Chesapeake Bay Retriever v Lab

[Tim.243]

I like my spaniels but good friend who's best lab is slowing up, this dog has retrieved 100's of ducks etc but his mate is twisting him to a Bay puppy at some point.
Any one care to chuck their hat in the ring for a bay or big lab as a lot seem a bit light on size...?

 

[old keeper]

From what I've seen over the years a Chesapeake versus a Lab the Chessie would win every time, and I don't suppose the lab would work for a very long time!

 

[labrador77]

Erm, get one each! Not a fan of the waif like examples for both breeds at all, not what the breed should represent IMHO.

 

[sh1kar]

Wildfowling only and a lot of it. Ches. Several times a year plus rough or game Lab

 

[Cootmeurer]

Friend going all the way back childhood is a professional trainer in Arkansas. He loves Chessies but has switched almost entirely to Labs for his personal dogs. One of the reasons seems to be the much larger selection of bloodlines and ability to find exactly what you want. CBRs tend to be like Goldens, a much smaller selection of dogs to select from.

Labs (from proper bloodlines) are more biddable, more tolerant of others (dogs and shooters) and generally a better dual purpose family/hunting dog.
Chessies are more rugged, much less tolerant of others (he mentions, and it matches my own experience, sooner or later a chess ie starts a fight over a bird), and they have a different coat that can seem oily and offensive smelling, especially in the house. On the plus side, if hunting the salt, I dont think there's a breed that comes close to them.

I've hunted with his dogs and seen the CBRs, do some amazing stuff. I have nothing against them, but tend to agree with him that the average guy is probably better served with a lab.

 

[Sika98k]

Erm, get one each! Not a fan of the waif like examples for both breeds at all, not what the breed should represent IMHO.View attachment 193977

That’s not a fully grown Cheshire is it ? It’s 15 years since mine went to the big duck pond but I remember he was 47 kgs at one stage. A one man dog as has been pointed out.

 

[dartmoordog]

I have only had experience with one CBR, not good I am afraid, big, powerful with an attitude to other dogs. The gent in question was asked not to return with it after it picked up a Spaniel and caused a couple of grands worth of damage, all over a bird. Not for me after that, if one ever turns up again, my dog is in the truck and home.

 

[Big Mat]

I've yet to meet a bad chessie. My pup will hopefully be here end of May.

Had my dog attacked by several labs though! Mainly owned by guns who thinks its appropriate to get sloshed on a shoot day.

Theres a page for chessie owners in the UK on Facebook. Quite interesting to see the number of pet chessies on there.

 

[James0586]

My mate has one of each. The Chess was harder to train and more stubborn but works a treat on the foreshore swimming into hard tides with ease. He’s an absolute bastard in the truck mind you and will nail you if my mates not about. The lab is 100% better in all areas apart from swimming in tidal water.

 

[labrador77]

That’s not a fully grown Cheshire is it ? It’s 15 years since mine went to the big duck pond but I remember he was 47 kgs at one stage. A one man dog as has been pointed out.

No, he's 12 weeks old. Weighs 17kg now with paws like shovels, going to be a lump in time!

 

[Buchan]

Cheasapeake have a relatively small gene pool in the UK. The one's I've seen have been pretty steady amiable animals, but lab is a pretty good "default" dog!

 

[deerstalker.308]

Cheasapeake have a relatively small gene pool in the UK. The one's I've seen have been pretty steady amiable animals, but lab is a pretty good "default" dog!

Trouble is there are a lot of assumptions made about labs being easy to train, and in the wrong hands they can be a lot of dog for the misinformed who believe they are all just like guide dogs.
I’m a firm believer with labs that aside from show and working lines there are far more differences. Whenever we’ve had pups and prospective owners come to visit ive always reinforced the fact that whilst lovely dogs, mine is like the F1 version compared to the Volvo/family saloon show/guide dogs....
lovely, she is, obedient, she is, but also highly strung, easily offended and distraught if she gets it wrong, way too intelligent, communicative in ways I had never appreciated was possible before having her, I could go on. I don’t know if this is the field trialling genetics which have changed the breed away from that traditional “easy” image most people have of labs? But they can be far from default in the wrong hands. (Sure I’m preaching to the choir btw.... just my musings)

 

[Basil H]

We seem to have had this conversation before. CBRs are being selected for temperament these days and there have been introductions from the USA to improve/enlarge the gene pool. However, a CBR is not a shaggy lab and you will probably need more patience. I currently have a five year old black lab dog (from Kirsty Cousins) who is hugely energetic and eager to please. He was high powered but biddable as in the post above. I also have a CBR of 16 weeks (not my first) who is so far ............. demanding but rewarding shall we say.
Without starting any arguments, for a beginner it is like selecting a .308W against buying say a .308 Norma with a set of dies.
Just by the way, the best working CBR I have owned was the smallest. When walking along a seabank at high water she would swim along with you rather than run.
She got her picture in all the mags over the years - even the front page of the Field.

 

[tikka_madras]

Depends if you need a highly specialised dog, or a general purpose one. Chessies have plenty of drawbacks, but if you spend all your time on the foreshore there's nothing better.

I suppose it's like rifles...if you spend all your time on Century, a specialised target or F-Class rifle is great. If you want to do a bit of target shooting, a bit of stalking, a bit of foxing, you're better off with a general purpose sporting rifle. Most people, if they're really honest with themselves, need a family dog that will occasionally go out shooting.

 

[Chill 123]

A well trained Labrador will do a host of jobs beating ,retrieving, deer work, police sniffer dog and guiding the blind, ect . They are very biddable and
reasonably easy to train than most other breeds . I have only seen one CBR it is aggressive to humans and other dogs and pretty useless on a shoot day .
What job will a CBR do that a Labrador cant do ?

Chill

 

[Buchan]

Trouble is there are a lot of assumptions made about labs being easy to train, and in the wrong hands they can be a lot of dog for the misinformed who believe they are all just like guide dogs.
I’m a firm believer with labs that aside from show and working lines there are far more differences. Whenever we’ve had pups and prospective owners come to visit ive always reinforced the fact that whilst lovely dogs, mine is like the F1 version compared to the Volvo/family saloon show/guide dogs....
lovely, she is, obedient, she is, but also highly strung, easily offended and distraught if she gets it wrong, way too intelligent, communicative in ways I had never appreciated was possible before having her, I could go on. I don’t know if this is the field trialling genetics which have changed the breed away from that traditional “easy” image most people have of labs? But they can be far from default in the wrong hands. (Sure I’m preaching to the choir btw.... just my musings)

Chocolate>Yellow>Black in order of being an utter arse. Fox are, natch, perfect!!!
While they are a default dog, there is no doubt that they can be an utter pain if not trained properly, but this applies to most dogs. Currently, there is an explosion in quite screwed up animals due to lockdown/no socialisation/no training

 

[Big Mat]

Chocolate>Yellow>Black in order of being an utter arse. Fox are, natch, perfect!!!
While they are a default dog, there is no doubt that they can be an utter pain if not trained properly, but this applies to most dogs. Currently, there is an explosion in quite screwed up animals due to lockdown/no socialisation/no training

My in laws new sausage dog is a prime example, been brought up by the breeder round kids,livestock cats etc, but never seen another other dogs apart from sausages as they couldn't take them out, so when it gets walked, its scared of anything that isn't a sausage!

 

[scrumbag]

I've long had a hankering for a good chunky chessie

 

[NP435]

I have had both, my Chessie was a fantastic retriever, and had no inclination to socialize ( I tried). In the end she bit me a couple times and that was the end of her. My Lab Sam would work all day everyday and then enjoy playing about with kids or other dogs too. I did meet 2 Chessies who were fantastic dogs, that being said I will never have another CBR unless as a pup it has been well socialized.

 

[unicorn71]

I have had both , the Cheshire was sired by a American working champ who had a fantastic temperament, my bitch however was good with me and my son everyone else she was highly suspicious of . As a worker she was great and as a keepers dog she saved my neck a couple of times but she did try every nerve and unless you are on the ball all the time the Lab would be the safer bet.