Chesapeake bay dogs

[Jeff Elder]

Who else besides me guns with one?

[John Dallas]

If I was a market duck hunter in the 1900's, I'd have a Chessie. Today, as a family dog who is hunted 3 days a year, no thanks

[Jeff Elder]

I guess I'm a lone wolf over here. Oh well Parker guns, wooden decoys, and my loyal bay dogs.

[Rick Losey]

once upon a time - the saying was that you trained a golden with a voice, a lab with a stick and a chessie with a 2x4.

they were strong dogs that retrieved from big water and then guarded the boat and gear at night


but i think you'll find the old reputation is no longer true, breeders have worked hard to breed a dog with strong hunting drive that is family friendly -

there are several guys on the http://www.duckboats.net/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=forum_view;forum=1 that love them.

[John Dallas]

A friend of mine has had 2 different Chessies Both males. He used to be invited to one of the hunt clubs for the picker upper part of their European shoots. After he ended up paying a lot of vet bills to the owners of other male dogs, he has not been invited back.

[Bill Murphy]

I agree with Rick Losey. I have had great luck ?? making acquaintance with Chessies in the field. I would assume I could do the same thing at home. One Chessie that had a real bad reputation was restrained in the back of our caretaker's truck while he was off doing things other than hunting. I had killed a few mallards in a piece of slow water across the road from the hunting house and didn't have access to a boat to retrieve them. I walked a quarter mile or so to the truck to try to get the dog. I had been warned not to approach the truck because the Chessie would not let anyone near it. I opened the back of the truck, let the dog out, and started my walk to the canal where I had killed the ducks. I stood on the shore, ordered the dog to retrieve the mallards, one at a time, until they were all in the bag. I tried to walk back to the house with the birds, but the dog would not start the journey until he was carrying one of the ducks. We got back to the house and the truck and the owner of the dog and truck were there. He asked how I got the dog out of the truck, since apparently no one had been able to "work that deal" before. He was amazed that I had been able to "work that deal" and get his dog to work for anyone but him. By the way, "The Lovely Linda" was raised in a house with a hunting Chessie, but her mom was not all that happy about it. I never got the full story about that.

[Victor Wasylyna]

Jeff:

Tell us about your chessie. (I’m a lab guy, but always enjoy crossing paths with a chessie.)

-Victor

[Jeff Elder]

Jeff:

Tell us about your chessie. (I’m a lab guy, but always enjoy crossing paths with a chessie.)

-Victor

Sorry for late reply. Was finishing up farming then getting ready for duck season. I've been hunting over bay dogs for 31 years. I'm putting the finish on my 9th one right now, and I wouldn't duck hunt over any other breed. My best one is a hound who was in the right place at the right time. He came of age during duck dynasty, and since I've been guiding I've never seen the numbers of clients we ran for those 3 years that show was hot. He had little over 6000 retrieves on ducks alone by the time he was wore out and my daughter took him from me few years ago. I hunt over wooden upper bay decoys and I believe they went to his head because he became a total,throw back to the old breed. You couldn't pick up a duck he put by the blind unless you were me and you dang sure weren't getting in the pickup or decoy trailer if he was around. He is a bit like owning a pet rattle snake, but what he lacked in civility he more than made up for in the field! Repeat clients loved to watch him work and knew and respected that he was a total professional and not to be messed with. He now lives out his days guarding my daughter and God help the person that messes with her��
I've got a female CBR I call Sook who is another professional but a tad bit softer on people although a meth head walked closer to the pickup than she was safe with and she jumped out the window and had him bayed up against his car. She is awesome to watch on divers because she goes underwater to get em when they dive.
Her back up Carlos is on his first season this year. I'm just hunting him lightly this season but he fetched 8 by himself this morning. All basically blinds because I kept him staked until the morning rush ended. He did awesome. He is probably the friendliest CBR I've ever owned. He likes everyone.

[Garry L Gordon]

I guess I'm a lone wolf over here. Oh well Parker guns, wooden decoys, and my loyal bay dogs.

Jeff, What a grand combination! There are ways to make hunting even more special, and you have put three of those ways together. Got and more details or, better yet, pictures?

[Phillip Carr]

Please post a few pictures I would really enjoy seeing a few.

[Jeff Elder]

I built a album. How do I post them here?

[Jeff Elder]

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=939&pictureid=12332

[Jeff Elder]

http://http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=939&pictureid=12332

[Marty Kohler]

Great pictures of your bay dogs...really nice......

[Reggie Bishop]

Beautiful dogs! Thanks for posting!

[Alfred Houde]

A number of years ago I was considering a Chesapeake. I visited a guy who I knew from some NAHRA tests. He had a litter and I went to take a look. They were beautiful pups, that nice dead marsh grass color. He owned both the sire and dam. I also knew he was a serious waterfowler so they should be good prospects.

Red flag number 1, the sire was "in the house because he's not real sociable with strangers."

The dam on the other end was real friendly. I was giving serious consideration to a nice looking female pup when I noticed a Frankenstein looking scar on my host's arm and elbow. He told me "My male did that when I tried to take a duck from him."

I politely passed on a pup. Chesapeake's are not aggressive so much as they are protective and are known to be a "one owner dog." But that kind of behavior is unacceptable to me.

From what I am seeing, dedicated breeders have made strides to breed a friendlier, more sociable dog. I am also seeing more and more owners showing up at hunt tests that don't actually hunt, they simply enjoy the venue.

In the end, I got an American Water Spaniel. My first (and only male). While he is an excellent gun dog and beloved family member, he is also a "little Chesapeake" LOL.

[Jeff Elder]

A number of years ago I was considering a Chesapeake. I visited a guy who I knew from some NAHRA tests. He had a litter and I went to take a look. They were beautiful pups, that nice dead marsh grass color. He owned both the sire and dam. I also knew he was a serious waterfowler so they should be good prospects.

Red flag number 1, the sire was "in the house because he's not real sociable with strangers."

The dam on the other end was real friendly. I was giving serious consideration to a nice looking female pup when I noticed a Frankenstein looking scar on my host's arm and elbow. He told me "My male did that when I tried to take a duck from him."

I politely passed on a pup. Chesapeake's are not aggressive so much as they are protective and are known to be a "one owner dog." But that kind of behavior is unacceptable to me.

From what I am seeing, dedicated breeders have made strides to breed a friendlier, more sociable dog. I am also seeing more and more owners showing up at hunt tests that don't actually hunt, they simply enjoy the venue.

In the end, I got an American Water Spaniel. My first (and only male). While he is an excellent gun dog and beloved family member, he is also a "little Chesapeake" LOL.


Well they are the roughest toughest professionals in the marsh.

[Alfred Houde]

What, the AWS? Lol.

[Jeff Elder]

What, the AWS? Lol.


:rotf: Hell no! The Chesapeakes

[Carl G. Bachhuber]

I have had nothing but for the last 30 years. It is getting harder and harder to find dogs that conform to the original standards. For reasons unknown people seem to keep producing dogs that are just too big. I believe this is happening with the other retrievers as well, and I can see no reason for it.
C.G.B.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

When drifting a river a 45lb lab is a heck of a lot easier to put in the boat than a 80lb dog, but bigger dogs, rougher conditions, bigger ducks, and geese. Gary