Q. My family and I have a 10 month old Weimaraner female puppy. She is a very nice pet except for one problem. She has severe separation anxiety. When we first brought her home, we began crate training her. She seemed to do well with it for a few months, but then any time we left the house, she would go "crazy." She continues to have this problem despite our vet prescribing 4 different medications. The first one we tried was Clomicalm. It helped her for a little while, but then she regressed while still taking it. Then we tried a similar drug to no avail. Next we tried tranquilizers, but two in one morning were not enough to sufficiently sedate her to the point of not having an attack after I left her. She also looked so horribly and acted so strangely while on the tranquilizer that I didn't think I could stand to give her anymore. The last drug we have tried is called Buspar. It also has not helped her. When we do leave her in her crate, she barks, thrashes around, tears up her bedding, and salivates so much that her crate and the surrounding area are soaked. Somtimes, when the weather is nice, I'll take her with me in the car. She does fine as long as she is not confined to the "way back" of the van (when she was, she chewed through a seat belt). The problem is, sometimes it's too hot to leave her in the car, and I don't think that driving with her is the safest thing to do. Would you have any information that might help us deal with this problem? Our vet is pretty much stumped and I am tired of feeling guilty the few times I do leave her at home to do something I absolutely have to do. Is this something that this breed is prone to and is there a chance she will grow out of it?

A. I have had many letters from people who have this problem with their wonderful pets. After listening to so many of you, I am beginning to see some commonalities as well as some conclusions. All of the dogs come from homes where they are dearly loved, therefore abuse is not an issue, nor is confinement in a crate or being left for any amount of time. I have never received a letter from a Weim owner whose dog is 'less than dear to them'. The letters are from Weim lovers who do keep their dogs very close.

The conclusion I have drawn is the dog is displaying a type of dominance and maniuplation over its owners by throwing a tantrum much like the terrible two's in human children. When the tantrums occur in human babies, the proper response of good parenting is to 'dominate' the child and insist on the right behavior. Therefore, it is part of my conclusion the Weimaraner is throwing a tantrum as a display of dominance and manipulation. If you regard the activity in the same way you would an improper nip, I think you would be further ahead than drugging the dog.

When I display dominance over my 'pack' to keep order, I will pick out the offending dog and without yelling or acting angry, hold on to the dog and sit on it until it calms down. This firmly gets the dogs attention without corporal punishment. You may have to sit on the dog for several minutes before it calms down. It is understandably strange for humans, but many people who only have one dog do not realize that that is precisely how dominant dogs in a pack "scold" younger dogs or puppies. Dogs will not only pin down the offending youngster, but they will nip and growl until the youngester shows proper respect. After letting the dog up, the dog should only approach you from the side or the back. Do not tell the dog it is being good. Maintain a stiff standing posture, stare it down and put it in the crate. Again,all of this should be done calmly without yelling or acting in an agressive manner. It might take a while for you to gain control of the situation, but I hope it is worth the effort.

A note: any dog left long hours alone in a crate or run is going develop behavioral problems regardless of your "taking charge of the situation".

Q. I purchased a Weimaraner in late August. My trouble is handling her hyperness, I would like to know if this is normal for this age or if I have my work cut out for me. I don't beleive in physical punishment and am trying to leash train her. The problem is she bites my hands and is uncontrollable when I'm just trying to put a leash on her. The only time I can pet her is if she is tired. Otherwise, she bites and jumps on me and bites pantlegs, ankles, and hands. I have two young children ages 1 and 3. I keep them seperated with a baby gate most the day because I need to be right there every minute she is in the same room with them or she will jump on them and bite their clothes and hands. They are scared of the dog. At what age can you start obedience training and do you have any tips that could help me? I am willing to work with her. I am trying more hands on with her (petting, scratching ears, rubbing belly) she likes it when she is relaxed but can get quite out of control. We have a large fenced in yard for exercise and she sleeps in a crate at night and when we are gone from the house. I am a stay at home mom and can be with her all day. I need help to teach her to stay down and not bite. The books I've read suggest leash training but she fights the leash and gets more uncontrollable on the leash than off.

A You are in serious need of disciplining the dog with a firm hand. Getting a bit physical with the dog does not mean you are punishing the dog in a destructive way. Young Weims and even older Weims that know better are constantly trying to dominate their surroundings and their masters. For the biting, grab the muzzle tightly tell it "NO BITING". Another method to stop biting is by putting your thumb on the dogs tounge until it becomes uncomfortable. If you do not get control of the dog you will soon find a home for it as it will soon be totally out of your control! As for the jumping up, start with grabbing the dog's collar and holding it on the ground. A knee to the chest or shoving it over backward is not 'cruel and unusual punishment", especially for sneak attacks!. Tell it 'OFF' while doing this. You will have to do it repeatedly and enough to get through to the dog you do not want it on you. As for the clothes tugging...my goodness, get ahold of the dog and push it down to the floor and tell it "NO"! You are going to have to be firm with the dog!!!! If it challenges you by growling and raising its shackles (which is the next level of dominance and is very serious), take the dog down and sit on it!!! You have to be the 'alpha dog' , not your pet! As for leash training and other obedience commands-obedience school should definitely be on your list of things to do over the winter.

Q. Hi... I purchased a Weimaraner in June.... he was about 10-11 weeks... I had got him from a local pet store that sold AKC puppies... he came with AKC papers and background papers... he is, I believe, the 8th generation of all CHAMPIONS.. I purchased him for $1100.00.... I was told it was that expensive because he was shipped in from the midwest(I live in the northeast), from a very reputable breeder. I never knew really the going price for Weims.. I figured all champions and from the midwest.. hey why not?? When I got him he had a respiratory infection and the vet put him on antibiotics.. after about 2 weeks he was all better... now he is 5 months old. So, I brought him in for his last set of shots and my vet told me that he weighed 30 pounds and that is under weight for his age... he said that this breed should be about 40-45 pounds by now.. he said that he felt by the time the dog is full grown that he might only weigh 60-65 pounds... when they should weigh 75-85 pounds full grown.. My question is: Can I get my money back??? I paid 1100.00 for a champion dog... I got a Weim because I was looking for a large breed dog.. I expected him to be about 80 pounds considering he is a male and all champion. Plus, I know of other Weims in the area that weigh 80-85 pounds... I love my dog to death and would never give him up for anything but I don't feel that I will be getting what I paid for... besides the fact that I asked if the beeder would budge in price and her exact words were " he is a 100% champion I will not go down in price" ... what do you think???

A I am sorry you are having so much trouble with your Weim, but at this point, unless you can get the breeder to respond to your concerns, there is nothing that can be done about how much you paid for your pet. I have never heard of your breeder and my membership list from the Weimaraner Club of America does not include her name. AKC registration does not mean very much unless the parent dogs actually have championships themselves from AKC approved events. There are a couple of other national clubs like the AKC that run dog shows and offer championships for 'winning dogs'. The problem is that these clubs have much less stringent rules for acquiring championship titles than the AKC.

Weimaraners from some of the top show and field kennels in the country sell for about $800 to $1000 or more. Sometimes there are limited registrations or spay/neuter contracts that go along with the price. Also, there is something called a co-ownership where the breeder maintains control over whether the dog is shown, trialed or is bred. An owner usually agrees to compete and finish the championship for the dog and if the dog is bred the breeder maintains control of who the dog is bred to. The owner gets a first class dog and the breeder gets a titled for his efforts. When all is said and done here, a little more research and a little less haste may have helped your situation more than anything.