# Where's the Chessy's



## lecub (Mar 14, 2003)

Just got back from a 2 day retriever hunt test 149 dogs entered, 130 labs,16 goldens, 3 flat coats 0 chessy's. We used to see a lot of Chessys in years past. Did this breed fall out of favor with hunters/trainers?
what do you think?


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## mdaniel (May 2, 2007)

Top five AKC ranking

2006 Rank Breed 2005 Rank 
1 Retrievers (Labrador) 1  
2 Yorkshire Terriers 3 
3 German Shepherd Dogs 4 
4 Retrievers (Golden) 2 
5 Beagles 5

Working Retriever Central!
AKC-Licensed Retriever Field Trial Calendar

June 8-10, 2007 
North Dakota Retriever Club 
Glyndon MN 
Chad Engels 
3415 8th Street W 
West Fargo ND 58078 
701-388-6614


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## stonebroke (Dec 16, 2004)

I suspect the Chessie owner just got tired of showing the Lab owners 
up. :wink:

More seriously, it's hard to say why there were no Chessies there. AKC has approximately 160,000 labs registered and only about 5,000 Chessies so that is probably part of the reason. And of course there are a ton of people who own Goldens also. Chessies certainly haven't fallen out of favor with folks. When I have a litter of pups I always have more demand than I can meet, but I think the Chessie lovers are definitely a small percentage of people who have retrievers.


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## brianb (Dec 27, 2005)

That's suprising about the number of flatcoats. Probably all owned by the same person.

Chessies are usually solidly in third place in numbers at tests. I know in WI they are better represented. Several larger breeders in that state.

I would expect to see 5 or so at a test that size. Which would probably be 2 or 3 owners. So it doesn't take too many people choosing to stay home or go to a different test and you have none.

Chessies will never come close to labs or goldens in popularity. They hover pretty constant around the 4,000 registered dogs annually. This is a nice size, gives a good breeding pool but doesn't get the breed split between show and field as much as the labs and goldens.


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## stonebroke (Dec 16, 2004)

Yes, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever is one of the few breeds left where there isn't a large split between field and show lines. If you look closely at pedigrees from what most people consider straight "Field Lines", you'll find a number of dual champions as well as show champions with hunt test titles along with the dogs with field trial titles. There are, however, some Chessie lines that are pretty much straight show (with a few hunt test dogs). Whether these dogs have retained as strong a hunting and retrieving instinct as the dogs from the stronger field lines, I don't know....I've never owned one.


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## Gamefinder (Jan 11, 2007)

I'd guess most Chessie owners were happily doing their own thing at home. Hunt tests are certainly like field trials games onto their own and no reflection on the actual purpose of the breed which is hunting for their owner and being part of the owners family. Regretably I do not agree that Chessies and flatcoats (have both breeds for more than 50 years ) are clinging to the dual purpose legacy. The sad reality is that in both many, Too, Too many are suburban couch potatoes, and backyard tennis ball chasers all too often shown shown and perhaps as a sideline occassionally hunted or run in a hunt test or two. In Chessies there is still a large silent majority of hunters that never compete in public and a minority of field trial animals owened by total control freaks who fear having a dog that like the Chessie should, can think for itself. Flatcoats have regretably gone very deeply to the show/obedience/agility minded suburbanite with very few on either side of the Atlantic actually selected for and bred to hunt. It may be getting harder to find really representative Chessies in the coutryside bred first and foremost for hunting but in flatcoats this element has sunk to a tiny minority. To replenish the long established hunting stock I keep within the last year searched out and acquired semen from a dog in a rural part of Norway and just returned with two young ***** puppies from northern Scotland. In the Chessies the last litter I bred was distributed to east coast, midwestern and west coast hunters who did not feel any of the local dogs, while very good looking or highflying trial automatons really suited their personal shooting needs. I know that some will not agree with my assessment and will wish to counter with the breed clubs set in stone propoganda line of dual purpose. But, for a hunter a dual purpose dog is a solid trainable but problem solving hunting companion that may in the off season go to a show or two or perhaps run in a HT or FT. With creeping housing developements, paved over super malls and general urbanization in our society the retriever and for that matter all hunting dog owners that truely want a hunting dog first that is by coincidence as good looking and correct as possible will continue to shrink in the scheme of things.[/b]


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## hunter9494 (Jan 21, 2007)

well, there is no doubt the soccer moms and the idiots that are out crossing for designer dogs (labradoddles, etc.) are melting down the true hunting breeds at an alarming rate. and true, many of the remaining good lines are in Europe and Scandinavia where people have, to some degree, respected and tried to preserve the best elements that remain available.

the other side of the coin is the expense incurred by well-meaning folks (like yourself) who try to rescue the superior bloodlines and import them and put them in the hands of real hunters who hopefully have an interest in preservation of the breed and it's improvement. unfortunately many balk at the price of such an animal and thoroughly don't understand the work, expense and effort/time that goes into re introducing superior hunting dogs to this country. good luck with your project.


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## Gamefinder (Jan 11, 2007)

The really sad thing is that the unban trends are on both sides of the Atlantic. The vast majority in Britain and Scandinavia are just like here pets and show dogs not true workers. There are many slick advertizements from Sweden and England/Ireland about working dogs but most of these come from what we over here classify as puppy farms.


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