Off Topic: re Chesapeake. I don't know why it was suggested that you get a Chessie, but be forewarned, they are rough, tough dogs that will guard your life and home with a ferocity that has to be seen to be believed, but they take a stong hand to train. I had a Chessie for 10 years, bless her soul, she was a superdog. Ferocious to strangers at home, but 100 meters from home she was friends with all. She could do single, double, triple retrieves, on land or water, she could do blind retrieves, she took commands at a distance via whistle, hand or voice. She and I took third place in a frisbee contest and the winner came over to us and said we should have won. She could do parlor tricks with the best of 'em. She lived to retrieve the paper off the front lawn and yes, she really could go and fetch my slippers from the closet, albiet one at a time.
Chessies were the first breed developed in America and were used by market hunters on the East coast throughout the nineteenth century. They are GREAT dogs, but can be tough, mean and difficult to train if you don't know how. Sorry for jumping in with this off-topic rant, but I saw the mention of Chesapeakes and good memories flooded over me.
Best,
John |
