Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club Open Show 14th September 2025

Thank you very much to the club for asking me to judge and I very much enjoyed my day with some very nice exhibits to go over. There was a lovely atmosphere and competitors accepted my placings with good humour and sportsmanship. Thank you to my two excellent stewards. Several exhibits were out of coat on the day which after a long hot summer was not surprising. Most dogs were very nice in profile with otherwise good coats and correct pigmentation to harmonise with their coat colour. Although at speed it is expected that legs will converge many exhibits were moving overly close behind although other wise moved well so something in the breed to keep an eye on.

Puppy Bitch

1 Mayhew’s BB’s Chesapeake Breeding Dory for Arnac (Imp CHE) 11mo mid brown. Very good head, muzzle shape and eye colour with good set on of ears. Correct front and rear angulation and well balanced. Good spring of rib and depth of chest. Very good coat and strong webbed feet. Topline and hind movement have more to come but overall, a very nice one. Pleased to make her BPIS 2. Battsbrook Ashes to Ashes for Sharbbae. Her name gives away her colour. When standing I thought I was going to have a much harder decision to make and it was only that she tends to carry her tail over the back when excited on the move at the moment that enabled me to separate them. With maturity hopefully this will change as she is otherwise a very nice girl. Good angulation and excellent layback of shoulder Well balanced on good length of leg with good bone and feet and moved very well. Very good coat.

JB (0 0)

PGB (6 4)

Most were out of coat in this class 1.Mellersh-Tett’s Oakmarsh Land of Promise of Roguehart Was in the best coat in this class today. Nice typical feminine well-proportioned head. Good front and hind angulation. Good neck and shoulder placement. Bone and feet sufficient. Moved OK. Played her handler up a bit in the ring. 2. Watt’s Oakmarsh Little Acorn JW RATN Very nice head and expression. Good bone and feet. Good depth of chest and spring of rib and well ribbed back with good topline. Moved very well. Not in the best of coats. 3. Hewitson’s Melseed Don’t stop Believing Very good head and expression. Good bone and feet. Good depth of chest and spring of rib. Another that plays up its handler in the ring. Good strong quarters but moved a bit close behind today for some reason.

LB (2 2)

1.Watt’s Oakleaf Manor Bay of Oakmarsh JW (IMP DEU) Really stunning gold sedge colour with an excellent coat quality. Very nice head and expression well proportioned with correct muzzle width not sharp but tapering slightly with good well-developed nostrils. Correct set on of ears. Although she has lost a couple of incisors she does have a good scissor bite. Well balanced with good angulation all through. Good length of leg. Good spring of rib and depth of chest and good topline. Pleased to award her RBB. 2. Mayhew & Worrall’s Arnac Bay Inca Sadly, very badly out of coat today. Dark Brown. Very nice typical head. Good angulation and topline with good layback of shoulder. Good bone and strong feet. Good depth of chest and spring of rib. Moved well.

OB (2 1)

1.Murray’s Muireatai Miracle of Dreams. Very nice well-proportioned head and muzzle length and ear set. Appeared a touch short in leg for me but very good angulation and construction. Excellent coat quality. Good bone. Feet OK. Good spring of rib and depth of chest. Moved a little close behind but otherwise sound. A little bit reserved in the ring.

VB (4 3)

1.Middleton & Mayhew’s Sh Ch Int Ch Multi Ch Arnac Bay Hebe WGC ShCex EW22 WW24. A really fantastic bitch that I have judged twice before. I find it hard to believe she is now 7 years old. Still in excellent condition. Lovely typical head and expression. Excellent angulation and well balanced. Very good topline and tail set. Good spring of rib and depth of chest. Good bone on strong feet. Moved very well and all finished off by an excellent coat. I hardly know what all the acronyms mean but would love to see the Sh dropped she clearly deserves it so go for it. BB & RBIS 2. Watt’s Ch Oakmarsh Freedom SGWC RATN Another excellent, coated 7-year-old. Correct typical head and expression. Good angulation all through with a good tail and tail set. Good bone and feet. Good depth of chest and spring of rib. Just on standard for length of leg. Moved a touch close behind today. 3. Mayhew’s Sh Ch Arnac Bay Flax. A really fabulous coated 12-year-old. Nice head and expression. Good bone and strong feet. Good depth of chest and spring of rib. To be honest although she was showing her age a bit today which is understandable, she had the best hind movement of the day. So well done.