Chesapeake Bay Retriever Colors

Chesapeake Bay Retrievers come in a wide range of acceptable colors. The AKC Standard for the Chesapeake Bay Retriever states:

The color of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever must be nearly that of its working surroundings as possible. Any color of brown, sedge, or deadgrass is acceptable, self-colored Chesapeakes being preferred. One color is not to be preferred over another. A white spot on the breast, belly, toes or back of feet (immediately above the large pad) is permissible, but the smaller the spot the better, solid colored preferred. The color of the coat and its texture must be given every consideration when judging on the bench or in the ring. Honorable scars are not to be penalized.

Disqualifications: Black colored; white on any part of the body except breast, belly, toes or back of feet must be disqualified.

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is used for hunting in a wide range of environments. The AKC standard allows for considerable latitude in coloration for the breed. Only 4 points in the scale of points appended to the standard is set aside for coloration. This is because sound running gear and correct texture of coat are more important to a working dog than color alone. Black coloration or markings are not allowed, and white markings must be limited to toes, belly, breast, and back of feet (white "thumb marks", just above the main foot pad). Beyond these few restrictions, any coloration or shading is permitted, including yellows and reds and their shades, along with brown colors.

"The color of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever must be nearly that of its working surroundings as possible."

Here is a deadgrass dog after a goose hunt.

Even dark brown dogs can blend in with their surroundings.

"Any color of brown, sedge, or deadgrass is acceptable"

"One color is not to be preferred over another."

Brown Color

Brown can be any shade, from a light fawn to a very dark brown. Any brown shade is acceptable. One should not be favored over another when selecting for breeding or in the show ring. Brown dogs can have what appears to be hairs of different colors all interspersed throughout the coat. Rather than being monochromatic, like a Chocolate Lab, the coat on close examination is a blend of browns of various shades, and even lighter colored hairs, giving a grizzled effect. This coloration is unique in the Chesapeake breed. It is caused by the pigment granules being dispersed unevenly along the hair shaft, so each hair is uniquely colored. This is an effect of the waving of the coat in the breed. Most dogs will also have the stray white hair or hairs sprinkled in their body coats. This is a common and normal part of Chesapeake coloration, not to be confused with white markings. These stray white hairs should not be penalized.

Browns also include red-browns; these are caused by a red modifier gene acting on the base brown coloration. Red-browns or reddish browns can be very attractive, but are not to be considered better than plain brown without the red gene.

Dark Red-Brown

Dark Red-Brown

Medium Red-Brown

Another brown variation is Ash. Some consider this a type of deadgrass; I see these as light or medium browns with a dilution gene causing the dilute brown or silvering effect. This is the same gene which causes graying of brown in Weimaraners and fawn Dobermans. Ash is a graying of a base brown, not a bluing of a black. Examination of nose and lips shows brown pigmentation, not black as one would find on a blue dog.

Ash color

Ash against dry autumn grasses

Sedge Color

Sedge is the most difficult for people to understand, as it is listed in the standard without any definition or references. It is most difficult on judges, as the word "sedge" does not appear in any other standard. Add to that different Chessie breeders have different interpretations of "sedge", and it's no wonder there is confusion! Sedge is a red coloration. Earlier versions of the standard describe it as the color of wet sedge grass in fall. Sedges along the Chesapeake shoreline turn brilliant shades of red in autumn, and sedge Chesapeakes were bred to blend in with these surroundings. Some people include reddish-brown dogs with the sedges, and the lighter reds with the deadgrass; the single constant with sedges is their red coloration. Sedge can include reds ranging from Irish-Setter red to strawberry blond tones. For this page, I have included the brilliant reds as sedges, preferring to place reddish-brown but predominantly brown dogs in with the browns.

Sedge

Light Sedge

Medium Sedge

Deadgrass

Deadgrass is another color classification that can be confusing. Deadgrass takes in any shade of dry grass, from the lightest browns to light straw color. There is considerable overlap between the darker deadgrass and the lighter browns; likewise some of the lighter reddish deadgrass could be registered either as light sedge, or as deadgrass. Deadgrass also includes many shadings and variations on the same dog.

Dark deadgrass or light brown

Medium deadgrass. This could also be considered light sedge.

Light deadgrass

A very light deadgrass with no markings

Medium deadgrass

Markings and Shadings

"self-colored Chesapeakes being preferred"

The statement from the standard quoted above can trip up many judges or breeders. Some interpret this to mean that only solid, single-shade brown dogs are permitted. This is not so. The "preferred" statement refers to selecting between two equal-quality animals. When there are two dogs well-matched in type, coat, running gear, etc., then the preference should be given to the self-colored animal. However, in truth, very seldom are there two dogs equally matched, so preference should always go to the better specimen, regardless of color. Likewise, it's very seldom to find a Chesapeake that is truly self-colored, that is to say, has no lighter or darker shadings of color on it. Any of the brown shades can have lighter or darker shadings on them; stripes resembling brindling, masking and saddling similar to sable in other breeds, or lighter body coat with darker legs, muzzle, ears and tail, like a buckskin horse.

All these shadings are acceptable so long as the shadings are along the brown scale and not true black. To determine true black, pigment of nose and eye rims should be examined. If it is black, then the shadings are black. Black coloration is a disqualification, as it is indicative of impure breeding. Brown is determined by the B color locus. A dog that is BB or Bb will be black colored. A dog that is bb is brown or a variation of brown, with brown or light-colored pigmentation. Once a breed has removed the B allele from its gene pool, it cannot reappear unless a cross to a Bb or BB dog occurs. Any Chesapeake with black pigmentation and black coloration must have Bb genetics caused by outcrossing to another breed, as the capital B allele at this locus was eliminated from the breed over a century ago.

Darker or lighter shadings can appear with the sedge, just as they do with the browns. Shadings are more easily seen with the lighter sedge and deadgrass colors than with the browns. This does not mean the shadings are incorrect or more common with these colors; they are just easier to see on a lighter base color than on a darker brown dog.

Some deadgrass dogs may have shadings of browns or sedges on them; just as with brown or sedge dogs with markings, these are acceptable.

Tan Points

Tan points can occur in the Chesapeake Bay Retriever breed. These are not to be confused with the lighter undersides frequently found in the breed, such as are pictured above. Tan points are generally a rich reddish-brown or tan, in the classic tan-point patters: feet, front of chest, sides of face, insides of ears, and around the vent. This color and marking pattern is identical to that seen in Rottweilers or Doberman Pinschers.

The tan-point pattern has its roots in the early, original Newfoundland breed. The illustration above is of a Newfoundland of the mid-1800s. Note the classic tan-point pattern and deep, rich tones of the tan points. These tan point genes still exist in the Newfoundland breed, so the occasional tan-point puppy still crops up from time to time in that breed, as well as its descendants, including Labradors and Chessies. Appearance of tan pointed puppies in a litter does not mean they are mixed with another breed. They just have ancient genes!

Tan points are caused by a recessive gene which is actually quite uncommon in the Chesapeake breed. Both parents must carry the tan point gene in order for one or more pups to have the trait.

This puppy has the recessive gene for tan points, and also shows recessive dilute brown (ash) coloration, caused by a double recessive at the D locus (dd) dilution gene.

White Markings

"A white spot on the breast, belly, toes or back of feet (immediately above the large pad) is permissible, but the smaller the spot the better, solid colored preferred."

Just as with self-colored, solid-colored preferred should be taken as a guide to selecting between two equal animals. A poor-quality dog with no white should never be placed above a good-quality animal with allowed white markings.

This dog has acceptable white markings; while he has a great deal of white on his chest, it does not extend above the breastbone. White on the toes does not extend above the foot area.

This puppy has white that extends above the foot area. This would be considered mis-marked, and disqualified. Note the puppy has very little white elsewhere.

Many dogs have white markings on the chest, but not on the feet. This is common in the breed. Some dogs will have white toes on hind feet but not elsewhere. White thumb marks at the backs of the foot, just above the heel pad are also found. All are acceptable.

Eye Color

"Eyes are to be medium large, very clear, of yellowish or amber color and wide apart."

Eye color can range in the lighter colors from yellow to reddish-amber. Eye color does not need to harmonize with coat color. A light deadgrass dog may have amber eyes, and a dark brown may have light yellow. Bluish or greenish eye color on an adult dog are not acceptable. Neither are black or dark brown eyes.

Dark brown Chesapeake with yellow eyes

Light deadgrass with amber eyes