Beautiful, stubborn but rewarding (Weimaraner)

Member Name: HelenHancox

Product:	Weimaraner
Date:	26/06/02 (1174 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: looks, friendliness, intelligence

Disadvantages: stubbornness, kills other animals, intelligence

Why a Weimaraner? Sometimes I wonder that when Lucy has dug herself into a rabbit hole and I have to drag her out by her back legs, avoiding her snapping teeth...

Most people are struck by the beauty of these dogs. The silver ghost coat, their excellent conformation and intelligent yellow or blue eyes can be really striking. Oh, and, of course, a recent advertisement for vodka which had a singing weimaraner playing the piano.

But these dogs aren't for the inexperienced! Although affectionate and friendly, Weimaraners are stubborn if they want to be, selectively deaf, can be fussy eaters, and - potentially a big problem - excellent vermin catchers. Unfortunately 'vermin' can be interpreted rather loosely - next door's guinea pig, the doves that your parents have been feeding on the lawn, baby rabbits in the local wood etc etc. They kill them with a quick snap of the jaws, and you are left with quite embarrassing apologies!

When on the trail of a rabbit, the weimaraner can be totally focussed, which can mean that they snap at you if you try and stop them. It took us two years of ownership to get the measure of our Lucy, and we can now pull her out of rabbit holes without losing a hand, but you have to be wary.

I remember a weimaraner owner saying to me, "gone are the days when you can go to the toilet on your own". I would say, "gone are the days when you can have a complete night's sleep with only humans in the bed". Because of their very short fur (which conveniently doesn't moult too badly) they get cold at night. Our Lucy wears a fleece coat and has her own radiator on all night in winter and still gets cold. It also means that during the day if she can get into the bedroom she will burrow into our bed - not necessarily what you want when you get home.

But what's good about them? They are wonderfully affectionate; they want to spend time with you, keep you compa
ny, play with you and be your shadow. They are beautiful and you get lots of comments if you walk down the road on the lead. If trained well they can be excellent workers (although Lucy as a rescue dog is beyond that!), and can keep the local rabbit population down. They seem fairly hardy.

One note, however. Their fur is so short that they are easily injured. Lucy has had to be sewn up after a number of close encounters with barbed wire fences (she can jump 6ft with ease). Also one strange thing with our Lucy - lots of other dogs walk up to her and attack her (including my other dog, a labrador!). She has had so many bites from other dogs that it is almost a regular occurrence. My vet wonders if it's because other dogs don't like her pale eyes - I don't know. Perhaps it's the docked tail, or perhaps it's because she wasn't well socialised in her former home. Who knows - but it can be expensive!

So would I have another Weimaraner - yes, definitely. From a puppy you could probably train them a little better, and they are beautiful puppies. However, I don't think I would have two at once - too many opportunities for mischief. I have had to catch Lucy from sheep chasing three times, and that's three times too many. Keeping an eye on two of them would be very difficult - her colouring means she's really hard to see in undergrowth etc.

But they're worth it - lovely dogs, great nature and they just love to cuddle up to you for warmth. But they're certainly not the right dog for everyone - and definitely not as a first dog. An hour's walk a day is quite a commitment.

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