Sounds like a deep subject but it is actually quite simple. We just have a few guiding principles that we follow. These principles determine what we are looking for in a dog as we pursue superior Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.
- Unlike some other breeds, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are dogs capable of looking good as they perform in the show ring and being equally adept in the field, doing what they are bred to do. This is what attracts all of us to the breed. Understanding these capabilities, we are striving to get the most of our dogs. Each of the dogs we breed will have participated in the conformation show ring in quest of a Championship and in hunt tests in quest of a Hunt Title. Dogs that show capabilities in one of these two venues will then be campaigned further. Not every dog will succeed in both venues. But, if they have exceptional strengths they will go into the breeding program with an eye toward strengthening their weaknesses.
- We believe in actually hunting our dogs, not just the tests. Our dogs, when of age and size, will get to the field or lake at some point. Some days the ducks or birds won’t cooperate, but the dogs will still have been afield and successfully experienced a hunting situation before we use them for breeding.
- We want every dog associated with our kennel to have the best possible long and healthy life. To that end, all our dogs will be evaluated as described in the the “health Procedures” section of this tab on the website.
- We understand that Chesapeake Bay Retrievers can be highly active and relatively large. Therefore, we want all our dogs to have a good disposition and the potential to be a family dog – in addition to any field activities. To achieve this, we are striving toward Canine Good Citizen titles for each of our dogs. We will continually work with our dogs, exposing them to different situations and people, in order to know that our breeding dogs are properly socialized.