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The
Weimaraner is an all-purpose hunting dog developed in
Germany from the Bloodhound. He is a large, assertive,
intelligent animal of unmistakable quality. He is also
a dog who requires special qualities in his master.
The
Weimaraner makes a better watchdog than almost any other
breed of sporting dog because he is aggressive and quite
fearless. He is a dog of great character, and he spends
much of his time telling everyone about it. If allowed
to have the upper hand, there is no worse pest than
this breed. He should not be a person's first dog.
This
is a breed that simply must be given a full course of
obedience training at the professional level. If the
owner is competent, that is fine; if not, then the cost
of taking your Weimaraner to a top obedience school
should be considered a part of the acquisition price.
An untrained Weimaraner is going to walk all over his
owner, his family, and their friends. While not dangerous,
he can be pushy and extremely unpleasant to have around.
Conversely, a well-trained Weimaraner is one of the
most splendid looking and gentlemanly of all breeds,
sporting or otherwise.
The
Germans were almost neurotic in the severity with which
they governed the breeding of Weimaraners. Poor specimens
were destroyed, and good specimens were only bred after
the most careful consideration. Predictably, when the
breed became known here around 1929, it caught on. Equally
predictable was the slippage in breeding standards.
Weimaraners bred in this country today range from the
really excellent to the utterly hopeless. Retail all-breed
puppy outlets often feature these dogs, but they should
never be obtained from this source. Be suspicious of
the inexpensive Weimaraner; only the finest show stock
and field-trial stock should be accepted, and only after
a visit with the breeder and a chance to see and meet
the puppy's parents.
The
only real problem with the Weimaraner as a breed is
that he is often more intelligent than the person who
owns him. When this happens, it is not the happiest
of man-dog relationships. The owner should always be
in command. Any person smart enough and strong willed
enough to properly select, train, and manage a Weimaraner
is in for an unparalleled dog-owning experience. The
owner who overrates himself or under-rates his Weimaraner
is in for an ordeal.
Reprinted
from "The Roger Caras Dog Book" 2nd edition,
copyright 1992
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