Weibritty

OK, first off, I have to say there are some amazing photos here. You have all inspired me to take the plunge and have a go too, although a little late joining in. Here are two photos from yesterday.

Gorgeous photos!!

My sister sent them over from the U.S.

Love all the photo's. Here's Santa's Little Elf Helpers.

Beautiful photos everyone. Here's one of my girls.

So so cute!!

ohhh, I love this one. Thanks for my Brittany fix. Another great shot Helen. eta - Great photos by everyone else, I've really enjoyed looking at the pics this month.

Great photos of Jaffa, Helen. You need to post some more please.

Hey Melody, I suppose I better get off my bum and put our entry in.....

R.I.P. Jenny. Sorry to hear this ST. Hugs to you and your mum.

Not a Flat-coat owner, but do have friends who own and show/retrieve and breed them. If you want some more information on the breed go to the Flat-coat website at www.flatcoated.org.au. The Secretary's contact details are also there. Give the Secretary a call, she will be more than happy to chat "Flat" with you.

I have a little brag...... my Longhair Wei gained her final pass yesterday with an 'Excellent' grading and now has her Tracking Dog title.

Sincere condolences to Lee's family and friends on such sad news.

QUESTIONS: 1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) I've owned Weimaraners for over 21 years now. I have owned shorthairs and currently have 2 Weimaraner Longhair bitches. I'm a sometime showy, but mostly do obedience, tracking, agility and endurance work with my dogs. I'm not a breeder but a dedicated Wei owner. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? As ST has stated above. The breed was developed in Germany to find and point game, to track wounded game and to retrieve both feathered and furred game. In Australia they are also known as a "Utility Gundog". 3. How common is it in Australia? Quite common nowadays and easily recognised by their striking colour. The Longhair Wei's are less common. A lot of people comment that they have never seen one, but I believe they are becoming more popular in recent times. 4. What is the average lifespan? Between 10 - 12 years, but I've known of many that have lived up to 14 - 15+ years. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? In general, their personality is of a high energy dog that can be a mixture of aloof aristocrat and silly clown. They are devoted to their owners and have a tendency to follow their humans around the house from room to room. Wei's are very intelligent, hard-working dogs who learn quickly. Training must be started early and be consistent, firm, but gentle, given in short doses and a life long process. Training can be at times both challenging and frustrating if you compete with your Wei's. Wei's are generally protective of their property and family. They are very skillful in learning how to open doors, gates, latches and scaling fences. Strong, consistent leadership from their human is essential or they will walk all over you in a second. A well-trained, well-socialised Wei is a joy to own and a great family dog. This is just my personal opinion but I have found the Longhairs to be more laid back in temperament to the shorthairs. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? For an adult dog, 30 minutes minimum. I like to throw in some basic obedience training or some games for mental stimulation on our walks. They definitely require off lead exercise as well. They are an active breed, so if you like biking or jogging they are a great jogging buddy. Mine generally get 40 minutes to 1 hour a day. Most Wei's love swimming and I find that's also a great way to exercise them as well. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Yes, with a big BUT..... Let's face it, I was a first time Wei owner many years ago and coped and learnt alot. I think as long as first time owners have done thorough research on the breed, talked to owners, breeders etc. and feel their lifestyle and property is suited to owning a Wei and they have the time to do basic obedience training and willing to accept the needs/requirements of this breed then Yes. I wouldn't describe Wei's as 'easily coped with', they could be hard work for some people. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? From my personal experience, Yes. In the past I've had Wei's that were solo and left for up to 8-9 hours a day per working week. My dogs were exercised daily and had stimulating toys in their yard and were then inside with us when we were home. So it is possible if they are trained from a young puppy to acclimatise to being a solo dog. But on the whole I would say most Wei's would enjoy the companionship of another Wei or dog. 9. How much grooming is required? Wei's really are a low maintenance breed when it comes to grooming. A regular/weekly brush with a rubber mitt or brush to remove dead hair should be suffice. Regular cleaning of the ears, trimming of the nails and check their teeth and the occasional bath. For the Longhairs, the same except, keep fur trimmed that is under and in between toe nails. I use a slicker brush to pull out any grass seeds/burrs that may get caught up in their ear or tail hair. When Longhairs drop coat it is like soft grey bum fluff unlike the bristle hair of the shorthair, which I find sticks into clothes and furniture. Generally though there is not much more work maintaining the Longhair, they are an easy to groom breed. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Agree with all the previous posts. In their exuberance they could knock over very small children and as young dogs are likely to do that. As adult dogs mine are very gentle around small children. As with any dog, children and dogs will need constant supervision. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? Bloat Immune deficiency Hip Displaysia Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy Tumours PRA 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) I would ask the breeder how long they have been involved in the breed and ask about the ancestry of their dogs/bloodlines. Ask if they hip/elbow score their dogs. Also ask about the above (No.11 question) diseases and if any have occured in their lines. Ask what they do with their dogs, eg. show or work or do dog sports with their own dogs. Make sure the breeder will give you or offer you on-going support to you and your new pup. There are so many more questions to ask, and hopefully a Wei breeder will come along and give some more advice.

Thanks GayleK - as I said earlier we had a perfect day for an ET, plus no wind and no rain. You'll have a great time next week, enjoy it, and best of luck on the day. ;)

My girl Cedar got her ET Title today at the GSDCV at Altona. Was a perfect day for it. Congrats to Wolfgirl and Pearl too.

Yay, Chazer. Looks like he is having a great time Helen. That last shot of Bella is just brilliant. Fantastic photos by Wendy M.

Had a wonderful time learning about Rally O. Thanks to Gamby for all her hard work in organising the seminar, but mostly big thanks to Angelsun for providing a well presented, informative insight into Rally O and what is involved. As a complete newbie, I was at first overwhelmed by all the signs and what each one meant. But Angelsun explained each sign individually which made it alot easier when it came to actually going through the courses/runs she had set up. I have to say I didn't do as bad as I thought I would and I didn't get lost through the course/run. Was lovely to meet so many enthusiastic people with their clever dogs. I also have a few new things to teach my dogs now. Best of all with Rally, I loved the interaction I had with my dog in the ring. My girl must have been very tired because as soon as I got home she hopped into her bed and slept for the rest of the evening. Big thanks again to everyone involved.

There is the German Shepherd Dog club's ET on June 27th at Altona. Schedule is on the GSDCV website.

So glad to hear Millie is doing so well.

I take my dogs to Brad Potter (Potter Chiropractic Centre) in Werribee. Brad is a qualified chiro for both humans and animals and is located at 320 Heaths Road, Werribee, Phone: 9974-1991. He usually only does the animals on Saturdays though.

Luv this thread and all the pics. Here's my girl: Cedar at 6 weeks at her breeders: Cedar are 4 months: Cedar at 15 months:

The key rings sound like another good idea, anything is better than those silly spiral things. I don't have a problem folding my bins down with the cable ties on them, and mine are tied on very securely. When my girl was a pup I was concerned initially about her possibly chewing the ties, but it was never an issue. She had plenty of other good things to chew on in the pen.

So glad to hear Millie is home and doing well. It's always a challenge trying to keep a Wei quiet....

Hey OA - I have 4 compost bins. I originally bought them so I had a portable puppy pen to use when I first got Cedar. I used the star pickets like LP does to keep them sturdy. Now they are currently used to fence off plants I don't want them chewing/digging up. They have multiple uses.