silverdog

Durnstein's Phantom Nikolai, CDX, CGC 1997-2010 Yesterday I said a very sad goodbye to my special boy Nik. He made it to the grand old age of thirteen and a half, which is old indeed for a weimaraner, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. Nik was an awesome pet and and an awesome friend. He was protector and companion to my kids as they grew up, and instilled in them the same lifelong love for the breed that I have always had. He followed them around the house and yard, and I knew he was never very far away from them. He took his duties as their protector very seriously. He was also a favourite at their school, making regular appearances on 'show and tell" days, and waiting patiently by the playground with me every day after school. He and I taught many, many children how to behave around dogs, and more importantly, that not all big dogs are scary. He was a gentle, patient uncle to countless baby weims, never losing his cool, even when they pestered him, followed him around and climbed all over him. He seemed to love his role as "Uncle" dog and would spend hours playing with them. He was also a steady presence of calm in an often hectic multi weim household. Nik was an INSANE water dog, loving to literally fly off the end of a dock at a full run to retrieve a ball or float. He was a powerful swimmer, and I took great delight in the looks of amazement at our local dog beach, where he would out-swim the labs, retrieve their training dummies and present them to me (after executing a perfect sit in front of me, of course). This usually after me explaining to the disbelieving lab owners that yes, contrary to popular belief, weims really DO know how to swim. He was the first weim I competed in obedience with and it was a awesome experience. He was SO smart. He was bombproof... with one exception. He adored my mom, and would shamelessly break a sit or down to go bounding out of the ring to say hello to her if she showed up to watch us. He would always come right back in and return to the exact spot he had left, but of course, a big fat FAIL would go on his score sheet. It was great comic relief for the judges and spectators though. You definitely have to have a sense of humour to do obedience with a weim. He was a great camping dog. He loved the beach, and would spend hours with his head under the water, blowing bubbles and looking for clamshells to retrieve. Or, digging in the sand beside the kids. They often put his digging talents to work when they needed a moat excavated around a sandcastle. He really was the perfect family dog. It has been hard for me over the past couple of years to see him slow down and get old, but I think he enjoyed his final years of doing whatever he felt like.... sleeping on the couch, or in front of the fire on a cold day, or for the past couple of months, out on the deck baking his old bones in the hot summer sun. Still, almost right up until the end he would greet me at the door along with rest of the pack, silly grin on his face, toy in mouth, goofy little weim tail wagging. But, all good things must come to an end eventually, and yesterday I had to make the decision we all dread. His old body was just worn out and starting to fail him badly, and it was time. He let me know. I could see it in his eyes. And so, with a heavy, heavy heart, I made the call. He went to the bridge with his head on my lap, favourite vet by his side, tail wagging and his nose deep in a big handful of his favourite cookies. He was mid chew when his heart stopped beating. Not a bad way to go, I think. The house seems so empty without him today. The other dogs are missing him too. It is definitely a sad family here at the moment. He was such a big part of our lives for so many years. It will take a long time for all of us to adjust to life without Nik. Run free at the bridge my dear old friend. Katie and River and the others are waiting for you. I miss you desperately already, and it's only been a day.

+1

Baby weims can be a challenge, that's for sure. This is a breed that is EXTREMELY attached to people. They do not do well on their own without some training, especially as young puppies. You can gradually train him to be on his own, but that will not happen instantly, and to expect such behaviour from a baby weim is just being unrealistic. Get a crate. (It will be the best investment you can make). Put it right beside your bed. Pup will fuss a bit at first, but if you ignore it, he will settle and go to sleep knowing you are close by. At his age you will still need to take him out once or twice during the night, and if he is beside you, it is much easier to hear him when he needs to go out. You can always move the crate to the laundry during the day. Be prepared to be strong. Weim puppies can put on quite a show when demanding to be let out of that crate at first. You will swear that he is being murdered in there and will be amazed at the volume and creativity of his howls. But, if you can tough it out for three or four nights, he will realize quickly that no matter how much he carries on, he is not coming out of there. Weims are smart, and you can use that to your advantage. However, give in just once during this critical period and let him out for a cuddle or a nap with you, and you will plant the seed of hope in his clever little head and he will just double his efforts to convince you that he MUST come out of the crate right now or he will DIE. I have crate trained many, many weimaraner puppies, and they all follow a very predictable pattern. They all start out in a crate beside the bed, they all put up a fuss for the first few nights, and eventually they end up happily in whatever room I want them to be in. They all love their crates and go in them of their own accord to sleep, chew bones or just hang out. The trick is to not put the crate is such an out of the way place that your weim feels isolated. Also, do not leave him out in the yard alone while you are out. Again, this is breed that HATES being separated from their humans. Even my well trained, well adjusted adult weims HATE being banished to the backyard (and that is how they view it.. banishment) Unless I am out there with them , of course. Then they are delighted to be out there. Additionally, this is a breed that is renowned for being very clever, very stubborn and very determined. A lonely desperate pup will soon decide to take matters into his own hands and will try to either dig his way out of your yard, or chew his way into your house. Or, to dig up your shrubs. Not tricks you want to be teaching him. Really, you are setting yourself up for all sorts of problem behaviours if you leave him out in the yard alone at this point. Crate him inside during the day if you need to go out for short periods of time. (I would say, at his age two hours max, and then only after he has had a good romp, has peed etc). Give him a stuffed kong to keep him entertained. Also, crate him when you shower, make dinner or any other times you cannot supervise him. This will accomplish two things. It will keep him out of trouble and hasten the whole process of house breaking because he will not have any opportunity to accidentally poo or pee in the house when you are not looking, and it will get him used to the idea that when you put him in his crate he is meant to stay put until you let him out again. And no, this will NOT make him hate his crate at bedtime. He won't care what he is in, as long as he is close to you. If you have to go out for long periods of time, either crate him and arrange for someone to come in at regular intervals to let him out to pee and stretch his legs or set up a SMALL area of your house that he will be safe in. (And be prepared for possible chewed baseboards, chewed drywall, chewed chair legs... well, you get the picture. Basically, my way of saying that a formal dining room is perhaps not the best place for a weim puppy. ) You really do need to weim-proof any area he will be left alone in for extended periods of time. Weimaraner puppies are NOT good candidates for roaming the house or yard unsupervised for long periods of time. They can get into all sorts of trouble. On the other hand, a good foundation of crate training, and learning to be alone now, will give you lovely, easy to live with weim once he is grown up. Good luck. It can be done.

Shivers indeed. I know the OP didn't really mean that they think of their dog as a practice baby. However, it would be wise to remember that some people actually DO think this way and that it is an all too common story to hear of a much cosseted, pampered and beloved "substitute" child (dog) relegated to the backyard once the "real thing" comes along. Sad to say the next step is often to "re-home" the dog once baby begins to toddle about exploring the world and mommy and daddy decide that their (now neglected, and as a result, not very well behaved) dog poses a risk to the baby, or that they simply don't have the time to put into the dog anymore. That being said, having human babies sure does prepare you for dealing with the responsibility of caring for a puppy.

Another ditto. Titre first. Boost only after you know if he really needs it.

+1 Sums up perfectly my feelings on the subject.

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Three better words "toilet on command". Makes life so much easier. Indeed. "leash + umbrella (when needed) + treats" when they are babies leads to "toilet on command" for the rest of their lives. One of the best things you can teach your puppy. Works great when the weather is bad, or you want to go to bed, or you are traveling, or need them to go pee or poo before going ringside at a dog show, or are staying in a hotel, or need them to get their business done so you can go out etc... In general, just makes life so much easier. And yes, I have rain hating dogs (weims) so I know what it's like. But just like the commands "sit", "stay" and "come" are complied with rain or shine (albeit reluctantly at times if it is pouring), so too, can the command "go pee".

Appollo Archie Armand Bailey x 3 Balou Bandit Banjo x2 Bardigrub Bart Barton Baxter Bear x2 Benji Benny Benson x2 Bertie Billy Bing Bluey Boss Boxer Brady Brock Brockie Brody Bronson Bruce Bud Buddy Bundy Caleb Caramel Carl Cash Champ Charlie x 4 Chevy Chip Coco Cobber Connor Cooper x 3 Cowan x 2 Cruise Cuba D'Artagnan Dakota Danny Darcy x 3 Dashx2 Deakin Deek Dean Declan Delgado Denver Denzal Deputy Diablo Diesel Digby Digger Dinky Disco Douglas Drifter Dumas Dylan Ebon Eddie Elijah Elliott Edge Esky FEZ FlashBazil Frank Franky J Holden Gandor Gimmick Granger Greedy Griffin Gus Hail Harley Harrison Harry Hemi Henry x2 Hudson Hugo Ivan Jack x 2 Jake Jasper x 2 JayDee Jethro Jett Jingles Jock Joe Jonty Jordan x 2 Joshua Judd Juggie Kahn Kaiser Kasper Kaos Kiba Kei Kippy Kisho Kobe Kyle Kyzer Leroy Lestat Logan Luca Lughie Lukas MacKenzie Max x 3 Maxie Mel Merlot Merry Milky Milosh Minook Mistral Mogwai Mokha Moses Mr Darcy Mungo Murray Nammu Napoleon Nelson Nigel Nikolai Nipper Noah Nova Nudge Nugget Odin Ollie Onslow Oscar Oso Oz x 2 Payton Piikki Porsha Porthos Punch Quick Raffy Ralph Rambo Randy Rauri Reeve Rex x 2 Riku Riley Ripley River Roary Rocks Rocky Rolly Rookie Rory Rove Rover Roy Jones Jnr Ruff Ryan Rupert Rusty x2 Sam Scout Scrap Scratch Sebastion Shadow x2 Silas Snitch Sonny sox Speed Spencer x 2 Spike x 2 Sport Spud Stanley Sterling Storm Sully Swanky Tazz x 2 Ted Teddy Tey Dog Theo Thunder Tiger Tirra Toby Trojan Tub Tusca Tye Tyson Ulf Wade Wags Walker Walter Watson Weave Will Willy Woody Wolf Xander Zac Zedley Zephyr Zeus Ziggy

I am in no way bashing this breeder. Even the best, most careful, ethical breeder can experience problems with a litter, and I feel a lot of empathy for them. BUT... Based on what you have posted so far you should proceed with caution with this particular puppy. I am not saying walk away from him, but do listen to that gut feeling. If you do decide to take him make sure that you have him checked over thoroughly by a competent vet who has his full history either before you take him home, or soon thereafter, and have a clear agreement with the breeder that you can return him for a full refund at that point if anything is found at that that you are not comfortable with. Simply put, there is no good reason for a weimaraner puppy (or adult) to have chronically weepy eyes. Sure, after a romp in the dirt maybe, but not always. It is important to know that this is a breed prone to distichiasis (an extra row of lashes growing from the inner rim of the eyelids). Excessive tearing or even just a constant ball of gunk in the corner of the eye is often the only sign of distichiasis in a young puppy, because at that age the extra lashes are often very fine and hard to see. So, yes, while not problematic in some breeds, weepy eyes in a weim puppy would be a cause for concern for me. Entropion (where the lids actually roll inward) is less common but still found in the breed. It's also a bit more obvious and more likely to have been noticed by the breeder and the vet. Even if it is not distichiasis or entropion, I would still be concerned. Those weepy eyes mean something. A normal, healthy weim (of any age) would not have them unless there was a problem. It's just not a normal thing for this breed to have weepy eyes and tear stains. Likewise a normal, healthy weim puppy should be full on. If he seems fragile and not quite right when you have a much more robust littermate to compare him to, then you are right to be concerned about that too, given the rocky health history of the entire litter. (Again, not breeder bashing here.. sometimes s**t happens, despite doing all the right things and it is not unreasonable to wonder if this puppy might have some hidden health issues). You should also know that weims can have issues with an autoimmune reaction following vaccination. The significance with this particular puppy, given his history, is how well he will handle his puppy shots. With weims it's a big no-no to tax a baby immune system already struggling with some other issue.. and to be honest, it is possible that there might be some sort of other issue here. Again, to repeat. I am not saying walk away from this puppy. He could be perfectly fine, and to be sure, those pictures show a couple of weim babies who do appear healthy and well cared for. Just do your homework, ask questions about the above points and make sure you are comfortable with the answers you get from the breeder, their vet and your vet. Edited to add to "If you do decide to take him" to second paragraph.

Just popping in to say hello. Like many others here, I think about you often. My life took a dramatic and unpleasant turn for the worse a couple of years ago. Not quite the hellish experience you have gone through, but bad enough, nevertheless. I am now, three years on, slowly putting the pieces back together. It seemed, for a very long time, that life would NEVER be good or even normal ever again, but I have gradually learned to accept my "new" normal. In an odd parallel, a puppy that I had not planned on keeping, was kept. We share an amazing bond, he and I. Perhaps because he has been with me on my slow journey back to "normal", perhaps because we are both a bit damaged or perhaps just because he is sweet. Regardless, I am glad to read you have wee Phoenix with you now.

Not sure what you have available in Australia, but we use electric wire at top and bottom of our fence that is energized by a unit designed specifically for dogs and small animals. (We could have used the tape, but the wire was WAY cheaper, and easier to break, so safer if a dog got tangled). It does a great job of keeping my multiple weims in. The zap is unpleasant enough to make them think twice about touching it again, but not deadly. Not like the electric cattle fence on my FIL's farm. I have accidentally touched that a couple of times and it's like being hit with an axe! I hate that thing. LOL.

You should get a second dog because YOU want a second dog and are ready for a second dog. Not as a playmate for the first dog. Sure, it may work out that they keep each other entertained. But, it might not. Ask yourself this question... If you get a second dog and it doesn't address the issues you are having with dog #1.. how will you then feel about dog #2? Don't forget that dog #2 may have a whole set of issues on his own. What then?

For future reference, finely ground black pepper also works to stop bleeding. (I know, sounds bizarre, but it really does work.) Like cornflour, it is something that can be found in any kitchen. And, no, it doesn't hurt them. Of course, you just want to put it on the bleeding bit, and not dip the whole foot in. LOL.

How strangely sad and uplifting at the same time, Jed. Thank you for sharing. Run free Magnus. Doesn't sound like you have any regrets about your life with Jed.

It doesn't matter if they had the bill for one day or four days. It doesn't matter if there seemed to be no injury at the time of the incident. It doesn't matter if they didn't tell you that they had taken the dog to the vet. None of that makes one bit of difference. These people may or may not be taking advantage of the situation. You don't know for sure. Even if you did know, you have no way of proving it. And even if you could prove it, it does nothing to change the undisputed fact that your auntie's off leash dog bit theirs. I know it doesn't seem fair, but as soon as that bite occurred your auntie opened herself up to all sorts of unpleasantness. The more you dispute it, the more likely it is that your auntie's dog will pay the ultimate price. Hard as it is to swallow, you and your auntie need to accept that fact, pay the bill, take steps to prevent a recurrence and move on. As for finding evidence of a bite immediately after a fight, I will share my experience. I have weimaraners. They have a VERY short coat. On the odd occasion that we have had scraps involving bites, it has been damn difficult sometimes to determine immediately after the scrap whether or not any real damage has occurred. Often it is not until later, when visible welts appear that you know where to look for damage. And sometimes you don't even have that to help you out. And no, in the really nasty scraps, where there is clear intent to inflict damage (thankfully a rare occurrence) there is very little slobber. The bites tend to be fast, deep and slobber free. So fast, in fact, that you find yourself wondering just how a bite landed in a certain spot, as you certainly didn't see it, even though the scrap happened right in front of you. Dogs ARE that fast when they mean business.

Maybe look at it from their point of view. Your auntie's off leash dog attacked and injured their dog. Although initially the damage seemed minor, later when at the vet, it was discovered to be much worse than first thought. (This is a common and reasonable scenario with dog bites). The dog was booked for surgery the next day (saving both them and your auntie after hours emergency costs) and while under anesthetic some other work was done. (Another completely common and acceptable scenario). The next day (or maybe a day later.. it's hard to tell from your timeline), the owners of the injured dog presented your auntie with a bill for 80% of the total vet bill. Seems reasonable to me so far. They also asked for immediate payment. Also reasonable, given the fact that their vet likely asked for immediate payment from them, and they wouldn't have been at the vet at all had your auntie's dog not bitten their dog. Most vets require immediate payment for services rendered, no matter what time of day it is, or how unexpected the event is. It would also be reasonable to expect that the owners of the injured dog would be angry and upset, and that might come across as bullying when asking for payment, especially if it appeared that the owners of the attacking dog were now questioning their story and showing signs of not wanting to pay the bill. Unfortunately, the bottom line is that your auntie's off leash dog bit their dog. Any grief or unpleasantness now flowing your auntie's way is a direct result of that simple fact. Your auntie would be wise to follow the advice posted earlier in this thread. Pay up (as vet bills go, seems to be a very reasonable amount), ensure it never happens again and be thankful it wasn't reported.

Been away for a few days and just catching up. Seriously??!! As if what you have been through (and continue to deal with) isn't enough. Sigh. Wondering where you find the strength, Jed. Hang in there.

Dogs are carnivores. Anyone who has any doubt about it need only look in a dog's mouth. Those are not the teeth of a vegetarian. 'Nuf said.

An increase in dominant/aggressive behavior is actually one of the possible side effects of desexing a female. (Not one vets are keen to tell people about though.)

Hi Jed.

I have tears in my eyes reading this.... for a woman I have never met, who lives on the other side of the planet. What an amazing on-line family this is! We are all still here with you Jed.

Yup.. hate to hear these two particular excuses as well. Sadly, they are all too common. Sigh.

Wonderful to hear some positive news. Thanks Toohey. Be well, Jed.

Just doing my daily check on Jed. :D eta... I'm in a VASTLY different time zone, so most of you are asleep when I peek in. Not sure how to put this delicately, but, um... some in this waiting room drool in their sleep.