Chesapeake Bay Retriever Breeders UK: Advertise Your Kennel Free

Advertise your Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppies, litters and stud dogs

Breed Chesapeake Bay Retrievers? With around 100 puppies born in the UK each year, by the breed club's estimate, buyers and bitch owners often have to search hard for health-tested Chessies. List your kennel on caninebreeder.co.uk to advertise Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppies for sale, promote your Chesapeake Bay Retriever stud dog, and show your hip, elbow, eye and DNA results alongside your working or show record. Getting started is free: add your breeder listing, or compare enhanced profiles on our pricing page.

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Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Chesapeake Bay Retriever

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever, often called the Chessie, is a large, strongly built retriever in The Royal Kennel Club's (RKC) Gundog group. It takes its name from Chesapeake Bay on the Atlantic coast of the United States, where it was used to retrieve ducks from icy water. The RKC breed page traces it to crosses between Newfoundland dogs and retrievers, bringing together water ability and retrieving skill. The RKC describes it as a more substantial dog than the Labrador, noted for strength, stamina and a strong will to work.

Size and build

The breed standard describes a well-proportioned, active worker with a strong, muscular appearance. Dogs stand 58 to 66 cm at the shoulder and bitches 53 to 61 cm, and dogs above or below that range are regarded as highly undesirable. Movement should be strong and powerful yet smooth, free and effortless.

Coat and grooming

The coat is the breed's defining feature. It is thick and fairly short, no more than about 4 cm, with a harsh, oily outer coat over a dense, woolly undercoat that resists water and protects the dog in cold, wet conditions. Permitted colours are shades of brown, sedge, ash and dead grass, which the RKC links to camouflage when working; solid colours are preferred, and small white marks on the chest, belly, toes or back of the feet are allowed. The RKC suggests grooming once a week, and the breed sheds.

Exercise and home

The RKC gives exercise needs of more than two hours a day and a lifespan of over 10 years, and suggests a large house with a large garden, in the country. Its love of water and retrieving suits wildfowling, picking up and gundog working tests.

Temperament

The standard describes a courageous, keen worker with a bright, happy disposition, alert and intelligent, independent and affectionate but reserved with strangers. That independence means consistent training and early socialisation matter. The Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club encourages would-be owners to meet adult Chessies and talk to their owners before looking at puppies.

You can also compare the Labrador Retriever, Curly Coated Retriever and Flat Coated Retriever, or browse all Gundog breed breeders.

Chesapeake Bay Retriever health tests

The RKC's Health Standard lists four Good Practice steps for Chesapeake Bay Retriever breeders: prioritising genetic diversity, hip scoring under the BVA/RKC Hip Dysplasia Scheme, elbow grading under the BVA/RKC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme, and a DNA test for degenerative myelopathy (DM), a progressive disease of the spinal cord. At Best Practice level it adds a DNA test for prcd-PRA, an inherited form of progressive retinal atrophy that leads to blindness, and eye examination under the BVA/RKC/ISDS Eye Scheme.

The breed club's health page reports a high prevalence of DM in the breed and advises that breeding dogs have their eyes checked every year, partly to look for hereditary cataract. Under the BVA schemes, a dog must be at least one year old for hip and elbow X-rays. The club also notes that a DNA test exists for exercise-induced collapse (EIC), though it knows of no Chessie in the UK diagnosed with it so far. The RKC currently sets no breed-specific breeding restrictions.

Prioritising genetic diversity (RKC Good Practice)
BVA/RKC Hip Dysplasia Scheme (RKC Good Practice)
BVA/RKC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme (RKC Good Practice)
DNA test for degenerative myelopathy (DM) (RKC Good Practice)
DNA test for progressive retinal atrophy (prcd-PRA) (RKC Best Practice)
BVA/RKC/ISDS Eye Scheme (RKC Best Practice; the breed club advises annual eye testing)
Breed Watch: Category 1 (no breed-specific points of concern currently identified)

Choosing a Chesapeake Bay Retriever breeder

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club advises buyers to check that both parents have been tested for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, PRA, DM and hereditary cataract. A good breeder will show you those results, most of which can be confirmed on the RKC Health Test Results Finder, and each parent should have had an eye examination within the past year. The club's stud dog guidance says that a bitch carrying DM or PRA must be mated to a clear dog, because two carriers can produce affected puppies.

Expect to meet the mother at the breeder's home and, where possible, the father too. If you want a working dog, ask to see the parents retrieve. A careful breeder will ask about your home, your time and your plans, will be frank that this is an independent breed that can be reserved with strangers, and will provide a contract and take a dog back if needed. In England, anyone who breeds three or more litters in any 12 months and sells any of the puppies, or runs a dog breeding business, needs a council licence.

Can I see both parents' hip and elbow results and their DM and prcd-PRA DNA results?
When were the parents last eye tested under the BVA/RKC/ISDS scheme?
Can I meet the mother, and the father if possible?
What is the litter's coefficient of inbreeding compared with the breed average?
Are the parents from working, show or dual-purpose lines, and how are they used?

Chesapeake Bay Retriever questions

How much exercise does a Chesapeake Bay Retriever need?

The RKC puts it at more than two hours a day and suggests a large house and garden in the country. The breed standard notes a strong love of water, and Chessies benefit from regular work or training.

How is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever different from a Labrador?

The RKC describes the Chessie as a more substantial dog than the Labrador. It has an oily, water-resistant double coat in shades of brown, sedge, ash or dead grass, and the breed standard describes it as independent and reserved with strangers.

What health tests should Chesapeake Bay Retriever parents have?

The RKC recommends hip and elbow scoring, a DNA test for degenerative myelopathy and attention to genetic diversity, plus a prcd-PRA DNA test and eye examination as best practice. The breed club also advises annual eye checks for breeding dogs.

Is it hard to find a Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppy in the UK?

It can take time. The breed club estimates around 100 puppies are born in the UK each year, mostly from breeders who have occasional litters, so waiting lists are common.

Chesapeake Bay Retriever breeders