Weimaraners as hunting companions

[jwnissen]

Just doing a little research, but I have heard that Weimaraners are not the best with other dogs, so I thought I would ask the experts!! I was told that they are better by themselves and tend not to do so well with other dogs. I have a 11 month old GSP and will be looking to add another dog in the next couple of years. I really love how the Weimaraner looks and would like to add one to my soon to be growing collection (if the wife allows it). Are they good hunting with other dogs, or better by themselves? Are their energy levels the same as a GSP? Are they smart/easy to train? Good noses/instinct? I will only be hunting upland birds. All opinions and experiences welcome, just no arguments please. Thanks. John

[bb560m]

I've never seen a Weim that hunted well and a lot of the ones I've been around I wouldn't let my dog around them. if you want a dog that hunts at your ankles then maybe you'd like it, but you'd have to walk over the birds yourself.

[ezzy333]

Some Wiems are just as good as any other breed but overall there are probably a higher percentage that just aren't as good do to some poor breeding in their background. But if you do your home work there are some kennels producing really nice field dogs. There are two or three of them on this forum so I hope they can clue you in better than the rest of us.

Ezzy

[Steve007]

Worth considering what sexes you're dealing with. If you have a male GSP and want to add a male Ymer, that is likely to be a very different proposition than adding a bitch. Especially in the house. I try to alternate sexes (uh,in my dogs ), so that I have one of each. But I keep my dogs in the house, and, these days, have spayed bitches. YMMV.

[ymepointer]

Go here for resources to find a hunting weim.

http://huntingweimalliance.com

If I recall correctly, aprox 90% of NON german bred weims are show/pet stock, not selected for hunting traits and so, 90% or better don't hunt! The ones that are bred to hunt are pretty hard to find, but if you go to the HWA site you should be able to find a nice one. Weims suffer from the double recessive coat gene which pretty much prevents injection of Vitamin EP into the equation so they are not as soupped up as the other continentals are now.

[brad27]

There are a few that run FT's here. Nice dogs. Even beat some of them soupped up continentals. :roll:

[DonF]

Try Leslie Like in Beverton or Myron Meifert in Scappose. I have a photo of one of Leslie's dog at a trial this past spring on the break away in walking gun dog. First time I saw her was several years ago at Boyce corrals. She was coming in off the gun dog course and won the stake. She compete's with her dog's in open stakes.



This dog is not an emnarrasment, nice dog. You can find her on the NWFTA web site.

[Nick Miles]

IMO the show ring killed off any and all of the Wiem's true ability. haven't seen any good ones. The ability of Pointers and GSP that are available why would anyone want a Wiem other than for a pet?

[LincolnAlexander]

To first answer your question, yes Weim's can live and work perfectly fine with other dogs. I have seen many Weimaraners hunt perfectly fine along side other dogs (both Weimaraners and other breeds) and many people I know who have Weim's have multiple dogs in their house (again including some with other breeds.) I have a 4 year old male, 1 year old female (and a 11 week old female who is the latest addition) and have watched other dogs in my home for friends, and sent my dogs to others houses who have numerous dogs with no problems.

As for the hunting ability in the breed, as has been said it can be harder to find because so many of the breed are bred as pets only, however it is there. There are some Weimaraners with great hunting ability, and who are performing well in different venues including NAVHDA, Hunt Tests, Walking Trials, and yes even Horseback all-breed field trials. If you look and ask the right questions you can find a great hunting Weim who will also be an amazing companion. The HWA is working to produce these type of Weims and give you a location where they can be found.
Good luck with your search!

[RayGubernat]

I have seen some pretty nice Weims at local trials but I do second what most of the others have said in terms of their being something of the exception. I will say that,even the best of them that I have seen do not quite have the hunting ability of well bred pointers and I have seen at least one Weim that was rated the top 2nd or 3rd field trial Weim in the country at that time.

If you can find a breeder who focuses on the field aspect, you have a good shot, but in all honesty, it is probably far easier to get a good hunting GSP. There are, quite simply, a whole lot more of them around to choose from. Several of the Weims I have seen were quite strong willed, so I'd be prepared for that also. I kinda like that myself, but a dog that will test you is not for everyone.

Have fun on your search.

RayG

[Trekmoor]

So far I haven't seen one single weim I'd like to own and I have seen a Field Trial Champion Weim at "work" a few times. As a generality, the breed in this country, is often aggressive to other dogs and sometimes a bit "iffy" around people too. It is slow hunting and ground scenting and very often hard-mouthed ............ I think the majority of folk buy them as some kind of fashion statement ? Maybe the breeds colour matches their carpets ?

Bill T.

[LincolnAlexander]

Sounds like the breed is in a poor state in Scotland, which I am sorry to hear. I have had many compliments from judges, and hunters with other breeds on my Weims. As I said in my previous post, there are some great hunting Weims around and the HWA site is a great place to find good solid breedings.

The temperament of the majority of Weims I know is great (we recently went to a friend's home for a few days who has 4 Weims (including one pregnant bitch) and we took a pup and another female who was in heat and they all got along great.)

As long as you choose a sound breeding from proven lines neither hunting ability nor temperament should be an issue... Which is the same in pretty much any breed.

[mik]

I have heard that Weimaraners are not the best with other dogs

I've own two Weimaraners in the very recent past one raised as an 8 week old pup and the other rescued as a 1-1/2 neutered male..... as a dog owner I had no issues with their behavior around other dogs they were both with us til age 12.....

Are their energy levels the same as a GSP?

Yes with my two examples, they can run all day like a GSP if givin the proper training/conditioning just like you need to do with any hunting breed. All athletes K9 or biped need conditioning.

Are they smart/easy to train?

In my experience I had one smart and one not so smart....both would find birds and do it reasonably well....

Good noses/instinct?

In my experience one was a ground sniffer but determined as heck and the other held his nose up and used the air to get scent for lack of a way to describe it.....

I'm no expert and not a dog breeder but the little I do know is that if you're looking for a Weim to upland hunt look for a field trial breeder or a breeder that's been hunting and trialing the dogs. Check the NAVHDA hunt test results for Weims and go to those breeders. There are a few of those breeders on this website that I've seen.....I was very close to getting a Weim after our two had passed from a breeder in Michigan (Silvershot) but ended up going with a GSP closer to our home.

Do your homework as you would do with any purchase these are still fine hunting dogs from the right breeder raising hunting stock. Just one man's opinion.

[RoostersMom]

You're asking for personal opinions. Mine is much like Trekmoor's.

I wouldn't own one. I have GSP's, EP's and a Vizsla (plus a couple of chessies), have hunted behind at least 10 breeds of birddogs. I've hunted over 4 weims in the past 10 years. I've had two dogs attacked by weims on two separate occassions (different dogs all around each time). I've had a dog attacked by a weim in an obedience class. The weims I hunted with were (I hope) not from good hunting stock. If they were from good stock, then I'd really never, ever recommend getting one for hunting. They tend to be cat sharp and will kill cats or small pets (as many hunting dogs will) - the ones I've been around just don't compare at all to a mediocre GSP or even a Vizsla. I'm sure there are good ones out there somewhere - I even think there are a few breeders on here that have them. I've met this breed in the field, at hunt tests, at game farms, etc. They are not the dog for me. I like to hunt with other people, I don't like dog fights, and I want my dogs to be biddable and a joy to hunt behind (and they have got to find lots of birds).

[ACooper]

I've had two weims, one was an excellent dog but overly protective, the other was a low drive wanna be lap dog with very little point, but was from questionable breeding I should have done my research better and not listened to the pitch.

On a side note, was at a lake in OK last weekend had a buddy bitten fairly badly from the neighbors female Weim. This was an unprovoked bite, everyone standing talking the dog slinked (is that even a word) up behind him barked and bit him on the hamstring.

[Bird Dog 67]

It's always a bit disheartening to hear about people's bad experiences with this breed. I agree that the breed has been watered down in large part due to the show dog syndrome and William Wegman fans who buy them as accessories, but there are lines out there that produce some very nice dogs. My personal experience is that Weims can be incredible hunters as well as companions. Just like any breed, there are issues with some but I have had NO bad experiences with my Weims being aggressive. While there may be some bad genetics out there that have messed with some demeanors I have found them to be very pleasant to be around. I have 19 nieces and nephews that will attest to being able to crawl over, poke, pull, play with, and be around Weims. I'm hopeful that this breed will be brought back to form through responsible breeding programs.