Chesapeake Bay Retriever?

Does anyone here have experience with the breed? I would really like to get involved with Labradors in the far future (aka - showing, working, breeding), but, although I love my Labradorks, I think I'm always going to want a bit of a "harder" breed around. One that, while still having a rock solid temperment and being great with the family/animals/etc., is a bit more discriminatory towards strangers and would be willing and able to defend the home should the need arise.

I do have other favorite breeds of dogs that would fit the bill, of course, but since I'm so fond of Labradors, Chessies have caught my eye. From what I understand of them, they are similar to a Lab, only instead of being a friendly goofball they are more discriminatory and reserved. It also seems to be a general consensus that while still very intelligent, they are less "willing to please" than Labs are (aka, more stubborn).

I've only ever met one Chessie, and she was a psycho dog from hell, so I was hoping some people who know the breed first hand could shed some more light on their temperment and such.

My dad has a Chessie thats about 5 now named Mojo. He's a great dog, calm as can be and very picky about his people. He's glad to meet anyone off his home property but he will alert and be aloof to strangers when the first come to the house. He's very toy driven and easy to train, he listens well and is very eager to please. His sister was more stubborn but there wasn't anything they couldn't learn for treats. As a hunting line dog, he will retrieve/play fetch until he drops dead of exhaustion and would love real hunting work.

Overall, my family's experience with chessies has been wonderful

I don't have experience with the breed but I've been a few around here, since we live on the Chesapeake River, they seem to be popular!

My step-dads co-worker has one that he brought over to our house. Beautifully trained dog. He goes hunting with his owner so he's been trained for that. He was about 1 1/2 years old when I met him last summer and the breeder they purchased him from were waiting until he was 2 to see if he was showing prospect or breeding, so they were waiting to have neutered... so his only fault was he kept trying to hump Jackson!

But once they got involved in a game of fetch, he forgot about all about it. Here is a short vid of Jackson and the Chesapeake. YouTube - Jackson playing with Retriever

some pics.

keep in mind the lab was developed by sporting gentlemen and might have to retrieve 50-100 fowl on a long hard day.
the chessie was developed by market hunters and a single chessie might pick up 500 fowl on a long hard day.
now a lot of the hyperdrive has been toned down in the breed as a whole but it still pops up a lot. if a lab is like the mustang or camaro of retrievers, the chessie is the alcohol fueled drag car.

Sounds about right for Mojo's fetching drive! Even when he's feeling ill he'll fetch until he's coughing up a lung.

Basically, Chessies have the potential to be the Border Collie of retrievers and need owners who can handle that. That said, it is possible to find good working line dogs with a superb off switch, you just have to find the right lines

I would check the setters or pointers for a bit more reservation than a chessie. All the ones I've known have been pretty warm to strangers. A couple would follow every Tom, Dick, and Harry home.

I've been looking into Chessies a lot, because they're supposedly like Labradors, but more protective of their people. I like that, and I also like that most of them are so into people the way Labs are.

The ones I've met have all been superb dogs, but they were also ready to go at a moments notice, and wouldn't put up with people being rough to their people.

Chessies are more like a guardian breed than anything. They were bred to retrieve, and to guard the day's catch. Chessies need a lot of exercise, and they need a lot of socialization so that they will be able to tell the difference between what is and is not threatening behavior from people. They tend toward some DA, especially toward the same sex. Their coat is pretty easy to care for, brushing it twice a week should be good. They can be hard to wash, as they have a very oily coat and water tends to slough right off! They also blow their coat quite copiously in summer, be prepared for tumbleweeds. They are a very intelligent breed, but might not be the easiest to train as they do have a slight independent streak. But they can learn anything you want them to if you're consistent and patient. This breed can be pushy - be firm, say what you mean, and mean what you say, and be consistent!

Everything said about them sound just about perfect, really! I think my only concern would be their exercise requirements - if they are more comparable to a Border Collie than a Labrador in that way then I might be in for some trouble. I can handle a Lab's activity level, but much more than that and I'm not so sure. LOL I don't mind providing both mental and physical stimulation (and I love taking long walks, as well as playing fetch - and I want to get involved in competitive obedience), but I definitally need a dog with an off switch that, when fully mature, will be calm in the house. I cannot stand dogs that are go-go-go all day long.

Dog aggression doesn't particulary bother me, as long as they are reliable with family dogs. I've never had any dog that I would consider dog park safe and while I prefer a dog that gets along with other dogs right off the bat, I have yet to own one so I'm used to managing. I will not tolorate fighting between my own dogs, though, so if DA means "every dog (or same sex dog), even those in the family" that isn't acceptable for me.

I found a breeder that breeds both Labs and Chessies and I may send an email their way asking how much the Chessies differ than the Labs in terms of exercise requirements/etc.

That's unusual.

The ones I've known have been VERY reserved, especially on their own property. They've also been pretty dog aggressive, at least with strange dogs, but that could very well be a training thing.

They are intense dogs, but I think for the right person they're great. Very, very different from a lab, however.

sweet
why would market hunters need a guard dog? the mornings take would go from punt to wagon to market. if anything was to be smoked or otherwise preserved it would be done by the butchers, so it wasn't left sitting around. also the overwhelming majority of market hunters had shoulder fired shotguns to back up the battery of 4-7 punt guns. the smallest bore commonly used was 8 & the largest was 2 but the vast majority were 4 bores (3X the shot load of a 12 guage). since most were muzzleloading blackpowder shotguns (even in the early 20th century), whenever he needed to, the hunter simply used a worm to pull the top wad and dump the birdshot. he would then replace it w/ swanshot (equal to #2-#4 buckshot) and a fresh top wad. keeping in mind that the 4 bores allowed them to take a whole flight of ducks at 40-60 yds or individual swans out to 100 yds you can imagine the damage they could do to an individual at self defense ranges. after the shot the big guns became clubs of epic proportions. it was extremely rare for anyone to even attempt to rob a market hunter.
so while the protective nature is common & nice to have, it wasn't a driving factor in breeding choices anymore than it is w/ modern guides breeding their own retrievers for day in & day out work.

I grew up with Chessies, they are fantastic dogs. The ones we've owned have been VERY hardheaded though so you definitely have to be in charge. Both of the ones my family had have been very protective of our property and the family. The first one (Penny) actually bit one person who tried to reach in the back of the truck with her and later bit my grandma (who stuck her hand in Penny's food bowl...). Penny was an AWESOME hunting dog and she was really good around kids. I was 2 when we got her so my sister would've been 4 or 5 and my brother a baby.

Emmy (the girl my parents have now) used to be overly protective of their property but they "trained" her out of it (it involved a shock collar....don't ask). She also is extremely stubborn and loves to chase things but absolutely refuses to fetch due to an incident with a bird wing and my dad. We call her the million dollar dog...she's been run over once and leaped out of the back of their Jeep a couple summers ago. I take my dogs to their house all the time with no problems (we have a girl and a boy dog) but my sister's dogs tend to get snappy and Emmy will snap back. There's never been a real fight but a few minor scuffles (and really it's mostly Megan's dogs Emmy usually stays out of the way).

This kind of turned into a book...sorry bout that lol. In general the Chesapeake's I've known are: stubborn, loyal to their family, protective of "their" stuff (crates, truck beds, land etc), smart, fairly energetic but nowhere near BC energy, and aloof (but not with family). Also I don't remember who said it but OMG they shed a TON. It's insane. And if you don't wash them for awhile they smell awful. I think it's something to do with their waterproofness...it just builds up and ick ick ick lol. I really love them, they're great dogs but I probably won't ever own one. I like dogs that like people (except Mu...I like her in spite of her dislike of strangers). Oh and I should probably add that my parents have had 2 Chessies but my extended family has/had at least 7. All of them are/were great and all of them except Emmy have that insane fetch drive.