Category Archives: Longhair Weimaraner
Friendly Bart
~ His Voice and Tail make a Statement
Thank you for Bart, once more. Bart will be two tomorrow, Feb. 5th and it has been a wonderful journey. You made the perfect choice for us. Bart has lots of friends both canine and human.He barks a lot but is otherwise awesome! Cheers to you, Cliff, Christina and Atti X Stackhouse.Hope you are feeling better.
Dan, Polly & Bart
PS: Early AM Message
Bart & I shared an Old Fashioned doughnut with my mom, and dinner tonight is a bacon wrapped fillet.. An hour on the beach this morning and some play time with my friends…what a wonderful birthday.
Happy Birthday Bart!
Breeder Comment
Everyone wishes you many more excellent birthdays. You are an extraordinary Longhair OwyheeStar Ambassador. Thanks for everything –including the fabulous updates.
Franny
~ Our Frightening Event
I love seeing all the happy Owyheestar dogs on the blog, and I go their first if I have a basic health question and Cliff and Shela have covered so many topics! Wealth of information. But sometimes things happen to our pups and it can be cray scary. So, my sweet 10 month old Franny had a truly frightening pain event a couple weeks ago. We ended up at the emergency vet (and this is not a failure on their part, they can’t be expected to be specialists in all things) but they suggested her x-rays showed a specific syndrome indicating a scary, progressive back concern.
My regular vet, (Cornelius) and (after talking to Cliff, he asked their vet to look at the film too – thank you so much!) the Owyheestar vet also saw the xrays, but they saw something different. All recommended an expert review.
VCA is the closest site in Oregon with a neurologist, and from my research there are only a couple hundred vets in the country that do this specific work. I was pretty worried about how this was all going to shake out.
After their exam, it was clear that Franny does have a transitional vertebra (my vet and Owyheestar’s vet both agreed!). However, this vet thinks that wasn’t likely the cause of her pain. She said she thinks my little athlete likely had a bout of intense psoas pain. She had taken her first weekend at the beach and then spent the very next weekend in Central Oregon where she got to run leash free the entire time, doubling her normal daily activity, and then – the long car ride home where she was still for 4 hours.
Runners (as a former marathon runner, I can vouch from personal experience) know that not moving after a long run can tighten everything up and cause pain. Kind of makes sense now that I think it through. Also makes sense that the anti-inflammatory meds helped even more than pain meds.
Barring any additional events, specialty vet said keep her playing, stop any meds and just use anti-inflammatories as needed, and all should be fine.
She didn’t even recommend more imaging. She thinks the vertebrae issue is a red herring, not a current concern, and said unless things dramatically change, no surgery (the emergency vet thought she might have to have surgery) in fact, she said she wouldn’t perform any surgery outside of repairing trauma on a dog this young as she is still growing.
The neuro vet was personable, warned me her staff wanted to keep Franny (shout out to #owyheestar, they said she was one of the most beautiful pups they have ever seen), and I am so very grateful that they weren’t about upselling tests or treatments that aren’t needed.
Miss Franny is full on back to normal. I am so grateful to Cliff and Shela for being there for us not just for the cute pictures but for their support during the scary times too. I included part of Franny’s play group at night with their light up collars, a gorgeous shot of her in Central Oregon, and of course the one I cll “legs for days” – she is so tall and lanky.
Breeder Comment
Thank you for taking care of this lovely girl. Any number of things can happen with our beloved fur children–it can be overwhelming. Vets don’t always have the answer–and sometimes we have to talk to more than one to figure things out. The process can be exhausting, gut-wrenching, and scary. Thank you–for doing everything possible for this beautiful girl.
Availability
~Part Two
Monday, we discussed OwyheeStar puppy availability and how 2020 was puppy inquiries on steroids. For Cliff’s well-being, it was a good thing. He mated a couple of extra girls because he was positive two were not going to produce anything –he guessed wrong. They all did whelp a litter, but even so, we didn’t have enough pups to make everyone happy. Nonetheless, we got it done even though the Spring workload was a killer. (Haha)
Three Longhairs
The uncertainties we discussed on Monday are always a reality. We use our Waitlist to decide what we need–but even so, there are many factors we cannot control. Nonetheless, you cannot get a Blue pup without one of the parents being a Blue.
Our Longhair folks tend to be fewer, and sometimes less outcome-driven. What does that mean? It means we mate to get the pups they are waiting for only to discover (when the puppies arrive), the Waitlist folks are not ready. Or they are unable to move ahead for any number of reasons. Such is the case once again–we have three beautiful Gray Longhairs not yet promised.
We hope to get another litter between now and December–all smooth coats. By now, you realize I don’t count the puppies until we see them arrive.
Dink
~AKC Puppy Class
First ribbon on the books!
Maybe you noticed that Dink earned his first ribbon and wondered about this program. To learn more—click here!
20 STEPS To Success: The
AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy®
TEST
OWNER BEHAVIORS:
- Maintains puppy’s health (vaccines, exams,
appears healthy) - Owner receives Responsible Dog Owner’s Pledge
- Owner describes adequate daily play and exercise plan
- Owner and puppy attend at least 6 classes by an AKC
Approved CGC Evaluator - Owner brings bags to classes for cleaning up
after puppy - Owner has obtained some form of ID for
puppy-collar tag, etc.
PUPPY BEHAVIORS: - Free of aggression toward people during at least
6 weeks of class - Free of aggression toward other puppies in class
- Tolerates collar or body harness of owner’s choice
- Owner can hug or hold puppy (depending on size)
- Puppy allows owner to take away a treat or toy
PRE-CANINE GOOD CITIZEN®
TEST BEHAVIORS - Allows (in any position) petting by a person other
than the owner - Grooming-Allows owner handling and brief exam
(ears, feet) - Walks on a Leash-Follows owner on lead in a straight
line (15 steps) - Walks by other people-Walks on leash past other
people 5-ft away - Sits on command-Owner may use a food lure
- Down on command-Owner may use a food lure
- Comes to owner from 5-ft when name is called
- Reaction to Distractions-distractions are presented
15-ft away - Stay on leash with another person (owner walks
10 steps and returns)
Bart’s Life
Most afternoons Dan & Bart nap. Today’s photos are of Bart waking up from his nap.
Stay well! Dan, Polly & Bart
Breeder Comment
Who wouldn’t love to be Bart?
Franny
Franny is living her best life. With work I have gotten creative with my hours and enlisted the help of a few friends with dogs, so that she can keep meeting friends, even if the humans have to remain separate. Starting Thursday, a couple hours after I leave for work, one of my friends will be picking her up from her kennel at my house and taking her to her hobby farm. Completely fenced, she will get to run, play with the other dog and meet some farm animals. She lives better than me!
We walk every day and other than flopping down when she loves a special spot of grass, she is doing great.
This dog could not be sweeter. She is confident but not aggressive, she already know several commands, and I don’t know if it is the NuVet, the food choice or both, but her waste is still firm. I have never had any dog with as consistent belly as hers. She is a bit bitey – but I am pretty sure she is teething her big girl teeth, so we are finding every possible thing for her to chew on that isn’t my arm, leg or the sneak attach to my butt!
I hope you and Cliff are well. I love reading your daily updates and I this pooch like crazy.
Breeder Comment
We could not be happier to hear the news that you are getting along so well. Most Weimaraners lead extraordinary lives–often better than their human counterparts. Puppy biting is the bane of getting them raised. Click here to read Anne Taguchi’s article on managing the biting Weimar puppy. Mouthing is also about ownership, and one way the Weimaraner controls their human–think on that a bit. It is charming, but you might want to rethink allowing that behavior if it becomes a thing as she grows out of the puppy biting–shark baby stage.
The food and supplements we suggest have worked well across the board for so many Weimaraners. It is the truth that no one food is perfect for every dog, but our pups have loved the food, and they consider the supplement yummy. I love the powdered supplement–just my preference. Together, this mix seems to help the immune system and keep the stools better. Weims can have such a finicky tummy–so glad to hear Franny is doing excellent.
Baby’s First Week
Oh babies! LOL They are the cutest thing in the world and a reminder that everything has to be explored and possibly tasted. I clearly had forgotten this stage: we are making 20 trips outside a day, praising every outside potty, and the only accidents have been me not getting her downstairs fast enough in the morning and twice in her kennel when i was at work. Can’t take my eyes off her in the house. Oops, move that cord. Oh, better put those books up higher. What’s in your mouth? She loves the bark chips that surround her new kingdom, it is loaded with baby size sticks.
She has met her first new friend, played chase, found toys to last a lifetime (some new, some hand-me-downs), gone on a couple short walks, and loves just surveying the yard. Her Whistle device that tracks her movements and also has full GPS tracking should she ever get loose (not likely by any stretch!) is now on a smaller collar and her little walking harness should last several months. She is about 17 lbs of almost pure love – i think a couple of those pounds are razor blade crocodile teeth!!
We are following Cliff’s suggestions to the tee and she is eating three times a day. She loves the puppy food. NuVet supplements, check. She is starting to respond to her name, but not consistently. She likes going upstairs, but I have yet to entice her to come down on her own. I have some friends nearby with an aging dog and a one year old that might take Franny one day a week while I am at work – one of the adults in the house is retired and home all day.
So – the updates from our first few days are great. I will probably be exhausted before we leave potty training stage, but it goes by fast enough, i will miss this little snuggle face as she gets bigger. 🙂
If you want to use for the blog – feel free – edit as you like. I mostly wanted to let you know all is well out here in Hillsboro!! I am thinking about the whole naming thing now. Not sure yet what I want her to be “officially”.
I hope you are well. K Marie and Franny
Breeder Comment
We are happy that you could bring her home–we had the Longhairs that were not yet promised. She is a lovely girl–but a baby as you say. Thanks for the update.
Luna
We made it Home
It’s been 1 week Luna has been with us and things are falling into place nicely. She’s such a well mannered girl and very sweet. She’s so smart and has a great little sniffer! I’m amazed how well she retrieves. It seems to come naturally to her. She’s very happy to bring back what you’ve thrown but tug of war is her favorite! She loves her big brother and is really enjoying playing with him now that he’s accepted her as part of the pack. He understands she’s just a pup and is very gentle with her. I can’t say she’s as gentle with him though but he’s patient with her.
Crate training is starting to take shape. I’ve introduced her several times a day to it and reward her for going in. I close the door and stay with her for about 10 min and let her settle before I walk away for 5 and incrementally increase the time away. That’s when the fireworks start. Today, however, I needed to go into the office for a few hours and both kids were unavailable so she had to work it out. Up until this time, someone has been here around the clock.
To my surprise and despite all my worrying, I came home to a clean crate and somewhat of a changed girl. She was certainly happy to see me as always and seemed to have an air of independence and confidence she didn’t have before. She seems more relaxed and balanced.
We’re still working on the house training. I’m trying to figure out her habits and triggers… she does everything in 2’s and 3’s when it comes to the bathroom and she’s quick!! I might invest short term in Bounty paper towels until we’ve mastered this. 😝 When I take her out, she’s rewarded when she comes back in. She sits right at the door as I praise her and waits for her treat patiently. The goodness though is she’s sleeping through the night with me accident free and I’m not having to get up in the middle of the night to take her out. So we’re all getting some good sleep.
Hope all is well and things have settled a bit now that you’ve delivered many of the puppies.
Take care, Kris
Breeder Comment
We are happy to know that you not only made the trip safely to Connecticut, but the first week went well. We look forward to hearing about your adventures unfold. Thanks for your loyalty–and for making the trip.
Bart
~Yachat’s Rock Star
Today (August 18, 2019) we went to the Yachats Farmers Market, again. There are many tourists and they went nuts over Bart., as did locals. What kind of dog is that, he is so beautiful, he is so soft, what kind of mix is he and Dan was like a tape recorder. He is a long haired Weimaraner; it is a recessive gene, more common in Europe than the US, we didn’t know about long hairs until we were introduced to Bart and on and on.
He was fussed on, photographed and petted by lots of people. Look at his tail, it is so long. And Bart preened to all of the attention. He loves being the only Weimar in our town. Bart is a rock star in Yachats! So much fun to watch people fall in love with Bart. This is your doing, thank you again Shela & Cliff. He did get his feet tangled with mine and we fell this a.m. He is finding his own voice regarding alert of passersby, intruder alert and I’m not getting my way. All three have different sounds He loves fruit, meat, cheese, cookies and almost anything we eat.
Love, Dan & Polly
Breeder Comment
Thank you for all you do with and for Bart–I know everyone loves reading your Facebook posts as well as what you send for the blog.
Did You Ever Wonder?
~ About the Longhair Geneotype
There are 3 possible genotypes:
· Clear FGF5:c284G>T -/-; (those having 2 copies of the normal allele)
· Carrier FGF5:c284G>T +/-; (those having 1 copy of the normal allele and 1 copy of the long-hair mutation)
· Affected “Fluffy” FGF5:c284G>T +/+; (those having 2 copies of the long-hair mutation)
My understanding is there is typically two copies of the allele, and if both are normal, then the Weimaraner would have the traditional smooth coat. If there is one copy of the normal and one copy of the longhair mutation (as they call it), then that Weimaraner is a carrier. They look like a traditional smooth coat. Some of these carriers will have a bit of wave to their coat, and some will have a plusher coat. If both copies are the longhair mutation, then you have a longhair.
Okay – when we first learned about this we felt that if you mated a Longhair with a Carrier you would get 50% Carriers and 50% Longhairs. Whew—we soon learned that this must be an average,–because we mated a Carrier to a Longhair and we got 8 pups – 2 were Longhairs. The next year we repeated the same mating expecting only a couple of Longhairs to be born, and this time we got 8 pups—6 were Longhairs. So, we became acutely aware that it didn’t work exactly like we interpreted this chart.
Whenever we have a mixed litter, we take the DNA sample ASAP and send off the samples as quickly as possible. The other choice would be to be the home of the undocked tail. Haha Then, there would be no concern as to whether they were Longhairs or not. I do believe the world is moving toward a stand against docking, but the American Weimaraner Breed Standard is for the docked tail on the traditional Weimaraner. There is no American Standard for the Longhair per se—but worldwide the Longhair sports the full tail.
Some breeders feel that they can accurately guess which pups are Longhairs—we don’t feel all that confident. We have guessed nearly every time we had them born and then sent off for the DNA test. We are never 100% accurate. I cannot say why that is for sure. We have tried taking close up photos and looking at the hair on their ears and between their toes if the hair is smoother on the face and forehead that is an indication that you have a Longhair, too!
People are discovering the Longhair—I cannot say for sure why, but a lot of folks are equally addicted to them. Several of our clients have both, and some have converted to the Longhair. Click here to learn more about Coat Length (or the fluffy coat) test.
Owyheestar Weimaraner's News 