The Weimaraner was bred to be a hunting dog. In this day and age when we no longer need
to hunt to put food on the table, we can explore the other aspects
of the breed. The Weimaraner
is an intelligent dogs capable of doing many things
and this versatility makes him a unique companion. The more interaction you have with your dog,
the more he will respond and the more you will enjoy the formation
of a special bond and relationship.
WHAT
CAN YOU DO WITH YOUR WEIMARANER? You must do something! A bored dog is a dog that will get into mischief.
To leave your dog alone and unattended day after day is asking
for trouble. His keen mind will think up numerous things to do in order to get
your attention. You are
also missing opportunities to enjoy a unique animal who wants to
be your best friend and companion and to create
many great memories. Here
are some suggestions for activities:
COMPANIONSHIP: Take your dog for a walk every day. It is good for both of you. Take him jogging, hiking, in the car when running
errands. Play fetch in the
yard, teach him how to play Hide and Seek, teach him tricks, let
him plaly with the kids. Take
time from your busy schedule to relax with him and scratch his ears. Carry on a conversation with him. Weimaraners are sensitive and will share your moods. Your dog loves you and wants to be with you.
OBEDIENCE: It is wise to take your Weimaraner to basic
obedience classes starting with puppy classes if they are available
in your area. Weimaraners are strong willed and you need to get
an early start in training your dog.
Obedience classes and training will establish a bond between
you and your dog. Training will teach your dog to heel at your
side, sit, stay, come, stand and lie down.
Obedience classes also provide a means of socialization for
your dog with other dogs and people.
Once you have completed an obedience class, you may obtain
a title of CANINE GOOD CITIZEN
(CGC). This is awarded
by AKC after the dog passes a series of simple obedience tests and
demonstrates canine manners as learned in obedience class.
These tests are usually put on by local obedience or breed
clubs.
For those of you who enjoy the challenge of obedience training,
you may want to go a step further.
AKC offers obedience titles of COMPANION DOG (CD), COMPANION
DOG EXCELLENT (CDX), UTILITY DOG (UD) and UTILITY DOG EXCELLENT
(UDX), and, if you really persevere, OBEDIENCE TRAINING CHAMPION
(OTCH). It is exciting to see a well trained dog perform not only in basic
obedience, but also to hand signals, scenting and jumping hurdles
while working as a team with his trainer.
RALLY OBEDIENCE offers another opportunity to work with your
dog as a team.
AGILITY: This sport has become very popular with owners
of active dogs. An agility
course consists of a number of obstacles, jumps and tunnels which
the dog must complete in a set time.
Weimaraners are a “natural” at agility and love it.
AKC offers a number of titles including NOVICE AGILITY (NA),
OPEN AGILITY (OA), AGILITY EXCELLENT (AX) and MASTER AGILITY EXCELLENT
(MX) along with jumping titles.
The handler of the dog gets plenty of exercise also.
This is really an exciting sport.
SHOW: Not all dogs are show dogs and not all owners
are interested in showing. If
your dog has good conformation, attitude and movement, you may want
to try for the AKC title of CHAMPION (CH).
At a dog show, a judge interprets the Weimaraner breed standard
and picks the
dog he feels most closely meets this standard.
If that new pup grows up to be beautiful, he deserves that
championship! Your breeder
will be glad to help you with showing your dog.
AKC offers Junior Showmanship classes to young dog handlers
from age 10 to 14 (Junior Classes) and age 14 to 18 (Senior Classes). Juniors are judges on their ability to present
their dog, not on the quality of the dog. This is a great learning experience for a youngster.
HUNTING: With a little bit of training, your dog can
give you many hours of pleasure hunting those elusive birds. Weimaraners can scent, point and retrieve. They will find those downed birds that can
easily be missed without a dog.
They will retrieve from water, but since they have a short
coat, cold weather duck hunting will require keeping the dog warm.
Some Weimaraners are still used on big game in the more rugged
parts of the country.
If you want to compete with your dog under hunting conditions,
there are many activities you may want to consider. Competition requires more extensive training
and handling which may be done by the owner or by a professional
bird dog trainer. It is
a great way to enjoy the outdoors with dogs and horses and it is
a pleasure to see a Weimaraner perform in a manner for which he
was bred. There are a number
of local dog clubs who put on field trials and hunt tests.
At a field trial, the dogs may be run on foot or on horseback.
They compete for points toward an AKC FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP
(FCH) or AMATEUR FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP (AFC).
In hunt test competition, AKC awards titles of JUNIOR HUNTER
(JH), SENIOR HUNTER (SH) and MASTER HUNTER (MH).
The Weimaraner Club of America offers hunting ratings to members
and their dogs. These ratings
are NOVICE SHOOTING DOG (NSD), SHOOTING DOG (SD) and SHOOTING DOG
EXCELLENT (SDX). Retrieving
ratings are NOVICE RETRIEVING DOG (NRD), RETRIEVING DOG (RD), and
RETRIEVING DOG EXCELLENT (RDX). They also award VERSATILE (V) Aand VERSATILE
EXCELLENT (VX) titles to dogs who excel in several categorys of
competition.. Various Weimaraner Clubs throughout the country
hold rating tests during the year.
TRACKING: Weimaraners have excellent noses and are super
tracking dogs. Tracking is training the dog to accept a specific
scent, then track that scent to an article left at the end of the
track. There are several tracking clubs and classes
in the area which can show you how tracking is done. Your dog can obtain the title of TRACKING DOG (TD) and TRACKING
DOG EXCELLENT (TDX). If
you wish to pursue nosework further, Weimaraners have been used
to sniff for explosives, drugs, for Search and Rescue, as cadaver
dogs and in other fields where nose work is needed..
PET
THERAPY: You may be interested
in using your dog for Pet Therapy visiting hospitals and nursing
homes. Dogs give pleasure
to the elderly, ill and lonely folks.
The dog will need to pass some basic training tests conducted
by Therapy Dogs Int. and is awarded the title of THERAPY DOG.
Your dog can bring smiles to the faces of folks who are shut-ins.
WEIMARANER
CLUBS: There are two Weimaraner
clubs in Northern California; SAN FRANCISCO BAY WEIMARANER CLUB
and SACRAMENTO VALLEY WEIMARANER CLUB.
Both of these clubs are quite active and provideopportunities
to participate in specialty Weimaraner dog Shows, field trials&
hunt tests, WCA rating tests, dog walks, Agility & Tracking
events, workshops, picnics with dog games and other social events.
We urge you to join a local club to meet other Weimaraner
owners and to participate in these events with your dog.
If your Weimaraner does not have AKC registration, you way
apply for an ILP (Independent Listing Privilege) number from AKC. Go to their website at www.akc.com or e-mail AKC directly at ILP@akc.com
for information on how to register your Weimaraner
Your Weimaraner can open up new fields of interest and can
provide a means of making new friends and doing new things and for
having a good time with your grey friend.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY WEIMARANER CLUB
www.sfweims.com
707 864-8114
SACRAMENTO VALLEY WEIMARANER CLUB
www.weimaraner.org/svwc
707 258-2509
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WEIMARANER RESCUE
www.norcalweimrescue.org
775 972-7804