How do you select a Chesapeake Bay Retriever Puppy?

Pedigree alone is not the only thing to consider.   Pedigree will indicate show whether a dog has parents and the genetic potential to be a Championship show dog or a field trial champion.  Pedigrees may also indicate if the Chesapeake Bay Retriever has any working dog, tracking or companion dog certifications.  The parents grandparents and great grandparents will be shown on any pedigree and the awards that the entire line of dogs has consistently earned and may be far more important and significant than what the parents have earned.  Take a strong look at health and pedigree explained on the link above to see what to look for.

But, you should also consider the diet, home environment and training that you will invest in a
Chesapeake.   In buying a puppy from a breeder you are purchasing only the genetic potential and the food and healthy birthing the breeder has given for the first 7 weeks of the dogs life. In
choosing a Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppy, sex, size and color may be more important than how the puppy is acting when you see him.  When you look at the puppy for the very first time he may have just eaten or  he may have just awoke from his nap and there are several factors that may effect how a puppy is acting at that moment.  Buying a Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppy should never be a spur-of-the-moment decision. Look at the color under the chin to see what his permanent color will be.   Often puppy fuzz may mask his normal color.  Solid colors and the conformation of the parents are important.

Owning a Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a lifestyle choice.  One of the fundamental decisions in buying a Chesapeake Bay Retriever is which sex you plan to buy.  Males are typically
larger than females and can be more aggressive.  A female that has not been spayed will come into season approximately twice a year, if this happens during hunting season you may not be able to hunt with other males.  For this reason alone the males are normally more in
demand.  The puppies in any litter should at least seem healthy. Puppies that cower or tremble are shy or bad tempered and should be avoided.