They are strong, muscular, courageous and powerful dogs – their barrel chests are used to break the ice when retrieving in cold weather. Chessies are committed hunters, intelligent, and intensely loyal to their owner, with high guarding and protective instincts.
They have a double, oily, wavy coat that makes them waterproof and webbed feet for swimming. Although they can be mistaken for Labradors, they’re very different from the latter. As one ’fowler said: “A Lab will retrieve a can of beer from the fridge, but a Chessie can retrieve it, drink it and crush the can on his head.”
Ideal as a family-friendly gundog, they require lots of social stimulus and exercise. You must be as committed to your Chessie as they are to you – but on the coldest shore, in the harshest conditions, a Chessie is willing to hunt and retrieve again and again.