The Weimaraner

FCI group 7: HPR Hunt Point Retrieve / Gundogs Size:

Height at withers: Dogs 59-70 cms Bitches 57 – 65 cms

Colour: Preferably silver grey, shades of mouse or roe grey permissible; blending to lighter shade on head and ears. Dark eel stripe frequently occurs along the back. Whole coat gives an appearance of metallic sheen. Small white mark permissible on chest. White spots resulting from injuries not penalised.

The Weimaraner is one of the sub-group known as the Hunt Point & Retrieve breeds, within the Gundog group. He is an all purpose gundog but his character and temperament is quite dissimilar to that of other gundogs.

He was originally bred to be the tool for the foresters who worked him. He had to be capable of tracking and holding at bay such game as boar and deer. He had to have the ability to find, flush and retrieve fur & feathered game for the pot. He had to catch and kill predators that deprived his master of sport and also defend him and his property. He was intended to be a powerful hunting dog with a strong protective instinct.

Character
Don’t think for a minute that it is a easy breed to handle. So never buy a Weimaraner because it looks so beautiful alone. They need a lot of attention, training and exercise. Don’t underestimate this. Even thought if you read somewhere that it is easy to train. In a way it is. It is a very intelligent breed but that can work against you if you don’t train it right. The Weimaraner is a very versatile passionate gundog who will work the field systematically and persistent looking for game. It’s nose it extremely well developed. They do the work before the shot and after the shot (looking for game, pointing it and retrieve it.) The Weimaraner belongs to the continental group 2 which as much means that they work under the gun by instinct. It is a very intelligent dog who if not trained well from the beginning will be a pain for it’s owner and it’s environment. It is a gundog and that will not suitable for everybody. The beauty of this breed is it’s versatility so that you can do all sorts of training with them. Obedience, doggy dancing, agility etc. A Weimaraner needs to work and needs physical input.

The weimaraner

Introduction
The weimaraner is a HPR breed (Hunt Point and Retrieve) and is used both before and after the shot. In America they use the Weimaraner as a guard dog and defence dog and so on.

Characteristics
- Both dog and bitch have to be trained at an early age because they are very eager to learn at that age. The will to please is present. -They can’t deal with inconsistent behaviour, the timing of the reward and punishment are very important, even better is to ignore bad behaviour.
-A punishment that is not in proportionate to the offence is not forgotten. On the other hand, this also applies to reward good behaviour.
-Are very affectionate to a boss and very attached to house and home, releasing also defended behaviour. This goes particularly for the male.
- When mutual confidence is built up than the dog will walk on fire for you. This certainly applies in training for obedience training as for hunting.
-The male is by its very nature in his behaviour harder than the bitch who tends to be excessive affectionate.
-Both male and female have by instinct the ability to attack humans. The Weimaraner is raised on courage and character and pretty hard dog.
-Very courageous, strong and noble character with very personal habits.

Problems and specific for training and raising a Weimaraner
- Problems with training can raise because of lack of knowledge of the dog or dogs in General and specifics of the character.
- With a Weimaraner no is no and yes is yes. You have to be very consequent in your behaviour with a Weimaraner. If not it will confuse the dog and that raises problems.
-The blue eyes of the young Weimaraner are very tempting to be inconsequent.
-It is not a water dog such as a Golden Retriever but you can teach with the right guidance and persistence.
-Problems can also raise when you only start training at a late age. The dog can get dominant it can result in biting and defence drift. It is quit a hard dog, but of course there always are exceptions to this rule.

General and special tips.
-Try to draw the attention of the young Weimaraner with for instance a toy or food.
-Never challenge a Weimaraner: a leader that is what he need.
-A weimaraner is very sensitive dog to who is in charge. By this I mean that the owner has to be in charge and don’t let the pack leader.
– One should encourage the positive things a Weimaraner does and ignore the negative things that he does. In other words and positive approach. -The weimaraner is a lovely and fair dog, if the education starts at an early stage undertaken by those who want to make the best of it and listen to the experience of other Weimaraner owners. BUT …. Be aware and consider if this advice suits the character of YOUR Weimaraner.
-I don’t think it is the easiest dog to handle and certainly no beginners dog. Difficult for many people, mostly because of a lack of knowledge of the Weimaraner. Consequent behaviour is the first requirement !!!

Five questions for a buyer of a Weimaraner
-Did you have a dog before?
-Whether you know gundogs, maybe other than the Weimaraner.
-Why a gun dog, why a Weimaraner?
-What are your plans with the dog, what is your motivation, where does one live, work, would you be able to give the dog what he needs? Where would you run your dog? Beach, Woods, etc? -What do they expect of the dog? What do you expect of the Weimaraner.

What should a buyer of a Weimaraner know
- Realize that it is not the easiest dog there is. -That it's not an actual water dog, but may very well be taught.
-That he/she binds strongly to a its leader and needs a very consistent education.
-That the dog is more likely to have a dominant behaviour than a bitch.Has to be trained well to avoid problems, be a good pack leader.