retrievers

[imported_nea]

What are the main differences between the retriever breeds (besides looks)? What do they have in common? Which ones are better suited for what things? :)

[angels]

Chesapeake Bay retriever:

[img]http://www.retriver.cz/chovpsi/gvchbr/fotochbrf/chbr_f_112_p3.jpg[/img]
The Chesapeake is a talented and driven dog. He can be stubborn and strong-willed and is not the best dog for most novices’ owners. He is excellent with children, though he will not tolerate abuse and will get up and leave in such a situation. In any case, any interaction between young children and dogs of any breed should be supervised by an adult.
The Chesapeake is an intensely loyal dog with a strong protective streak. This is coupled with an excellent temperament; the consequence of which is that while the Chesapeake makes an excellent watchdog, he is a poor attack dog, as he will not injure others. His loyalty also means that it is difficult for anyone else to train the dog except for his family. As a rule, Chesapeake’s are friendly rather than affectionate with strangers. Poor results are obtained by „sending the dog away“ for training and are not advised. This is a breed that makes a wonderful family pet and does badly when kenneled away from the family.
Because he is a retrieving breed, he is likely to chew quite a lot throughout puppyhood and adolescence. Because he will grow to be relatively large and have a protective streak, it is imperative to socialize him as a puppy with plenty of strangers and have him be used to obedience work.
Chesapeake’s are first and foremost superb hunting dogs and well known for their love of water. They are credited with excellent noses and perseverance in finding fallen game, in particular going after crippled birds first then the dead ones. For example, there are authenticated stories of Chesapeake’s retrieving as many as 100 ducks in a single day! With good training, your Chesapeake should easily be an excellent hunter.
Chesapeake’s are shown in field trials and do very well; however, they are consistently outnumbered by Labradors at these shows (who outnumber all the other breeds eligible for these trials). Nevertheless, the breed continues to have Dual Champions, a tribute to the continued working ability of the breed as a whole.
In contrast, Chesapeake’s are never very numerous at the show ring. They are easily shown however; requiring little grooming. It is sometimes difficult, however, to find a judge that truly understands the breed's type.
Chesapeake’s do well in obedience, especially under experienced trainers. Since they have a mind of their own, however, it may be a task to convince them to do things your way rather than theirs!
Aren't Chesapeakes a kind of Labrador?
NO, although the breeds are related. Unfortunately, since Labradors are much better known, the comparison is inevitable, and too often the Chesapeake is simply described in terms of how it differs from the Labrador, or worse, as "another kind of Labrador."
Physical differences: In Chesapeakes, the ears are set higher, and the legs tend to be longer. The eyes are shaped differently and set a little more forward in the head. They are not as stocky as Labradors, especially show Labs, and they have a different topline since their rear may be high. The coat of a Labrador is not woolly, and if there is a wave to it, is not nearly the same as a Chesapeake's. Moreover, Chesapeakes only come in various shades of brown (from a wheaten "deadgrass" color, to reddish brown, to a deep rich chocolate), whereas Labradors can be yellow, black, or chocolate. The easiest way to distinguish a chocolate Labrador from a dark Chesapeake is by the lighter pigment of the Chesapeake's nose and eyes and the woolliness and curliness of its coat. Eye color doesn't always give you a clue as many chocolate Labradors have yellow eyes rather than the correct hazel or brown. Certainly poorly bred specimens of either breed may make it nearly impossible to decide which breed they are.
Temperament differences: The Chesapeake is a loyal breed, bonding closely to its family and not taking direction from strangers very well although they may be unfailingly polite or friendly to strangers. The Labrador is often indiscriminately affectionate and many will work for nearly anyone. The Chesapeake has a protective streak which most Labradors lack or possess to a significantly lesser degree. Extensive kenneling and isolation seems to affect Chesapeakes more strongly than Labradors. Both breeds can be equally stubborn, however, and they do share many other common retriever traits: high intelligence, trainability, a high activity level, and a love of water.
Like all the retriever breeds, the Chesapeake is an active dog and will become destructive if bored or underexercised. Note that any regular and/or heavy exercise should wait until your Chesapeake is at least a year old. While puppies should have plenty of opportunities for exercise, the exercise should be self selected (eg, allowing the puppy to run around in a field rather than dragging it along to go jogging with you).
Males should measure about 58 – 66 cm, females about 53 – 61 cm. Males should weigh about 29,5 – 36,5 kg, females about 25 – 32 kg.Eyes should be middle sized, very clear, yellowish or amber coloured and wide apart. Ears are of a small size, positioned on top of skull, hangig removed from the skull. They should be of middle sized thickness.
Neck:
Should be middle sized, of strong muscular impression, getting narrower towards the shoulders.
Top line:
It should show, that hindquarters are the same height, or perhaps a bit higher than the shoulders.
Back:
Should be short, compact and strong.
Chest:
Should be strong, deep and broad, costal arch is round and deep.
Trunk:
Middle sized, whether bulky nor carp-like, but looking hollow from bottom, because the flanks have to be well torn.
Tail:
Middle sized, middle heavy from base. The tail should be straight or slightly bended, it should not be rolled above the back nor having a crack sideways.
Forhand:
There should be no tendency for any weakness of the forehand.
Shoulders:
They should fit tightly sloping, with full freedom for activity, a lot of strength and without any reduction of movability.
Legs:
They should be middle sized and straight, with good bones and good muscles.
Central forefoot:
Slightly sloping and middle sized. Forelegs shown from front and back look straight. Wolfclaws might be removed. Harepaws with good webs should be of good size together with rounded, tight fittig claws.
Hindquarters:
Good hindquarters are very important. They should own as much strength as the forehand. Hindquarters should show no tendency for weakness. Hindquarters have to be very strong for giving enough power for swimming. Legs should be straight, middle sized, provided with good bones and good muscles.
Hindquarters shown from front and back look straight. Wolfclaws have to be removed.
Fur:
The fur should be thick and short, at no place longer than 4 cm, also with thick but fine woolly low hair. Fur at head and legs should be short and simple with tendency of being wavy among shoulders, neck, back and loins. Moderate feathering of hindquarters and tail is permitted. The constitution of fur is a very important fact about chesapeakes, because chesapeakes are used for hunting among all sorts of adverse weather., often he is determined working in ice and snow. The fat of the top hair and the woolly low hair are valuable to prevent cold water get through to the skin of the chesapeake. It also helpful for quick drying. The chesapeake‘s fur should absorbe water the same way as duckfeathers. When a chesapeake leaves water, its fur should not hold back water, but only be damp.
The chesapeake’s colour has to be as near as possible to its working surroundings. Each coloration of brown, rush or dead grass is acceptable.
Chesapeake Bay Retrievers should be of bright and cheerful nature combined with an intelligent impression. Courage, willingness to work, intelligence, a good nose, love for water, general quality and – first of all – disposition should be highly regarded for selection and breed of the chesapeake bay retriever.
[img]http://www.retriever.cz/chov/chbr/image/lake_lakeshore_bob_02_n.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.retriever.cz/chov/chbr/image/lakeshore_jakub_vlci_luka_02_n.jpg[/img]

[angels]

Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever

[img]http://www.retriver.cz/chovpsi/gvnsdtr/fotonsdtr/nsdtr_p_149_s.jpg[/img]
Medium-sized and easy-care, the Toller is a fine hunting companion, a great family pet, and an able competitor in obedience, agility, and hunting competitions.
To “toll” in duck hunting parlance is to entice or lure, a rather archaic definition of the word most associate with road and bridge fees and ringing bells.
Waterfowl hunters generally wait from a concealed spot for ducks or geese to come close enough for a shot. Hunters fortunate enough to have a Toller along can hasten the process by using the dog’s playful antics to catch the attention of inquisitive birds. The hunter tosses a tolling stick from his hiding place towards the shore. The dog goes after the stick with great enthusiasm, tail wagging and feet dancing. The flashy white markings on his chest, feet, and tail-tip accentuate the effect as he retrieves the stick time after time, enticing the birds closer and closer to shore to get a better look at this remarkable performance.
When the birds are close enough for a clean shot, the hunter calls the dog back to his side until there are birds to bring in, and the Toller momentarily shucks his playful persona to become a strong and able retriever.
Intelligent, easy to train, and with great endurance, the Toller is a strong and able swimmer and a natural and tenacious retriever on land and water. Agile and alert, he is happiest while working.
The breed standard describes the Toller as “a medium-sized, powerful, compact, balanced, well-muscled dog, medium to heavy in bone, with a high degree of agility, alertness, and determination. At work, the dog has a speedy, rushing action with the head carried out almost level with the back and the heavily-feathered tail in constant motion.”
There’s a moderate range in size for this smallest retriever: the ideal height for adult males is 19 inches but 18-21 inches is acceptable. The ideal height for females is 18 inches with a range of 17-20 inches. Weight for males is 45-51 pounds, for females, 37-43 pounds.
The Toller has a medium-length double coat with a water-repellant overcoat and a soft, dense undercoat. There can be a slight wave on the back, but otherwise, the coat must be straight. The body has some feathering at the throat, behind the ears, at the back of the thighs and the front legs. The tail is heavily feathered.
The standard accepts only shades of red with limited white markings on the tail tip, chest, face, and feet. White is not allowed on other parts of the body. Some Tollers have no white markings.
The Toller head is slightly wedge-shaped, the skull slightly rounded, and the muzzle slightly tapered. The ears are triangular, medium-sized, and only slightly erect at the base; the rest of the ear leather folds over.
Feet must be webbed.
All in all, first impression of a Toller is that of a Golden Retriever-Border Collie cross combining the coat color and happy-go-lucky Golden temperament with the Border Collie size, muzzle, and drive. But owners may quickly correct that impression with a chuckle and some details about this unique breed.
Tollers are gentle with children but may be aloof with strange adults, a trait that makes them reliable as watchdogs (but not guard dogs).
Size, disposition, and easy care make the Toller a fine pet for an active family as well as an able helpmate for a hunter. Tollers need daily exercise and love long periods of playing fetch or Frisbee®. They excel at obedience and agility because they like to work. Young dogs may be easily distracted and bored by repetitious training methods, so owners should keep it light and fun. They have a highly developed hunting instinct honed by years of dedicated breeding practices, so training methods that recognize this instinct are likely to be more successful.
Grooming is simple: run a brush through the coat a couple of times a week to get rid of debris picked up in the woods and fields and to prevent tangles in the feathering.
[img]http://www.retriever.cz/chov/nsdtr/image/ivana_z_vlcich_luk_01_n.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.retriver.cz/chovpsi/gvnsdtr/fotonsdtr/nsdtr_p_145_p2.jpg[/img]

[imported_Kat]

ok for starters this thread is from a year and a half ago. secondly the girl who started it has since got a flat coated retriever.

[imported_Irena]

wow thats a great post :bigok:

[Sabine]

Very informative, though ........ :oops: :)

[Sabine]

Very informative, though ........ :oops: :)

Gheez - I got a trigger finger........ :oops: Could one of the mods have mercy and delete this one? :angel: :-?