| Letters, questions and answers
to the WCA Webmasters Commentary in this section is the opinion
of Aunt Weimie and does not necessarily constitute the opinion
of the Weimaraner Club of America. |
Q.
Are there ways to buy a good puppy (not show quality) at a less
expensive price?
A. I used to discuss price until I received many letters from
people who bought their pets from brokers, pet stores or puppy
mills. They all got 'ripped off' and paid too much for their dogs.
All good breeders are breeding for show quality or for hunting
dogs. Dogs that are sold to pet homes have had the same amount
of time put into them as dogs bred for competition. Logically,
it is not possible to show or trial all the dogs coming from a
quality litter. Many times people who are aiming for "pet quality"
dogs charge as much for their "pets" as those who breed show quality
and have to find 'pet' homes for the puppies they are not going
to show. Following letter is demonstrative.
Q.I am considering getting a puppy in the future and I would
like to know how much one would cost. I'm not really interested
in show-quality. I just would like to have one for a pet.
A. I hesitate to answer the cost of a Weim question as many times
a broker, backyard breeder or a pet store charge outrageous prices
for poor quality animals to unsuspecting and uninformed buyers.
I hope you have read all of the indexes from the webpage concerning
what to look for in a good breeder including the questions you
should ask and the expected answers. It is more important that
the breeder has put in the effort to guarantee the quality of
what he is producing including keeping in touch with you after
purchase and offering you support for any problems that arise.
Q. Are Weimaraners good with children?
A.Weimaraners make very good family pets. They are protective
and loving of their families. As far as introducing a baby to
a Weim after being the only 'child' for a year or so, this depends
on how well you socialize the Weim to accept children in the environment.
Make certain the puppy is around as many children as possible
in controlled situations. Do not let any child act inappropriately
toward your dog. Weims remember everything! If possible, even
bring children into your home regularly to interact with him there.
Include the Weim in activities relating to the baby if possible
(give him chores to do such as fetching diapers) and make certain
his regular activities including play are maintained as much as
possible. All this goes for any dog, not just Weims.
Q. Do Weimaraners get along with cats?
A. Cats and dogs are natural enemies. Some dogs can tolerate the
presence of a cat. Even some Weims can manage the presence of
a cat. The problem is: no one knows which Weims will tolerate
cats. The hunting instinct is alive and well in most Weimaraners
and they see the cat as vermin. In the not so distant past, a
Weimaraner ended up in rescue because the owners gambled on owning
both a cat and a Weimaraner. When their male Weim reached full
maturity and instinctual ability at about the age of two...he
killed the cat without any previous indication of malice toward
the cat. Soooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! you can try it if you want,
but that is your judgment call!
NOTE: More than any other question in the FAQ section, this
FAQ receives the most mail. Most of the time, the letter involves
a story about how much their Weimaraner gets along with the family
cat. The person challenges the notion cats and dogs are natural
enemies and are, in fact, offended by the idea their precious,
little blue eyed, gray bundle of energy just brought home might
someday kill the family cat! I would not be doing my job if I
did not warn owners of cats and Weimaraners about the natural
hunting instincts of the Weimaraner. And, no, the Weims that kill
the family cat do not have poor temperaments, the dogs are doing
what comes naturally. If you want to understand the temperament
and the hunting ability of the Weimaraner, please read the European
Hunt Test and the Longhair articles. The dogs in the articles
are not exceptions to Weim type and temperament, they are the
right type and temperament. Letters written to Aunt Weimie about
the subject of dogs and cats will not persuade me to change this
FAQ question. Perspective Weimaraner owners need to know the facts
for an informed decision on whether or not to bring a Weimaraner
into their homes.
Q. I have a commercial website, would
you consider linking our pages to the WCA homepage?
A. The links on the links page are for non-commercial websites.
We have been asked many times to put commercial links on the page...we
adhere to non-commercial rule for a variety of reasons. The website
is mainly for information about the WCA, the Weim temperament,
rescue, history, and club contacts. There is a large enough problem
concerning the association with ideas such 'shopping sites' without
putting commerical links on the website. We also do not involve
ourselves in breeder referral as requested by the WCA Board of
Directors. I get many requests for breeder referral as though
the pages are a 'doggy shopping network'. Commercial pages would
lend themselves to this atmosphere.
Q. What is a 'Blue' Weimaraner?
A. The blue coat color of the Weimaraner is similar to the smokey
blue/black coat of the Great Dane. The color is tracable to one
imported German dog bred under controversial circumstances. There
are disagreements on the the origins of his blue color. Some strongly
believe he was the result of a cross between a Doberman and a
Weimaraner, others think he was severely inbred. Very few Weimaraners
survived World War I where he originated. He had a black nose,
blue/black fur and other features uncharacteristic to Weimaraners.
Regardless of where the color originated, the fact remains
that blue is a disqualifying fault in the official AKC standard.
Blue Weimaraners cannot be shown. They are NOT considered "rare".
The color can arise in a puppy whose littermates have the accepted
mousy gray coloring. A dark coated normal gray Weim definately
is not a blue. The blue is very distinctive as it is nearly
charcoal black: there is no such thing as a little bit blue.
The following is from Page 55 of Weimaraner Ways, by
Virginia Alexander and Jackie Isabell:
"The necessary majority of the WCA membership approved a revision
of the standard that disqualified the blues, and it went into
effect in 1971. The disqualification bars blues from show competition
and WCA ratings but does not invalidate their AKC registration.
Most fanciers who supported the blues simply accepted the disqualification
and bred no more blues. . .
"Weimaraners remain one of the breeds characterized by a specific
color; the uniquely silver-gray color is the hallmark of the
Weimaraner in all other countries and evidence of its ancient
origin. WCA has every right - indeed, a responsibility - to
discourage the breeding of Weimaraners that are not of the typical,
traditional color."
Q. What is a 'Brown' Weimaraner?
A. There is a group of people in this country who think they are
breeding a better Weimaraner by breeding German Shorthair Pointers
to them. They truly believe at some point everyone will think
they are improving the breed. It is disturbing at times to receive
letters from pet owners asking about 'brown' Weimaraners. Even
though these dogs are not papered, they are being sold as true
Weimaraners to unsuspecting buyers. The color is the brown of
the GSP. One of the most distinctive features of the Weim is its
grey coloring, I can not imagine why someone would want to change
that. If they want to hunt with a GSP, they should go buy one!
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BROWN WEIMARANER. END OF CASE.
Q. I live in an apartment. Is it possible
to have a Weim without a yard?
A. The best scenario is to have a yard for the Weimaraner. If
you are a person who likes to exercise and want the Weim to accompany
you or there will otherwise be a regular, structured program of
exercising the dog, it is possible to own a Weim and live in an
apartment. Weims are high energy dogs and if this energy is not
'burned off' in constructive ways, they use it to make life miserable:
pouting, tearing up everything, urinating in inappropriate places,
the list goes on until those who do not cope with the Weimaraner
temperament beat them or put them in rescue.
Q. Is a Weimaraner temperament like other
sporting dogs such as a Golden Retriever or a Labrador?
A. No. The Weimaraner requires your attention and languishes without
daily human companionship. The Retriever or a Labrador can be
kept outside or as one person asked, on the screened-in back porch
without suffering loneliness as long as its person feeds it and
visits a few minutes a day. I have always wondered why these people
bother to have a dog. It certainly can not be for companionship
if the dog is only interacted with for a few minutes a day and
only when the person is ready. A Weimaraner is not such a dog.
The German's wanted a companion dog in every sense of the word
to share their lives with: hunting companion and family friend.
Q. I want to put up the so-called invisible
fence. Is this a good way to keep a Weimaraner?
A. No. The Weimaraner becomes frustrated with this type of confinement
and continually tests the perimeter looking for a way through
it. It will do this to the exclusion of all other activity. In
my opinion, it makes them neurotic and unhappy. Some may even
tolerate the shock and go through the fence anyway. Another consideration:
your dog will have the collar on, but any roaming dog or animal
can approach your dog without the restraint of any fence. This
can cause serious problems for your pet. Do not waste your money.
NOTE: Date 12/2000-I recently received a letter from a broken
hearted family who had placed their trust in the invisible fence
system instead of building a fence for their Weim. Their Weimaraner
ignored the 'pain' of the collar and ran through the invisible
fence. This had happened several times before, but this one last
time the dog ran in front of an oncoming car and was killed. Please
have some other type of confinement for your Weims. Also, do not
write me angry letters about how much you like the idea of the
invisible fence. This event speaks for itself!
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