# Lab or chessy?



## Honky

I'm thinking about getting another dog this upcoming year. I already have a small lab mix and when I say small I mean small. I would like a big enough dog for the geese in the field and one that can hold up to the cold temps we've had this early in the season. I know it's similiar to a chevy or ford question, but what do you guys think? I also do some upland hunting. Is a chessy going to handle the field well or is it to stout?


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## kevin.k

lab


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## Sasha and Abby

Lab :beer:


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## kgpcr

Lab all the way! Chessies are very headstrong and are a handful to train. they are great dogs for cold water work and some do ok at upland but a Lab will do it all.


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## tb

I've had both and really liked both. The idea that chessie are a handful is a myth. Just get the best pedigree you can afford, regardless of the breed.


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## Scott Schuchard

LAB!! i have some pups right now at 2 weeks if your intersted drop me a line i have both parents and they both hunt i kept a pup from the 1st litter and he is the best dog i have owned!


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## cut'em

I had a Lab and now have a chessy! I strongly feel a Chessy is a much differant dog than any other retreivers. Are they strong headed? You'd better be ready! They do what they want to do, which most the time is impress me. My Chessy is a year old and does things I never thought I'd ever get a dog to do. Hand signals, whistles comands, marking she does them all and I'm a simple pee-on in the training world just a goose hunter looking for a dog to bring afeild. I actually impress my freinds showing her off. I got to vote CHESSY! I'd never own anything else from here on out. A note to all you lab guys, Try a Chessie, you'll never go back!! :stirpot:


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## kevin.k

I have a pup from dr.deerhunters last litter, and i have to say IM VERY IMPRESSED GREAT DOG, absoultly love her great blood line she loves to hunt she has it all!!!!!!


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## Horsager

A few other dogs to consider would be a golden retriever, boyken spaniel, or labradoodle (yep it's a real breed now) 1/2lab-1/2 standard poodle, there are LOTS of others as well.


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## verg

Here's the perfect fit for you..A guy here in my area has chessy/lab pups ready to go. They were an ooops. He wants $100. Both hunters


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## CDK

Well I have to put my two cents in on this subject, there are excellent dogs in both breeds. I've owned a few of both and now own mainly chesssies. The sterieo types you hear about chessies for the most part are not true at least not to the extent that alot people will try to tell you, the chessie breed has went through alot of changes in the last 3o years, todays well bred chessies are as easy to train as most labs if you handle them right. They will also make just as good of an upland dog as a lab except maybe in very warm weather, but there cold weather endurance negates that issue. I always tell people that if you are only going to beable to work with your dog twice a week get a lab if you have the time get a well bred chessie and you won't be disappointed. Chessies don't do well cooped up in a kennel 5 days a week.


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## foxred

I've had both Chessies & Labs. My Chessie pup was from field trialing stock and turned out to be the best dog I have had. Worked really well on waterfowl and also on upland. When my grandchildren were quite young they would ride him, pull at his ears & he just loved them. Was a wonderful marker in the field. Somewhat protective of "his" yard, but in the field anyone could safely approach him, but not "his" truck. 
Now have a yellow lab w/o the field trialing background, but does a good job on both waterfowl & upland. She, however, is the dog that would guide a burglar to where the valuable are - too friendly!!!a
If you have time to work with the dog, I would vote Chessie.
Whatever you get, enjoy it!!!!.


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## gonehuntin'

A good dog is a good dog, not matter the color, no matter the breed. While I trained I had great labs and great chessies. I had more great labs than chessies simply because there are more labs than chessies. If you buy from a great field trial kennel or noted hunting stock, you can't go wrong. If it's going to be a house dog also, the chessies have more oil in their hair and do have a little more odor. One is as easy to train as the other as long as they are from tractable parents. Take every cent you have saved, buy from the best bloodlines you can find, and follow your heart as to the breed you want.


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## stonebroke

I breed Chessies. I currently have 3 of them. As other posts here have indicated, most of the myths about Chessies are just that.....myths. Years ago they may have been ill tempered, difficult to train, etc. but those traits have been bred out of todays Chessie for the most part. Your chances of getting a hardheaded, ill-tempered Chessie are no different than getting a Lab (or any other breed) with those traits.

Having said that, it's extremely important to get a pup from a breeder who knows what he's doing (regardless of the breed you choose). A good Lab or Chessie pup is not cheap.....it costs money to breed quality animals. There are Hip Certifications, CERF exams, stud fees, shipping expenses, etc. that are all costs of breeding a good dog. Stay away from the guy who happens to have an AKC registered dog and breeds it to his buddies AKC registered dog just because it's handy.

A good lab (emphasis on "GOOD") will work for anyone, but they are being bred to the hilt.....everybody and their brother is breeding them and most of the litters you see in the local newspapers are crap. If you decide on a Lab, do your homework. There are a few Chessie litters that are crap too, but they are not nearly as numerous as Labs.

Good Luck!


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## ryanps18

stonebroke said:


> I breed Chessies. I currently have 3 of them. As other posts here have indicated, most of the myths about Chessies are just that.....myths. Years ago they may have been ill tempered, difficult to train, etc. but those traits have been bred out of todays Chessie for the most part. Your chances of getting a hardheaded, ill-tempered Chessie are no different than getting a Lab (or any other breed) with those traits.
> 
> Having said that, it's extremely important to get a pup from a breeder who knows what he's doing (regardless of the breed you choose). A good Lab or Chessie pup is not cheap.....it costs money to breed quality animals. There are Hip Certifications, CERF exams, stud fees, shipping expenses, etc. that are all costs of breeding a good dog. Stay away from the guy who happens to have an AKC registered dog and breeds it to his buddies AKC registered dog just because it's handy.
> 
> A good lab (emphasis on "GOOD") will work for anyone, but they are being bred to the hilt.....everybody and their brother is breeding them and most of the litters you see in the local newspapers are crap. If you decide on a Lab, do your homework. There are a few Chessie litters that are crap too, but they are not nearly as numerous as Labs.
> 
> Good Luck!


Well said IO agree 100%


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## hunter564

I may be only 16 but I do know my dogs. I have owned and trained a chessy and a lab. I could not handle the chessy and my dad could not either so we gave him to an old farmer. Now I have a yello lab and she is the best dog i have honestly ever had. She behaves in the house and in the field. She may be only 1 year but she already has retrieved more birds then i have shot in my short hunting carrer. I must say that if your going to get another dog get a lab with some big parents. It will hold up in almost any weather conditions and be loyal to you and your family until the day it dies.


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## Chesador

With a Chesador you'll have wet feet no more. Check verg's post for the Lab/Chessie mix. Nice like a Lab but full of Chessie attitude and muscle.


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## Alex

Lab all they way!!!!


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## Gamefinder

Don't know if you have found what you want yet. First of all its what you want that counts not what others think you should want.

Have owned and bred Chesapeakes and flatcoats since 1953. I have also tried several Labs along the way and a few other breeds. A good dog that is bred to do the job and FAR MORE IMPORTANT, a dog from a litter that has been raised by someone who knows how to socialize pups and cares enough to take the time to make sure the pups are people oriented and have in their formative weeks in the nest been shown how to learn from a human.

As I see retrievers today there is great diversity. Some are over stuffed wallowing show dogs, others are bred to be totally wired programable coiled springs for field trials and alas, there are still some in each breed bred to live and work for their owners pleasure.

Good luck in your selection. And, remember the pup you choose is the one you will live with and hunt over so opinions from others are no substitute for you visiting dogs from each breed and diciding what best suits you.


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## stonebroke

hunter564 said:


> I may be only 16 but I do know my dogs. I have owned and trained a chessy and a lab. I could not handle the chessy and my dad could not either so we gave him to an old farmer. Now I have a yello lab and she is the best dog i have honestly ever had. She behaves in the house and in the field. She may be only 1 year but she already has retrieved more birds then i have shot in my short hunting carrer. I must say that if your going to get another dog get a lab with some big parents. It will hold up in almost any weather conditions and be loyal to you and your family until the day it dies.


A word to the wise (based on owning gundogs for close to 40 years now).....don't come to any conclusions on any breed based on having owned and trained one dog of any particular breed. Your next 10 Chessies could be top notch in every respect and/or your next 10 Labs could be worthless and vice versa. No two dogs are alike regardless of the breed....take my word for it.


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## Gamefinder

Every dog is an individual and every person doesn't fit every dog or any dog.


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## duckcommand

I too struggled with the Chessie or Lab dilema. I decided to get a Chessie male that is 9 weeks old today and the smartest pup so far that I have ever owned. He is already retrieving wings for me. He is already very attatched to me and my girlfirend. I have had labs and they are good dogs but decided I needed a dog that has a ton of drive and does great in very cold weather. Last year I saw a Chessie out duck hunting in the icy river and was amazed at the abilities the dog had. It was awesome.

I would go for a Chessie everyone has a lab. Get is from a reputable breeder and you won't be sorry.


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## stonebroke

duckcommand said:


> I too struggled with the Chessie or Lab dilema. I decided to get a Chessie male that is 9 weeks old today and the smartest pup so far that I have ever owned. He is already retrieving wings for me. He is already very attatched to me and my girlfirend. I have had labs and they are good dogs but decided I needed a dog that has a ton of drive and does great in very cold weather. Last year I saw a Chessie out duck hunting in the icy river and was amazed at the abilities the dog had. It was awesome.
> 
> I would go for a Chessie everyone has a lab. Get is from a reputable breeder and you won't be sorry.


One thing I've found since getting into Chessies is that once a person owns a good one, they are sold on them for life. I've had a lot of people contact me over the years who have had Labs and want to try a Chessie, but I've yet to talk to anyone who had a Chessie who wanted to switch to a Lab. Having said that, I'm sure there are a lot of people who have had a bad experience with a Chessie and went to a lab, but that has not been my experience. The majority of people I place pups with are people who have recently lost their old Chessie, have one that is getting up there in years, etc.

I have a new (well, 4 months old) Chessie pup that is sleeping at my feet as I type this. She's my shadow.... I can't even go to the bathroom without her following me. Would a Lab be the same? I have no idea....I'm guessing a well bred one would be. Ditto for most other breeds. To restate what I said earlier, the breed is not nearly as important as the breeder. A well bred dog is a well bred dog regardless of the breed and vice versa, and nothing a person can do will replace poor genes.


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## duckcommand

This little guy is awesome.









Seems like people are to quick to judge the Chessie breed. Most of them are not educated/experienced with the breend and have never had the great experience of owning a Chessie.


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## stonebroke

duckcommand said:


> This little guy is awesome.
> 
> 
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> 
> Seems like people are to quick to judge the Chessie breed. Most of them are not educated/experienced with the breend and have never had the great experience of owning a Chessie.


You're quite right. The problem as I see it is that people are "book experts". We are all guilty of believing what we read.....it's how we are raised. Most people who badmouth any breed are doing it based on something they read somewhere or another as opposed to first hand knowledge. Now if a professional trainer were to tell me he'd had 100 Chessies in to train (or labs, setters, or whatever.....take your pick) and the majority of them had problems, I'd be listening a little closer. However, when someone has seen or owned one or two dogs of any particular breed and think they are experts, that's a horse of a different color!!!

Another problem (again with any breed) is that most gundog owners leave a bit to be desired when it comes to training knowledge and skill (myself included!!!). Let's face it...... most of us will only train a handful of dogs in our lifetime. The result of that is the majority of dogs that I see in the field are very poorly trained. That certainly doesn't mean we can't bring home the bacon and have a ton of fun with a dog that isn't trained to a high level, but if an inexperienced trainer ends up with a dog (again, pick any breed) that is having problems the tendancy is to blame the dog and/or the breed rather than the trainers lack of skill. Again....human nature.

Going back to Pros and Chessies, I've read (I don't know this from first hand experience!!!) that some pros don't like Chessies because they train up differently than a Lab. Chessies do mature slower than a Lab. Pros like dogs they can run through their program as quickly as possible.......the faster they can train a dog, the more money they make. Chessies aren't the type of dog that you can plug into whatever program you like and have it work....sometimes yes, sometimes no. The other thing is that it takes a Chessie a while to "bond" to a trainer. It is true that they bond very closely to their owner and family and if shipped to a trainer, it might take a while before the dog will adjust.


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## verg

stonebroke,
i'm assuming you're a breeder?
Do you have a website? i have been very interested in chessies for a long time..i think i have just been to chicken sh!t to make the change. I have labs and they are good but...I have to admit, one reason i would like a chessy is cuz not many others have them. It's nice to be different once in awhile. 
Anyway, can you recommend any sites or books or articles etc that really give the facts of the new age chessy? I have heard they aren't so bull headed anymore. That is what scared me for a few years. I hunt mostly waterfowl but lots of pheasants too. Are chessies solid upland too. Sorry for vague questions, i am very interested but cautious. I am also a dying breed in that i like big dogs. Most seem to be going to 50-60 lb dogs. I prefer 80-85 lbers. I'd appreciate any info. 
thanks


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## brianb

Verg,

Here are some good sites for chessie info:

www.northernflight.com go to "magazine columns" He has a bunch of articles on training and one devoted to explaining the differences between labs and chessies.

http://www.chesapeakesunlimited.com/

http://www.cbrrescue.org/

American Chesapeake club 
http://www.cbrs4me.com/wwwboard/general/

You can google these CBR breeders for their websites:

Cursan
Westwinds
Cold creek
nordias


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## verg

thanks brian


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## stonebroke

verg said:


> stonebroke,
> i'm assuming you're a breeder?
> Do you have a website? i have been very interested in chessies for a long time..i think i have just been to chicken sh!t to make the change. I have labs and they are good but...I have to admit, one reason i would like a chessy is cuz not many others have them. It's nice to be different once in awhile.
> Anyway, can you recommend any sites or books or articles etc that really give the facts of the new age chessy? I have heard they aren't so bull headed anymore. That is what scared me for a few years. I hunt mostly waterfowl but lots of pheasants too. Are chessies solid upland too. Sorry for vague questions, i am very interested but cautious. I am also a dying breed in that i like big dogs. Most seem to be going to 50-60 lb dogs. I prefer 80-85 lbers. I'd appreciate any info.
> thanks


Yes, I have a website: http://www.geocities.com/stonebrokemt/homepage.html

I don't expect a litter until sometime this summer. In answer to some of your other questions, I'm not sure about books, etc. that discuss today's Chessie. I've read some magazine articles that address it, but don't remember where I read them! I hunt upland birds (primarily pheasants) exclusively with my Chessies......I'm not a waterfowl hunter. An outfitter here in town has used Chessies for his pheasant hunters for the past 20 years or more. He'll have nothing but a Chessie.

In regards to other breeders, litters, etc.  Northern Flight, as mentioned earlier, has some outstanding dogs but the last I heard Butch had a 2 year waiting list for pups. Here are a couple of breeders to check with who have excellent lines (they have websites). If they don't have any upcoming litters, they probably know who does.

Sorenson Retrievers....Gary Sorenson ...Minnesota
Nordais Chessies....Mario Beauregard....Quebec

If you look at the pedigrees on my website you will see dogs to look for in a pedigree. The Chessie gene pool is quite small......you will find many of these same dogs in most of the well bred litters you will look at. Chessies from Show lines will hunt, but it has been my experience that many don't have quite the hunting/retrieivng drive that a dog from field lines has (generally speaking). To clarify that, there really is no split in the breed between field and show lines. There are still Dual Champions within the breed. You'll find many Show dogs with AKC Hunt Test Titles, but you'll also see pedigrees of dogs from Show lines with no hunt test titles at all. Stay with the FC lines or Show lines with a lot of hunt test dogs and you'll be fine.


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## duckcommand

Stonebroke them are some nice looking dogs.


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## verg

thank you also stonebrook


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## Honky

Guys 
I appreciate all the feedback. I know it's tough with a question like the Chevy/Ford, but it's been great reading your opinions. I thought I might get a dog this spring but some unexpected truck bills have come about. I thought I was set on a lab, but now I'm starting to wonder what it would be like to own a Chessie. I'm doing more and more waterfowling and would love to see beast working in the cold temps. Keep the posts coming. Thanks Again


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## CDK

Another good web site is Team Chesapeake its all about feild peakes, My dog Bear is on the home page this month. There are a couple of litters listed there that should make great gundogs.


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