Retriever what your opinion Lab Or Chessie

[stevieray54]

Always have been around labs for water fowl, what your opinion on Chesapeake
Retriever and why not Chessie's.Has any of you ever owned a Chessie

[curtintex]

Great retrievers….crazy as hell though. Most i've hunted over are really hardworking dogs that have their masters very well-trained. The first word that always comes to mind is "MOODY". I'm sure you'll have lots of Chessie fans and they are fine dogs. I just find them to be a little too psycho for me.

[K. Lane]

goldens will retrieve if you ask really nicely and they don't have to get too dirty

Labs will retrieve to make you happy

Chessies will retrieve because they want to and because it is what they were born and bred to do.

IMHO you cannot go wrong with a chessie but I would get him/her as a puppy and let him/her get to know your family. They are very loyal and very protective over what "belongs" to them.

steal a mans ducks and a lab will wonder what you are doing, with a CBR you will likely pull back a nub.

If you or your family have even the slightest pet dander allergies, they may be a little amped with a CBR because of the oil their skin secretes. All dogs do it to a certain extent but it seems CBR's are worse

[DUKFVR]

I have a chessie. Had labs before him. He is getting up in age & I will be looking soon for another started Chessie. I won't go back to labs. Nothing wrong at all with labs,just like the Brown dogs better. I bought him at 3 yrs old . He was a well started dog in training. When I first contacted the kennel I bought him from, I asked about him being older how he would adjust to me & the Family. The trainer told me if whoever you buy your dog from has a good bloodline & socializes them you will have no trouble. She was right, by the time we got home with him he was part of us. We picked him up in mo.He is a Great protector of the house & kids . They are probably not for everyone ,but definitely look into them if interested. You hear how they are hard headed & mean. I guess some are,but seen labs like that too. Actually,I think most of the chessie's I have been around are actually less hard headed than labs. I will tell you this,when your Chessie bonds with you it is for life. My dog is VERY loyal. He will protect his house & family in a minute,but that is a plus to me.

[Playa]

Never owned one but have hunted over a couple. Curt described them as moody, to me they are ALOOF. They can be hardheaded and not as biddable as labs.

I'd own one, I like dogs that aren't attention hounds and are all business. But I also like ugly dogs, so that rules the Chessie out for me & leaves me with the Drahthaar.

[K. Lane]

Great retrievers….crazy as hell though. Most i've hunted over are really hardworking dogs that have their masters very well-trained. The first word that always comes to mind is "MOODY". I'm sure you'll have lots of Chessie fans and they are fine dogs. I just find them to be a little too psycho for me.

I remember a certain duck getting MO-CHINE named Abbey that tried to eat my pups face off.........of course he was probably worrying her to death

Curt does make a good point though.....CBR's aint for everyone

[curtintex]

I remember a certain duck getting MO-CHINE named Abbey that tried to eat my pups face off.........of course he was probably worrying her to death

Curt does make a good point though.....CBR's aint for everyone

Well…Abby is a pretty moody lab herself and gets moreso as she gets older. She just don't like other dogs…especially fuzzy little cutesy dogs like your puppy. Puppy needed a scar…..got one.

[gsxrmike]

I had a Chessie that lived to be 16. He was very hard headed took a lot of work with a pro trainer to get him in the mood to work. He loved the water though and would love to retrieve bumpers even when he could barely walk in his old age.
They have an oily coat and a rather strong odor so if he will be a house dog be ready to give him frequent baths. They are like labs on steroids.

[Burntorange Bowhunter]

Lab on steroids? Yeah, I would go with that. LOL.

I have only hunted with my buddies lab and my experience is minimal at that......but if I ever owned a dog that was not a GSD I would look at Chessies. I like the wild and crazy ones.

A good, well bred working line lab is a great dog, though. If you are wanting a sure thing then go with one of those.

[gator89]

Great retrievers….crazy as hell though. Most i've hunted over are really hardworking dogs that have their masters very well-trained. The first word that always comes to mind is "MOODY". I'm sure you'll have lots of Chessie fans and they are fine dogs. I just find them to be a little too psycho for me.

Nailed it. They are great dogs. I've hunted over a few and I've never seen a chessie run out of steam. But I've been around a couple of those at home and they don't have the outgoing personality of the labs, now I know not every dog is the same and lots has to do with socializing them. I have given it serious thought to give a chessie a shot for my next dog but I love my labs.

[Ron]

I have hunted with them before and they were good dogs, but I prefer a lab. The labs seem to be much better family dogs, along with being a good retriever.

[JW21]

http://www.redstarkennels.us/

This breeder has top notch POINTING labs. We love them. They are hunting MACHINES. Quail, pheasant, duck, dove, geese....whatever you want. and they will also go lay down right when you tell them to. Great family dogs.

[super_dave]

Chesapeake's can make a lab look like an idiot. But most people never work em enough to get the crazy out of em. They can have a temper, but a good one is impossible to beat and will free fall 15 feet off a tank dam to catch a frisbee in the wind.

Ask me how I know

[rlw]

Yeah labs are better around family and other dogs. But like a guy told me one time, if you have a chessie in the back of the truck you can go in the cafe for breakfast knowing that all your gear will be there when u get back!

[Wac M Trac M]

I've owned two. They are great dogs!! Both of mine never barked unless something bad was about to happen.
They are hard headed but once the training is done at a young age they are hard to beat. My 2nd one was great on quail. I used to shoot limits at lake Georgetown which to most guys was unheard of.

I think it's easier to find/make a good lab but if you find/make a good chessy, he will beat that in every aspect. Mine made a fool of me many times. When he knew a bird was near he would not leave. He was so hard headed but I finally learned when he wouldn't leave an area there was something there. Once he found a limit of teal in the dark (other peoples wounded birds) before we even started hunting. Sorry I could go on