# waterfowl dog?



## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

i can't vouch for how hard it was to train a chessie...i thought they came outa the womb already trained?


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## FullBody (Nov 4, 2008)

The chessie is starting to get a Chuck Norris like aura to it on this forum.


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## jathward (Jul 31, 2011)

I have a chessie and ive had labs.they both make great dogs.i must say though, there's no other dog out there with a drive like a chessie.

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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

FullBody said:


> The chessie is starting to get a Chuck Norris like aura to it on this forum.


my chessie doesn't retrieve ducks, he just stares at them til they jump in the boat.


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## FullBody (Nov 4, 2008)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> my chessie doesn't retrieve ducks, he just stares at them til they jump in the boat.


:lol:


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## lewy149 (Apr 19, 2007)

Find me some labs this good looking









My buddies r in for an eye opener this fall. They have junk labs, im not mocking the breed, and couldn't believe i was so stuck on a chessie. My dog will do more at 7 months this fall then theirs ever will. 2 things happened. A 5 year old dog spent like an hour trying to bail out of the boat only to have us kill a duck swim out n back with no duck. 2 Nd buddies dog made like 15 short retrieves n was to tired to hunt the next day?? Mostly handling issues but a chessie drown before it ever let me down. Its y they were bread and hunted the way they were. But u have to be a chessie person to get ne thing from um. I had to give up ever being alone in my house. Dog wouldn't ever leave me alone


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## Mkeehn (Aug 27, 2010)

The best thing I can say if you are still undecided is to go and visit breeders for both Labs and Chessies and go from there. Meet the dogs and the people and see which dog will work for you and your family.
It really is an individuals choice. I Have chessies but have seen and worked with some very nice labs.

Dan sounds like Tanner is doing well. Tanner was always special from the day he came into rescue. I am very glad he found his wonderful forever home.

Michelle


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## lewy149 (Apr 19, 2007)

super pumped 2.5 weeks and then in july the bby can't wait


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## montrose trapper (Nov 14, 2006)

Lewy,
Are you getting a male or a female? My female seems to be more posessive of "her" ducks than my male does. My male is more focused on the next dummy being thrown than worrying about my dads golden retriever coming to steal his retrieve. My female on the other hand would fight a wolverine to the death over a duck. When she was a pup (like 4 months) she put a whoopin on my buddies full grown lab that broke and tried to cut her retrieve off. A person on the other hand can walk up and take it from her no problem. Also neither one has any type of food agression or anything else. I guess they all have their quirks

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## Bow Hunter Brandon (Jan 15, 2003)

Wow,
I am starting to feel bad for the Lab guys they never chime in anymore. That or they have all given up and gotten real dogs and there are no more lab guys. 

Ok, I wanted to say one thing first since its been mentioned that you need to be "firm" with a Chessie or show them who is boss. Yes to some extent that is true with the breed. But in my experience its not a big deal. Here is an example. My buddy dropped off his three baydogs with me for a week. One of them Chase is a bit of an alpha. So when he was dropped off my buddy had his collar on him handed me the remote and left. I waited for a good opportunity to give Chase a command. I think it was just to "leave it" leave something alone... He of course did not listen to me so I pushed the button and repeated leave it! He did and then came over an healed up as if to say. "Oh your my guy got it!" He did not leave my side for that week waited for me to come home from work and I even allowed him to come upstairs and sleep in the doorway of my bedroom. It was not a knock down drag out brawl to show him who the Alpha was but yes I showed him. Simply training your dog, proper collar conditioning and OB will teach them who is boss. The 2x4 you hear about is seldom needed and lots of Chessies are screwed up by first time owners that are to concerned about keeping them in line and in doing so are to hard on them. That and not socializing the hell out of them as a pup... Missing out on socializing them can make for a nightmare of a Chessie. That's where a lot of the mean ones you hear about came from. After all remember they were bread to do two things. Retrieve every duck they saw and guard those ducks after they got them. Its in all of them to some extent and you need to do your work when they are a pup to keep those traits from being a problem... in a well trained well socialized pup they are an asset. In a poorly trained poorly socialized pup they are a serious problem.


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## chemo13 (May 10, 2006)

I'm new to water dogs, and I think that getting my lab was a good choice for me. I'm a softy and a try go get along guy so at this point in my life a lab was a good fit.
My dog also hangs out in my office. I'm a primary care doc so I wanted a dog that would be able to be easily corrected and be able to mingle freely with my patients. People seem to be very accepting of the dog and immediately recognize him as a lab and thus "friendly". He's been in the office since nine weeks old and got more Christmas gifts from patients than I did!
Lastly a trainer told me,"You train a lab, and you negoitate with a chessie."

Either way I'm sure you'll enjoy your new hunting partner
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## lewy149 (Apr 19, 2007)

Im getting a male and my last one was a male. Thing about it was he was my dog and no one elses. He listened to there people but cared for no one but me. The most loyal dog I've ever seen. Was nice to everyone and let anyone I was hunting with take a duck from him, but his goal was to bring it to me. As far as recognizing it your lab as a lab, put a chessie in your office and 9/10 people will say its the prettiest chocolate lab ever. Most have no idea what one is. And I agree Brandon it depends on the dog and how firm. Tanker did listen to anyone he thought he could run over, but a few honks on the head with a news paper and we listened. Not even hard it was just the sound. Or put a collar on him and you didn't even have to have the remote. I think if you have any doubt in your mind its only fair to the dog to go with a lab.. a chessie is a whole different dog


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## anon442018 (Jul 12, 2010)

After reading some of these posts and scanning others I decided to add my $.02. We have had two labs and we have Chesapeake Bay Retrievers now. I would not go back to a Lab mostly because the Chessies have trained me to like what they are and how they are. I will say that they have their quirks and they require a good deal of attention and training. There are two that live with us and they are house dogs. The female is 6 years old, very protective and territorial. She is a good watchdog and she volunteers with me working with Special Educ. students. She is a very affectionate and loving dog. The male we have is extra large(not fat) and he is more affectionate than the female. He too works with Special ed. students and thinks nothing of trying to get in the wheelchair with some of them. At 104 lbs. that doesn't always work. The female is the dominant dog here but the male at times will get assertive. His personality could be compared to a Clydesdale, *a gentle giant*. The one thing I have noticed about the Chessie breeders we have purchased from is "the interview". These people want to talk with you and find out about you as a prospective owner. There are folks they would not sell a dog to. I would never recommend a Chessie to a novice owner or trainer. The dogs we have had would drive you nuts and the dogs would have a lot of fun on that trip. They develop vocabularies and habits. They can be excellent Leader Dogs but they can easily become a one person dog. When they test you, you better be ready to pass the test to indicate you are in charge. The last thing is being physical. I have never had to get physical with one or our dogs, most always a firm voice and eye contact will do the job. There are several important things to remember about these dogs; Socailization; Continuing Education and exposing them to all types of situations. They can be very skeptical about anything out of the ordinary or something they have never seen or expeirienced. Good Luck with your decision.


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## Socks (Jan 8, 2007)

Bow Hunter Brandon said:


> Wow,
> I am starting to feel bad for the Lab guys they never chime in anymore. That or they have all given up and gotten real dogs and there are no more lab guys.


Meh. When you've got the best there's not reason to thump our chest and brag how good our labs are.

Seriously I like chessies, but I'm a lab guy for various reasons. Temperment, trainability, less chance of aggression/territorial issues (yeah, yeah don't give me that breeding training crap. Chessie owners all say this, but turn around say no one messes with their boats/cars/homes), and personality. I also don't think this is a good breed for first time hunting dog owners or even pet dog owners.

I don't hunt super cold water so that's not an issue with me. I also hunt upland(which chessie's do too), took up waterfowl because of my dog. At the end of the day he's a pet and a lab's personality better suits my personality.


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## anon442018 (Jul 12, 2010)

Well here is another $.02 worth. Our Cheesies stay in a fenced yard and I do worry about the aggression issue BUT when we are out and about, the dogs are on leashes and if need be we will shorten up the leads. The dogs here are worked every day on obedience. Chessies are a lot easier when they have a set of guidelines which they have to conform. I don't hunt ducks much, went out once last year. These dogs are certainly not for everyone. They have unique personalities and folks comment how well behaved they are. When we have someone come in and look after they have assured me they do behave for them.


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## lewy149 (Apr 19, 2007)

Socks said:


> Meh. When you've got the best there's not reason to thump our chest and brag how good our labs are.
> 
> Seriously I like chessies, but I'm a lab guy for various reasons. Temperment, trainability, less chance of aggression/territorial issues (yeah, yeah don't give me that breeding training crap. Chessie owners all say this, but turn around say no one messes with their boats/cars/homes), and personality. I also don't think this is a good breed for first time hunting dog owners or even pet dog owners.
> 
> I don't hunt super cold water so that's not an issue with me. I also hunt upland(which chessie's do too), took up waterfowl because of my dog. At the end of the day he's a pet and a lab's personality better suits my personality.


I agree, tanker was never aggressive until something was wrong. Like show up at 2 am and he'd never met. The training was there so that new people showed up in the daylight he was happy. The breed made him not trust people when he was in the house alone or at night. But again he met u once, he was cool forever. No idea how he remembered people. I didn't need a leash he was always at my side. That came through training n the one time he hit a hot deer trail. He made a good dual purpose dog. He was a good flusher.


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## Bow Hunter Brandon (Jan 15, 2003)

Socks,
I agree with you on the new dog owner / trainer aspect. I think putting someone who is inexperianced with training and dogs in general with a Chessie is just asking to create problems. They would be better off owning a lab. I have said it before. You can do a bad job training a lab and make lots of mistakes. Probably the worse thing that will happen is you will get a decent house pet that does not hunt. Do the same with a Chessie and you get a possessive, possibly aggressive towards strangers, and slightly necrotic dog that will still hunt well but not give you any of the birds after it retrieves them and it will be a terrible pet. 

I like both breeds but I like the "strange" in the personality of the Chessies its what endears them to me. If I walk to fast across the yard mine will jump back and forth in front of me barking. Kinda a backwards jump so I don't run into her. Its crazy and often times when I am walking quickly its because I am in a hurry so her behavior at the time pisses me off. But it really is kinda funny in hindsight. I have no idea why she does it but she sure seems to be enjoying herself. :lol:


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## tdduckman (Jan 17, 2001)

I have never understood the Chessie Vs Lab Arguement

the answer is Neither.











When you want a dog that can hunt on land and water, loves everyone, looks good, has the best nose, and is the most intelligent .

Get a field breed Golden.

TD


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## lewy149 (Apr 19, 2007)

tdduckman said:


> I have never understood the Chessie Vs Lab Arguement
> 
> the answer is Neither.
> 
> ...


Not even in the ball park


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## tdduckman (Jan 17, 2001)

lewy149 said:


> Not even in the ball park


Dont hate on what you dont understand :lol:












I have hunted over chessies and labs 

But nothing beats a Great Golden from Field lines.

They do it with style.


TD


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## Bow Hunter Brandon (Jan 15, 2003)

Socks said:


> Yep Fullbody did do a good post, but I still think a chessie is not the best dog for a first time dog or hunting dog owner. Maybe if they have some experience in training other animals. Like a donkey or a mule and use of a 2x4. Just kidding about the last sentence.


I certainly agree that a first time trainer / owner should be cautious about getting a Chessie. As a first time owner / trainer your bound to make lots of mistakes and that could be a problem with the breed. However, if the new owner has support of other trainers to help him get started it can work out well.


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## Bow Hunter Brandon (Jan 15, 2003)

Can you say quirk? I love them buy man they are a little off some times...


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Bow Hunter Brandon said:


> Can you say quirk? I love them buy man they are a little off some times...


lol that should be a chessie poster for all new owners.


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## panfishking (Jan 2, 2011)

I have had both labs and chessies. Both are great waterfowl dogs. My chessie's have all been more terratorial than the labs. If my chessie doesn't know you, and you try to pet him over the fence, you may be missing a finger. But he is excellent with my kids. If me and the wife wrestle around, he comes after me. Which is what I want him to do. Its all preference, and how you train them. They are both excellent dogs. Some labs seem to be a little more bashful, which I have never saw a bashful chessie.


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## Chessieman (Dec 8, 2009)

Have any of you seen a mixed breed (both AKC) with a Chesee that is outstanding? My best "FFG" dog was two breeds combined, but no Chesee blood. It seems this breed with a little "downer" blood might be the untimate.


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## Socks (Jan 8, 2007)

Bow Hunter Brandon said:


> I certainly agree that a first time trainer / owner should be cautious about getting a Chessie. As a first time owner / trainer your bound to make lots of mistakes and that could be a problem with the breed. *However, if the new owner has support of other trainers to help him get started it can work out well.[/*QUOTE]
> 
> That's a good point.


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## Bellyup (Nov 13, 2007)

panfishking said:


> I have had both labs and chessies. Both are great waterfowl dogs. My chessie's have all been more terratorial than the labs. If my chessie doesn't know you, and you try to pet him over the fence, you may be missing a finger. But he is excellent with my kids. If me and the wife wrestle around, he comes after me. Which is what I want him to do. Its all preference, and how you train them. They are both excellent dogs. Some labs seem to be a little more bashful, which I have never saw a bashful chessie.


Must be tough to, ummm,....... ahhhhh..... wrestle with your wife when your Chessie sides with her. Sorry about your luck. I think I would close the door. :lol::evil:


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