SparkyTansy

I think it just happens... learn to expect that people won't know what he is and use it as an opportunity to educate someone about the breed. I have had many who think my English setters are dally cross, or educate me on what an Irish setter should look like. Ask me if my weimaraners are greyhounds because they are grey and slim, and call my setters girls probably cos they have long hair and look "pretty"... my wei, the short coated breed, is often a boy for the opposite reason... The most classic is the look on peoples faces when you tell them you have a WEI-MAR-AN-ER and their attempts to pronounce it afterwards...

Jeanne another thing i forgot... i assume that your breeder isn't near you, but can you call or email them and ask them for some help on the basics of preparing a pap for the show ring?

You show Paps is that right Jeanne? Yes you can bring treats into the ring... it's quite acceptable to bait and use treats to distract pups during examination... Definitely bath her before a show, but other than that i have no idea what preparation is required for your breed. I would consider attending a showcraft class or two so you can get your pup used to things... also obviously get her used to being examined/teeth etc...

I think what they get is your reaction to their stealing... and run for their lives!

This year, the Weimaraner National in Adelaide... Otherwise, and generally, my fave show is the Western Classic.

Teddy - Partipaws Partyboy Teddy Partipaws Party on Tedster No one specific but here are some more party themes... Partipaws Suprise Party Partipaws Party Time Partipaws Marked to Party Partipaws Dressed to Party Partipaws Party at my Pad Nothing to do with parties... Partipaws Inked Partipaws Mark up Partipaws Check me out Partipaws Colour my world Partipaws Man of Colours Partipaws Crayola

well done Daisy!! I am on day two of my morning walks... except day one happened about a week ago!! this morning i was up at 5am and took Ari for a walk/run and got back at around 6.15am... covered some training, retrieving and a little jogging (for me!)... I really lack motivation, and i can guarantee unless i have someone else there to motivate me to get up and about, I will allow this new regime to taper to nothing. OH and i go for walks at night, and we are pretty consistent, but mornings i am NOT... so, i'll join!!

I haven't been to Leighton beach yet but i hear it is nice.. does it get busy? imuch prefer a quieter beach because James' recall isn't the best sometimes and the less to distract him the better - he is a little bit of a socialite with people!! The other day he took a liking to a 1 year old at the beach who had a biscuit... just followed her around hoping for a morsel... didn't even try to take it off her... such a good boy!!

CnR already told you how sorry i am but again i am so sorry for you... your news came as a major blow to me - just so awful that your special boy was taken away from you so soon! I am thinking of you everyday and I hope that you are looking after yourself.

Mirawee do many people at Kwinana take their dogs onto the horse section? I can't say i have ever had the inclination... why bother when a few hundred meters down the road there is a massive dog area? I hope you have better luck with other beaches you go to!!

Everyones advice is very good... When i first started out I was wearing black pants with a shirt as a basic start... i can't believe I actually used to wear my doc martins with the pants!! As time went on (and i grew up a bit) I started wearing more skirts (knee length, but usually a bit flowy so it's easy to run) with shirts - pretty much what i might wear to work... i showed a grey&white dog fora long time and found that pastel colours suited him best so started wearing pretty pastels like green either on top or bottom. I now show a grey dog and another grey/white (diff breeds) and those colours all suit very well, but i admit to having added a few reds to my show wardrobe (and red suit jackets at that!) Shoes for showing have really become easy to find, since velcro/strap shoes are in fashion... i have a black and a white pair... i try to lean towards the white pair for summer day shows because the feeling of your feet cooking in black shoes is NOT nice!! When you try on show shoes as much as you may feel stupid have a bit of a jog/run around to feel whether the shoe might slip off mid run - seen that happen a few times!

I'd definitely charge them if they didnt let you know...

I think most of my family and all of OHs family think i am crazy dog lady... but really who cares when you have a hobby and they don't right? I am the first one they come to if they want a new dog or have a problem with their dog... I managed to talk OHs dad into getting his bitch desexed when his traditional thinking was "they should all havea litter it's good for them"... However at work i have a very supportive boss, who will ask me how i do on weekends and grants me leave every year around the royal show. he makes me bring my ribbons in to show him if we win something, and was very excited when i showed him Ari's title certificate recently. The rest of the people around me dont know much about it, and don't ask - anyone into dogs just likes to talk general dog chat which is fine with me! I think i start the tongues wagging when i decline an invite to a Friday night function for work and my excuse is that when i get home i have to spend 4 hours getting a dog ready for a show the next day... i guess they just don't understand why i would pass up a social event for my dog? I have one person at work who actually had a dog that his breeder would show... so he attending shows now and then and understood what i was talking about - but even he doesnt really get it as it wasn't him showing or grooming the dog. the company i work for is a club and the focus for some is recreational flying, so i can basically compare their weekend of flying with my weekend of dog showing - only their hobby is much more expensive! A number of times i have been asked if i get paid for doing it... i don't really get that question... but i can understand why they ask since when they ask what i win i say "points and a ribbon"!!!

Putting restrictions on who can buy would not work in isolation, it is part of a sales process. What they have done is build up their brand 'Weimeraner' and make it as good quality as they can. They market that, and the restrictions don't come in until after the buyer has decided what they want and the salesperson qualifies the sale (or more accurately, the breeder enforces restrictions). No different from selling Mercedes. The manufactureres and marketers make people desire it. But not everyone that wants one will qualify to buy. With a car the only qualifier is price, with a Weimeraner it is price and the restrictions. They don't lose sales, the restrictions make the product even more exclusive and attractive. They are not for Joe Average, but neither are most of the other finer things in life, and the Weimeraner buyers know that. In Australia, we don't see many dogs being sold that way. In our business we have made a real effort to build up our brand, and that makes it easier for us to sell more dogs, and people want our dogs even though we have restrictions too. But if you have the restrictions without the marketing and the quality control, it isn't going to work. I think all pedigreed breeds should be sold or recognised almost like a brand. let the masses have oodles, those who want something special and a cut above the rest will get the brand/breed of their choosing. prestige cars can't be had by all and so can't the best dogs. it would not hurt if pedigreed dogs became a status symbol. Let the medicore have their mongrels and modpets, can't be casting pearls amongst swine anyway Yes they used to be a status symbol and many still believe that is what they are... but i am not sure that is what is best if we want the future of our breeds to continue? how can we maintain the genepool if we are breeding only a few who want them, can afford them plus meet any requirements for them? it's not like 100 years ago when culling was the norm... particularly now since we have ARSPCA on our case... Definitely damned if you do damned if you don't situation..

Is there a Chow rescue or Chow club you can try??

Kwinana dog beach isn't the same as CY O'Connor beach... Kwinana dog beach is in Kwinana... I go to both - CY Connor beach is about 10 minutes drive from me, but I always opt for Kwinana beach which is more like a 20 minute drive. It has a large grassed area, and the beach there is usually a lot calmer. I prefer this beach to CY o'connor because the sand area is larger and it is never quite as busy - i also find CY O'Connor beach watera little murkier probably because the sand is mega fine and sticks to everything!! RS, it isn't too hard to get to.... if you go down the freeway south get off on Thomas road exit and turn right onto thomas road, go to the end of thomas road and turn left onto rockingham road. I think you go through a set or two of lights then there is a sign anda slip road with traffic lights to turn right (called Kwinana beach Road). go down this road, and turn left AFTER the train track. follow this around and you will come to a big bend to turn left (there is a deli on the corner). keep going along there it is a lot of park land... you will see a big blue Silo andthat meeans you are getting close, and itis much easier to find now, because it is i think the one and only roundabout on that road... so, when you get to the roundabout, turn right into the car park... you will see a few scattered gazebos and bbqs, anda toilet block to your right you will know you have the right beach. Always best to go in the morning, mostly because the water is beautiful. Last weekend i went on new years day and the water was so calm,and there was a sand bar/shallow tide all the way out probably about 50m before it dropped to the most beautiful warm water you can imagine...and so beautifully crystal clear. if you ignore the big silo in the water it is the most beautiful beach... i am glad it doesn't have a review on the net... means less people will go there.

from me as well from me too!

hey RS, I haven't had a dog in obedience trials before, but i always find that the obedience stand for examinationi is more serious than conformation!! Ari always moves more than two feet during conformation showing, and I am really worried when we first go for our obedience trial what she will do!!

SP i totally agree with you... I am on the fence about the whole thing... weim club in Germany is doing a great job but i don't think we could turn around and tell Australians that they can no longer own certain breeds unless they do x, y and z... andto be honest I don't mind the weim being a more biddible, friendly dog all round, because I think that they can be under a lot of stress constantly wanting to protect their families but not having an outlet by working... however it does sadden me that we are slowly losing the incredibly amazing temperament that enables this breed to be so versatile but at the same time, at least i know it's in good hands in it's country of origin and that at least it will never be truely lost so long as they are left to do things their way.

A German weim can still be suitable as a pet. But for really committed families and not just the average one. Breeding for working ability willl not mean that every individual is high drive, and high drive doesn't mean that the dog won't be a good pet for the right family. The danger with breeding away from high drive dogs is that you risk inadvertantly losing the dogs with good strong solid nerve. Because the less solid dogs will be more likely not to show the high drives on command. If a family want a large short coated dog, and cannot handle high prey drive, copious amounts of energy and endurance, the desire to retrieve, the desire to chase, the desire to be a companion and the desire to protect, perhaps they need to look at other breeds. There are plenty to choose from. Precisely Greytmate - COMMITTED families - which is exactly why the German club has strict requirements in order to be able to own a weimaraner... they have recognised that the weimaraner has specific requirements, and in order to maintain the integrity of the breed, they have made it so that the owner suits the dog, not the other way around. In Australia, UK, US and many parts of Europe, these requirements do not need to be met.... in order to ensure that the weimaraner is a happy "pet" first, they have curbed the temperament somewhat in order to ensure a family friendly companion. Most of the time, the Weimaraner will still retain the intense desire to be with their immediate family, which is why many think that the breed is a little high strung and suffers separation anxiety. In truth separation anxiety is quite rare in the weimaraner - just that their desire to be with their family is strong, and so are they However I do agree with you about breeding away from high drive can result in nervous dogs,and I have seen that in many lines in the past... but more recently I have seen less of the nervousness and more friendly disposition. I like a weimaraner somewhere in between... strong nerve, wary of strangers but intensely friendly with those they know well. Lucky for me my weimaraner is exactly that. Weimaraners can be a high maintenance breed Carlibud, but less so now than before due to being quite selective with temperaments. However anyone looking to get a weimaraner, for example, would need to be aware of the possibility of getting a high drive, high energy dog... and be prepared for it. I do not think that everyone is. Before i got Ari our Weimaraners were all high energy with an off switch... friendly with strangers but also nervous of certain things. When I got Ari she had nerves of steel the moment she walked out of the crate at the airport she owned the world... She is certainly a lot closer to the weims in Germany than her happy-go-lucky cousins... so what is more ideal? if i breed with her, do i choose a dog with a softer temperament to suit the Australian Family, or do i find new owners who want a weim that will do what it was bred for? (even if they aren't going to put any of that into action). Great post SP... however it is down to us, as breeders, to dictate what we want from our owners. Again looking at the german weimaraner club, YOU have to meet THEIR requirements. They certainly do not lack lines and prospective owners but they do have to work harder in order to ensure their dogs are what they have always been,by proving they can work, meet conformation and be an effective guardian but also companion to their families. If it was the will of breeders and clubs in Australia to go in the direction of proving that their breed can work as it did years ago, then they would need to be more selective in their owners. Would it ensure that families who want that breed would take on the responsibility and work hard to meet the requirements? Or, in this "I want it now and I have the right to have it now" society we live in, would it mean the downfall for our breeds? Sorry for turning this into a thread about Weimaraners, but they are a good example of a breed which has gone in different directions... and although the German clubs protocol on owning a weimaraner may be seen as elitist, it certainly works in protecting their breed from people who shouldn't own them. ETA... as much as it pains me to say this, we are doing exactly what media says we are doing, if we continue to breed for dogs with less temperament traits required for the job they used to do... we are breeding for a traditional look... ok flame suit on...

My sisters OES likes to round up the other dogs and tried to do so with a helicopter the other day but there is no way in hell he could do his job effectively in the Australian climate, unless of course he was clipped off or only worked in Winter in the colder climates in Australia... i have toyed with taking him to have a look at some sheepies before but (and don't slam me!) i just don't think iwant to brush out the coat afterwards! My English setters show very little working ability. The younger of the two is very interested in birds but lacks the drive - he would stand there all day if he had to but never advance. When enquiring about the work when he was young (because he was so interested in birds), the club i spoke to was very welcoming and open to having a "show bred" setter there, although mentioned that it was unlikely it would be able to perform the work as effectively as the others. I had to give up before i started as pup was diagnosed with HD. As far as I can tell, just like you can have a show dog that is incredibly keen to do the work, you will have a field bred setter who will not be keen, despite the breeding. The weimaraner of course does everything right for her breed... high prey drive, copious amounts of energy and endurance, the desire to retrieve, the desire to chase, the desire to be a companion and the desire to protect. Companion is what is focused upon more in the breed today in Australia, but in Germany a Weimaraner that is incredibly protective, and has passed all working tests as well as titled in conformation are the only ones eligible to breed, and the WEimaraner Klubb has a very strict procedure in place to ensure this is what happens. In a way it is great, but many, many weimaraners in Germany would not be suitable for the average family... in Germany, you have to meet certain criteria to own the breed, and you must go through the club in order to obtain a pup... so what is better? Iam just not sure.

What showdog said

I am so very sorry for your loss.

ValleyWA OMG it has come up soooo quickly i can't believe that you will have your baby soon!! Ari is entered in the show (the weim) but James isn't entered unfortunately i can't show him as he has HD he likes to come along sometimes though and he recently had a lovely groom so perhaps i will bring him along to the classic! the OES is entered too. Peta23 showing isn't hard to get into but it also isn't for everyone. best thing to do would be to come along to a big show and watch and see if you like it. to get into showingyou have to purchase your dog from a registered ANKC breeder (you can call dogswest for a list of breeders that have the breed you want). When you chat to them you must mention you are interested in showing and they will guide you from there. Some people will not always sell a puppy to a person who hasn't shown before but it really depends on a few factors so pick a breeder and go from there. dogs are never too old to learn something new but if your ACD isn't show quality then it probably isn't on the main register, which is what it needs to be in order to be able to show. Your dog also must be entire in order to show it. oh and welcome to DOL! thornliegirl I take it you are still in Thornlie? if you go to the canine grounds (cnr warton rd and ranford rd, southern river) at the times and dates listed in my last post on page 10 of this thread, you can see which shows you might like to attend. The western classic is the biggest of the shows in WA except the royal show, and it is held over 4 days, so if you are interested in a particular breed, let me know and i can tellyou what day they are on if you are interested in going to the western classic. all our shows from now on until about april maybe are night shows as it is too hot to show during the day. most start around 6pm. anyone can go down to shows, and you can even take your dog although if you want a good look and a good wander i wouldnt recommend you bring your dog.

HUGE congrats!!! Cant wait for pics.