There is something about Thunder.  He has always been a dog who draws a crowd anytime we are out with him.  I am not sure if it is his size or his friendly disposition, but he just always seems to attract attention.

This was true last weekend when we were out shopping at a dog friendly outdoor mall.

Thunder Draws A Crowd

Many people wanted to meet Thunder and learn more about Chessies.  When you are shopping with a dog, you had better not be in a hurry.

One woman saw Thunder and came over to ask if he was a Chesapeake Bay Retriever.  I said yes and asked if she had one.  She said no, she just knew dog breeds.  I can tell you that it is pretty unusual to find people who recognize the breed unless they owned one or knew someone who had one.  It was pretty cool.

Thunder had a blast and met both adults and children.  He was a great ambassador for the breed and was extremely well behaved even with the smallest child.  He stood still for anyone who wanted to pet him.  One little kid came up from behind him to pet him.  If it were one of our other dogs, I might have discouraged that.  Some dogs do not like to be surprised.  Thunder is pretty bullet proof, and never even flinched.

I think Thunder liked meeting the kids the best anyway because he would say they are fun to sniff.  So often they have remnants of something good that they ate on their hands or clothes.

Educating About The Breed

Besides wanting to pet the “big dog”, many people wanted to learn more about Thunder and Chesapeakes in general.  I saw this as a great opportunity to educate them a bit about the breed as well as working retrievers.

I explained that Chessies are loyal, intelligent, independent and at times protective.  I also explained that Chessies can be awesome hunting dogs and that Thunder is a pretty darn good one and that he spent time this fall out hunting.

Probably the most common question I was asked is whether he plays nicely with other dogs.  I was asked this question or various forms of it by several different people.  They were surprised that my answer was “not always”.

I guess these people saw Thunder standing there completely calm and allowing anyone who approached to pet him, and they could not seem to wrap their heads around the fact that he might not be the star of the dog park.

I explained that he is an intact male Chesapeake and because of this, he is not great with other male dogs.  I explained that he is good with puppies and most female dogs, but I would never let him play with other males.  It is part of the Chessie temperament and just something to be aware of if you own a one. I also explained that while I was walking him around the mall, I was sure to keep him away from other dogs since they were strange dogs to us.

When people ask me, I try to explain all aspects of Chessie breed traits.  Chessies are not a larger version of a lab, although I have heard that.  They are a great breed, but definitely not a breed for everyone.  They require strong leadership in addition to socialization and training.

As it turned out, our little shopping trip took a bit longer than I planned thanks to Thunder drawing a crowd.

Sojos Simply Wild Winner

Thanks to everyone who entered our giveaway and congratulations to Emma who won the bag of Sojos Simply Wild treats.

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