WEIMARANER: DEALING WITH HIS MANY GIFTS

He is called "dog of the four dimensions: hunting, guardian, companion and beauty shows." Check how to deal with his versatility.

Besides the aristocratic expression and the unique colors of the eyes and coat, the Weimaraner has an excetional versatility which along with his peculiar beauty, have become a trademark of this breed.

He was developed by german aristocracy in Weimer, in the 19th century, and is considered one of the best hunting dogs due to his incredible smelling capacity, plus the ability to point, both in the water on in land, or any kind of terrain, for that matter. He is an excellent guardian of the prey, and is always very close to the hunter, so he has a strong companionship and protection instinct towards owner, and property.

ENVIRONMENT

The Weimaraner needs to be constantly in touch with the owner, he also needs lots of space where he can wear out some of his endless energy. In case that doesn't happen, his behavior will suffer. "He gets restless when he can't exercise his athletic body," says Ingrid Heins, from Kennel Von Nobiskrug, Rio de Janeiro.

The people who do not make use of his main characteristic, get disappointed with the breed. It is a very affectionate companion, and for that reason his attachment to owner may become inconvenient if his limits aren't clearly set. On the other hand, his extreme sensibility and intelligence also help make teaching easy. To teach him correctly, all we have to do is show how pleased or displeased we are with his attitudes.

As a guardian it is calm, accepting strangers if they are in the owner's company, and the kind of dog that gets respected because of its size and agility. His own instinct leads him to a protective attitude, but we may give him more incentive by showing our approval whenever he is protecting us. However, we shouldn't force his attitude, to avoid causing distortions. "Training him for attack can only be harmful, for the Weimaraner is a born guardian who attacks by insting, and making it attack under a command goes against his nature," explains Ingrid.

VERSATILITY

The Weimaraner has recentlu demonstrated potential for an activity that demands a lot of training. It is the agility competition, which has become very popular abroad, and is now beginning in Brazil. In this competition, several breeds of dogs participate, and the objetive is to complete in the shortest time possible a course with several obstacles. Elias Teixeira from Kennel Alternativa, Santo André, SP, has breed Weimaraner for the past 8 years, and also acts as a handler and trainer, and mentions the performance of the breed in these competitions, for which he has also been training Dobermanns and German Shephards, as well as other breeds. "The Weimaraner is the one that has been doing better in the over all competition, assimilating easily the solution of the problems," he says. In the agility competitions the Weimaraner really has an opportunity to use all of his qualities such as agility, courage, strength and disposition.

According to Renato Longo, president of the Clube do Weimaraner, and breeder at Kennel Arcobaleno, in Rio de Janeiro, after a period of relative popularity in the 80's, the Weimaraner goes through one of its worse periods in Brazil, since its arrival here in 1952. He thinks this phase is due to "breeding and hereditary problems, once there is excessive consanguinity in the national stock, because new individuals haven't been imported lately." There are not many breeders in Brazil today.

INFORMATION

Appearance: Aristocratic, robust and agile.
Height: Male, 59 to 70cm (ideal height is 62 to 67cm). Female, 57 to 65cm (ideal height is 59 to 63cm).
Coat: Short or long (visibly long). Both are straight, smooth and shiny.
Color: From mouse gray to silver gray; small white spot are allowed only in the chest and feet.
Eyes:Round, ambar.
Ears: Inserted high, long, pending close to head.
Nose: Pink, grayish.
Tail: Cropped. It should measure about 15cm in the adult dog.
Purchase of Puppy: It cannot be blue (graffitti), brown or black. It is born with light blue eyes and by the time they are one year old they should get ambar. Tail and ergots should be operated on by the 4th day.
Special Care: A lot of exercises, and the company of the owner.

We would like to thank or colaborators for the long interviews, and for reviewing the final text. We also thank Hilda Drumond for the text review.
Research and text: Jorge Bechara. Text editor: Marcos Pennacchi

Picture: Luiz Henrique Mendes
Owner: Kennel Alternativa