Chesapeake Bay Retriever

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is an American waterfowl retriever developed around the Chesapeake Bay from Newfoundland-type water dogs and local retrieving stock. Hunters selected for a dog that could swim in cold, rough water, mark fallen birds, and keep working in marshes, tidal rivers, and icy conditions. A Chessie is strong, deep-chested, and athletic, with a dense oily double coat that may wave over the shoulders and back. Standard colors range through brown, sedge, and deadgrass, helping the dog blend into shore and marsh cover.

This retriever often bonds closely to its household and may be more protective and independent than a Labrador or golden retriever. It thrives with meaningful work, whether hunting, hunt tests, scent work, obedience, or regular swimming and retrieving. Early socialization matters, as does patient training that respects a confident dog rather than forcing repetitive drills. The coat sheds and should not be stripped of its natural oils by frequent bathing. Prospective owners and breeders pay close attention to hips, elbows, eyes, degenerative myelopathy, exercise-induced collapse, and other inherited risks known in retriever populations.

Colors: Apricot, Bicolor, Black, Black and Tan, Black and White, Black Mask, Blue, Blue and Tan, Blue Merle, Blue Roan, Blue Tick, Brindle, Brown, Brown and Tan, Brown and White, Chocolate, Cream, Dapple, Dark Brown, Deadgrass, Domino, Fawn, Fawn and White, Gold, Gray, Harlequin, Irish Marked, Light Brown, Liver, Liver Mask, Mantle, Mask, Merle, Mottled, Parti-Color, Piebald, Red, Red and White, Red Merle, Red Roan, Red Tick, Reverse Brindle, Roan, Sable, Saddle, Sedge, Silver, Speckled, Spotted, Tan, Ticked, Tricolor, Tuxedo, White, Yellow