Different? In what way?

Warning! A bit of a rant coming up. I mean no insult to anyone or to anyone's dog. What follows are my personal observations and opinions on the Weimaraner breed in general, not a reflection of any individual dog.

There is a scenario repeated regularly on Weimaraner forums and e-mail lists. It goes like this: Someone announces that they will soon be entering a Weim in a trial or test or training class. A round of encouragement from others on the board follows, everyone wishing the handler and dog well. A few weeks go by and then a long winded post appears that details just what "went wrong". All the usual excuses are trotted out: "poor judging", "difficult conditions" "bad luck" etc. etc. However the one that sticks in my craw is the old saw about how Weimaraners are sooooo different from the other breeds and soooo misunderstood by judges and trainers. "Oh, they are so very different from all other breeds and should not be judged in the same way", "they work in a completely different way" "They are quirky".

Are Weimaraners really that different? And if the answer is yes, then why?

Let's remember that the majority of weim breeders outside of Germany and Austria do not base their selection on performance. Rather, they breed dogs mainly for the show ring or companion animal market. If they do any field work at all with their dogs the goal is usually a dog that can perform just well enough to get through a low level hunt test. Furthermore, most Weimaraner owners are not hunters and do not really know what a hunting dog should be able to do. Is it any wonder that weims are "different" from other breeds bred to actually hunt?

The "other breeds run further and faster" line is often used to explain why Weims do not win trials. I have also seen people state that "Weimaraners hunt in a completely different way than German Shorthairs etc."

I believe that there is very little justification for these attitudes. Range and speed are important factors in trials but they are not the only factors. Just because a dog runs far and fast does not automatically guarantee a win. It is my opinion that there are very few Weimaraners in the winner's circle because most Weimaraners are mediocre hunters at best. It is not that they hunt or run differently, it is because they do not hunt or run very well.

A good working weimaraner may not be quite as fast or far ranging as some other breeds, but the difference should be rather small. If a GSP runs at a full sprint out to 150 metres then a Weimaraner should run nearly as fast and almost as far ( I know some that run just as fast and far). The difference at most would be in the 10 -20% range.

What usually happens though is that most dogs in a trial are out there really hunting hard, with passion, drive and intensity at whatever the normal range for that type of trial is.

And then a Weimaraner is presented. A good one will look a lot like the other dogs, RUNNING hard with the same determination and drive as the others. Maybe it will cover (a little) less ground in each cast, and maybe the head will be somewhat lower while running, but there should be no mistake that this dog is out to find game and NEEDS to find it NOW.

More often than not however, a Weim is presented and what we see is a pale reflection of what should be happening. The dog trots here and there, pausing occasionally to piss on a plant or sniff at a mouse hole. If it stumbles across game, it may or may not point and if it does, there is little intensity. Range is never more than 20 or 30 yards despite the handler's urging the dog on. I hate to admit it ( I am after all a weim lover) but some of the worst dogs I have ever seen in the field were Weimaraners. Watching them "hunt" was painful. They were absolutely terrible. Yet in their owner's eyes, they were hunting in the "Weimaraner style" which is sooooo different and challenging.

Bullshit! They were hunting no better than my sister's tea-cup poodle. In fact, they were not hunting, they were out for a stroll wondering when they were going home so they could get back to that nap they were having.

It is no wonder that these types of dogs do not win trials. It is not because "weims don't run as far". The good ones certainly do. It is not because the weim is a "slower worker". Again, the good ones work with speed and drive...maybe not as quickly as a brittany or gsp but certainly at an intense gallop....not a lazy trot.

Maybe it is hard for the owner of such a dog to see just how poorly the dog does compared to other dogs. Maybe justifying the performance on the old "Weims are different" attitude helps the unease. But to an experienced hunter or field trial judge there is no illusion. The dog is crap (excuse my French) and should not be considered for the winners' circle. On the other hand, a good dog is a good dog no matter what colour it is. So if a grey dog enters a trial and runs with speed and style and points with intensity and stays steady etc. etc. then it deserves the top prize.

Most Weimaraners do not win trials because they are competing against dogs that have been selected for athletic performance in keeping with the original purpose of the breed. Those dogs have been selected by hunters and field trialers for just this purpose. Weims on the other hand are typically selected for their appearance by people that do not hunt and do not realize what a hunting dog should be able to do. The few Wemaraners that are selected for performance can compete with any other breed. They run and hunt and point and swim and retrieve very well. But they are the exception.

I am sorry what I have written sounds harsh. I believe that we should be honest. If the Weimaraner is ever to improve as a hunting breed we need to move beyond the attitude of "weims are so different" and get to work on selecting dogs that can compete honestly with the best of the best. We do not need to lose those endearing traits of the breed that we love so much, nor should we lose all traces of the weimaraner style. But we need to realize that a hunting dog, no matter what the breed, is like a high performance sports car ....not a minivan with bald tires and an empty gas tank.

Of course, that is just my opinion....I could be drunk.

The big ONE-OH

I meant to publish this post a few weeks ago but in the rush to prepare for a trip to France, I did not have the time. So, here it is...a bit late, but from the heart.

Ten years ago today Felix the Freight-train, the Evil Genius, the hard-headed, hard-charging Weimaraner was born in a small town in Miinnesota. Since then he has given my wife and me roughly equal amounts of sheer joy and utter consternation. And by all indications it looks like he will be giving us many more years of smiles and headaches, chewed up slippers and thrills in the field. At the big One-Oh he is still going strong.

Among his favorite people, and to whom we would like to extend our thanks for helping raise him are:
Grampa and Gramma Koshyk,
"Uncle" Rob Wheeldon
"Auntie" Shelly Shorrock
Don and Bonny Grabowski
and especially Dr. Skavinsky for stitching and stapling Felix together after more than a dozen "mishaps" including broken toes and teeth, run-ins with barbed wire (almost lost an ear), and encounters with plate glass windows (he actually jumped through one!)

Thank you all...here's to another 10 years (Lord help us!)

How NOT to photograph a dog

I have a bone to pick today.

It has to do with dogs and photography...surprise, surprise!

Have you ever seen photos of the winning dogs at a field trial or dog show?

Field photos are invariably of a group of tired, mud-spattered handlers and judges lined up in front of a win-blown banner for the Choke 'N Puke Dog Biscuit Company or something. For some reason the handlers insist on trying to "stack" the dog to look like an American Pointer on point....high head and tail. It ends up looking like the dog is about to be examined by an ear, nose and throat surgeon on one end and a proctolgist on the other. And it seems that the photo is always taken while the dogs fidget, the handlers chat and the wind catches the banner just right, warping it to look like it reads "Midwestern...Dog...Puke...Championship".

Show photos are usually done by a "pro" with all the fancy lights and cameras. Yet no matter how good the gear or the photographer the pictures are always the same: a proud-as-a-peacock handler wearing the latest in really loud fashions (preferable with cleavage till tuesday) strangling a dog that looks for all the world like it is about to choke and puke.

And don't even get me started on those poor, humilated dress-up dogs of William Wigman. The artist-turned-marketing machine has churned out thousands of cutesy photos of dogs as Sesame Street meat-puppets and in so doing has accomplished two things: he has become very wealthy and, in my humble opinion, he has done more damage to the breed than rabies.

Why did this fellow, a pretty decent artist, and for all I know a nice guy, have to choose the Weimaraner? Why couldn't he turn his attention to a breed that is already screwed? Aren't there any cute tea-cup poodles out there that are actually bred to be dressed up as Cinderella?

Good ol Willy chose the Weimaraner because "they are pointing dogs so they are used to standing still for long periods of time". I kid you not. He actually said that (or something to that effect). Anyone with a Weimaraner, especially if the dog came from one of the many puppy mills out there serving the market Wigman helps to perpetuate, will tell you that their Weimaraner would rather spin and spazz than actually stand still for more than a quarter of a second. OR at least until the prozac kicks in... on both ends of the leash.

Now I must admit that I kinda like some of the photos. Certainly the ones where the dogs are "au natural" are pleasing to look at (the dress up ones are just plain wrong). Lord knows I take lots of photos of my dogs and I even sell the prints to collectors. No, it is not really the photos that bug me. What really gets me is the Wigman effect on the breed as a whole.

No one knows just how many Weimaraners are in shelters and in the hands of overworked rescue committee members right now, today, as a direct result of cheap Weim merchandise being pumped out by the Wigman International Corporation 24/7.

But I bet that if we did know the real number and the real damage done to the breed it would be enough to make more than a few people choke and puke.

UPDATE:

The satirical post above was recently dredged up in a thread on Reddit and now that I re-read it, I can see where some of the negative comments sent my way may be justified. It seems that my critique of William Wegman's work featuring Weimaraners may have been a bit over the top and has touched a nerve or two.

One poster in particular seems to disagree with me. He/she wrote that my criticism of Wegman was "entirely unsupported and unfair". And he/she is partially right. I have no published, peer reviewed statistics to support my position that Wegman's work has greatly increased the popularity of the Weimaraner (especially among non-hunters). So yes, what I wrote was unsupported, but not entirely. You see, I've been in the breed long enough to know more than just a few people who chose the Weimaraner specifically because of Wegman's work. Fortunately, for most of those people, things worked out. They got decent dogs from decent breeders. But anecdotal evidence of things 'not working out' is easy to come by. Contact just about any Weim rescue group and ask them about why they are so often overwhelmed with discarded dogs. I am pretty sure they will tell you that among other reasons (divorce, moving etc.) a lot of Weims are discarded because they were purchased on a whim and after a while things just 'didn't work out'. And then ask yourself, what could inspire such a whim? My guess is that seeing Weims dressed and acting like humans on TV or in a book or poster etc. has lead to more than just a few families jumping on the Weim bandwagon...and then bailing when they realize that their dog is a dog, a high energy, super smart, dog... and nothing like the dress-up toy they saw on Sesame Street.

When I dress up my Weims, it's camo neoprene!

So my main criticism of the work of William Wegman, regardless of its artistic merit, is that it has almost certainly contributed to a massive increase in the popularity of Weimaraners over the last 20 years or so. And any massive, sudden increase in the popularity of any breed is almost never a good thing. Just ask the Dalmation folks what happened after 101 Dalmations came out. When a breed becomes massively popular, for whatever reason, things almost always go sideways, fast. They sure did for the Weim (for the second time in its history in the US). From just a hand full of pups whelped in the US in the late 40s,  there are now probably more than 10 thousand Weims pups whelped in the US every year. Some are from good breeders and they end up in good homes. But many others aren't and don't. Puppy mills love the breed because they know they can sell Weims as fast as they can produce them, at steep prices.

Blaze orange is also a Weim friendly colour

Now, I could go on and on about other problems in the breed such as health issues, lack of hunting abilities etc. that can also be linked to an increase in popularity, but there is an important point that I probably should have made more clearly in the original post. So let me just say, for the record, that the contribution made by Wegman to the massive increase in the popularity of the Weimaraner was almost certainly an unintentional consequence of an artist just doing what artists do. Wegman makes a very good living by creating appealing works of art. And good on him! I hope Mr. Wegman, who by all accounts is a fine fellow, continues to make art and continues to enjoy the fruits of his labour for many years to come. But that does not change the fact that when it comes to dog breeds, the actions of well-known figures in the art world, politics, show business etc. can lead to significant problems. And sadly, the well-known figure is very often completely unaware of the problem. Clearly Wegman loves his dogs and I am sure they have a great life. But does he know how much his work has contributed to the popularity of the breed? Does he know how many problems the breed now faces due to such huge popularity?

One final note. I don't mind criticism. I have a thick skin. I can take a shot, deserved or not. So bring it on. But here's a pro tip: if you want to call someone out on Reddit for making "entirely unsupported and unfair" accusations, you might want to avoid writing, in the very same thread, things like "Craig is also a libellous prick." and "This guy is such an asshole.. he calls himself a photographer too, eh! He's just some guy with a camera compared to Wegman." Otherwise the whole "libellous prick" thing becomes rather self-referential, no?

Artist's rendering of a Reddit discussion about Weimaraners

Couch potatos

My last post...actually more of a rant... may have left the impression that the only thing a weim should do is hunt. While I do believe that a weim, or any gun dog for that matter, should be allowed to do what every gene in its body tells it to do, I also believe that they should be made a full fledged member of the family and treated with the respect and care they deserve.

In reality, things around our home usually go beyond just treating the dogs well. Ya, we spoil the heck out of them.

Officially they are not allowed on the furniture....ya right.

Officially, they must obey all of our commands.....ya right.

Officially, our dogs are hunting companions whose principle role is to find, point and retrieve birds. And this they do very well....for about 4 months of the year. The rest of the time, especially during the marathon winters we have around here, they tend to morph into couch potatos and do their best to bend all the rules we set down.



And we would never have it any other way.

The Rarest of the Rare

Well I got up this morning and tripped over the damn dog laying on the floor next to the bed.

Then I burned the porridge.

So now I am in a pissy mood and ready to vent a bit. Please read the following rant with this in mind. It is only my opinion, your mileage may vary. Please comment as you wish, no need to pull any punches.



For much of the past decade I have been studying and photographing a group of dog breeds known as the "Versatiles". They are gundogs from continental Europe that have been developed over the last century or two to hunt, point and retrieve feather and fur on land and water. Some, like the Brittany and German Shorthaired Pointer are quite common in Europe and in North America. Others are quite rare. The breed known as the Pont Audemer Spaniel for example used to be fairly well known in the Normandy area of France. However two world wars decimated the population. There are now only about 350 "Ponto's" in the entire world. One of them is lying at my feet as I type this. Currently my wife and I are involved in an effort to restore the breed. It will not be easy.

Our other dogs are Weimaraners. They too are very, very rare.

Rare? How's that? Every year there are more than 10 thousand Weimaraners born in North America alone!



Oh, did I mention that our Weimaraners hunt? Yes indeed, they are among the 1% of the breed that actually do what they were bred to do. I would estimate that among the nearly 100 thousand Weimaraners in North America right now, only a few hundred see any action in the field. So you see, they are actually as rare as hen's teeth.

But what about the other 99%?

Well, It seems that popularity has its price. For the Weimaraner, the cost has been its soul. Once a magnificent grey ghost, shining in the fields and forest in pursuit of game, the breed has now been relegated to playing second banana to a freaking sock-puppet on a children's t.v. program.

What the hell happened?



Thanks to the show ring and a marketing steamroller featuring photos of humiliated Weimaraners dressed up in ridiculous costumes on the cover of books, calendars, cards, mousepads, etc. etc . ad nauseum, the Weimaraner has become the breed of choice for the latte swilling crowd at Starbucks, impetuous puppy buyers looking for a cute grey play toy to give the kids for Christmas, style-conscious yuppies trying to one-up the neighbors and, worst of all, puppy mills.

The last place you are likely to find a Weim is in the home of a hunter. And that is why I classify hunting Weimaraners among the rarest of the rare. They are a tiny minority in a very popular breed....a small pearl in a big oyster.

Now, I should point out that I have no bone to pick with those that choose not to hunt with their Weimaraners. As long as the dogs are given the chance to lead an active healthy life, I wish them all the best. I have also come to terms with that fact that the majority of Weimaraner breeders do not select for field ability. As long as they do their best to breed healthy, mentally stable companion dogs and advertise them as such, I see no problem.

I do however take issue with breeders who claim field ability in dogs that are from completly unproven lines. Breeders who do not hunt, who do not test or trial their dogs have NO right to any claim of field ablilty in their line. How can they possibly know how the pups they produce will perform in the field if they have never even seen the parents performing in the field themselves? How could they possibly know what kind of range, pace, drive, nose, pointing ability, cooperation, retrieve, water work or stamina the dogs will have if they have never observed what is in the parents in the first place?



Be honest. If you have no idea what kind of field ability is in your line, admit it. Tell any prospective buyer that you breed (hopefully) healthy, good looking, great-with-kids weims, but please do everyone a favour and state clearly that as far as hunting ability is concerned, you have no idea. And while we are at it, please avoid using one or two "junior hunter" titles in an entire pedigree as proof of "field ability" in the line. The junior hunting test is a good first step. But that is all it is....a baby step. In reality, even an asthmatic teacup poodle should be able to pass a junior hunter test. So bragging about a grandsire on one side having a junior hunter title is like saying your grandfather could actually count to 10. It does not automatically mean that you have the genes to become a rocket scientist.

Felix is Felix

I cannot remember which one of my hunting buddies coined the term "Felix is Felix". What I do remember is that we both agreed to settle on that short three-word description of a dog we had been unable to describe in any other way dispite hours of trying.

Felix is Felix.

A great looking, hard hunting pain in the ass.

A hammer-headed freight train of a dog who has shown me things in the field that I thought were near impossible... and who has given me more grief around the house than a leaky roof.

He is by far, the smartest dog I have ever encountered. And if you think that a really, really smart dog is a good thing, think again. Any dog smarter than the average college graduate is more than a handful for a mediocre dog trainer like me....especially if there is a streak of evil in the genius.

Yesterday morning I took a photo of Felix that shows him in all his glory. He is fully aware of our policy with regards to standing on the furniture waiting for the cat to pass by so he may launch a surprise attack. It is not allowed. In fact, I had given him a very specific order to lie DOWN and wait for me while I made tea in the kitchen. Yet here he is, ready to spring the trap on a poor efeminate 16 year old cat named Calou.

Somehow though, he must have known that he was in the most glorious, golden light of the day. He must have sensed that no matter how pissed off I was, there was NO WAY I was going to miss this shot. And he was right. As soon as I saw him there I immediately grabbed the nearest camera and took the photo. And he actually posed for me. He held his head up, puffed out his chest and waited until I had composed the shot and tripped the shutter.

He then stretched, got off the couch and went backt to where I had told him to lie down.

I just looked at him, shrugged my shoulders and thought:

"Felix is Felix"