CHESAPEAKE BAY RETRIEVER

The importance of proper coat.

The chespeake bay retriever standard is very clear about coat type. Here is a quote from that standard.

"Coat should be thick and short, nowhere over 1 1/2 inches long with a dense fine wooly undercoat. Hair on the face and legs should be very short and straight with a tendency to wave on the shoulders, neck, back and loins only. Moderate feathering on rear of hindquarters and tail is permissible.
The texture of the chesapeake's coat is very important, as the chesapeake is used for hunting under all sorts of adverse weather conditions, often working in ice & snow. The oil in the harsh outer coat and wooly undercoat is of extreme value in preventing the cold water from reaching the chesapeake's skin and aids in quick drying. A chesapeake's coat should resist the water in the same way that a duck's feathers do. When the chesapeake leaves the water and shakes, the coat should not hold water at all, being merely moist
Disqualifications: A coat that is curly or has a tendency to curl all over the body must be disqualified. Feathering on the tail or legs over 1 3/4 inches long must be disqualified."

The proper type of coat allows the dog to hunt under all conditions. Without the proper undercoat, the dog cannot remain warm enough to work in really cold water. A too soft coat holds too much water and collects burrs.

The following story illustrates the importance of the standard. Many years ago we were hunting every day in flooded timber. We had 2 dogs, one with a correct length coat but too soft and curly, the other with a short but very thick & harsh coat. The soft coat held so many "beggar's lice" (those flat, black seeds with two prongs on the end) I would spend 1/2- 3/4 of an hour combing them out after every hunt. Mandy was dark deadgrass but looked black when she came back from hunting. Tule, with the harsh coat also picked up beggar's lice, but much less. They combed out easily in a couple of minutes.

However, we hunted Mandy all that season, even with the picker problem. Why? Because Tule had drooping eyelids instead of the nice tight ones that Chesapeakes are supposed to have. She got those seeds in her eye and had to be checked every day. We missed one which went under the third eyelid and caused a corneal ulcer. Tule stayed home for most of the season.

Moral of the story? All parts of the standard are important. It was originally written by hunters, describing a dog that could hunt under any conditions.