Thinking about getting a retriever by the end of this year. I want either a Chessie or Lab. I like the idea of a lab because they are very trainable and popular. I like the idea of a Chessie bc they are cool, calm, and collected and know how to do things on their own. I would imagine it would be hard to go wrong with either. What say you.

This is a stupid thread and is going to start an argument but do yourself a favor a just get a lab..... It's the only way to go. Why chance it with a curly haired mutt? Just saying

Stupid? Am I missing something? I would like for different folks to give their experiences of each... sounds like you are a lab fan but you gave no legitimate reason why. so, please elaborate. Why, in your experience is having a lab so much better? Have you owned cbrs also?

Love my yellow female

And I drive a pd and approve this message

I like Labs but never owned or hunted a chessie. As long as it works for you who cares which you choose. I went with this crazy mofo this time. She is a cross between a tasmanian devil and a spider monkey but is one retieving fool. Supposed to be really good hot weather retrievers from what I have read and great dove dogs. She also fits in my lap when watching TV.

Boykins are pretty damn awesome as an all around.

Get a lab... Unless you like a dog that looks like it is shedding pubes.

Labs are very good retrievers and great family pets. I have owned 3. I have a 6 year old yellow male that is a hunting machine. A chessie is anything but calm and collective and no dog just learns on his own, you have to teach any breed except for the natural born retrieving drive. A chessie is the TRUE American gun dog. They were bred in Chesapeake Bay, VA. They were bred for pulling in nets and guarding boats at night. Chessies are a bit tempormental, not the ideal dog for a family so to speak, but neither is a pit bull but ive seen some well manored pits in my day. The old saying is You can order a Labrador; ask a Golden; but you must negotiate with a Chesapeake.

Id go with a lab myself but if your a single man then a chessie would work.

Durty I sent you a PM

Thanks for all your replies. That's helpful stuff. I really like the quote "You can order a lab, have to ask a golden, and must negotiate with a Chessie." I have never heard that but that's a good one. By the way, that pic of the Tazmanian Devil/Spider Monkey is great. Also, the shedding of pubes line got a belly laugh outta me. Right now I own a black lab (my wife's lab before we got married who loves to retrieve but virtually untrainable--entirely too high strung with no ability to focus on anything as soon as a shot is fired). I also own a boxer that I have had for 7 years. He is extraordinarily stubborn and always gets into mischief.

im a lab guy but that being said every post ive read on here bout chessies is not true anymore. The last 20 years chessies have come a long way and you wont find a more loyal breed. Biggest thing to consider with them is the tematures you hunt in. They are very heardy dogs and can overheat much faster than labs but on the flip side colder and icyer the better it just dont phase them

If you have a few extra minutes each day and a good dose of patience I would give the lab you have a shot, a high strung dog isn't ideal if this is your first dog to train but iits much easier to turn the gas down on a dog than it is up

I prefer one of these!

Dude your dog has a foo man choo. What in the world kind of dog is that?

Yeah, cool huh! Google VDD GNA.

There is a breeder in Brazoria.

X2 on the DD. Ducks, doves, quail, rabbits, and blood trail deer/hogs. I loved my labs, but after having a draht, I won't have anything else.

I have been involved in training both dogs. I would go with a lab. I think you will be happier with that choice.

The chessie is a very strong dog and thay won't stop hunting I own both and hunt both my chessie will out last my lab thay are harder to train but when you get them trained thay are very good dogs

The Chesapeake is just a stronger dog than a lab. I have always had chesapeake's. Been around a ton of labs they are just not the same.


Plus they blend in much better. This is my 14yr old shockwave.



The new pup Gater.

retrieving a snow at 8 weeks
http://s135.photobucket.com/albums/q123 ... 011027.mp4

quail hunting at 3 months.

CBR's are a bit more stubborn but excellent retrievers. If you are doing the training yourself and this is your first retriever to train you would likely be better with a well bred lab. I faced the exact same situation 4 years ago and wanted a CBR just because it wouldn't be the same dog everyone else had. After months of research I did myself a favor as a 1st time dog trainer and went with a Chocolate Lab out of a proven line of labs that learned quickly and had good drive. I couldn't be happier and it made my life much easier training. I wouldn't rule out a CBR but just didn't want to take the chance having a difficult training experience the first time around.

I started this threat awhile back. Here is a picture of Purdey, our new lab. She is now 9 weeks old and has donned a couple of nicknames: Little Terror, Gremlin, and Tazmanian Devil.

I bought her some live pigeons (all dead now) for her to play with and she loved chasing them around everywhere and terrorizing them. That pic was taken at the lake. I tied a string to the birds leg and it flapped in the water like crazy and Purdey went nuts of course. It was a solid introduction to water and swimming.

Chessies have temperment problems....well, the one I've been around have. I personally would'nt own because I've got kids and I'd be worried about them getting bit. Kick ass hunting dogs though.

Most Chessie's wouldn't bite your own kids. They'd bite your kid's friends.

heres what i like

You must have got the answer you were looking for by the pics of your pup, looks good be the way.

I am glad I read this thread, LMAO.

You can get a bad dog of any breed. Do your homework and check health clearences on any puppy. I have trained both breeds and each have their problems. All dogs are trainable if you learn to read them early. My personal dogs are chessies. As far as kids go my 3yr old has run and passed my 85lb male chessie in HT's. Don't form your opinion bases on someone else's, they may have had a hole in their training. Being a chessie person I will tell you if you don't know what you want, go with a lab.

The Chesapeake is very territorial, and is a one man dog. That's a good thing though. You don't have to worry about somebody, say your wife, teaching it bad habits from what you've trained it to do and It can protect your property and fetch ya ducks and doves lol...dunno how they would stand up to the heat if your in the south though. I gotta double bred Slick Willy black lab and from personal experience id put him up against the best Chesapeake. He has no quit in him, you could kill him throwing a bumper literally if you wanted too. All he wants to do is work. But I like both breeds. It's all just what you prefer. Good luck

chessies are great dogs, but nobody has mentioned that they stink. really they do. they have so many musk glands and they stay so oily that they always smell like a kennel. very smart and determined dogs though.I bred them many years ago and went entirely to labs. BUT , if you are interested in hunting and not glory, look at the drathaars or a labradoodle. dont laugh, just talk to anybody that has had one. labs and chessies SHED HORRIBLY.

Personally never owned a Chessie but have friends w/ some. I have seen 2 older dogs in AR that had a lot of pro work and picked up more ducks in a season than most do in their lives. They were always hard headed but didn't quit. Seen a bunch I wouldn't take to a dummy throw. I think you made the best choice for your first experience.

Have had a couple of each and my neighbors Lab knocked up my female Chessie so we had a bunch of Chesadores too.

Both are great dogs, and honestly it's just a prefrence. The Chessie will do everything that Lab will do and will do even better than the Lab in extreme conditions. Honestly the Chessie is probably more a pure breed than a Lab, the Lab gene pool is getting worst and worst with the massive numbers, backyard breeders and all these trial dogs. There aren't exactly Chessie Dog Mill operations going on like there is with Labs. Down side to the Chessie is that coat is just a pain in the arse in the summer time. I will say that the Chessie is the most loyal dog I've had. You jump in the pool, that chessie will jump in after you and drag you to the edge regardless. If you want something different though and an all around dog don't discount the German Shorthaired Pointer or the German Wire-haired Pointer either.

heres my say. i was in a similar predicament about 2 years ago. heres how i weighted it up im training my self so i picked a lab. chessys are hard to train when it boils down to it. if ur geting trained i d strongly consider a chessy cause they are built tough. from my research and chessy owers ive talk to an exspresion i ve heard time and time again "those dog will break ice for you" . but there a little more exspensive than a lab but at the end of the day i love my lab (king age2) nothing he wont do he wont do to get a bird for me and its more than leaving lock up all day make your best friend take'em for a ride in the truck and theres nothing they wont do for you.

My new choice...........
Take a gander at what he is........

Four and half months in the dove field this past weekend

LOl...........he does have that look.


Wachtelhund.............