Don’t put that in your mouth!

Dead birds, live birds, birds, birds, birds. Why did I choose a bird dog again? Originally when I first decided that I wanted to get a dog of show quality I thought that I would get a Golden Retriever but then after some research I realized that Goldens are EVERYWHERE! And for good reason, they are beautiful and loving. They make great family dogs and live to please their humans. Well, I knew I preferred larger breeds. I didn’t know much about Chesapeakes but since I have a ½ chessie, ½ chocolate lab I thought, I would check out Chesapeakes. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Chesapeakes are so cool. Some of the traits that I love about my chessie mix are the traits that are often associated with Chesapeakes; loyal, protective, hard-working, ready and willing to please and energetic. They were specifically designed to be hunting water dogs; they have webbed toes and a double coat which allows them to stay warm in the cold Chesapeake Bay waters. They are a relatively young breed, started in the early 1800’s. They have Newfoundland in their heritage along with a few other hunting breeds, possibly Coon hound, or perhaps English Foxhounds*. They are known for their drive and determination to get the bird and bring it back to their owner. In my opinion, I think they are GREAT dogs and even though neither my husband nor I are hunters, I am hooked on the breed.


Newfoundland around 1920's



My original plan was to show Sienna. I thought, how fun, she and I will run around the ring and we’ll get all kinds of conformation titles and it will be great. I also liked the fact that they are not as well known over here on the west coast, since the breed originated on the east coast. So that meant less competition and being a beginner, I still think that was the right choice. But since I have had Sienna I have learned even more about the breed and what they are capable of.

Like I stated earlier, neither my husband nor I are hunters. I have no interest in hunting. But Chesapeakes were bred to hunt water fowl. And even though Sienna has never hunted, the instinct for her to retrieve birds (and bumpers) is amazing. I realize now that to not let her do what she has been bred to do would almost be a crime against her breed. We had a gathering with several chessie owners a few months back and even at 7 months I could hardly hold her back when she knew there was a bird for her to find and retrieve.

So now I am planning on doing much more than just conformation, I plan her getting hunt titles as well and I might even let her go duck hunting once in a while (with friends of course because I have no plans to start hunting - but I think my husband likes the idea of getting a rifle.)

For more information on this breed go to this website and click on “Historical Discussion”.
*http://www.cbrs4me.com/chesapeake/sindex/sindex.html