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Chessie vs lab ?

61K views 193 replies 63 participants last post by  dinaperugini 
#1 ·
All these chessie pics have me seriously considering a chessie, I was really considering one when I bought my current lab,BUT what does a chessie have to offer that a lab doesnt? Are they as trainable ? I dont seem to see many with the top titles,is that because there are not as many competing?

Chessie owners past or present...now is the chance to bring me to the brown side ! But I'd like to hear the pro's and con's compared to a lab to help educate me.

Or if you where a lab guy/gal ,but then went to chessie's what characteristics made you convert?

I'd like to hear the good and the bad of the breed.
 
#74 ·
I have almost stuck with Chocolate Labs for the last thirty years, but when Alan Sanderfer won the Qual at Demopolis and "Fatty" came in season right after that we agreed to help him get her bred. She is due to whelp around the 20th of Jan. and has been in our house ever since she was bred at Greene, Lewis & Associates. She airs with our other house dogs (except with Lillie, Cleo's 5 lb. minie Snausuer, obnocious litle bitch, that barks at every thing) and gets along just fine. I was a little uneasy at first, since I had seen other Chessies that were protective of their space. Well, Fatty has been no trouble at all, is friendly, and even lets me take her temp when ever I want to check it. She is truly a love to be around and even youdels for us now and then. She has changed my mind about the breed as far as i.m concerned.



Now Alan has another younger liver Chessie bitch on his truck and was out at our place doing some training and let a yellow Lab out of its hole and in her excitement, she jumped up on me. The little Chessie taught her that she should not jump on "her people". Kind of supprised me, but I did not get jumped on any more. Beginning to like those frizzy coated brown dogs even more! Nice dogs, Bill
 
#75 ·
Pete i was putting his ear medicine in and the alcohol smell makes him do it. It cracks me up. He does the same thing when he smells the bitter apple spray. It cracks me up.

My male has plenty of style. Judges have redid series because of his water entry and the way he jumps over ditches.

Here is my female with my daughter when she was about 8 months old.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/sbemax4/ninaandgracie.mp4
Here is my daughter was her 18 months old.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/sbemax4/VID00041-20110522-1209-1.mp4
My nephews playing keep away
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/sbemax4/VID00033.mp4
 
#77 ·
Pete i was putting his ear medicine in and the alcohol smell makes him do it. It cracks me up. He does the same thing when he smells the bitter apple spray. It cracks me up.

My male has plenty of style. Judges have redid series because of his water entry and the way he jumps over ditches.

Here is my female with my daughter when she was about 8 months old.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/sbemax4/ninaandgracie.mp4
Here is my daughter was her 18 months old.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/sbemax4/VID00041-20110522-1209-1.mp4
My nephews playing keep away
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/sbemax4/VID00033.mp4
Thats pretty awesome. My First chessie was a big 112 pound male. Wasn't raised around kids but the neighbor kids would come to our house, knock on the door and ask if they could throw bumpers for him. They would go let him out of the back yard and throw for him forever. Agressive he was not. One day while my wife was out walking him a man walked up and started talking to her, he moved between them and leaned on her until he left. I have no doubt that he would have protected her if the man had ill intentions.
A quick hunting story about him. We were hunting a flooded river East of Houston. The water was deep everywhere so we were hunting back in the trees out of the boat. My partner crippled a wood duck and I sent Jasper. He took off and into the flooded woods they went. He was gone a while before I started to worry but I could hear branches crashing every few minutes then nothing. he wasnt trained well enough to call him off the bird and there was no way to get the boat back into where they were so I waited. Well over a half hour later I start hearing branches again so I started calling him in. He had the bird. Now i can't tell you whether he had been swimming the entire time or found a log and took a nap but in my mind that is still one of the greatest retrieves I've ever been a part of. FWIW, no way I would let that happen today.
 
#76 ·
#80 ·
and I'm going to say that is either trained or allowed.
 
#82 ·
John R, you have nailed it. You have to know your chessie very well. THey will shut down and become slug-ish when they perceive that they have been treated unfairly. But they are not soft!
 
#83 ·
I'm not sure you understand the definition of "soft"
 
#84 ·
Suit yourself Russ. It does not apply to this thread anyway unless you are saying that Chessies ARE soft.
 
#88 ·
I am certainly saying that the ave Chessie is softer than the ave Lab. I'm also saying that in your previous post you describe soft then say chessies aren't. I'm convinced that many of the "one dog" stories and "attack the trainer" stories we hear are from back in the days when training was much rougher and the dogs in question couldn't handle the pressure(soft). With todays training techniques, Chessies handle common modern training practices better because the corrections are much more fair (IMO). Which is also why I think you are seeing more chessies do ok in a pro trainer setting than you did back before collars or even in the early one button collar days.
 
#90 ·
/end thread
 
#91 ·
I have both Labs and Chesapeakes and love the hell out of both breeds and let me tell you THE ONES THAT BADMOUTH CHESAPEAKES HAVE NEVER OWNED ONE.
I retired early as all I wanted to do was breed, train a Chesapeake to the MH level. Did that 3 times and now working on a forth but I heard Labs were easier so I got one and put a MH on her. Are Labs easier YES they are if you get a well bred one that likes water. Labs can be just as tough to train as Chesapeakes if you don't know what you are doing so your first dog shouldn't be a Chesapeake in my opinion because if you make a mistake with a Chessie, it will stay in the memory forever and take a long while to overcome. The first Chessie I owned was the only dog I knew that in deep water could, swim up to the back of the boat, put his front feet up on the transom, hook his head behind the motor and pull himself into the boat all by himself and he weighed in at a whopping 110#. There was no teaching envolved in him doing that he did it all on his own,
Clay
 
#92 ·
Two things.

First is: Go look at the number of Chessies who have Grand titles or FC titles over the last, say, 30 years. I wonder why that is...not really.

Second is: I've never heard a story of a lab not letting it's owner back into the owner's boat. Suffice it to say, that chessie didn't make it home that day.
 
#103 ·
Go look at the number of Chessies who have Grand titles or FC titles over the last, say, 30 years. I wonder why that is...not really.
Tell us why.
Explain the variables: AKC and UKC registration numbers, litter registrations, dogs/owner involved in field competition, field event entry numbers per breed, owner handler/trainer vs pro handler/trainer field titles, dogs /handler ratios....

Tim
 
#93 ·
I Respect Chessies and I know of one particular Male MH that I'd take over many many Labs. That said most Labs live to please, Chessies usually have to be convinced that it's worth their time. While the male is a great dog, he'll only run for those he respects, and even at 12 years of age you need to keep earning that respect. Even the best of the breed will "Go Chessie" on you every once in awhile ;). Also he's not the all around dog I need in the hotter regions of the Southwest, Duck hunting he's fine, upland he can over heat, quite easily. Before I bought into the Breed I'd go out and train with people who have them, see if you can run a few, and are compatible with the breed. It's easier to find and nurture greatness in a Lab, but having an Great Chessie is a rare treasure, even if you have to beat your or his head up against a wall sometimes ;).
 
#100 ·
Hopefully there is a another Chessie out there that you will also that the same opinion on. Have you talked to him at all I know she was sent to the trainer back in like July.
 
#95 ·
I was working a gun station with my training group...the dog running broke...a 90 lb chessie running full tilt after the bird I just threw.....I had to get it before the chessie did......I got to the bird before the dog but with the look and determination I dropped it for the hard charger....was not a battle I wanted. I know nothing would have happened but heck with that!!!! Really nice dog though!
 
#97 ·
I dropped it for the hard charger....was not a battle I wanted. I know nothing would have happened but heck with that!!!! Really nice dog though!
Good Choice depending on the Chessie Perhaps nothing would've happened, or perhaps he would've flipped you over, made a little love with you cowering form, peeped on you then returned with the bird. With a Chessie you never know but I have I've known one who had a thing for particular bird boys ;)
 
#96 · (Edited)
Chris,that reminds me of the first hunt test I ever went to,the guy had a chessie that was huge! he was parked so his SUV was facing away from the test and when he opened the back end and let his pony out of the crate he put his hand threw the leash and when the dog seen a bird lob threw the air he took off ,taking his owner to the ground and drug him several feet before he could get his footing.Then when it was finally his turn to run ,I think he refused to enter the water.:D.

He was an older/but physically fit gentleman ,but it seemed he had WAY more dog than he could handle,as the dog basically ran over him most of the time he was out of their SUV. This dog was every bit of 120# of pure meat.

He was also entered in a test the following weekend at a different club ,but was a no-show.

RTF's own Otey B. was judging that day ,I dont know if he seen it go down or not.
 
#108 ·
One of the best chessies I ever saw was Dual Ch Westwinds Rudy of Nordais. (I think I have that correct). Anyway Rudy was out of Maine, owned by a very nice lady Wendy Shepard Chisolm (again hope that's right). Rudy excelled in the show ring and had both field titles.

I remember Wendy and Dave Mosher bringing Rudy to Alaska and I really liked his style... Hard charging, good marking dog.
 
#110 ·
Bill, Rudy was why we got the pup we did from Wendy! The pro I worked with had worked with him some and told us that if my husband was bound and determined to get a chessie, to get it from her!
 
#111 · (Edited)
He didn't lead you wrong... Like I said I was fortunate enough to get to see Rudy run 4 or 5 trials 2 summers in a row. He was a good one. A real gentleman on the line too.

He even spent one night at my home in Alaska when he was injured at a trial on a Sunday evening and Wendy had to take him to a vet clinic the next morning... Guess that makes me an honorary chessie guy;-)
 
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