The coat of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever is given the most consideration of any trait listed on the Positive Scale of Points in the Breed Standard.

However the AKC Standard also reads "The question of coat and general type of balance takes precedence over any scoring table which could be drawn up.

The hair on the face and legs should be very short and straight with a tendency to wave, never curl, on the shoulders, neck, back, and loins only and nowhere over 1.5 inches (38 mm) long.

The oil in the harsh outer coat and woolly undercoat resists water, keeping the dog dry and warm.

[6] The quintessential Chesapeake Bay Retriever has a bright and happy disposition, intelligence, quiet good sense, and an affectionate protective nature.

Some can be quite vocal when happy, and some will "smile" by baring their front teeth in a peculiar grin; this is not a threat, but a sign of joy or submissiveness.

[11] Some trainers now recommend that the Chesapeake Bay Retriever owner use consistent, daily obedience training with play time before and after to keep the dog wanting to work with little or no physical discipline required.

These include, but are not limited to: A UK Kennel Club survey puts the median lifespan of the breed at 10.75 years (average 9.85).

[citation needed] In 1918 a single type, called the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, was recognized by the American Kennel Club, and there have been few changes to the breed standard since then.

George Law, who rescued the pups, wrote this account in 1845 which appears on the website of the American Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club: Mercer is said[who?]

Members of the breed were owned by General George Armstrong Custer, President Theodore Roosevelt, Senator John McCain, and actors Paul Walker and Tom Felton.