About the Breed
Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a breed of dog which got its name from
Chesapeake Bay was developed along this place. It is a strong muscular breed and the greatest water retriever. It is such a hardy breed that the dogs of this breed are used to retrieve waterfowl from cold waters and even from ice. Its history dates back to the year 1807 when a ship wreaked off the Maryland coast and two Newfoundlands were rescued from the ship. When these two dogs were bred with the local retrievers like Otter Hound, Flat and Curly-coated retriever, this breed developed which were great retrievers both on land and in water.
Physical Appearance
Chesapeake Bat Retriever is a strong, well-built breed with wavy and short coat of brown, red or dark brown color with red tones. In some there is some white color on the chest and feet. They have an oily under as well as outer coat for water repellence. This also keeps the body warm while working in cold climates. The head of the
Chesapeake Bay Retriever is round and broad with thin lips. The color of the eyes is yellowish and the ears are hanged down. The tail whether straight or curved has some feathering and about 12 to 15 inches long.
Since the hindquarters are bit higher than the fore ones, they are very strong making the breed excellent swimmers. The dewclaws of the rear legs are removed for better performance of the dogs.
Character
Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a friendly and obedient breed with love for its family. It is not very sociable like the Labrador
Retriever but prefers to remain aloof around the strangers. The dogs belonging to this breed are slow learners but trainable. But this
breed is not a good choice for inexperienced masters. They love children, affectionate and even go along well with cats living in the house. The dogs are slow maturing and love to swim and retrieve. The height of these dogs is 23 to 26 inches and weighing about 29 to 36 kg for male and 21 to 24 inches in height and weighing 25 to 32 kg for female.
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers prefer cold climates or even hot on provided there is a water body nearby. They need daily exercise that is long walk or a swim. They can live outdoors but prefers living indoors with the family. The
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers can be bathed to avoid bad odor but not even often as this may cause the oily coating to be washed off. The breed needs combing to remove the dead hairs. The dogs are prone to hip dysplasia, renal atrophy, hypothyroidism and gastric torsion. The average life span of the dog is about 10-12 years.
