Just got a 5 year old weim, hunts ducks/geese but not as good on pheasants?

Sorry I am getting on this very late but here is my take currently owning 2 weims.

Please Please Please do not take the dog back to a shelter. Weims do not do well in shelter enviroments and have a hard time getting adopted because they will actually shut down. If you decide not to keep the dog please contact Mile High Weimaraner Rescue or PM me. The resuce screens potential adopters to make sure they understand the kind of dog they are adopting.

Sounds like you have a hunting dog to me. If he has been trained to hunt duck than he has some prey drive and likes to retrieve. Not something you find in all weimaraners. I bet as he spends time hunting pheasants he will learn what it takes and adapt. You can't train prey drive so they either have it or don't. Sounds like he has it. If you look for a trainer make sure you try to find someone familiar with weims or vizsla's. They really need to understand how to work with this breed to get the most out of them. I am sure you know by now that your weim is a big part of the family and will do just about anything for you. With that in mind you have to treat/train them with a soft touch. Yelling or a hard handed won't solve anything with a weim.

I have a friend who adopted a 3 year old weim from the rescue. The dog had some prey drive and liked to retrieve so he figured what the heck and started doing some AKC hunt test. In just over a year the dog is now half way to his senior hunt title and is a great bird dog. The owner had never hunted or trained a dog either but he has done all of it himself with some advice from the local dog clubs.

If you have question and you think I can help please send me a PM.

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No worries on returning him to the shelter. I was planning on putting an add in the paper if he didn't hunt but it does look like he will go for it. You story is encouraging. I had a lab that the parents hunted. The guy that bred the parents worked with my wife. We she wasn't gun shy and loved to retrieve but didn't seem to have a real prey drive. I know part of the problem was time in front of birds as we had a newborn and a 18 month old in the house. Now my boys are older and I have more time. I just didn't want to get another dog that would supposedly hunt and then not. I didn't want to get 3 dogs in the house or keep stacking up dogs till I got one that hunted. I knew once it is part of the family we aren't getting rid of it, so I wanted to make sure it would hunt. I think we may have a winner.
 
Good to hear. If for any reason it does not work out please call the rescue. So many people get weims because they are beautiful but don't understand the breed so they end up frustrated and the dog ends up back at a shelter.

Its a funny thing trying to find a hunting dog. I have a friend that has a great hunting golden and he went back to the same breeder and got a pup from the same mother of his current dog. He even got the pick of the litter. Dog has not interest in hunting at all.
 
PairOfLabs said:
Partagas-I think he'll turn into a great hunting buddy for you and a great pet for the family. We had Weims when we were kids, including a litter of 10 pups.

OnPoint-where did you get that article about the dog taken to the Humane Society? That was one of the most tear-jerking dog stories I've read. Maybe the HS should make that required reading before someone can drop off a dog.

PairOfLabs
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I read this many years ago though my tears also. It's moving piece to read for sure. My wife gives a copy to EVERY single person who buys a pup from us. Buying a pup is a life long commitment, they are like your children and giving up on them and just dropping them off at a shelter is just not a option in my book.
 
blueweim said:
Sorry I am getting on this very late but here is my take currently owning 2 weims.

Please Please Please do not take the dog back to a shelter. Weims do not do well in shelter enviroments and have a hard time getting adopted because they will actually shut down. If you decide not to keep the dog please contact Mile High Weimaraner Rescue or PM me. The resuce screens potential adopters to make sure they understand the kind of dog they are adopting.

Sounds like you have a hunting dog to me. If he has been trained to hunt duck than he has some prey drive and likes to retrieve. Not something you find in all weimaraners. I bet as he spends time hunting pheasants he will learn what it takes and adapt. You can't train prey drive so they either have it or don't. Sounds like he has it. If you look for a trainer make sure you try to find someone familiar with weims or vizsla's. They really need to understand how to work with this breed to get the most out of them. I am sure you know by now that your weim is a big part of the family and will do just about anything for you. With that in mind you have to treat/train them with a soft touch. Yelling or a hard handed won't solve anything with a weim.

I have a friend who adopted a 3 year old weim from the rescue. The dog had some prey drive and liked to retrieve so he figured what the heck and started doing some AKC hunt test. In just over a year the dog is now half way to his senior hunt title and is a great bird dog. The owner had never hunted or trained a dog either but he has done all of it himself with some advice from the local dog clubs.

If you have question and you think I can help please send me a PM.

IMG_1354.jpg
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Spot on blueweim. These dogs need contact with people in a home type environment. They are not kennel dogs that you lock up for hours/days. They become a ball of nerves. My two boys are laying by me all day. They never leave my side.
 
You guys with the weims, I plan to leave the dog outside in the yard with the other dog during the day, when the weather isn't too nasty. They were in the house today and did fine but I would like them to be outside just to have a little room to roam etc.

So how cold is too cold for these short haired dogs? I am insulating the garage and will add a dog door to it when its all done as well.
 
Partagas said:
You guys with the weims, I plan to leave the dog outside in the yard with the other dog during the day, when the weather isn't too nasty. They were in the house today and did fine but I would like them to be outside just to have a little room to roam etc.

So how cold is too cold for these short haired dogs? I am insulating the garage and will add a dog door to it when its all done as well.[/QUOTE

Keep in mind that weims are not cold weather dogs. They were bred to hunt all day and sleep by their masters feet at night. Mine love nothing more than laying by the fire or under a blanket while my wife reads a book. Weims really don't need the room to roam if they get excersise. You will find they will always prefer to be where you are and if they can't do that than the bed or couch is second best. There is a reason they have the nick name "velcro dogs". I wouldn't leave them outside in winter except on the nicest days.
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