Chesapeakes were first bred on the East Coast of America at Chesapeake Bay. Originally, hunting was the first line of duty for the Chesapeake. Their thick, short oily outer coat and dense, fine woolly undercoat protect them when working and retrieving in the icy cold waters of Chesapeake Bay.
Because of the rough conditions they were bred to be tough, independent, hearty and good-natured companions. A Chessie — the ultimate wildfowling dog.
Our Chessies
Chester (Penrose Nomad)
Born 5th March 2002
BVA hip score 5 (2/3). Both parents PRA 'A'. IKC Reg No. W07322 / UK KC Reg. No. AC01093908.
Chester is a dual purpose Chesapeake that we imported from Wales. He was bred by Janet Morris of Penrose Chesapeakes, one of the top breeders of Chessies in the UK. Chester completed his first full shooting season (2002/2003) where he retrieved many ducks, and has also competed in shows and working tests — placed 2nd in the Puppy class at the UK Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club's Spring Working Test, April 2003.
In July 2004 in the UK he gained his American Kennel Club Working Dog Certificate (WD), narrowly missing the Working Dog Excellent (WDX) and Working Dog Qualified (WDQ) — failing on the very last retrieve of the WDQ, the only dog to get that far. A great achievement for Chester.
Winnie (Arnac Bay Winota)
Born May 2005
Winnie was bred by Christine Mayhew (Arnac Bay Chesapeakes) in the south of England. We collected her and brought her home in mid-July. She settled in and mixed well with our other dogs.
Her mother is Arnac Bay Pride, a multi winning bitch whose progeny have excelled in both the working arena and the show ring. Winnie's father is Pond Hollow Bering Sea (Bery), a US Champion brought for six months to the UK by Janet Morris to improve and expand the gene pool of Chesapeakes in the UK.
Breed information — about Chesapeakes
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Chesapeakes were first bred on the East Coast of America at Chesapeake Bay. Originally hunting was the first line of duty for the Chesapeake. Their thick, short oily coat and dense fine woolly undercoat protect them when working and retrieving in the icy cold waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Because of the rough conditions they were bred to be tough, independent, hearty and good-natured companions.
These extremely versatile dogs are accomplished in many areas beyond the field and hunting of which they are famous for. They are perceptive dogs and are deeply devoted to their family. They compete in obedience, shows, field trials, and hunting tests. The Chesapeake is a multi-purpose dog, a marvellous companion and an individualist.
His coat requires little grooming and no clipping. A good rinse with fresh water after a swim will retard bacteria from multiplying — the bacteria causes the characteristic smell. A warm bath — given only when necessary, but especially when the dog is shedding — will loosen dead hair and keep the coat in tiptop condition.
He often has a special affinity for children and will tolerate much roughhousing. A prospective owner should use a fair but firm hand both in training and discipline to win the respect of a Chesapeake. Expect the Chesapeake to challenge your authority. Good manners throughout his life start in his puppy-hood; with patient teaching from his master or mistress he will soon learn what is and is not acceptable.
Chesapeakes have a tendency to be uninterested though tolerant of other dogs and generally will not generate aggression towards others, but neither will they take aggression from others lightly — though the reputation for being aggressive is greatly exaggerated in the Chessie today. He is a good family dog and loves nothing better (except to work) than being at the centre of his human family, but he is still predominately a working dog and is at his happiest in such an environment.
Chesapeakes are first and foremost superb hunting dogs well known for their love of water. Equally proficient on land and in water, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever was developed along the Chesapeake Bay to hunt waterfowl. With minimum training he will retrieve geese, duck, quail, partridge, pheasant, snipe, woodcock, rabbit and hare and any other oddity you care to ask of him. They are excellent game finders with a superb nose and remarkable memory for multiple falls. They will not give up easily on a fall, and in case of wounded game, instinct tells them this is the first priority in a retrieve.
A large majority of Chessies in the UK and Ireland are what we term wildfowling dogs and are used only for ducks and geese, though they are equally at home on upland game i.e. pheasants and partridge etc. on driven shoots. Occasionally Chessies compete in Gundog working tests with other retriever breeds and within the Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club of GB. They are tested on canvas dummies and cold (dead) game i.e. rabbit, pheasant, pigeon etc.
Between 1984 and 1997, twelve Chessies in the UK competed and gained awards in the field trials licensed by the Kennel Club and are therefore in the KC stud book (the only way as yet they can get a KC stud book number). The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is the ultimate dual purpose gundog.
Breed standard
General appearance: Well proportioned, active worker with a distinctive coat and intelligent expression. Strong muscular appearance.
Characteristics: Independent, affectionate, and courageous, with a great love of water. Makes a good guardian and companion, especially with children.
Temperament: Bright and happy disposition, alert and intelligent and showing a willingness to work.
Head and skull: Broad and round with medium stop. Medium-short muzzle, pointed but not sharp. Lips thin, not pendulous. Nostrils well developed. Nose and lips of colour to harmonise with coat.
Eyes: Medium size, very clear, of yellow or amber colour and set wide apart.
Ears: Small, well set up on head, hanging loosely and of medium leather.
Mouth: Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Level bite tolerated.
Neck: Of medium length with a strong muscular appearance tapering from head to shoulders.
Forequarters: Forelegs straight, with good bone of equal length to depth of body and showing good muscle. Shoulders well laid back, long in blade with upper arm of equal length placing legs well under body with no restriction of movement. Strong. Pasterns slightly bent. Dewclaws may be removed.
Body: Chest strong, deep and broad, with well sprung ribs. Body of medium length, short but not cobby. Flanks well tucked-up. Back well coupled and powerful. Topline not roached, but rather approaching hollowness.
Hindquarters: Should be as high or a trifle higher than shoulders. Powerful to supply power for swimming. Stifles well angulated. Good hindquarters are an essential requirement for this breed. Hocks of medium length. Dewclaws, if any, must be removed from the hindlegs.
Feet: Of good size, hare feet well webbed. Toes well rounded and close.
Tail: Should extend to hock. Medium heavy at base and strong. Should be straight or slightly curved. Moderate feathering is permissible.
Gait/movement: Powerful with no restriction of movement. Correct conformation will lend to single track movement.
Coat: A distinctive feature. Coat should be thick and reasonably short, not over 4 cms (1½ ins) long, with harsh oily outer coat and dense, fine woolly undercoat covering whole body; hairs having tendency to wave on neck, shoulders, back and loins. Hair on face and legs only should be very short and straight. Moderate feathering on stern and tail permissible. Curly coat not permissible. Texture of coat very important as dog is used for working under all sorts of adverse weather conditions, often working in ice and snow. Oil in harsh coat and woolly undercoat of extreme value. The coat should resist water.
Colour: Dead grass (straw to bracken), sedge (red gold), or any shade of brown. White spots on chest, toes and belly permissible. The smaller the spot the better. Self-coloured dogs preferred. Colour of coat and its texture must be given every consideration when judging.
Size: Height: dogs 58–66 cms (23–26 ins); bitches 53–61 cms (21–24 ins). Oversized or undersized dogs highly undesirable.
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault, and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog. Note: male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
Chessie Rescue Ireland
Unfortunately, from time to time, some Chessies come in to rescue for re-homing — for various reasons and normally no reflection on the dog itself. The rescue centre takes these dogs in and assesses them before looking for a suitable new home. If you are interested in re-homing a Chessie, please contact Des or UK Rescue as detailed below; they will keep your details on file and contact you should a suitable dog come into rescue.
Anyone needing the support of Chesapeake Rescue in Ireland can make contact with Des Murray by email at dmmurray@o2.ie or by phone at +353 86 267 1677. Chessie Rescue in the UK can be contacted by email at Rescue@CBRC, or further details can be found on the Club website britishchesapeakeclub.com.
Chessie contacts & links
For further information on the breed, please look at the sites listed below. For information on Chessies within Ireland, or further general breed information, please contact Des Murray by email at dmmurray@o2.ie or by phone at +353 86 267 1677. A Chesapeake — a true friend.
Irish sites: Irish Kennel Club. IrishDogs.ie — Irish site dedicated to dogs of all breeds with resource details for each breed. IrishAnimals.ie — resource site for all Irish pet lovers.
UK websites: Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club — useful site listing Chessie events, rescue details, club shop etc. Penrose Chesapeakes — website of one of the UK's top breeders, Janet Morris of South Wales. Chesepi Chesapeakes — website of top UK breeder and rescue co-ordinator Molly Barker.
US websites: American Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club. CBRS4me — US site dedicated to the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
