Re: Training a Chesapeake??


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Posted by jana on May 24, 2000 at 01:00:57:

In Reply to: Training a Chesapeake?? posted by Greg Bassham on April 08, 2000 at 18:50:05:

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: To: who it may concern

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: I am in search of any books, information, and advice on how to train a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. I have trained two Labs for hunting using Richard A. Wolters books, Game Dog and Water Dog, with good results. Yet from the limited information I can find on training Chessies, I have learned that the Chessie can not be trained using the training methods as described in Richard A. Wolters books and the many other hunting dog training books. I have also learned from the experience of trying to help train my bother's Chessie, that the training methods described in Richard A. Wolters and the many other hunting dog training books will work on a Chessie, but to more of a very limited degree compared to most retriever breeds. Furthermore I have heard from the few people that have owned Chessies that they can not be trained like a Lab, Golden, and the many other retriever breeds. I don't know if I am correct in assuming that the Chessie can not be trained using the methods that I am aware of but from what little bit of information I can find on the Chesapeake breed, what other conclusion can I arrive at.
: I looked through and read some of the recommended books on Chessies that are listed on the American Chesapeake Club web page. I even bought two books on Chessies; Complete Chesapeake Bay Retriever by Eloise Heller Cherry and The New Complete Chesapeake Bay Retriever by Janet Horn . Although the information in these books may have at most twenty pages on training the Chessie; nothing like Richard A. Wolters books where nearly the whole book is dedicated to training the dog. A lot of the books and other information I have read about Chessies including the two Chessie books I own, mainly talk about the origin of the breed, breed standards, and lists of records and stats of field trial, show, bench, and obedience champions in the chessie breed but a very general and brief discussion on the training. Who cares what particular dog was a field champion in 1969. To the hunter trying to train a Chessie, this information is of very little importance, unless maybe you're looking for a particular line of Chesapeake breed. Yet without the proper training there would not be all of these field trial, obedience, AKC hunt test champion dogs. I don't really see the point to extensively focusing on the history of the records and titles that other dogs held, unless there is an explanation of how to possibly bring your Chessie to achieve such titles some day. Is training a Chessie some big secret that only professional dog trainers know how to do? This is the feeling I get from all of the information that I have researched from books, magazines, and the web sites on the Internet.
: Gun Dog magazine had a comparative animated analogy of what is going through a Golden retriever, Lab, and Chesapeake's mind when they are under going training and it went as follows. Golden: " You really mean it? Any chance we can negotiate? Well, since you put it that way, why not? Whether you're a nice guy or a mean s.o.b., I want to be your buddy. Just testing." Lab: "Hey! That's what you want? Got it. Happy to oblige. Something more I can do for you? Anything reasonable is okay with me 'cause if you're happy, I'm happy." Chesapeake: Where is it graven in stone that you're the boss? Maybe you can make me do it. But I won't much like it. I can handle the rough stuff, but I appreciate a certain amount of reasonableness." Just thought I would share the small bit of humor.
: Even though, Chesapeakes are a rare dog breed, I think some of the reasons why it has remained an unpopular breed is because the Chessies are not easy to train and what seems to be the largest reason is because there is not any good information on train Chessies, as opposed to say Labs or Golden retrievers. Is this lack of training information on Chessies just a diversion or deterrent to keep the every day joe, from wanting or owning a Chessie? If the reason just given is true, therefore meaning possibly evading the utter destruction of the Chesapeake breed then it is a good reason to make the training information hard to find. Yet the Chessie being a non-popular dog is very good in the aspect that the breeding of the Chessie is less likely to be ruined by so called non-professional breeders and show dog people , thus meaning possibly less disease, physical abnormalities, and loss of the natural working and hunting instincts of the dog. The Labrador retriever breed because of its popularity has been prone to such problems.
: I've had Labs but they just don't measure up to a Chesapeake! The reasons just given and because the Chesapeake is the so called 4x4 hummer of the dog world is why I want a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. So if anyone can direct me to any good information on training a Chesapeake it will be greatly appreciated.

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: Thank you
: Greg Bassham
: e-mail: gcbassha@mtu.edu




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