Temperament
The Chesapeake Bay retriever is valued for its bright and happy disposition, intelligence, quiet good sense, and affectionate protective nature. Some of them become vocal while happy; while this can be mistaken for a growl it is only a sign of happiness and not intended to create alarm. In addition, some dogs will 'smile' when happy by baring their front teeth in a peculiar grin; again this is not a threat but a sign of joy. The Chesapeake is naturally dominant and, while usually won't start a fight over dominance, the breed will defend his position as the alpha dog. Obedience training is a must with this breed. The Chesapeake tends to recognize only one person in its family as master. All other people are considered by the dog to be either equal or subordinate. Willful, this breed can be prone to dominance problems if not properly trained and socialized. The Chesapeake is different than other retrievers in that he can be more aggressive, willful and reserved with strangers. They may be combative with other dogs. These are strong dogs and have a tendency to be territorial, so they require firm training and good management. Chesapeakes are usually slow to mature.
Training A young Chesapeake Bay Retriever in trainingTraining is a necessity with this breed. The trainer must exercise more patience than with most other breeds as this breed is usually not willing to change its behavior. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a very intelligent breed and learns at a high speed. Once a Chesapeake learns what is expected, he will act accordingly from that point on. A Chesapeake is not willing to break the rules and will attempt to enforce the same rules on subordinate dogs.
There is a phrase: "You can order a Labrador; ask a Golden; but you must negotiate with a Chesapeake." Size Height: Dogs 58.4-66 cms (23-26 ins) Bitches 53.3-60.9 cms (21-24 ins) Oversized or undersized dogs highly undesirable. |