Question: How big do you expect these dogs to be when full grown?
Answer: We strive to breed our dogs on the upper end of the breed standard. Bred Standard Weight – Males should weigh 65 to 80 pounds; females should weigh 55 to 70 pounds. Some think the bigger the better but I always wonder if they’ve considered how well that 100+ pound dog will fit in the blind, canoe, the deck of a kayak or even a car.
Question: Do they shed?
Answer: Yes, they shed. They shed a lot, twice a year, in the fall and spring when developing either their winter or summer coat. Those who keep them in the house tell us that a weekly brushing keeps the shedding manageable.
Question: Do you hunt with your dogs?
Answer: Not as much as we would like. We had 3 teenage boys who are now grown and have moved on who hunted hard and harvested a lot of ducks from our private swamp. Now, we have 2 younger boys who will soon be doing the same. Our best hunting dog, River, just left us when our son finally got a decent place to keep his dog. River is so happy to be with the one that hunted so much with him. He’s the only dog I know that will sit and stay where his owner tells him to until told to move. Once, my son was wondering where River was and after searching and calling for her remembered he told her to stay while he snuck around trying to jump some ducks. So, back to the swamp he went to find River sitting and staying where she was told to over 3 hours earlier. Dad hopes to retire soon so he’ll have time to hunt as well.
Question: How many pups are in a typical litter?
Answer: We have had anywhere from 1 to 14 and everything in between. We do not have typical litters I guess.
Question: How’s their temperment?
Answer: Excellent. We have our own children and grandchildren often with our dogs and all have great fun playing together. With strangers, sometimes our dogs get a bit protective especially if one is wearing a hoody or unfamiliar attire. Once they realize everything is going to be ok they settle down and give up their protective nature. Unlike most Labradors, most Chesapeakes are a bit untrusting of strangers at first. Since some Chesapeakes, especially males, have had a bad reputation even we were hesitant to have a male around the little children. However, once we started having male stud dogs around we realized that good lineage and training prevents any bad attitudes in the dogs. If you get a male, flip him over and expose his belly often as this forces him into a submissive position. He needs to know you are in charge or else he’ll be in charge of you and everyone else. We’ve never had a problem with the 3 males we’ve had experience with and my daughter even prefers them saying they are easier to train.
Question: How many acres do you have?
Answer: Our farm covers 72 acres with about 5 acres of swamp and prime waterfowl habitat. We have grebes, mallards, wood ducks, geese and herons frequent our farm. Perfect hunting and training grounds for our dogs.
Question: Do you lease your land for private hunting?
Answer: No
Question: How much are you asking?
Answer: We ask an average price, consistent with other breeders, of similar quality Chesapeakes. We want you to get the best dog you can for your money but remember you often get what you pay for. If you need help researching a dog or breeder you are considering buying, we can help. We’ve heard too many sad stories of families getting attached to their beloved dog which came down with bad hips or preventative genetic diseases such as DM, EIC, or PRA. Let us know if we can help in any way in your search for the perfect dog for you and your family.
Question: Do you know of other Chessie breeders in Washington state?
Answer: Yes, and we have worked closely with a few in the past and hope to work with more in the future. We do not consider ourselves in competition with others, but in cooperation to produce outstanding Chessies, and can recommend the following fellow breeders we have worked with.
Located on the East side of Washington near Soap Lake, Kayla has been a great help whenever needed. She’s purchased four of our females and we are still a bit jealous of her getting Scarlet, our first sedge colored pup.
We were fortunate enough to meet DeEssa in our search for a stud for our female. Armani was an awesome male with the perfect protective nature admired by many Chesapeake owners. We would definitely consider adding one of her pups to our family in the future.