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LargeSporting Group

Chesapeake Bay Retriever

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever was developed on the Chesapeake Bay in the early 1800s to retrieve ducks from icy tidewater.

Calculate Chesapeake Bay Retriever age
Lifespan11.6 yrrange 10–12
SizeLargeSporting Group
Weight55–80 lb24.9–36.3 kg
Senior at6 yrgeriatric at 10

Gallery (3)

About

About the Chesapeake Bay Retriever

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever was developed on the Chesapeake Bay in the early 1800s to retrieve ducks from icy tidewater. Its oily wavy double coat sheds water and resists ice — structurally distinct from the Labrador's dense short coat.

Aging

How Chesapeake Bay Retrievers age

RVC data shows a median lifespan of 11.6 years from a small UK sample (n=168). Degenerative myelopathy at 9.2% on OFA screens is elevated for a sporting breed; elbow dysplasia (5.2%) and cataracts (4.9%) are typical retriever-family findings.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 11.6 yr · range 10–12Senior careSenior at 6 · geriatric at 10Common health issues11 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
55–80 lb(24.9–36.3 kg)
Height
21–26 in(53.3–66 cm)
Coat type
Double
Colors
BrownDark BrownDark DeadgrassDeadgrassLight BrownLight DeadgrassSedgeTan
Temperament

Temperament

How Chesapeake Bay Retrievers tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

assertiveprotectivebraveindependent
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~8 yr

    Degenerative Myelopathy

    Description and veterinary guidance for Degenerative Myelopathy land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
60min
per day

About 60 minutes of activity per day keeps a Chesapeake Bay Retriever physically and mentally satisfied. Split it between a structured walk and free play.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.