The Chesapeake Bay retriever has always been different from the other retrievers.
That’s because it was a dog with an actual economic function. The two breeds of curly most likely had this function originally, but the Labrador, golden, and flat-coated retrievers were gentlemen’s dogs. Their owners never relied upon their skills to make a living. They were used as sporting dogs that chivalrously picked up wounded birds– not a bad function in those days of British stoicism.
The Chesapeake, though, remained a meat dog. Restaurants that served wild game relied upon the “ducking dogs” to fetch scores of shot ducks, geese, rails, and other waterfowl.
The dogs were bred for function, and because the game they collected was meant to be sold, they were required to guard the daily catch.
For a Chessie, it mattered very little whether they tolerated strange dogs or not. British trial dogs had to accept strange dogs, so they were bred to be a bit softer. For a Chessie to be overly tolerant of other dogs or strangers would a behavioral fault.
The dogs have since been softened since the arrival of retriever trials and the standardization of the breed. It is still a tough retriever, and most of them are excellent watch dogs– much more so than goldens and Labs.
But the fundamental reason why the Chessie is different is that it was a meat dog. It was not a gentlemen’s trial dog.
Well, the flat-coats, goldens, and Labs made the living of the gamekeepers, didn’t they? And today, they make the livings of professional trainers. Most waterfowlers I know won’t hunt without a retriever because of the difficulty of retrieving game without one, and hunting is still a part of the economy in other ways, even though the meat is not needed for survival. In a way, trained working retrievers are still part of various small economies and are bred to be successful within them.
But I see and concede your point–Chessies ARE different because of their “meat dog” history, for sure.
But the British retrievers, save the curly (which had some history as poacher’s dog) were also used with multiple dogs. Shooting was like golf is today. In the case of goldens, I can imagine the bigwigs of the Liberal Party getting together to shoot over some blond and black dogs, some of which were brought from different estates. These dogs had to get along– or at least ignore each other. Further, they often had to tolerate index dogs and spaniels, simply because in Britain, there always has been a definite division of labor among gun dogs. You don’t often find upland game retrievers that also flush game. You might find a retrieving springer or cocker, but that’s not their fundamental purpose.
The Chesapeake worked on its own often in the open and rough ocean.
I agree they’re different in temperament, for sure.
That’s the official story, and this Chessie owner is sticking to it. But all of mine have shown the ability to learn from other breeds.
I had a golden that learned to be a varmint dog from a Norwegian elkhound– and she still retrieved.