The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a large size dog that belongs to the retriever breed.
They share a striking resemblance with Labrador Retrievers, even sharing their strong hunting ability.
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers have a bright and happy personality.
Chesapeake Bay Retriever History & Background
Nobody is completely sure when Chesapeake Bay Retrievers began to inhabit the planet.
But their recorded history goes back to 1807, when two pups were rescued from a sinking ship in Maryland.
People at first thought these two pups were Newfoundland dogs. But they instead were Lesser Newfoundland dogs, also known as, St. John’s Water Dogs.
These two pups ended up living separately in Chesapeake Bay, so this is why there is no record of their litters.
When the two pups got older, they ended up breeding with other dogs in the Chesapeake Bay area.
This led to the creation of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
Nobody knows for sure how many different breeds were used in the breeding process, but it is known that hounds and spaniels were definitely used.
When Chesapeake Bay Retrievers became a more established breed, is was found that they shared the same hunting abilities as other retrievers such as Goldens and Labradors.
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever became an officially registered breed in 1925.
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers became the official state dog of Maryland in 1964.
The mascot of The University of Maryland Baltimore County is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
Chesapeake Bay Retriever Physical Characteristics
Chesapeake Bays have a very similar appearance to other Retrievers.
Male Chesapeake Bay Retrievers have a weight range of 75 pounds to 100 pounds on average.
Female Chesapeake Bay Retrievers have a weight range of 66 pounds to 88 pounds on average.
On average, Male Chesapeake Bay Retrievers stand at a height of 24 inches to 26 inches. While females stand at a height of 22 inches to 25 inches.
Unlike other retrievers, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers have a wavy coat, rather than the smooth coat that Labradors have.
They possess a double coat that is wavy. Their outer coat is waterproof, which is perfect for Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, because they love to play in water.
With their wavy double coats, Chesapeake Bays can handle cold weather quite well, as long as condition aren’t terribly extreme.
They also have webbed toes which is great for when they are playing in water, or doing anything that involves swimming in general.
Like most other Retrievers, Chesapeake Bays shed quite heavily.
They will need a good brushing weekly, and a bath once or twice during shedding season to remove any dead hair.
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers come in 3 color patterns. These colors are brown, sedge, and deadgrass.
Brown on Chesapeake Bay Retrievers comes in the lightest shades to the darkest shades of brown.
Sedge ranges in colors that are a reddish-yellow, to bright red.
Deadgrass varies from a faded tan color to a straw color.
Some Chesapeake Bay Retrievers may also have white spots that appear on the stomach and feet.
Personality
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers have a very happy and friendly personality. They will need a great name to match their friendliness.
They are generally a very smart breed possessing high intelligence with good common sense.
Their high intelligence is one of many reasons they make a great hunting dog.
With their friendliness they are not shy of making friends with others.
But don’t be fooled by how friendly they are, because they do have a very alarming nature.
They can easily decide if something isn’t right and are quick to alarm it’s owners.
This alarming nature makes them great watch dogs, because they will remain fixated on any potential threat until it is gone.
However, they do need quite a bit of training before they can become a watchdog.
They are not as easy to train as some other breeds. They will need regular training from all adults in it’s household.
All adults need to participate in it’s training so it will build a bond, but also know commands from everyone in the household.
There are many outdoor activities that will help in training.
The most popular training activity is playing fetch and anything that involves toys.
Health
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are usually pretty healthy dogs.
But, like with all breeds, they may certain health concerns with age, most of which are hereditary.
Like with most dogs, their teeth need cleaning quite frequently to prevent infection.
In rare cases, Chesapeake Bays can suffer from bloat if they are overfed. So it is important to manage it’s weight.
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers have an average lifespan ranging 10 years to 13 years.
