Chessies- What to know

[YoungBuckTX]

I brought us home a new Chesapeake pup from Texas, "Roxie". She has a decent pedigree, from a long line of CH and MH dogs.
I did fairly well training my Chocolate lab.. but I want to up my game on this one, with doing more field trials.
We do have a local retriever club that I have used in the past.

She is 3 months old now. Smarter than any dog I have owned, and tough as hell. My 80lb lab throws her around all day and she can't get enough.
Obedience is going well, fetching to hand, and she's getting in the water. We are already doing gun intro with no issues.
In addition to FTs + general gun dog, she will be doing deer recovery. There's a lot more opportunity to stay busy with deer around here.
Recommendations for game recovery training materials would be appreciated.

Roxie Truck Small.jpg

Roxie Creek Small.jpg

Roxie Duck Small.jpg

[wob]

Pretty pup. Looks like she'll cut you if you cross her.

[catawba]

Good looking pup, agree with Wob she’s got that look about her.

[Hambone]

Patience, patience and more patience,,,from an experienced owner,,,they're much smarter than any trainer and Bullheaded as any breed out there!! Most loyal breed you'll find with huge heart and determination!

[BCR3]

Great looking pup! Good luck with the training.

[duckz]

great looking pup. I don't join in the dog threads often since my chessie doesn't hunt any longer but I can tell you she has been a great dog.
She has flushed pheasant in numerous snowy midwest winters, chassed down winged ducks that have swam off 100+ yards, ran trials and been a great house dog. Point being is that they are very hardworking versatile dogs that can also withstand the weather if you do take it out of state. They have a nose like no other and determination to the highest level.
The hardworking part can sometimes change to be more of a stubborn personality, although they are out to please and get the job the done. My old trainer ran mainly chessies in trials so I was able to see many of them in action. I have seen some hard ass men come through with their pups trying to beat commands into them and the dogs just failing. They are not the same as other breads, you have to work with them and they will work with you. You cant just drill commands into them.

[Catdaddy]

Socialize her with alot of people and other dogs at an early age.

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[Gregory]

Socialize her with alot of people and other dogs at an early age.

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Very important.

[Gregory]

Beautiful pup. I have been owned by chessies my entire life. They are physically very tough but psychologically very soft. They do not respond to pressure. Do not try to train one like a lab.

[Tha Dick]

Do not try to train one like a lab.

That’s what everyone said about Boykins. It’s BS.

You train them all the same, but you do have to know how to read an animal. Know when to apply pressure and when not to.

[Gregory]

That’s what everyone said about Boykins. It’s BS.

You train them all the same, but you do have to know how to read an animal. Know when to apply pressure and when not to.

No, no it's not. Some chessies will tolerate pressure, most will not. When I read " you train a Chesapeake with a 2x4 " I cringe. I'm certainly not the greatest retriever trainer but I've had chessies since the late sixties so I've trained one or two.

[Downeast]

No, no it's not. Some chessies will tolerate pressure, most will not. When I read " you train a Chesapeake with a 2x4 " I cringe. I'm certainly not the greatest retriever trainer but I've had chessies since the late sixties so I've trained one or two.

I agree completely. Labs want to please you while a Chessie wants to be an equal and part of the team, if that makes sense. They are quite sensitive, far more than a Lab. I've had both for going on 40 years. A classic example. A friend and I were duck hunting. He had a Lab that was sent off to "field trial" school and I had a Chessie that had hunted with me for several years. My friend knocked down a duck that sailed off into some thick brambles and briars. He sent in his dog and the dog simply disappeared in the mess. Neither dog had seen the bird fall in the melee of shots and birds. The dog had been trained to respond to whistles and hand signals. After a few moments, perhaps out of habit he whistled. Well, I'm pretty sure that the dog did exactly what he was trained to do, stop and sit on his ass. The only problem was the dog couldn't see us and we couldn't see the dog. So he commanded (hollered) to the dog something along the line of "dead bird" or something. After what seemed like an eternity he finally called the dog back with no duck. He mentioned I guess that's that. I said wait a minute and I sent my Chessie in the thickets with the simple command of "Dead Bird...Find it...Work it out" and kind of pointed in the general direction and said BACK a few times. I then sat down on a log and told my buddy it may be awhile. We could hear the dog thrashing around back there for some time and when it got quiet I would holler "Dead Bird...work it out" and the dog kept on circling the area, sight unseen. After a few more minutes "Molly" came bounding out of the thickets with a dead mallard. At no time after I sent her in did we give her any commands except to let her know where we were and she "worked it out" independently on her own. That is what I refer to as the stubbornness of the breed. They just don't like to quit.

Just recently my 2 year old Chessie and I were hunting together and I knocked down and crippled a diver on the coast. I thought the bird was dead but it wasn't. The dog went in to retrieve the bird and that was that. The bird came back from the dead and dove under. So, knowing what was going to happen I pulled the anchors and cranked the motor and eased off the edge of the marsh and followed the dog and the bird on out into the sound. After several minutes and a few hundred yards offshore we lost the bird and I pulled up to the dog and got him back in the boat. Well, he was pissed! He looked out over the water and growled and barked and most likely cussed a blue streak in dog language. When I tied back up he jumped out of the boat and stood in the marsh looking out at the open water and continued to cuss up a storm. I even made a video of it but it wouldn't load on here. It was hilarious! Again, the stubbornness kicked in. He wanted that bird.

[Fish]

Labs want to please you

No they don't.

[Tha Dick]

No, no it's not. Some chessies will tolerate pressure, most will not. When I read " you train a Chesapeake with a 2x4 " I cringe. I'm certainly not the greatest retriever trainer but I've had chessies since the late sixties so I've trained one or two.

So what you’re telling me you’ve trained all your chessies with zero pressure? I highly doubt it.

What I’m saying is, know how to read the animal and how to apply the pressure properly. The fundamentals and training is the same no matter what breed it is. There is no particular program just for one particular breed. Every dog is different on their tolerance level, no matter what breed they are.

You can read every book in the world and watch every video out there, But if you cannot read the dog properly you’re wasting your time.

[youngun15]

Hard headed and stubborn are understatements. Socialize socialize socialize. And be prepared to be outsmarted a lot.

[Calibogue]

I've been partnered with Chessies since 1989.... Others have mentioned some good points.
At about 1.5 years old she will try your patience and it won't just be a quickie thing.
You will want to kill her or give the bitch away but stand fast and breath deep.... It will pass.

[Tha Dick]

Don't confuse her bringing the bird to you with being properly force fetched. If you're not comfortable with FF, get with a trainer for some help.

[JABIII]

Pretty girl!

[w33kender]

Great pic. You're lucky!

If you want to read a great story about a Chessie, check out Hunter Smith's A Life Afield; one of the stories is about the Chessie [named Circe] he had from his early teens to his twenties. You might cry like a kid at the end of Ol' Yeller but it's a helluva' story.

She didn't have a great start as a hunting dog but she really grew into it and had a great finish.

[WNM]

That is a pretty silver lab pup!