Blog Archives
Lovable and More
My Pushkin
It has been a little while since I have sent an update on Pushkin. How can I resist this face of anticipation? Push loves to play fetch. As soon as we get up in the morning he has his ball in his mouth, even as he heads out the door to take care of his morning necessities. I can hardly remember what it is like to have a morning cup of coffee without having a ball dropped in my lap and Push waiting, rather impatiently, for me to toss it to him. He loves to catch it in mid-air.
Advanced Obedience Again
I have decided that we are going to take the advanced obedience class a second time, more for my benefit than for Push. When we took it previously I was in an orthopedic boot due to a broken foot. The foot has healed so maybe I can keep up with him this time.
The Ease of it is not lost on me
I also want to let you know that when the local feed store closed down the in December, I decided to try Chewy to get the Diamond Naturals dog food. The food was actually a few dollars less from them. It was delivered as promised and in good condition. I would highly recommend them to anyone.
Push is a high energy, stubborn, independent, and totally lovable boy. Thank you for such a great dog. ~Marie
Breeder Comment
Hello Marie! Thank you, for the regular updates on you and your OwyheeStar Weims. We love the effort you have put into Pushkin’s training–even when you were challenged to keep up. You are a great Weimlover!
Readers–if you want to revisit the last Pushkin update–click here! If you don’t remember the backdrop to the earning of the certificate, you will want to take the time to read Marie’s story. I think it will put a smile on your face.
Pushkin
One Year Celebrated
~Picture This
For his 1 year birthday, Pushkin graduated from the advanced obedience course. I was not sure it was going to happen. He was fussing while other people and their dogs were going through their paces so I decided to take him outside for a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, just before we got to the door his training collar came loose. That would not have been too bad if someone had not dropped a pork roll on the floor. He spied that, ran over and got it and took off like a bat out of Hades. He was all over the facility and would not respond to a recall as he knew he was in trouble.
I finally got him to sit and did a return and grabbed him by the scruff. Jennifer (the trainer) came over and held him while I got his collar back on. We waited until all of the other dogs finished and then went through the commands. He behaved quite well.Go figure! Everyone in the class clapped for him when we finished. Ya gotta love the Wiley Weims!
I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving.Marie
PS: These two flowers apparently do not realize that it is November
Breeder Comment
Training Update
Loki
~even though it looks like I’m just holding Loki, he is actually roped in!!!
Just wanted to give you a quick update on Loki’s eventful week! A week ago we got to rappel together for the first time– we train on ski patrol to evacuate the lift, should it ever be necessary, and we wanted to be sure that Loki could also be safely evacuated. For those who might be concerned, Loki and I were both wearing fully load-rated harnesses designed for such activities (that’s why his patrol uniform vest is load rated!). He did really well– he was a little reluctant to leave the security of the chair (a good thing, really), but as soon as I lifted him off, he relaxed, and we were lowered to the ground– no big deal! It’s fun to see training and socialization pay off.
Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
Speaking of such, Loki passed the CGC this weekend! His only difficulty was staying calm while being petted, but he made it and passed the rest of the test with flying colors. For others interested in taking the CGC, I’d highly recommend taking a class focused on the CGC. It really helped us fine-tune and figure out what we needed to work on.Best wishes, Erica
Breeder Comment
Pushkin
Novice Obedience
~This Happened!
Just a quick note to let you know that my sweet, loving, energetic and manipulative Pushkin graduated from the novice obedience training class tonight. He received a score of 94 out of 100 points. Half of the test was done off leash. We start the advanced class sometime in September. A great 9-month birthday present.
~Marie
Breeder Comment
Training
Breeder Comment
You no doubt remember our opportunistic Cat Tree Sitting Weimar. This happened not so long ago on the homefront; however, Jaeger is busy working on his field training too!
The Savvy Weimaraner
~Trainable Natual Ability is a Plus!
We went out to get some fieldwork/playing. Came across a huge chest-deep puddle from the recent melt off. Jaeger followed Ruger in without a pause. Considering that water was cold and he went right in, I’m hoping for good things come spring and summer.
Ruger also pointed some quail, Jaeger pointed Ruger… instinct is such an amazing thing. He is doing great, smart and stubborn (lol), they go hand in hand.
You might remember that our Ruger was not too thrilled with Jaeger, but he tolerated him. Well, Ruger has broke down and finally realized MAYBE Jaeger isn’t always an annoyance. At times, they will play. It is fun to watch the process.
Before the Melt
~Playin in the Snow
Daisy
She is Beautiful and Treasured
Hello you guys!
We are loving Daisy. She is becoming difficult for Roger to train. We’re thinking about maybe calling in a professional. She’s still a wonderful girl. We just need to work on the biting &/or chewing.
The kids love her too. It’s hard to capture her. She moves around allot. These are the best pics I could capture. She’s healthy and her coat is beautiful. Daisy is a treasured part of our family:)
Thank you again for our beauty 🙂 ~ Alisa
Breeder’s Comments: We are glad you love Daisy. You mention it is difficult for Roger to train her; we hope that the two of you are equally involved–presenting a united front. We have discovered if there is one of the two who can be exploited or manipulated–the Weimaraner will find a way. Raising these wonderful family members can pose many challenges, but as you well know the benefits are many. Nonetheless, they are manipulative (and beyond cunning).
A trainer might be the answer. The right trainer can be very helpful with learning how to manage these behaviors. More than anything, the best trainers, are training humans to manage the situation in a positive manner. Honestly, not everyone’s approach is equally successful with this breed. Some trainers (and their methods) work better for different people. In general, all trainers have their style–and a bias. This can work in your favor, or against you. We have some pointers (which Jan shared) we hope to post in the (not-so-far) future.
The methodology should be fun, and upbeat. That doesn’t mean there are no corrective measures ever, but the emphasis should not be on giving a correction. This is about good leadership skills. The best leaders lead by example, and inspiration. Again, that doesn’t mean a cookie-bribe approach is going to get rock-solid performance. Knowing when, how, and what kind of reward to use is something a good trainer can help you discover. If things are not going perfect, take a deep breath. This too shall pass if you don’t overreact, and move past the obstacle. Sometimes this means going back a step, and repeating a success. Build one success upon the other. Remember to keep it upbeat, fun, and positive. Always stop the current activity with a successful moment–not a correction, or disapproval.
We hope this will be helpful. Frustration, or focusing on the problem is not the recommended method of getting past the problem.
Cliff on Collars
Recently, we spoke about the basics of raising the Weimaraner. We are invested in your success. We talk a lot about earning the Weimaraner’s respect; this means achieving the loose leash heel. When I suggested this must be done with the use of a flat collar, that caused some people to wonder what I meant.
The reference to achieving the loose leash heel while using a flat collar means, that you have only succeeded when the collar has no part in you achieving the result. Gentle leaders, head halters, and front clipping harness will give you a feeling of relief. They will thwart the Weim’s ability to pull; however, they do not (in my opinion) change the behavior. The first change the Weimaraner gets they will go right back to dragging you around by the leash. Earning respect requires that you achieve compliance, because the Weimaraner wants to please you. There are no gimmicks.
I am good with using an interim (or training) collar of the sort that leads you toward achieving this goal. To be clear, another acceptable end-result collar would be the adjustable collars. Many companies make this style of collar. Some people prefer them over the buckle collars. Those pictured here are linked to the website where we borrowed the photo. The Adjustable collar (pictured to the left) is a Lupine brand collar which not only makes a fashion statement, but offers a lifetime warranty. The other collars are from Gun Dog Supply. Steve Snell of Gun Dog Supply has a tutorial on collars, and his reasoning behind what you should list on a name tag.
A regular (or flat) collar
I am asking you to remember if you to remember if you resort to another alternative to escape the tugging, and lunging on the leash, that this doesn’t solve the underlying issue. You and the Weimaraner are in a situation where they are winning control. They may comply in some areas, but when they get their head (so to speak) they are dead-set on being in the lead. It is at this point other folks give the Weimaraner more freedom. They let them go loose; and the Weimaraner is never happier. Happiness doesn’t always lead to good things. The Weimaraner that learns to be in compliance, and gives you proper respect, is going to be much happier in the long run. Those around this Weimaraner, likewise, enjoy the benefits of their respectful behavior, and the training you invested.
Achieving the Loose Leash Heel
This brings us to the question of how we achieve the loose leash heel. There are various methods of achieving this goal. Different trainers use various philosophies. You want the rock-solid outcome. For our OwyheeStar clients, we have a video in the works. You need to turn to the trainer of your choice for help.
Good luck in achieving results. I believe if you do this you will reap the benefit. The loose leash heel needs to be maintained throughout the life of your Weimaraner. Thank you for considering this training information. I do hope it proves beneficial, and that you get it done.
