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About weimaraners

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Throughout the years of owning Grey and Blue Weimaraners, I have come across many situations and had many experiences - good and bad - and during this time my knowledge and comprehension of the dynamism of this incredible breed has developed considerably, giving me an excellent understanding of their personalities, behaviours and needs.

 

Unfortunately, many Weimaraner owners are not so knowledgeable and often this ignorance of the breed leads to behavioural issues and ultimately, many unwanted dogs.

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This will help you, or may influence you, in your decision as to whether this is the breed for you. Weimaraners are one of a sub group within the Gundog Group, known as ‘HPR’ (Hunt, Point, Retrieve) breeds. He is an all-purpose Gundog but his character and temperament is quite dissimilar to that of other Gundogs due to the purposes for which he was originally bred. Without knowledge of and recognition of its consequences, it isn't possible to fully understand the Weimaraner or get the best from him.

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Bred to be a tool for the foresters who worked him, he is easily capable of tracking and holding at bay such game as boar and deer. He had to have the ability to find, flush and retrieve furred and feathered game for the pot. He had to catch and kill the predators that deprived his master of sport as well as defend him and his property. He was intended to be a powerful hunting dog with a strong protective instinct. The fact that he was, and is, a most subtle and beautiful colour, a dog of exceptional and commanding appearance, is, no doubt, one of the reasons why you find him attractive, but it can also be his downfall, if what lies beneath the silken, grey or blue coat is not understood.

 

WHAT HE IS NOT

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He is not the wisest choice for a completely novice dog owner. However, that being said, there are exceptions to every rule. People do buy Weimaraners as a first dog and succeed admirably in his care and training. These are the people who have energy to match the Weimaraner's own, who are possessed of patience, perseverance and a certain amount of gritty determination. He must know from a very early age exactly what position he holds in the family pecking order; if you are wise you will teach him to be at the bottom of the pack. He does not take kindly to being left alone all day, every day and can show his disapproval by being very noisy and destructive, or both! He needs free running exercise and disciplined walking, to have his mind occupied. With correct training the Weimaraner will make a good family dog, but he will never make an ‘easy’ pet. Still unsure? Find out what Living With a Weimaraner is really like.

 

WHAT MAKES HIM TICK?

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He is full of charm, a loving beast with a quick intelligence and unfaltering loyalty, but he also has a stubborn streak a mile wide. Given the chance, he will take over the household and all its adjuncts. He can become possessive, demanding and intolerant of strangers. Under exercised, unoccupied and bored, he can wreak havoc. Jaws such as his can make light work of the happy home. He is also quite capable of rearranging your landscape; he can introduce a cavern or tasteful tunnel with apparently very little effort.

 

TRAINING

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Truly he should work. In this country we have adapted him to our requirements; his work is primarily as the rough shooter's dog. He can perform extremely well in that respect and yet, even for that function we must remember his origins. A powerful and sometimes headstrong hunter, he needs careful training. He is a strange mixture of willfulness and sensitivity.

TOO HARSH an approach and he will shut down and ignore you, seemingly unable to understand the simplest of instructions. Too much LEEWAY and he will do his own thing in a way that will not amuse you.

GET IT RIGHT and he will reward you with his total involvement as a working partner. He has made his mark here in Working Trials too.

 

ORIGINS

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Bred to track, extremely intelligent and we can bend that to our purposes. His muscular development is superb, no delicate wimp is he and consequently the agility demands are no problem. He has however, very little in him that is servile. He will work for you BECAUSE it pleases him and he respects you.

 

Everything about this beautiful animal has an element of challenge to it. He is such a ‘get up and go’ creature, possessed of a quick intelligence, an abundance of energy, a drive to hunt, a streak of possessiveness and an exaggerated devotion which has to be tempered to the demands of a modern world. He is not everyone’s dog and should not be looked on as a commercial proposition, although, alas, he sometimes is.

 

If you take him on, you must remember his heritage and be sure you can enjoy the challenge and its immense rewards.

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DO YOU STILL WANT A WEIMARANER?

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If you do, REMEMBER that he will need, in abundance:

• Your time

• Your patience and understanding

• On-going training classes

• Socialisaton; as often and in as many varied situations as possible

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If everyone in the family is keen to have a Weimaraner, there is no likelihood of a move to a place not suitable for animals, he will not have to be left alone all day and you have enough spare time and energy to cope with him, we invite you to fill out our Eligibility Questionnaire.

 

Enjoy the adventure.

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