Page 196 - SHOWSIGHT - JULY 2020
P. 196

                THE
CHESAPEAKE BAY RETRIEVER
1. Where do you live? What is your occupation? How many years in dogs?
2. Do you have any hobbies or interests apart from breeding and showing dogs?
3. What’s it like living/working with a Chesapeake Bay Retriever?
4. Can you speak to the breed’s size and substance?
5. How does the breed’s silhouette differ from that of its Retriever cousins?
6. Can you describe the Chessie’s ideal expression? Ideal coat?
7. Do judges (and breeders) ever betray a preference for color?
8. Any words about this Retriever’s temperament?
9. The AKC standard has seven disqualifications. Care
to elaborate?
10. Are there any well-kept secrets about the Chesapeake Bay Retriever?
11. Are there any current “trends” in breeding that should be continued or should be stopped ?
12. Is there anything else you’ d like to share about the breed? Please elaborate.
KAREN ANDERSON
I live in Monrovia, Maryland. I am secretary for my husband’s
business. I have been in dogs for 57 years and in Chesapeake Bay Retrievers for 51 years.
We (my husband and I) purchased our first Chesapeake Bay Retriever from Roedown Farm in Davidson, Maryland. He was from the old Native Shore lines and our foundation bitch was from Eloise Heller Cherry’s Baronland Kennels in California. Our ken- nel name is Chestnut Hills. We have won six American Chesapeake Club National Specialties, produced the number one Champion- producing sire for Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, and have multiple tracking, obedience and working/hunt titles.
Do I have any hobbies or interests apart from breeding and showing dogs? I was a Master Falconer and I still enjoy bonsai trees. What’s it like living/working with a Chesapeake Bay Retriever? Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are a part of my family. They are intel-
ligent, devoted, loyal, and protective.
Can I speak to the breed’s size and substance? When I look at a
Chesapeake in a line of Retrievers I see a burly, full-coated, substan- tial waterfowl Retriever.
Can I describe the Chessie’s ideal expression and coat? Chesa- peakes are alert. They have a double coat with a thick undercoat and a harsh outer coat with an oily base that helps protect them from the elements.
Do judges ever betray a preference for color? The major- ity of judges seem to have a color preference, usually for shades of brown. All the colors, sedge, dead grass and brown should be treated equally.
Any words about this Retriever’s temperament? They are not a Retriever for everyone. Most people do not put the time in for prop- er socialization of their puppy. I believe the breed has received a bad reputation because they are protective of their families and their
family’s possessions, just as if they were used to guard the hunter’s camps years ago.
The AKC standard has seven disqualifications. Care to elabo- rate? The disqualification for undershot, overshot or any deformity lacks an explanation for what clarifies the deformity. I have always understood that to mean deformities of the dog in general.
DIANE BAKER
Diane Baker has been involved in purebred dogs since the early 1980s. As a professional handler, she has finished or specialed dogs in all seven AKC Groups. A career highlight was winning the Working Group at Westminster Kennel Club in 1999 with Bernese Mountain Dog, Ch. Mentmore’s Windy Meadow. Breeding under the “Sandbar” prefix, her career in Chesapeakes has spanned well over three decades. She has bred, owned and/ or handled three National Specialty winners, multiple Best in Show dogs as well as many dogs that have risen to the number one spot. Sandbar continues to produce Champions, Hunt Test and performance-titled dogs.
I currently own and operate Paws Here, a full service pet resort in the Illinois Valley west of Chicago. We board, groom, train and show dogs. The resort is also the home of Sandbar Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and Xoloitcuintli. I also have a home on the Virginia side of the Chesapeake Bay. Much of my youth was spent watching Chesapeakes work in their native territory. It’s my pleasure to still be able to maintain my family home there. My first litter of purebred dogs was almost four decades ago. They were 13" Beagles. After seeing a pair of Rottweilers at a horse farm I worked at, I acquired a few and developed an interest in showing and in obedience. My involvement with Chessies came soon thereafter when I was hired to show a Special that later became the foundation bitch for Sandbar.
Hobbies and interests apart from breeding and showing dogs? After many years as a professional horseman, I still maintain an active interest in horses and ponies.
What’s it like living and working with a Chesapeake Bay Retriev- er? The characteristics that make a Chessie a superior hunting dog can make living with them a pleasant challenge. They are problem solvers, tenacious, protective and driven. As a market hunter, these are all traits that made them exceptional at their job. They have a “never give up” attitude. The same things that keep them going after waterfowl and upland birds despite the most adverse condi- tions are also the traits that keep them going after your trash can after you told them no repeatedly! You must be a creative trainer. If you’re looking for a devoted worker, this breed has no equal. We say they are like the Marine Corps: “First in and last out!”
Can I speak to the breed’s size and substance? Chessies have a fairly wide range in ideal height from the bottom of bitches (21") to the top of dogs (26"). This range allows for Chesapeakes to be a working Retriever in a variety of different scenarios and conditions. A smaller dog may be well-suited to a tree stand in a Louisiana swamp, while a bigger dog might be necessary to clear cut corn stalks in the frozen plains of the upper Midwest. It is most impor- tant that this breed maintains its versatile and functional working characteristics. Proportion and substance are also important fac- tors. A Chesapeake should be a powerful dog, showing no sign >
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