Category Archives: Hollee X Benton
Meet Winnie
She is a lovely sweet girl who is currently expecting a litter any moment. And in a blink of an eye this happened–click here!
http://www.owyheestarlonghairweimaraners.com/winnie.html
Contemplating Another
Advice Anyone?
We love Waylon so much, that we are contemplating a sibling.
I’m really torn because I feel like it’s taking away love from him. But we also lucked out with him not being a chewer or counter surfer etc. But he’s four now so I’m feeling likes it’s now or never. I don’t think I could ever have another dog after him
Breeder Comment
For all of you who love having two, or don’t–drop your thoughts to Cristi. Thank You! And Cristi, we look forward to working with you again–I believe you meant another breed of dog. Of course, the Weimaraner doesn’t consider itself a dog. We all get that.
Waylon
~ Not So Pleased Mama Changed Things
Got ambitious this morning and decided to do an overhaul on the master bedroom/closet. Minimizing is on the mind so thought I’d take Waylon’s crate out of the bedroom and replace it with his favorite dog bed.
Clearly he’s pissed
Judging on his selection of dads gym shorts to pack around tonight, he’ll con him into bringing it back when I’m at work tomorrow.
Breeder Comment
When I saw this photo, my response was, “Weimars do not do change.” they most certainly do not like change. One thing I continue suggesting is to teach your Weimaraner how to adapt. Teaching might include moving the crate a short distance or moving their bed to a new location–every once in a while, so they learn how to adjust. Change the feeding schedule, or add something new to their bowl. Get them used to smaller changes–including various schedule changes. If you come and go at the same time every day–they cling to that schedule as if their life depended on you arriving at 6:15 PM. While it is said that a minute is the same as an hour to a dog–well, somehow, they can also tell time. I think the minute the same as an hour thing comes into play when you are a couple of minutes late–there is the panic as if you were two hours late. They want to know why you are late. The fact that the sofa is destroyed is payback–or stress relief chewing. (Oops) Of course, that is extreme–but one client who had a favorite pair of designer heels stopped off at the mall one evening. She arrived home to find those heels in the center of the bed chewed. I am sure it was a comfort—Mama’s scent and the leather to chew. The Weimaraner was in so much trouble was dropped off at her Mama’s grandparents. She was devastated, angry beyond words, and felt betrayed. She needed space–and time to weep and compose herself. We were happy to hear that Waylon was never destructive–it probably means you did many things right.
For all those folks who never achieve crate-training, here is how it looks. At a minimum, a Weimaraner will embrace getting into the crate when you tell them to kennel up. Other Weims, come to love their safe place–and keep in mind if they learn to sleep there, then they don’t chew things or potty somewhere during the night. It is a fabulous house-breaking tool.
Well, we have a little link you might want to check out–Waylon four years ago.
Remy
Just a few recent photos of Remy. She is living her best life having everyone home all the time right now. We recently got a boat and she comes with us often, she starts getting excited about 20 mins before we get to the lake – I think she can smell it!
You may remember that we’ve had challenges with Remy and aggression. We’ve continued to work with her and move very gradually toward meeting new people and other dogs. Progress is slow, but I believe we are moving in the right direction.
Haley
Breeder Commentary
Thanks for everything –especially for this update
Remy
~ Celebrates Two Years
Today we celebrate Remy’s 2nd birthday! She’s still enjoying being our running companion and learning new tricks. Her favorite game with the family is hide and seek all over the house. We all hide and she is quick to find us, we can’t trick her.
She is spoiled and at night she often positions herself on the couch upright – I think she sometimes thinks she is a human.
We adore her!
Happy New Year – Haley
Breeder Comment
Thanks for sending us the update –letting us post it on the blog.
May I Help You?
~ Waylon James at Your Service
It’s been forever since I’ve given you an update on Waylon – I cant believe he is almost THREE!!!!! He’s still wild, spunky, and makes us laugh each day with his crazy weim personality!
I recently changed jobs, after working from home with Waylon for the first 2 1/2 years we had him. It was quite the adjustment for both of us ! Bend is an incredibly dog friendly town so the job offer included bringing on my handsome assistant!
Breeder Comment
We love going into stores, offices, and other dog-friendly businesses. One OwyheeStar works at a doctor’s office. Yes, I got that right (a physician’s office), but don’t get too excited because they are not in the Pacific Northwest.
Remy
~Running with Haley and Jeff
Just a quick update on Remy. Both Jeff and I are runners and we’ve been gradually working Remy up to longer runs with us, she just loves it. She’s up to 20+ miles a week and is a great running buddy. She sees the running leash and starts spinning circles, it’s created a new bond for us.
I have mentioned she has had issues with aggression, but she does well on runs when we pass other dogs. We’ve had some successful socialization with her and other dogs too, going slowly but she seems to be building up more confidence around other dogs and is a little less reactive. We have a lot more work to do, but it seems she is moving in the right direction.
Hope you and Cliff are well!
Haley
Breeder Comment
Spinning circles is something we have seen a lot of over the years. Deli was the ultimate spinner. Currently, Miss Winnie is the biggest spinner of the group. This spinning is a fun activity, –, we always think it is a fun thing. Well, until something goes flying when they bump it in the moment of excitement. (Haha)
Remy
~Enjoy the Water
I wanted to share this video of Remy playing in the Columbia River. She loves the water and is a natural!
Breeder Comment
Dear Haley–We thank you for thinking of us, as well as giving this girl such a fabulous life with your family. We love seeing the Weimaraner with the family–doing whatever. We remember your early effort to make sure Remy loved the water–for those that don’t remember that post, you can click here.
Sky
~ From the Tri-Cities
I wanted you to see our Sky–and to thank you, for a great Weim. ~ Guy
Breeder Comment
We appreciate knowing that Sky is doing well, and that she is much-loved. Thanks for the photo–tell Sky I am sorry she had to endure having her photo taken. (Haha)
Remy
~ Our Prima Donna
Hope this finds you and Cliff well. Attached is a picture from Remy’s birthday last month. The kids insisted that she get a special doggie cannoli from our local pet store. She is obviously spoiled.
I have been working a ton on her leash training and she’s doing much better. She is still scared of other dogs but overall we are making progress, tons of positive reinforcement and she isn’t lunging anymore. The only time we have a problem is if a dog is off leash and approaches her on the leash, but that is understandable at this point. I am hopeful that we can get past the aggressive behavior and I’m seeking some 1:1 training with a professional.
We had a scare – she was spayed last month and there were complications. The surgeon nicked a vein or something and she lost a lot of blood. They sent us home but we were concerned that she still had internal bleeding and took her to urgent care. Glad we did because she probably wouldn’t have made it. Poor thing, she did not need additional surgery luckily and had a rough recovery, but is fine now.
Anyway, until next time 😀
Haley
Breeder Comment
We are sorry to hear you have issues. To us, this sounds a lot more like a territorial behavior (which is a Weimaraner thing) mixed in with some fear. Who can guess what brought it on? There are a lot of unknowns. Here are some links that might be useful.
Dogs Go Through an Adolescent Fear Period
The worst thing to do with FNS is to force your dog to do something he’s frightened of. It’s also not a good idea to soothe or praise the dog’s fear in this situation. That can unwittingly reinforce the dog’s fearful behavior, while using force may lead to a permanent fearful response. The best approach is to be patient, be jolly, remove your dog if possible, and know that adolescence is just a period—and it’s my fervent hope that it’s short-lived.
There is some useful information in these articles; however, like every bit of dog-related advice–it is essential not to overreact or make something into more than it might become. I am always cautious when labeling a dog as aggressive–especially in a situation where they don’t like another dog in their space or even humans coming at them. This issue seems like a fear –but territorial behaviors are also a bit issue with this breed. Don Wilbur (a long time Weimaraner breeder /expert) said of them, “they may be the most territorial of breeds.”
Territorial behaviors may express in many ways — protecting their crate, their fence line, a corner of the room, etc.
Caesar on Territorial Behavior
Dogs and Territorial Behaviors
Quite possibly the most successful way to deal with this behavior in our experience is to remove the trigger and not to force the issue. I think we expect that we will be able to do everything with our fur family member and sometimes it is not possible. Seriously, every environment is unique. We each have different leadership skills–and worst of all when we are disappointed or frustrated our Weimaraner picks up on the cues. This information may help someone. I think it is essential to realize there is any number of things that can occur. There is not always an easy solution. Thank you to Remy’s family for all the hard work and making her life special. And Happy Birthday Remy!
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