Pond Hollow Chesapeakes
Frequently Asked Questions
Chesapeakes make excellent companions for children provided the children are taught respect for the dog, how to treat the dog and the dog has been trained by the adult owners to listen to commands and behave. Introducing a young puppy into a household of older dogs or cats usually is not a problem. We do provide an informative handout about introducing new dogs into an established pet household.
The breed is wash and wear. They do not require daily brushing-in fact it can damage a coat by removing all the wave and undercoat. If you feel you have to brush, a hound mitt with short natural bristles can be used on occasion for grooming. Daily bathing is also not recommended. Spraying with clean warm water and toweling will often remove most surface dirt and still leave the coat's natural oils. During shedding season, you can use metal combs and rakes to remove the dead hair. Otherwise, keeping nails clipped and ears cleaned on a weekly basis is the most that is required.
The amount of shedding depends on the type of the coat and where the dog lives. The coats can vary in the amount of density of undercoat and breeders can generally tell which puppies at birth will be the heaviest coated. If the dog lives outdoors especially in the cold weather, the spring shed will be profuse. If the dog lives inside most of the time, the shed will be much more moderate. Generally, the dogs shed in the Spring (March-June) and then have a very light shed in the Fall. They do not constantly shed. Females will often shed their coats in coordination with their heat cycles.
The breed comes in three basic colors-brown, sedge (red) and deadgrass (blonde) with every shade of those colors that you can imagine. The most common color is brown but color should play little part in your selection of a puppy. Temperament and aptitude for what you want to do with the dog, they are the most important things.
They do not smell any more or less than most breeds of dogs. Dogs smell because they are dirty. Their coat does contain natural oils like most dog breeds. However, the more the dog is swimming especially in cold water, the oilier its coat gets. If the dog is doing a lot of swimming, an occasional bath will a good all-purpose shampoo is recommended.
The day you get your pup home. Sit, down, come are all basic commands that should be started immediately. We provide extensive training material with our pups to aid you. The biggest things to remember are be consistent & firm and keep the sessions short for a very young pup. We highly recommend puppy "kindergarten" classes and also formal obedience classes.
Most certainly. Throwing balls, etc and swimming certainly meets the breed's need for mental stimulation. They are wonderful companions whose biggest thing in life is to be with and please their master. However, they can be trained to do pet therapy work or you may want to consider competing in AKC events as an outlet for you and the dog.
They are or should be a sensible natured dog that is usual quiet and easy to live with indoors and active outdoors. City living is fine as long as the dog is given exercise fairly regularly. It is also important to let the breeder know your home setting, so they can select a puppy that would fit into your lifestyle. You do not want or need the most retrieving driven puppy or the most active.
It is the quality of the time that you spend with the dog and not necessarily the amount of time. Puppies though should not be confined to a crate/cage for long periods alone. There are pet sitters and walkers who can come and take the puppy out. Or, you can build a secure outdoor pen for the puppy for use during the times you are not at home. Just keep in mind, the puppy will be happy to see and let he/she work off some of this before starting a training session.
In general, female dogs of any breed are usually easier to train as they do not test your authority as much. However, we find that the males are typically more consistent in their disposition, more fun loving, and affectionate. Actually it is more the individual puppy and the type of dog you are looking for that makes the biggest difference. We breed for a middle of the road attitude and either sex can make a great companion.
First, some will lead you to believe that breeding gun dogs is a specialized goal. Ask how many hunt titled dogs they have titled themselves or if they hunt. It takes first hand experience to evaluate puppies aptitude for gunning. I have titled numerous Chesapeakes to JH & SH titles and also have judged retrieving competitions. We have always felt from our 1st Chesapeake in 1976 that the dogs can look good and work too. To this end, we list our sires that have produced MH/**/*** offspring (see Stud Dogs) and letters (See We Get Letters) from owners of excellent "gun dogs" bred as all-purpose dogs with looks, working ability and outstanding disposition.
We also have some recommendations for trainers for hunting work should you decide you want professional training. It is important that the trainer have experience with Chesapeakes.
Read Choosing a Breeder. Health clearances such as hip, eyes and PRA DNA status should be offered; do they inquire about how you will care for the dog; do they mention all the aspects of the breed and its personality-it is not for everyone. Make a kennel visit if you can.
Since our dogs appear in many pedigrees and in order to give the correct facts about our dogs and/or dogs we bred, we are happy to answer questions about them. Photos of many prominent Pond Hollow dogs appear under Ancestors.html.