Page 26 - ShowSight Presents - The Chesapeake Bay Retriever

Living with the
CHESAPEAKE BAY RETRIEVER
By Joanne Silver
Congratulations! You are thinking about getting a new puppy. With this comes joy, happiness, anxiety, stress and work. Getting your puppy off
to the right start is the most important and rewarding thing you can do. You will hopefully have this puppy for 10 plus years of joy, doing things right from the begin- ning will pay off in the long run.
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever was named for the famous bay where the breed originated. The Chesapeake is one of the few American Breeds and the only 196 • SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2014
American Retriever. As the story goes, in 1807 a ship the Canton rescued the crew and two Newfoundland puppies from a sinking ship in the Chesapeake Bay area.
The Chesapeake is not a breed for every- one they are powerful and strong willed. I highly recommend meeting the breed before you buy one. Okay, you have done all your research, found the right breed for your fam- ily and found the right breeder. You have dis- cussed with the breeder the exact puppy you want whether for companion, show, breed- ing, hunting or field trials. This is important information to advise the breeder so that they put you on the right litter and puppy.
The Chesapeake is a versatile breed and can be used in many areas. The Chesa- peake’s are a fun breed and can be very entertaining. They are famous for their work in the field but today they are excel- ling in the show ring, obedience, rally, agil- ity, tracking, dock diving and lure coursing, barn hunting, hunt tests and field trials. The Chesapeake can also make wonderful pet therapy dogs because of their outgoing per- sonalities. Some have been used in Search and Rescue and law enforcement.
It is of the utmost importance to have your Chesapeake puppy well social- ized and start early training. Many dog