Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Learn about the temperament and personality of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Discover what he's like to live with, his traits and characteristics and how he generally behaves. And look at lots of Chesapeake Bay Retriever photos.

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Chesapeake Bay Retriever Temperament
Predominantly bred as a working gun dog, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever is truly an all-around dog who loves to be at the center of an active family. Their dominant and protective nature can be a blessing to some, but it can be a hazard to a family that is ill prepared. Chessies need consistent obedience training. They need a master who can act like the pack leader, or a Chesapeake will challenge him or her on everything. The Chesapeake is a big dog and you do not want him thinking he is in charge. Chessies bark. They are good at it. They also growl, grumble, and say "roo" in a loud voice over and over again. They were bred to bark in order to protect their master's property, so it unreasonable to think you can train the bark out of him. If you don't appreciate a talented barker in your house, there are many quieter breeds out there. Chesapeakes make great watchdogs as they are naturally protective, but they need to be socialized early on so that they don't develop aggression. They are athletic, agile and fast! They need daily exercise and love to play outdoors, especially in the water. Water retrievals are a favorite pastime! They also need mental stimulation. A bored Chessy is bad news. They are tolerant of other dogs, but usually uninterested in them. (They can also be uninterested in strangers.) They seem to have a special affinity for children. A well-trained Chesapeake who knows what is expected of him will be a happy, exceptionally devoted, incredibly loving family pet. They love to spend time with their people, and will want to be your best friend. They are sensitive, intensely loyal, and will want to please you.
Chesapeake Bay Retriever Training
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is intelligent and quite easy to train. He learns new commands quickly at an above average rate.
Chesapeake Bay Retriever Shedding
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever sheds a fair amount of hair. You'll find hair stuck to your couch, carpets, clothes and everything else in your home.
Chesapeake Bay Retriever Grooming
The short coat of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever only requires an occasional brushing. But because he sheds you may find yourself brushing him once or twice a week to remove loose hair. (What you get out with a brush doesn't fall out in your home!)
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Chesapeake Bay Retriever Photos
Rating: Ease of training
Tells you how easy or difficult a breed is to train.
A higher rating means the breed is easier to train, a lower rating means the breed is harder to train.
An easy to train breed require less time and patience to train.
Rating: Intelligence
Tells you how intelligent a breed is in terms of how quickly it can learn commands from humans. A higher rating means the breed will learn your commands faster (and is therefore generally considered to be more intelligent), while a lower rating means the breed will learn your commands more slowly (and is therefore generally considered to be less intelligent).
Keep in mind that this is only one way to measure a dog's intelligence and a low rating might still mean the breed is highly intelligent in other ways.
Rating: Shedding
Tells you how much hair the breed sheds. The higher the rating the more hair the breed sheds.
Rating: Watchdog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a watchdog and raising the alarm when a stranger approaches. A higher rating means the breed will bark vigorously to warn you of a stranger's presence on your property. A low rating means the breed probably won't bark much if a stranger enters your property.
Rating: Guard dog
Tells you how good the breed is at being a guard dog due to the appearance, size, and strength of the breed. A breed with a high guard dog rating will make an intruder think twice before stepping foot on your property.
Rating: Popularity
Tells you how popular the breed is in terms of ownership. A higher rating means that more people own the breed. The more popular a breed is the easier it is to find and purchase one because there are more breeders breeding it.
Rating: Size
Tells you how large or small the breed is. A lower rating means the breed is smaller and a higher rating means the breed is larger. It gives you a quick idea of how physically large or small the breed is compared with all the other breeds.
Rating: Agility
Tells you how agile the breed is. A higher rating means the breed is fast and nimble on its feet while a lower rating means the breed is heavier and slower on its feet.
Rating: Good with kids
Tells you how good the breed is with children. A higher rating means the breed is good with children. Note: all breeds are generally good with kids when they're raised with them.