Does anyone have any experience with this breed? I am considering one but I don't have alot of experience with these I have always grown up with German Sheperds and would like to train a gun dog.

That would be one of my last choices for a quality gun dog from my experience with them. Most of them are way over on the spastic side of things for me to enjoy dealing with. They are SUPER active dogs. Obedience is difficult with them mostly because they dont seem to have the "be still" gene. A Weim from good hunting stock will be birdy but if you dont getting them on birds can be tough. I am sure that there will be some people that have them and love them chime in here soon but that is my opinion.

Zack

Wow, I hadn't heard that before but I appreciate the input. Anyone else been around a weim?

Definately wouldn't recommend one!! Everything Zach said is right on. There are so many other types(better) of bird dogs that I think you'd be much happier with. JMO

If this is going to be your first hunting dog then I too would agree that there are a lot better and easier dogs to train and get into hunting with. They can be over active (nice way of putting it) and also can be over protective of their family when you have guests over. Victim of one such occurance. If you are looking for a good hunting dog and also a family pet I would recommend a Brittany (biased of course) or shorthair but be sure and meet the parents of the pup to see their demeanor cause all breeds can be high strung and the best judge of that is their parents! Good luck and enjoy the pleasure of having a great hunting and family friend.

I agree with the above posts. My Dad had a weim that was so hardheaded that it became impossible to train- just did not seem to retain traning unless you repeated EVERYTHING each day. Also had a dog from an OOPS breeding (1/2 english pointer, 1/2 weim). One of the best he ever had, but I think it was the English influence that made that possible.
If I had my choice I would go with a Vizsla. I have had a few of them and absolutely loved them. Last one was 10 years old- had to put her down (CANCER). Lately I have not been able to find Vizslas that I liked- either too small, too wiry, nose too snipey. Now have shorthairs that I like, but would LOVE to have a Vizsla again!!!

DON'T GET ONE THEY ARE THE WORST DOGS TO WORK WITH!! YOU WILL HATE EVERY MOMENT OF IT!!

I won't go into full detail of my experieces, but they are hardheaded and have no obidence or self control, what-so-ever!!

They really are more work than you probably won't to deal with.

Kellie Sikorski

I am not a weim. guy but I am sure someone,somewhere as a nice dog and bitch, and guess what. nice pups too.
with that said,
buy a britt or gsp.
please make sure the mom/dad can and will hunt, and not bite.
after that take the pup EVERYWHERE with you.forms the bond and builds pups tolerance for anything, and that is why adult dogs bite(most of the time), no tolerance.
Oh, do not get too much feild trial stock,a lot can be said for blue blooded hunting dogs.
kirk

I have to second (third and fouth) all that has been said so far. My brother has one and so does my neighbor and although they are good family dogs (after both being sent to obedience school for $$$$) they still can be “problem children” and both are very large dogs (+100#). This is one reason that they are not the best choice for an all around gun dog. The Texas heat is tough on bigger dogs and they wear out quick in the field (on the foot) and can be prone to bone and joint problems. I’m sure there are some good weimy’s out there that are good gun dogs, but I would stay away from one if you are honestly wanting a hunting dog. You’ll only get about 50% of what you’re wanting and never be satisfied with a good “all around” gun dog performance. Look at a GSP (I’m partial also) or Vizla or Brits for the total package. These dogs are all known for their natural drive, temperament, and for being very biddable. Good luck.

I will put in my two cents worth....get a GSP and you will be very happy. A friend of mine has a Weimaraner and it is now a family pet and he hunts his GSP.

Pardon my ignorance but are Weimaraner's used for upland hunting?

Howdy Ya"ll! I'm new to this forum but I like the looks of it. There are some good Weims out there but they are Few and Far in between anymore for the Hunter. Most are raised for the Show Ring and AKC Hunt Tests. The sad truth is that they USED to be a good Foot Hunting Dog but alas no more.

My personal preference is the German Shorthaired Pointer. It is truly a versatile breed. I use mine for Upland Game to Water Fowl to Blood Tracking wounded Hogs & Deer. My dogs live in the house full time and I never have a problem with them being too hyper.

Hope this helps you find a new Best Friend to hunt with!

Welcome to the forum, NOT going to ask you how you got your screen name.

I've honestly seen a couple of good weims. but I've had a solid liver bitch gsp for 9 years and I hope I get 5 more she is still running strong and sleeps on my bed!
By the way I'm looking at getting a gwh(german wirehair) if anyone knows of any good ones.

Wow, I sure hate to read all of this negativity. I had just got a Weimaraner not even a week ago (eight weeks old). Both parents come from and are excellent and loyal upland bird-dogs. I hope mine follows suit. I think they are one of the most magnificent looking and intelligent of any breed. (And yes, I agree Shorthairs are too)
I have a one-year-old 1/2 lab 1/2 Shorthair that is awesome.

Don't worry about what others say about a breed of dog. You need to look at the parents and what they have done. You can train a pit bull to retrive if you put the time a effort into it.

Bloat is another problem with weims as well, it's very common with a deep chested dog and if not detected immediately will result in death to the animal. They should be taught to sit at an early age to avoid injury to small children and elders. The are a highly intellegent, highly strung full of energy and must be excerised regularly and tend to live 12+ years are you up for that for 12+ years. When there bored they have a tendency to destroy everything insight. They love to dig holes in your yard, flower bed, fence, furniture and will soil your house if left indoors (oh there great escape artist too ). There not recommended if you have cats, rabbits or other small furry animals as pets THEY WILL KILL THEM . They make a good family watch dog
but are not good with strangers or other dogs. However if you train them, exercise them with stangers (which menas family members too) and other dogs too this can be over come. The long and short is look at a Lab, GPS.

Well, I see a lot of ya'll don't care too much for Weims?

As with any breed there are great dogs and then there are the.... not so great dogs out there. To say that they are all typically hardheaded, hard to train and hyper is incorrect. I have trained a variety of pointing breeds and I must say that most of the well bred weims I've worked with are no different than the other breeds in trainability. I will say that you must be VERY careful when choosing a breeder though. Unfortunately there are a lot of folks out there breeding just to breed and then there are others who breed weims solely on their looks and movement alone. Too many breeders do not consider hunting instinct, or, the lack there of when breeding, this is sad but very true. So, bottom line here is, if you shop wisely and choose a breeder whose focus is primarily field ability and they can show you proof of this you're in the right place! If you shop wisely and don't mind waiting a bit for the right litter to hit the ground you should be able to find a hunting Weim that has lots of instinct, trains easily, is easy to live with, becomes a loyal family companion that would make any hunter proud!

Forgot to add. My Weims have never knocked Grandma (87) and Grandpa (90) down. They like children. They like cats (not to eat). They have never dug holes in the yard or anywhere else for that matter. They are happy to stay contained behind an underground fence. Do not require walks and are couch potatoes during the off season. Only one time was the house soiled and that was due to diarrhea and no way to get out, not the dogs fault. I must admit, I do run a tight ship but I would with any breed of dog, everyone is happier that way.

I am going to highly support Silvershot on this topic. As a long time breeder, handler, and trainer of the greyghost, I have not ran into a dog or b!tch that i have not been able to train. I have personally owned two that have had multiple championship titles at both ends. (American and internation titles)Search and rescue, companion dog, field trial (shooting, pointing, and retrieving titles), agility, and therapy dogs. These dogs have been rated as versital excellant, and recognized by AKC and WCA. I am not saying that i haven't hunted behind other breeds that have impressed me. But you can't judge a breed until you have had experience handling them.
In dealing with other people, my dogs also have never knocked anyone down, been agressive, or eaten a cat either. Matter of fact, my 5 year old male weim and 10 year of female both have a young master, my 3 year old, who they love and play with. Now protective, they are. Only if they feel one of us is in danger or uneasy about a situation.

Weims are the flavor of the month! Yuppies want to be gun dogs IMHO. Every one I have ever seen or dealt with would make an OK pet if you had some acreage for them to run. I think Weims are like poodles. Where they breed to be gun dogs, yes but there are better breeds out there. Upland hunting is the ONLY game I would consider a Weim. Got out to some feild trails and see how many Weims are running. Odds are not very many to EP and GSP.

Do you still train?
I've got a 11 week old weim I would like to have trained. I also have a 1/2 lab, 1/2 GSP (both parents were bred for hunting) which may have incredible potential. Just a little hard-header though.

Unfortunately I do not. Family life,work, and military deployments have most of my time wrapped up. I am in the process of training my male for water retrieving (NRD) and NSD.(for the past 4 years)