Are Chesapeake Bay Retrievers Good Family Dogs?

If you have small children in the house or you are looking for a good family dog, you might be checking into the Chesapeake Bay Retriever as a breed. 

Many people know that Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers are good for families, but not everyone is sure about Chesapeake Bay Retrievers since they tend to be more dominant and more high-energy than other retrievers. 

Are Chesapeake Bay Retrievers Good Family Dogs? 

Chesapeake Bay Retrievers can be good family dogs if you train them properly and if you teach them boundaries. They do tend to be more dominant than other dog breeds, so everyone in the family needs to learn how to be self-assertive when it comes to speaking to the dog. 

They are protective over their family members, so they will also look after your children and be good guard dogs. 

Whether you have small children or grown-up children, you might be wondering if a Chessie dog will act okay around your kids and other members of the family.

We will discuss how to treat Chessies to make sure they are trained and ready to be a well-behaved member of the family. 

Are Chessies Aggressive? 

Chessies can be aggressive if you do not train them well. 

If you let them become the dominant personality in the family and you do not take steps towards showing you are the master, they can become aggressive and hard to handle.

Chesapeake Bay Retrievers need more training than just basic household rules and obedience tricks. 

They need to be firmly and consistently trained. 

It’s important that you make the choices and not the Chessie.

You need to decide if they can get on the furniture or if they can sleep in the bed. 

These choices are personal and there is no wrong answer, but Chessies are notorious for making their own decisions if you do not teach them what’s right and what’s wrong. 

Most successful Chessie owners will take their dogs to official dog training classes, or they will take them to a professional trainer. 

If you do this, do not wait for long periods of time between classes, and make sure you are practicing the tricks and rules when you are home with the dog. 

It’s almost like having homework but for the puppy. 

Take that week’s lesson and spend a little time every day going over the things that were learned. 

This will teach the puppy that they are required to follow the same rules at home that they do at school. 

The good news is that Chessies are easy to train if you start when they are young. 

Puppies are eager to please and they are more adaptable to situations. 

If you wait for the Chessie to make their own rules, it would be harder to train them because you will first have to break their own rules and then teach them yours.

Try to start training them as soon as you get them into your own house so they don’t have a chance to make their own rules. 

If you don’t have time to train your dog, you need to get a professional trainer.

Preferably one that can come to the house so that the dog learns the rules in your home and in the setting where they will be spending the most time. 

You also need to make sure the trainer is teaching you the tips and that you are doing them with the dog in front of the trainer. 

This will ensure you are teaching them the correct thing and the trainer can show you what to do better or differently. 

Should I Get a Chesapeake Bay Retriever?

As discussed, Chessies are good family dogs if you train them and teach them obedience. 

Children, especially young ones, might not be assertive enough to handle the Chessie when they are giving them commands or trying to get them to behave. 

If you have enough time to train the puppy though and you are ready to be committed to the process of training them, a Chessie can be a great family dog to have around children and big households. 

They tend to be protective and dominant which can make sure your family feels protective. 

Although they are known for being guard dogs specifically, they still bark quite often, and they enjoy protecting the ones they love. 

However, even though the Chessies are easy to train when puppies and they can be great with kids, there are some instances where you might not want to own a Chessie. 

Here are some examples below that can help you know whether to get a Chessie or not. 

You Don’t Have Previous Experience with Dog Training 

If you have never owned a dog or you don’t know how to train a dog, you might not need to get a Chessie as you might find it impossible to train them. 

If you are set on owning a Chessie, consider using a professional trainer to keep everything in line. 

You can also train them yourself, but you need to commit yourself to the process and make sure you are spending time with them every day no matter your schedule. 

You Always Want a Neat Home 

Chessies are notorious for making messes even when well trained. 

It’s not always on purpose, but their large size makes it easy for them to knock things over or make messes without needing to really try.

They also have long coats that shed quite a bit, so you will find yourself needing to clean the floors and furniture often.

If you don’t mind having a semi-dirty house though, a Chessie can be a great choice for you. 

If you have small children, you might be used to the mess anyway and a Chessie won’t make a difference. 

If you have a certain way that you keep things though and you want your home to be immaculate, a Chessie might be overwhelming to and your house. 

You Don’t Have Time to Exercise With Them 

Chessies need almost an hour of exercise every day. 

This can be a burden to those who work full time or have young children that cannot walk or run for that long with you and the dog. 

For the exercise requirement for Chessies, older children might be a better choice because they can run or play with them outside for longer periods of time. 

Chessies were bred to work hard and they need to work hard both mentally and physically or they will not be able to be content. 

Some people choose to do mental exercises or agility courses with their dogs to help them work their brains and bodies at the same time. 

If you decide you don’t have time to exercise with a Chessie, consider getting another breed or wait for a time in your life when you are able to have more time to spend with them outside. 

What is the Best Family Dog?

The best family dog for your family might not be the best family dog for another family. 

The best dog for your family depends on the ages of your children, your activity levels, and where you live.

In general, Chessies can be good family dogs, but they are not the top-recommended ones by vets and breeders. 

Chessies might not also be the best family dog for you if you have never owned a dog or if your family lives in an apartment.

If you don’t have time to train a Chessie and you don’t have a self-assertive personality, a Chessie will also not be a good choice for the family. 

If you want an easy-to-train dog that can fit in well with any family, you might want to get a Labrador Retriever instead. 

They are automatically good with young children and with families of all sizes regardless of how they are trained or where they live. 

This makes them easy dogs to have around and to live with because they are fun and easygoing. 

Poodles are also a good choice for families who want a dog that does not shed. 

This is a great choice if you have a child who has allergies to animals.

Poodles are also very smart and are easy to train, so you can have them around small children. 

Final Thoughts 

Chessies are good family dogs, but you need to train them and set boundaries with them so that they respect everyone in the family and so that they listen to everyone, including children. 

Chessies are also assertive and protective, so this makes them great dogs for security. 

They will also watch over the kids and want to protect them when there are strangers in the house. 

If you don’t have time to train them and make sure they are learning manners, you might find that Chessies are not a good choice for your family. 

If this is the case, you might want to go with another breed. 

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