Chesapeake Bay Retriever vs Labrador Retriever?

[Mac in Wisco]

We had two male CBRs when I was growing up. As others have said, they are temperamental, stubborn, one-man dogs. Very flighty, always full of energy. They are excellent water dogs though. Ours always had a seriousness about them, always wanting to be in the water retrieving something. They lacked that playful puppyness that seems to follow Labs well into adulthood. If you want a working dog and want to spend an inordinate of time training and working them then a CBR may be the dog for you. If you want a pet that can also retrieve for a few weekends in the fall go with a Lab.

We used to load ours up in the back of the pickup and drive them down to the boat landing. As soon as they seen any glimpse of the water they would go nuts in the back of the truck. As soon as the truck slowed enough they would be out of the back heading towards the water at 50 miles per hour. They'd take a flying leap, clear ten feet of water, plunge in and swim around for hours. We'd pick up softball sized rocks (or larger) from the landing and throw them into the water. They'd dive down six feet into the muddy water, retrieve the rocks from the bottom, and swim back to shore, their jaws barely able to fit around the rocks.

 

[CTChick]

We have two labs - a yellow American lab, Brandy and a black English lab, Jake. Brandy is in the water in a second, retrieves anything - even tries to pull the kayake to shore! Jake is more cautious, but so sweet and docile. English labs tend to be shorter, squatter in build and better "pets" - American labs are taller with longer legs, higher energy. Read the book "Marley and Me" (hint: Marley was an American lab)!

I have met Chessies, they are great dogs but high energy and stubborn. My vote is for an English Lab - and make sure those hips are sound!

Laura

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
Thank you very much for this input. I was very curious about the English labs. It just seems that most of the time American lines have more "issues" than others. I know this is the case with "my" breed of dog, GSD.

 

[CTChick]

Oh - but one more thing about labs. We had our first fox this morning in broad daylight (9:30 am) so much for the whole "they only hunt at dawn and dusk" myth. ANYWAY, this fox had one of our guinea fowl cornered by the pen and our labs Brandy and Jake were right on it - Brandy made a beeline straight at him, Jake circled around the back of the pen to cut him off if he went up into the woods (smart, huh?). Brandy almost caught him but stopped because of the invisible fence. So chalk one more up for the labs! They were heros today!

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
Give those pups a good treat.

I think given the two temperments of the breeds, Labs will be the way to go. Adam is a very laid back man, so a high-strung stubborn dog wouldn't be for him.

 

[Tala]

I think you can hear anything, and get just about anything.

My dog is mainly Chow/Lab. Everyone says that Chow Chows are stubborn, one man dogs and somewhat agressive. Everyone says that Labs chew everything, retreive anything and stay puppies forever.

My dog is NONE of that.

She's the most eager to please, loves several family members (doesn't seem stuck on ONE person), loud bark but too shy to bite, NEVER went through a serious chewing phase, does NOT fetch, and really was always pretty "mature" acting even as a puppy.

I think with genetics it's always a toss up.

 

[Slinkytoys]

I have been involved with Chessies for over 30 years. What most people call stubborn is intelligence. You have to be smart to own a Chessie. They are tough, stoic and a loyal as all get out. I travel all over the country and other parts of the world, often by myself, with little fear. I know my Chessies would lay down their lives for me. What I have to be careful of when placing my pups, is to make sure the new owners are willing to be the pack leader. If they won't, the dog will be. As I said, they are smart. They also have long memories, they will remember meeting someone years later. Once part of the family, no one will hurt your child, steal your things nor will you be bored. My 5 mos. old puppy knows the hand signal for sit, lie down and stand. He gives paw, crawls and rolls over. Comes directly to me at a whistle and sits up. All taught without wearing a collar.
I've worked with and shown Labs and Goldens, enjoying them but I find that my Chessies are the best fit for me. My dogs are in homes with senior citizens, and familes with young children, hunters and yuppies. It's important to fit the right dog with the person which is true with any breed.
Enjoy whatever dog you decide on, after all they are love on four legs.
Carrie McLean

 

[KotaDVM]

Quote:
I couldn't handle owning a dog that is smarter than I am

Everyone has been very spot on with the CBR personality- as a native Marylander I have worked with a lot of Chessies in the veterinary field and generally they are more difficult to work with compared to labs. They hold grudges much longer against veterinarians

 

[wawa]

I have had them all and my favorite so far is my chocalate lab,The chessie I had was a great dog,he was a one owner dog though and would have never considered keeping him inside with us.The natural oils in their coat causes a little smell. Currently we have the chocolate and her son a yellow lab.The yellow lab is fine just not as smart as his chocolate mother.The black lab i had was a great dog also.So to rap it up I loved my Chessie but recommend and color lab.

 

[MsMelvin]

The bad rap the chocolates get is due to the fact most of the purebred chocolates are American bred, that is, aimed at hunting, retreiving all day. They are hyper, intentionally high strung and take longer to mature and settle down. Owned one, she was sweet but stubborn, although I absolutely adored her.

English bred, shorter but heavier build, laid back but can be fired up on a drop of a hat! Some folks call them block heads due to the tell tale English bloodline skull design. These dogs can due it all but still relax at your feet as you watch tv...or whatever.

Chocolates are my favorite, but love my blacks as well. Don't have experience with yellows but can recommend that you not buy from a breeder that is mixing chocolates with yellow genes...it's a no no (nothing personal, it causes washed out color particularly on the nose and is considered a"fault"). Chocolate with black is acceptable and helps to keep the chocolate color dark.

With that being said, you should be able to go back 5 generations on your purebred pups pedigree to find the hips, elbows, eyesight to be cleared. This is no guarantee that your dog will not have Lab typical problems but reduces the possibilities dramatically.

As far as gender; my experience shows the females to be more sensitive to leaders movement where as the boys seem more sensitive to environmental surroundings. That could just be my crazy labbies though....'er should I say upside down couch taters....

Good luck in what ever breed you decide...k9's are great!