Chesapeake Bay Retriever - Top 10 Facts

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever dog breed originated as a water dog used to hunt and retrieve ducks in the chilly chop of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. The dog’s sturdy build, dense coat, stamina, and strength made them ideal for this purpose.

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In this video, we are counting down the top 10 facts about the Chesapeake Bay Retriever that you might not know.

A Quick Overview:
Group: Sporting Dogs
Weight: 55 to 80 pounds
Height: 21 inches to 26 inches tall at the shoulder
Life Expectancy: 10 to 12 years

A proper Chessie has a bright and happy disposition combined with courage, intelligence, a strong work ethic, and an alert nature that makes him an excellent watchdog. He's strong-minded, though — read: stubborn — and requires firm, consistent training by all the adults in the household. You can't let him do something "just this once," or you'll spend days or weeks retraining him. If you're providing the right leadership, a sharp look or verbal reprimand is enough to rein in bad behavior; more severe punishment is overkill and will only cause him to become sulky and unresponsive.

The Chessie can have a goofy sense of humor, but the entertainment value can be offset by his sometimes obsessive stubbornness. Once he gets an idea into his head, it can be hard to remove. And when he wants something, he will be persistent in going after it. That's great if you have him retrieving ducks, not so great if he's bugging you for something else, like a kid in the grocery store who wants candy.

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👉 Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:55 1. Their History
2:18 2. Size & Appearance
3:11 3. They were well-suited to hunting at the Chesapeake Bay
4:16 4. They can get stubborn at times
4:54 5. Training them can be a hassle
5:30 6. They need ample exercise
6:07 7. They love swimming
6:45 8. Grooming Needs
7:25 9. Health Conditions
8:09 10. They’re the state dog of Maryland
8:38 Outro

👉 Sources:

[ageingungracefullypushingt]

So, I owned five Chessys over a period of 35 years. Here is what I learned. 1. They are a water dog and should be around water so that they can swim regularly. They simply love the water and swimming regardless of conditions. (They are amazing retrievers.) 2 They are not a hyper dog but they are energetic and need exercise regularly if you want a happy dog. 3. They are an amazingly smart dog particularly in the area of problem solving. 4 They can be VERY protective, which can be a problem, but if you socialize them early you can mitigate the issue also they often, particularly females, do not mix well with other dogs, but again, socializing early can mitigate. 5. You should think hard about whether this breed will make a good indoor dog. They have the personality and bulk of a fullback not a ballerina. 6. They are an amazingly, wonderfully loyal dog, man's best friend at its finest. 7. Of my five Chessys, two died early, one at six months one at 7 years, the rest all lived 13-14 years. When they leave, the hole in your heart is profound. 8. If you have a sedentary lifestyle or are a sedentary person, this probably is not the breed for you. 9. Two of my dogs nipped strangers. Neither broke the skin and neither was the dog's fault. In one case I was at a campsite and the dog was tethered. A strange child ran onto my campsite and ran at my female dog, (who was not used to being around children), scaring the dog and as there was no escape for the dog, she nipped in defense. (Had she been socialized early around children I doubt this would have happened as she was an amazingly even tempered dog, but there were no children in my household.) The second was the same type of a situation where a 14 yr. old trouble maker in the neighborhood charged at the dog when it was on the leash and again there was no escape and the dog nipped in defense. Neither incident resulted in a complaint or legal action. They are an adventurous dog. I am seventy two now and just don't have what it takes any longer to be a good Chessie owner, but I loved my Chessys, miss them much and if you are the right person this is a WONDERFUL breed of dog. Also, if you are looking for an "out of the ordinary dog, " (labs are all over) you don't see many Chesapeake Bays around these days.

[ericcuthbert]

I was privileged to have own a Chesapeake bay retriever. I hunted and had him swimming every day All his life - he lived to 15 years and 3 months - he passed away on Christmas Day with his head on my arm. He dived under the water. Brilliant dog.

[edieb]

Our family dog was a Chesapeake called jimmy, he has recently passed but I can say that he was the BEST dog in the ENTIRE world. I have never known a day without him and he was honestly the most loyal, kindest, and most caring dog who LOVED the water! Ironically, Jimmy hated guns and would hide behind the couch every time my brothers went hunting. My childhood would never have been complete without him and I'm going to miss him so much. That's probably the only downside of having a dog like this because when they do eventually go they really do leave a hole that no other dog will ever be able to fill. I 100 percent recommend you will NEVER regret it :P

[DogsWiz]

Does your Chessie make an excellent watchdog?
Let us know in the comments whether or not they have a strong work ethic and an alert nature.

[brookewilson]

💜 my Chesapeake bay she’s the most perfect dog ever

[Carterwray]

I have a Chesapeake lab mix that I picked up off the street a long time ago. He's been the best dog I've ever owned. The first week I had him we let him out of my friends hunting cabin in the middle of the night, we found him down in the pond in 22°F! Can't keep him out of the water.

[CreativeGirl]

I was lucky enough to have grown up with a Chesapeake. We weren't sure if he was pure bred, as he was a rescue. I miss you, Johnny ♡

[johnlutz]

Beautiful dogs i had 2 and just loved them

[caiden]

Wow reading these comments has made me tear up with how much joy so many owners have had with this breed. I am picking mine up 01/16/2023 I absolutely can’t wait 🥺😇

[MELLIEbevhills]

My cousin is a veterinarian and breeder of Chessies who we got all of the 3 of our babies.. Our first Chessie (Tony Soprano) lived for 13 years, he was a treasure. Our 2 Chessies we have now are bro and sis litter mates and are so different, one cuddly (the boy dawg) and the other (the girl dawg) the boss. We live in LA and with right understanding, these dogs can be house dogs. So if you live in a condo, small home, just engage with them, these amazingly adaptable dogs. Great guard dogs without the liability. Also, all dawgs are great.

[andrewsobolewski]

Love the Chesapeake! Big Brown is a legend.

[acskins]

Our Chessie weighed 140 lbs. Rebel looked like a lab as a pup. He just didn't stop growing 😂. Absolute awesome family dogs.He was our therapist extraordinar.

[gerrryjimerson]

I rescued a 9 month old recently from a couple that had split. they took turns abandoning him by driving him to each others house and tying him to the porch and leaving him, only to have to same thing done the same or next day. He was very emotional and scared. Definitely wasn't sure if I could keep him. He was nippy. He was frustrated and angry. They had him living in a cage. When I picked him up and finished asking everything I could and was about to leave the woman blurts out, as I'm rolling my window up, "He MAY have been beaten. :( Yeah so after a week of nothing but attention, he is smiling bigger than most dogs do. House trained in a day, asks to go out now lol. They can be scary so please if you do this be patient and speak in gentle tones until they trust you. Now I can yell a little when he gets into mischief and he smiles. He learned the rules of the house and a couple of commands. I am super impressed with the breeds ability to adapt and in his particularly, to overcome. He is mine. He is staying. He is my fur kid for sure. I love him.

[tracysoule]

I accidentally became the owner of a magnificent chessie. Super intelligent, loyal, protective, tough as nails, major endurance and energy, loving, playful and obedient. Couldn't have found a more perfect dog for country living if i tried.

[juliasfriendsandfamily]

Im getting one half Chesapeake Bay and half lab, moms full Chesapeake, Dad's Labrador, , excited

[gerrryjimerson]

Sweet video btw...thanks for the info!

[adrianna]

I live in Maryland and I have my chessy and we literally have a pond in our backyard I think you might know how that ends in the summer time when it's really hot she just goes in the pond and stands there and we can't get her out lol 😂

[chuckstephan]

Chessies have a layer of fur like goose down. Toss a good sized rock into an irrigation ditch or small type stream and they will go snorkeling till they find that rock and will return it to you. Keep away from fresh cow pies as mine was for sure going to run as hard as he could and nose dive and roll in them then race back and try to rub on my leg to share his perfume with me. He’d scan the skies and give me a heads up if he spotted ducks or geese. He was and excellent pheasant, quail, hun, Chuckar, dove dog in addition to ducks and geese. Watch out if you hunt with a buddy in a blind. Mine souls inch his body over to my friend and sneak enough to grab the duck or whatever bird and fetch it back to me and add it to my pile. He would keep doing that until my friend yelled at him to stop. Doing that. It was hilarious. But if my friend tried to reach over and retrieve his bird back Bro. Oh




Boy. would growl and show his teeth. He never snapped or bit a person. I had to pick it up and toss it back to my friend. It was a few years before bro boy would let him have his own stack without stealing them. And chessies have heart. Mine would not quit till he finished his mission. He swam almost 2 miles in the snake River to retrieve my duck floating down the River back when steel shot was first introduced and it never seemed to kill as efficiently as lead

[martindavies]

i have a cheaspeake
and he is 4 and called mav

[alexandercluster]

For anyone watching this debating on if a Chesapeake is a good dog for you. Just get one! Don’t listen to everything you read. All dogs are individuals. Ive had Chesapeakes that absolutely hated the water. Like any dog or any breed bad apples can happen. All dogs need good pack leaders. If they dont have one they will try to be one. Sweetest most gentle dog ive ever owned was a Chesapeake. Making wide sweeping generalizations about breeds and dogs is a dangerous and irresponsible idea. My caution would only be if you aren’t capable of establishing a leadership role with a dog then you shouldn’t own a dog. Of any breed.