Here at WeatherRun we have been involved with Weimaraners since 1967. For the first 15 years our first Weim "Duchess" displayed all those wonderful characteristics of the breed -- beauty, brains, birdiness, loyalty, gentleness, devotion and protectiveness. At 14 years of age she still loved the field and still displayed her strong, rock-solid, classic point. Over the past 25 years we got started into showing and breeding with the acquisition of "Sophie", who would provide us with a world of experience on her way to becoming CH Brelyn's E St Shuffle. Bitten by the bug we then added American import puppies, "Cyd", CH Silvermont's Border Crossing and "Stan", CH WeatherRun's Amity Infusion. Our wonderful "Sally", Katakam's Chase the Wind, came to live with us when she was 5 years old. Stan and Sally produced our cover boy "Doc", Ch WeatherRun's Arokat Spindrifter. More recently we added "Breeze", Can/ Am CH WeatherRun Instar's Winterlude who made short work of her Canadian Championship in three shows and completed her Am Ch in 7 weekends earning several BOB's & BOS, a Group 3, a 5-pt Major and a 3-pt major. Breeze represents a new beginning with our old, familiar bloodlines. We co-own one of Doc's daughters Abbey, Ch Instars Absolutely Divine and own Jazz, one of her daughters. Abbey also produce our "PT" who went on to sire 3 litters before going to live in Venezuela -- you can see his influence in his sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters here on our website. Pt has gone on to be a premier sire in Venezuela. You can meet these and other wonderful WeatherRun Weims elsewhere on this website.
Our Goals
Genetic Health
Drawing on many years of cattle breeding, showing and judging, and university genetics (many years ago) I was struck by the high (Wright's) co-efficient of inbreeding and the subsequent expression of the negative effects on the immune system of our Weims. Wright postulated that as the co-efficient of inbreeding increased, so did the negative impact on the resulting progeny's immune system. With current breeding technology and ease of travel, access to high-profile studs has increased. This has caused a very noticeable shrinking of the Weimaraner gene pool which in turn limits the availability of new blood. It has become quite a challenge to find genetic diversity that carries all those characteristics we want in our Weims -- notably, type, temperament and genetic health.
Until the research to find the maker genes for major genetic disorders is complete, as conscientious breeders all we have is trust that full and complete genetic health history of potential stud dogs and bitches is shared openly. That is the only way we can make informed breeding decisions. A beautiful show dog that is used extensively at stud is sharing both the good and the bad. The good we can see and applaud through the phenotype displayed. The faulty genotype is what we don't see and need to know.
It has become our practice to introduce proven outcross bloodlines in an effort to maintain enough genetic diversity to work with in our efforts to develop healthy Weimaraners that are at home on the couch, in the showring, field or the performance ring .
Structure
It is also our goal at WeatherRun to breed Weims that display substance, style and power, measure in the upper half of the breed standard and have the athleticism, stamina and instincts to work all day in the field. Our breed is often referred to as a "profile" or "outline" breed by judges. As a sporting breed, MOVEMENT, both side gait and down & back, and hence CORRECT STRUCTURE are of paramount concern. With current Bloat/Torsion research pointing to a high co-relation to thoracic structure, we endeavour to avoid extremes in chest and rib-cage structure. I cannot subscribe to the notion that if a little is good then more is better unless it improves the ability of the dog to do what it was bred for.
Yes, we want it all in our dogs. Our show and performance record speaks for itself.
Temperament
What good is having a beautiful dog that must be locked away every time a visitor enters the house or cannot know the joys of running free at play or while working in the field. Temperament and Trainability are the most fundamental of a breeder's goals. Dogs that are aggressive or fearful are equally unpredictable.
We use the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test to help us determine the basic temperament tendencies of each puppy at 7 weeks.
We have also developed a puppy development program that prescribes a series of activities that every puppy is exposed to for birth to the time they leave us at WeatherRun. When you visit. you can see this program that seems to be a prescription for developing happy and confident puppies. In recent years we have added "clicker" training for our puppies beginning at 5 weeks. It never ceases to amaze me what and how quickly these puppies can learn. They will have a great beginning --- it is up to the new owners to continue in the development of the whole puppy when it enters the new environment of its new home.
Weimaraner Information
Here at WeatherRun we are always very pleased to receive inquiries re the Weimaraner. There is a lot to consider when making the decision to acquire a puppy. I hope I can help you in making that decision with some information gleaned from my 30 years' experience with the breed. Right now, as I key in this message to you I have a very beautiful young Weim head resting on my lap ---- makes it a bit awkward to say the least.
I'm sure that many of you have accessed Weim sites on the net and are familiar with the breed's history and development. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the breed please read the section on the "Origin of the Breed". While this section focuses on the hunting qualities of the breed, it also lets the reader understand some of the personality traits and needs of the Weimaraner. It must be remembered that while the Weim makes an incredible pet, it is first and foremost a sporting breed that thrives on human contact. Also, I would like to reassure you that when the literature says the Weim is intelligent -- they are not kidding.
The Weimaraner's intelligence makes it both a challenge and a delight. The challenge comes from making sure YOU train the dog and the dog doesn't train you. The delight comes from the ease of training --they learn very quickly, most easily through consistent modelling of expectations. The breed is very people oriented. They attach to their humans quickly and deeply which means they must be socialized with other people and dogs from puppyhood to prevent an unacceptable level of territoriality and dog aggression. Failure to do this can result in behaviours that are difficult to break. They are a sporting breed and as such require exercise. Here at Weather Run the dogs run three times daily -- I travel, in total, nearly 3km which means they travel at least double that. While this is not really necessary for most pets I believe it keeps them fit, provides an energy release and adds to their longevity -- doesn't hurt me either.
In making your decision re" breed of choice" I think it's important to match the breed to your lifestyle and activity level -- Quite a challenge !! Quite a commitment!!!
As part of that decision-making process I extend an
invitation to visit WeatherRun to get some first-hand contact
with the adult Weims.. Everyone loves a puppy but it's the adults
you have to live with for a long time. You can get a lot of
information just talking first hand with a breeder which would
also aid in making the choice that's right for you. Male??
Female??--etc----At WeatherRun, our Canadian, American and European bloodlines have been selected to
produce beautiful , healthy, athletic dogs of substance that are
outstanding show, field, water dogs and enjoy an active outdoor life.
"Doc", (seen elsewhere) is particularly fearless in the
water. In his prime (he is now 13 years old) while cottaging with his owners he continually flew off a 12 ft cliff to retrieve a
boomerang. He sure has been great fun to have around.
"To the Point" Information
We work hard to ensure that puppy purchasers give a great deal of thought to the purchase, make an informed decision and do not just decide on the spur of the moment to surprise someone with a gift. Impulse buying seldom works out.
After your visit to WeatherRun, you will be given a Puppy Purchase application. You will be asked to take the application home, give the whole idea more very serious thought then submit the puppy application. We would continue our dialogue to ensure that the decision is in the best interests of the puppy.
When you have received word that your application has been successful, you will be required to submit a deposit to reserve a puppy on the up-coming litter.
The order of receipt of the deposits is usually the basis for order of choice but after extensive temperament and aptitude testing of the puppies, it has been our practice to match the puppy's temperament with the needs, lifestyle, expectations and experience of their new owners. This has been very successful in the the past. The cost of the WeatherRun puppies is the same regardless of whether the puppy is to go into a show home (there are additional agreements re show puppies) or is to be that perfect pet. All pet puppies are sold with a spay/neuter agreement and will have a non-breeding CKC registration. These are lifted for the show puppies when they achieve their Conformation title (whether Canadian or American) or performance title and the terms of the Purchase Agreement are met. For the companion puppies we would expect the spay to be completed between 6-9 month and the neutering of companion males from 9 -12 months. These critical ages allow for a change of mind on the part of the pet owners should they wish to show their puppy with breeder approval.
Prospective "Pet"/
"Companion" owners need to be aware that
show or performance homes take priority over pet homes.
Health Guarantee
WeatherRun puppies are Health Guaranteed on the following basis.
- Hip Displaysia ( The Parents are OFA Certified) to 7 years of age
- 2 year hereditary defects (replacement or one time $350 repair)
- 1 year congenital defects (replacement)
We would talk about the details of this guarantee when you visit here at WeatherRun.
A visit is a must before the puppies arrive and of
course you would be involved in the selection.