

Compare up to 5 different breeds side by side

Find a Puppy

Nunc bibendum, purus eget tristique fermentum.

Choose your Breed

View the collection of dog breeds we have information on.

Why Get a Dog?

Nunc bibendum, purus eget tristique fermentum.

Breeders

Aenean feugiat metus ac nisi dictum tincidunt Interdum et.
Exclusive Deals, 50%+ Off Good & Toys, Health Information & More!
Register your Dog Today!

Chesapeake Bay Retriever

bright / affectionate / sensitive
Sporting Group >>

Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.

Height

23-26 inches (male)

21-24 inches (female)

Weight

65-80 pounds (male)

55-70 pounds (female)

Life Expectancy

10-13 years

Breed Traits & Characteristics

Affectionate With Family
  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    80% 80%
How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.
Good With Young Children
  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    60% 60%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.
GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS
  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    60% 60%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    60% 60%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    60% 60%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    40% 40%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    60% 60%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    80% 80%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    60% 60%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    100% 100%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    80% 80%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    60% 60%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

Affectionate With Family

  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    80% 80%

How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

Good With Young Children

  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    60% 60%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS

  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    60% 60%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    60% 60%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    60% 60%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    40% 40%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    60% 60%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    80% 80%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    60% 60%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    100% 100%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    80% 80%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    60% 60%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    60% 60%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

About the Breed

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the preeminent duck dog of the Mid-Atlantic, is a native of the United States and exemplifies the traditional qualities of a good retriever: loyalty, optimism, devotion, and tenacity. The waterproof coat that the Chessie is known for. Chessies are large, solidly built gundogs with shoulders that range in size from 21 to 26 inches. Males have a maximum weight of 80 pounds. A wavy, touchably greasy coat is the defining feature of the breed. Chessies have bright yellow-amber eyes that well contrast the coat and are solidly colored, either cocoa brown, sedge, or dead grass. Compared to the typical gundog, chessies have more complicated emotional needs. Chessies are willing to learn, but they also have a strong sense of self and can tenaciously pursue their own course.

They are respectful of strangers but not excessively friendly, and they guard their people fiercely. Chessies are adaptable athletes and make great watchdogs. An educated Chessie makes a self-assured friend and an excellent hunting partner.

 

What To Expect When Caring For a Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.

Health

For the majority of dogs, including Chesapeakes, hip dysplasia is an issue. Fortunately, there are tests that competent breeders use to evaluate these and screen breeding stock. There are also more inherited disorders that can damage the breed. It is crucial for breeders to give anyone interested in purchasing a puppy health information on the sire and dam. Like all breeds, Chesapeakes require regular ear inspections for indications of infection and frequent tooth brushing with canine-specific toothpaste.
Recommended Health Tests From the National Breed Club:
  • Hip Evaluation
  • Degenerative Myelopathy DNA Test
  • PRA  DNA Test
  • Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC) DNA Test
  • Elbow Evaluation
  • Ophthalmologist Evaluation
           

Grooming

This short-haired breed has a rough outer coat and a velvety undercoat. They do shed, and a thorough brushing once a week will minimize the amount of dead hair on your floor. Generally speaking, Chessies don't need a lot of grooming or bathing. As with all breeds, the nails should be periodically cut because excessively long nails can be uncomfortable and interfere with running and walking.  

Exercise

This breed is energetic and intelligent. They really need to get a job and exercise frequently. They enjoy swimming, hunting, running, hiking, and other outdoor activities. They are excellent in all canine sports, including agility, tracking, and obedience, even though they were developed for hunting and field labor.  

Training

For the Chesapeake, obedience training is a requirement. Puppy training sessions and early socialization should be the starting points for young dogs. These contribute to ensuring that the Chesapeake develops into a well-balanced, polite companion.

Nutrition

Any high-quality dog food is usually suitable for Chesapeake. A recipe with at least 20% protein may be advantageous for dogs who are particularly energetic or active. Treats can be a valuable training tool, but offering them in excess might lead to obesity. Give table scraps infrequently, if at all, and steer clear of cooked bones and items with a lot of fat. Discover which foods fit the bill for canine consumption and which don't. If you have any worries about your dog's weight or diet, consult your veterinarian.

History

To understand the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, you must understand the Chesapeake Bay. For this purpose, there are two key features of this 200-mile-long estuary surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. First, because the bay is relatively shallow, it has a low capacity for storing heat; water temperatures get down around freezing in early winter and stay there until spring.

Second, the Chesapeake Bay is located along what’s called the Atlantic Flyway, a flight path taken by ducks and geese to their winter homes. Every year, the bay hosts a third of all migratory waterfowl wintering on the East Coast.

Old-time sportsmen hoping to exploit this duck hunter’s paradise built a retriever well-suited to the bay’s frigid waters. The thick, oily, double coat of the Chessie is both insulating and waterproof; it repels moisture much the way a duck’s feathers do. His broad chest acts as a plow against the ice floes and powerful hindquarters and large webbed feet enable him to swim tirelessly against the slashing winds that whip across the bay. Ideally equipped to perform their primary function, it has been reported that some Chessies are capable of retrieving 300 ducks in a single day. Whether this is true or simply the fireside boasting of hunters, it does convey an essential truth: The Chessie is a reliable, indefatigable retriever.

Happily, the Chessie isn’t a one-trick dog. These perceptive and sensitive souls make excellent therapy workers. Their sturdy build and acute scenting ability are highly valued by K-9 handlers in the fields of search-and-rescue work and drug and bomb detection. And their dashing good looks and athleticism are employed to great advantage in show rings and in a variety of dog sports.