Hi I was wandering whether any one could offer me some advice. I'm very interested in the Weimaraner breed and looking to get one in the near future, I have researched into this breed and feel i know pretty much all i need to know, I have always had dogs and love them dearly and always had two untill recently when i only had one as she did not get on with other dogs but was a great companion and friend to me. The question i would like to ask is what other breed would get on well with the Weimaraner ? I would very much like to have either a German Short haired Pointer or a ladrador as these are my other favouite breeds, or is it best to have two Weimaraner's. I know that Weimaraner's are very loyal and faithful to their owners so is having two going to be a problem ?? I would also like advice as to whether two dogs are best together or a dog and a bitch, as i know two Bitches don't always go well together. I would very much appreicate some advice.

Yours Faithfully
Alison.

Don't know much about weims but i would of thought they would get on with any breed a to which sex to keep together i don't really think it matters as i have 2 dogs and 3 bitches get the odd snarl over food when a bitch is in season. We have 1 male neutered and other is being done next week

Hi Alison, Weim's can be prone to not getting along with other dogs so socialisation of your new pup is all important if you want him/her to get along with other dogs later in life. Im not sure from your post if you are looking to get two pup's at the same time...if you are, Id advise not to. Most good breeders wont rehome two pups to the same home because they are such a handful and can bond too strongly with each other - you need to put in extra work to separate them for play session etc so that they bond with you also. Personally, I wouldnt think of getting another pup before your first is 18 months old and even then, it would be the same as having another baby just as the first is old enough to look after themself. If you wait 18 months, a properly socialised Weim should be ok with any dog - if you know what breed youre going for, you can put in extra work to introduce your Weim to that breed while still a puppy. I have a 16wk old Weim at the moment and I wouldnt be without him for the world! Good luck! :)

>>Weim's can be prone to not getting along with other dogs so socialisation of your new pup is all important if you want him/her to get along with other dogs later in life.

That is rubbish and simply applies to all dogs not just weimaraners. A Weimaraner, if from a reputable breeder who only breeds dogs with a sound temperament and socialises them from an early age before they even leave their first home will get along fine with ANY dog. Obviously it is up to the new owner to continue this socialisation and if they don't then yes you could have problems but then the same thing would apply with ANY breed ! Statements such as that quoted above will give the breed a bad reputation :-(

I would say that weimaraners are perhaps more sensitive than some breeds. For example, they use eye contact a lot and see this as very important body language, they don't like to be eyeballed by dogs or humans and will see this as a major threat. When in the show ring they also don't like judges who are very light with their hands, hardly touching them or are very rough with their hands. This is just a couple of things to think about, but they are a breed that you really need to understand and this takes time. :-)

My advice would be to find yourself a reputable breeder and visit them and their dogs. Perhaps meet them at a show first and then if you like them and they like you arrange to visit them at their home. They may want to visit you in your home. Talk to people about the breed as well as read. I would recommend your first weimaraner be a bitch because whilst they do have seasons and some people are put off by this I would say they are definately easier than the males. I also wouldn't be looking to get another dog until your bitch is at least 2 years old. To be honest, if you spend plenty of time with your weimar, training her, enjoying her, you really won't have time for another dog until your bitch has matured. You also want a decent age gap between them because when the sad time comes to say goodbye you wouldn't want to be losing 2 dogs almost at the same time. :-( They are a very active breed but they also need brain stimulation so walking them for hours won't be enough, you need to spend quality time with them. An idle and bored weimaraner can be a disaster BUT there are plenty of ways to keep them occupied without you having to spend every living minute with them :-)

You are correct in saying that 2 bitches can sometimes have problems, but that is not always the case. It really depends on how you introduce them, socialise them, train them etc. Having 2 males also can have it's problems, particularly when they are reaching maturity and are full of testosterone. But 2 bitches fighting can often bear a grudge and you can find yourself having to separate them whereas 2 males will often forgive each other easier :-) I have a bitch and a male. They get along fine. My bitch however is speyed which does make life easier as I would have to keep them separated when she came into season.

I would just worry about getting your first weimaraner, enjoy her and then in a couple of years time if you feel you have the time for a second dog then look into the pros and cons as well as discussing it with your breeder. :-)

If you want to register and ask more questions there are a few other weimaraner owners on the forum who will be only too willing to help you :-)

Best Wishes.
Claire.

Sorry if you feel the message I posted was "rubbish" but I was going on a study done by a vet on common problems within breeds. The most common problem reported by owners of Weimaraners was that they were dog aggressive. Maybe his study group wasnt large enough, maybe the problems reported were down to bad breeders or bad socialisation but I thought it was something that wouldnt do any harm to highlight as you cant have an over socialised dog. You have my sincerest apologies if the breed falls into disrepute as a result of my posting. :D

>>You have my sincerest apologies if the breed falls into disrepute as a result of my posting.

I'm sure it won't fall into disrepute by your one single posting, however it certainly adds fuel to the fire and may give potential new owners the wrong impression. Perhaps you should have stated that this information is second hand from your vet and therefore not your personal experience :-)

Perhaps your vet did his study back in the 50's when the weimaraner was new in this country and temperaments in *some* dogs were not great. However, over the past 50 odd years many breeders have worked extremely hard to improve the breed's temperament, mouths, construction and so on. Yes you will still get the odd weimaraner who perhaps does not have the best of temperaments but then that all depends on what you class as a good temperament. For example, you may see a male weimaraner fly at a dog in the showring and think that he has a bad temperament BUT did you see what the other dog was doing first, perhaps one of them felt threatened or perhaps one of them is poorly. Perhaps at an outdoor show one of them got stung by a bee and presumed it was the dog standing behind him !

This is why I feel it is important to talk to people who have weimaraners, listen, learn, research and look to see if that breeder's dogs do well in the ring. And whilst vets are very knowledgeable people, you have to remember that they see many different breeds and unless they specifically specialise in a chosen breed then they can only generalise. His study group possibly wasn't very big, taken into account the number of weimaraners registered each year with the KC. And because the breed is so popular (due to the attractive colour mainly) then unfortunately we do have rogue people who call themselves breeders but don't do all the necessary health checks therefore not producing quality sound stock. And we also have many people who don't spend the time socialising and training their dog and end up with a deliquent :-(

As I have already said, weimaraners are more sensitive than some breeds and unless you take the time to learn and understand them then they can be totally misunderstood.

I couldnt agree more with everything that youve said - I guess my initial mail was urging on the safe side. Im happy to admit that Im not a breeder and that other than shed loads of general reading and my limited ownership of the breed, I dont have much more experience - Im always happy to learn from others and in something like averaging personality traits, it is never an exact science so Im glad to hear that your experience is contrary to what I read. I hope that you can also see that Ill learn better from you and take on board what you say if you dont rubbish the posts that I make - a wise man once said that it is unwise to use an axe to remove a fly from a friends forehead! - please just tell me if you think Im wrong! :)

I don't think I rubbished your post, or I certainly didn't mean to. :-) I did however rubbish your one particular statement about a weimaraners temperament because I simply believe it is untrue. However, I have already said that perhaps if you had explained that this information had come from your vet rather than first hand experience (remember I know nothing about you) then I would have worded my original posting differently and perhaps rubbished your vet. LOL :D I actually only disagreed with your one particular statement and thought that everything else you said about socialising, not having 2 pups etc. was very sensible.

No one wants their breed to have a bad reputation and I imagine that most folk will always be quick to defend if they feel it necessary. :-)

I may have more experience than you BUT I don't even know a quarter of what my breeder knows, or the many people on here. This is an excellent forum for learning. Just because you are not a breeder or haven't been in the breed for long doesn't mean you haven't already learnt a lot, you already know more about the breed than the original poster because you own a weimar and they don't. Now't like first hand experience and boy do you get that with a weimar :D :D

Hi,.....we have american cockers,beagles and weimaraners and they all sleep in a heap infront of the aga in the winter and in the sun on the lawn in nice weather the only time we get a growl is when more than 4 mixed breeds try to all get in a cage just big enough for a cocker !!
Socialisation is the name of the game,lots of it and as early as innoculations will allow.Please feel free to mail me if you need any help,but there are some very knowlegable people on here full of sound advice.
regards
P.

Hi Alison,

I agree 100% with Isla75. Find a reputable breeder, visit them to see what the dogs are like to have around the home and ask them all the questions that the books don't answer and, most importantly, listen to the replies. Weim owners never get tired of telling people about their breed :D.

Then, if you decide the breed is still for you, only take on ONE puppy. I can assure you that will be demanding enough!!

Bracken.

Trust me no-one knows all they need to know :)! Any breed will get on with a Weimaraner. Get your Weimi to a minimum of 18 months preferably 2 before considering another dog; they need a lot of training. Two pups together of whatever breed will be a disaster! In general if you are a novice owner I would get a bitch first; dogs are a lot more assertive (NOT aggressive). A dog and a bitch will get on fine providing you have one neutered othewise you could have problems every season.