Expectations

Things To Expect When Bringing Your Adopted Weim Home

When adopting a Weim in most cases this dog has been through a lot, even if he or she was not abused in their former home. They are often rescued from shelters where they have been kenneled, or surrendered by their owners whom they have known all their lives and transported to one of our veterinarians for a check-up. As soon as we have foster homes available, they are transferred again and face yet another new situation. Some times they adjust well, especially if they came without an abuse history and are young. Other times they take special patience as they grow and learn their new surroundings. They often have to find their place in a multi-Weim (or dog) home, where the pecking order is already established and they must find their rung on the ladder.They are often scared and confused and yet they always seem to hope for a better life with a loving family, but often it takes time. All Weims, as are children, are individuals. They have their own personalities, quirks and histories, which have served to mold their character. What works for one, may not work for another. You just have to be patient, open and listen to their needs.

We have constructed this list of helpful hints from experts, our volunteers and adoptive parents who have offered their successes and failures to help make your adoption and home coming go just a bit smoother.

Home Coming...

Never bring your new Weim home and leave him/her alone that night.They need to feel a sense of security while they adjust to their new surroundings, siblings and family members.Give lots of pats on the chest and treats if necessary and kindly establish boundaries like no kitchen entry and ‘Off’ for the sofa.

Time Frame for Adjusting.If at all possible get your Weim when you will have about two days at home with them before returning to work. Anything longer tends to establish a routine that you should be home all day and crating and separation anxiety may become worse. Two days gives you just enough time to introduce your Weim to the house, family members, yard and crate. Your next departure (on the second day) might be for only a couple of hours if possible. By the time the two days have passed, you should be able to move to your normal workday without too much difficulty. It will always require patience and a willingness to make this relationship work.

Sniffing. Expect your Weim to snort all over the house. These dogs are bred to hunt and they search game by scent. They will inspect every inch of the house with their nose, which may take up to an hour or better. This allows them to learn their new surroundings and gain an understanding of what is ‘normal’ by smell. It does not necessarily mean they are looking for a spot to potty. Make sure your Weim potties outside before entering the house for the first time.

Be Prepared Ahead of Time. Make certain you are prepared for the arrival of your new Weim. Have a new crate, bed, food and water bowls and toys just for him/her. If you have a multi dog home, do NOT allow the other dogs to lie on or use any of their new things. This allows them to scent their new things thus making it their own.

A Family Affair. Everyone should be home upon the arrival of your new Weim. Weims are very protective and family oriented animals. They need to know immediately everyone who belongs to the family.Children, spouses, and other family members should be in the home when you bring your Weim in the door. This makes it clear to the Weim who the family members are and establishes a family boundary with which they will associate. Allow the Weim to approach each person on his/her own. Do not allow children to run up to the dog or yell/scream at the dog. Let them come to you.

The New Siblings. When introducing a Weim to a multi dog family, it is best that they meet on neutral territory. Use a park, baseball field, or other outdoor facility that is not familiar to either dog. If the weather is inclement, you can use a friend’s house where there are no other dogs, or dogs with which your first dog is unfamiliar. Ask the owner to keep their animals out of sight. This allows the dogs to meet in similar circumstances, where territorial boundaries are not established for either dog. Use a towel or cloth to introduce your dog’s scent to your new Weim. You can rub it on your dog or his/her bed and take it with you when you pick up your new Weim. This allows him/her to get accustomed to the other scent before the actual meeting. Make sure that you have treats and use an upbeat praise and pats on the chest to encourage good behavior at the meeting.

Method for Meeting Siblings. Upon meeting keep both dogs on their leads and let them wander toward each other. You may want to start at a distance and in an upbeat voice tell each dog about their new sibling. Make certain they can do the “nose to tail” thing comfortably while you stay in one place. Use a long lead to prevent triggering your dog’s protective instinct. Reward both dogs for good behavior with an upbeat praise and treats. If a dog raises it hackles or stiffens its muscles simply back the dogs apart and try again. Speak calmly and reassuringly to the dogs and be patient. It’s hard sometimes when you realize you will not be the only child anymore.

Minor Disagreements. When introducing a new Weim into a multi dog household, there are bound to be minor disagreements. Most often these occur over a favorite toy or bone and sometimes food, but can also be over the affections of the master or who sits where on the sofa. Provided there is not harsh aggression, it is best to allow the dogs to work things out amongst themselves. This relates back the pack order of their wild forefathers. Everyone has their own place and even though we would sometimes like for one to be the leader, the dogs decide these things. Alpha dogs, those with the stronger personality will discipline the others to establish their dominance. Most often there is no blood shed, but simple boisterous bantering that sounds much worse than it is. The submissive position is to down themselves on the floor and look away from the aggressor. The Alpha dog may tower over, push against, stand over the other dog or place their mouth on the other dogs neck to insure they understand their place. Make sure that each dog has his/her own toy. The Alpha may try to steal the other toys but it is still not a good idea to take the toy away. You can offer the new Weim another toy. There may also be food disagreements, which may require you to feed the dogs in separate areas, or at the very least apart from each other. It is always a good idea to give them just a bit of room between bowls. The Alpha dog should also get his/her food bowl first and then place the other bowls down. This helps the other dogs understand who is the Alpha causing respect. As for the sofa or bed space, allow the Alpha to assume their position first and then invite the other dog into the space. Usually they will find their places relatively quickly.

House Breaking. Make certain you show them where to go when they need to potty. Even though your Weim may be house trained they will not instinctively know which door to go to if they need to potty. Go into the yard with them and walk the perimeter. Show them any off limit sights and gently direct them away from the area by their collar with the command “Out”. They may have an accident or two in the house while getting established. Unless you catch them in the act, verbal punishment will be non-effective. You will have to be very alert to learn their signals also. Older Weims especially, will have distinct behavior patterns already established for this need. The first couple of successful times you can use a treat reward to let your Weim know that they are doing just great.

Anxiety. You Weim may exhibit anxiety behaviors over the next couple of days. He/she is simply adjusting to your routine and the household activities. This behavior may include pacing, panting, drooling or excessive water drinking. Simply stroke and verbally comfort your Weim. DO NOT say “It’s O.K.” By doing this while the dog is doing an unwanted behavior, you are reinforcing that this behavior is “O.K.” “It’s alright” is another no-no phrase as is “Be a Good Boy/Girl”. Try distracting the Weim with treats or other activities like a nice long walk, a belly rub or play a game inside if faced with inclement weather. Cut a hot dog (all beef) up and hide it around the house. Remember this dog hunts by scent, so this should be no big deal! Verbally praise their finds with enthusiasm. A simply distraction is usually all it takes.

Chewing and Destructive Behaviors. Chewing, especially for an adult Weim is a prime symptom of anxiety. You should always have healthy, safe toys for them, which allows good mental distraction to work through their frustration or fear. Try Kong toys, which are hard rubber chew toys in a variety of sizes and shapes but all include the ever important secret chamber……the hole where the treats go! Smear the inside with peanut butter, fill with kibble or apple chunks or low calorie treats to provide hours of healthy chewing. WRTVS does not recommend rawhide bones as they can be swallowed in large chunks and cause blockages and are viewed as an unhealthy snack. This saves your furniture and belongings, but also relieves their stress. Just equate this to your starting a new job, building a new house and expecting a baby, all at once. You have to evaluate your co-workers (their new family), learn where everything is located (o.k. and ‘out’ locations), who to trust and who not to (same for dog) and still perform your job (loving the new family). It’s a lot to handle all at once.

A Weim’s Own Space. Have a quiet time place for your Weim established BEFORE he/she comes home. It may be next to or near your other dog, or in separate rooms or his/her own bed in the family room. Weims are very family oriented which includes another dog and seem to do best when they are placed together. Practice crating during times when it is not necessary. Ask them to go into their crate with the command that you choose. Have them stay for just a moment or two and then give a treat reward with an upbeat praise. Repeat and gradually lengthen the time they stay inside. Make sure that family members, especially children know that if your Weim goes to his/her crate or bed voluntarily, they are NOT to disturb them. Do not allow children to crawl into their crate or wallow on their bed. Just like people, dogs need quiet time too. Respect their needs for a break.

Feeding and Activities. Make certain that you follow a very solid routine for feeding your Weim, as well as an activity schedule. This makes potty training, quiet time and temperament so much more predictable. Sure there are times when schedules simply have to change, but you can explain that to your Weim and add a few treats for his/her being so polite to you! Stash a few treats in your car, for rewards of patience while they wait in the vehicle on your errand runs. Try to include at least one hour of vigorous activity daily with your Weim. Running, walking or ball chasing are all great ways to get them exercise as well as yourself. Try to vary your activities if possible as Weims have a tendency to get bored because of their intelligence level. NOTE: Weimaraners are susceptible to Bloat. As of yet, no one is certain how or why this occurs but it is deadly! A reasonable and widely accepted practice is NOT to feed a Weim 1 hour before heavy activities or 2 hours after. This allows their system to be at a natural resting state while trying to process food. Watch for excessive water drinking directly after play or during times of anxiety. Sure they should be thirsty after play, but not in taking a gallon in one sitting.

Water. Weims usually drink lots of water, although they will adjust their water intake based upon activity levels and environmental conditions and water content in their food. Weims also have an unusual peculiarity about the manner in which they drink - they dribble water from the sides of their mouths when they raise their heads. Most Weim owners learn to live with their kitchen floors being wet all the time, but there are things that you can do to minimize the mess. Place a towel or tray under the water bowl. Using a long trough shaped dish instead of a round bowl give them a place to dribble. You can also teach your Weim to wait just a second before walking away from the water bowl, but it does take consistent, gentle reminders from you. Make sure that you provide lots of fresh water daily.

Obedience Training. We recommend some form of supervised and/or assisted obedience training for EVERY Weim. It is good to let your new Weim adjust to their new surroundings for a while, before enrolling them in a command-oriented training. You’ll know when it’s time. They will be restless or start new unwanted behaviors or even cease to perform simple commands they once mastered well. Find a non-violent behavior center near you and make that 4-7 week commitment! Most classes are held once a week, for an hour at the facility and have homework assignments for you to continue working on at home in between sessions. No matter the age, Weims need refresher courses in obedience and it is a marvelous way in which to establish master/dog relationships. It’s fun also! In addition, it helps socialize a Weim. Weims are very breed oriented dogs. They know their own kind and are often very relaxed in large groups, even mixed gender and ages of other Weims, but often have difficulties with other breeds. Obedience school helps to let them know that all dogs are o.k. until proven otherwise. Even the most experienced Weim owners use qualified facilities to train their dogs. We know that socialization is critical for a Weim, as is the assistance of other professionals.

Commands. Most everyone uses the same standard and highly recognized verbal commands to train dogs. But sometimes commands get changed or altered to personalize training or to avoid confusion between multiple dogs. It may take several attempts to figure out the verbal commands that your Weim is accustomed to, or to achieve consistent behavior when a verbal command is given. Just be patient! Training takes time and you must be consistent, not only giving the same command for a certain behavior, but also enforcing the desired behavior with gentle correction. Remember, someone was patient with you during your schooling!

Abused Weims. When you rescue an abused Weim there are so many things that you will have to discover on your own. What makes them scared? What sets off retaliatory behavior? What keeps them from progressing in confidence? Often they come malnourished, poor skin and coat condition and quirks in their behavior that may not make sense to you. It is important for you to be very patient. Start slow with introductions. Everything from meeting new people, giving them rich, nutritious food, certain toys and even your tone of voice can be scary and confusing to an abused Weim. The number one cure all for an abused Weim is love; kind and patient love that surpasses all queer behavior. Our number one piece of advice is to seek the help of a professional, non-violent trainer, especially if you are new to owning an abused animal. Secondly we advise to test the waters gently and slowing to learn where the animal freezes or shuts down or reacts oddly. One of the most heart breaking things is to see a starved animal not eat, even when presented with a full bowl of food. Most likely they have been beaten while their head was down. The pain just isn’t worth the food. Simple encouragement and meeting them half way with a handful of food can cure this over time. There will be other behaviors that will leave you baffled as well. Just remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day and these fears will not go away with one hug, but lots and lots of love and kindness.

Exercise Requirements. Weimaraners are very active dogs. They can be hyper as a young dog and sometimes seem completely silly. Chewing and destructive behavior is very often a lack of exercise, so it benefits both of you mentally to schedule regular, interactive exercise. It is recommended that you provide at minimum one (1) hour of physical activity for your Weim daily, if not more.. Physical activity is as vital to not only their physical health, but also their mental development as is obedience and task training. There are a number of ways to provide exercise for your Weim and several could be beneficial to you as well. Walking or jogging daily with your Weimaraner is an excellent way to provide the exercise they need and get your exercise also. They usually need very little instruction to learn left, right, halt and wait, which are essential commands if you plan to jog with your Weim. Make certain that you get a sturdy collar and leash to prepare for this activity and night glow items if you plan on jogging after dark. Never run in the heat of the summer days with your Weim to avoid heat exhaustion and split paws. They are susceptible to overheating just like you are! Locate a secure baseball field or park near your home. Baseball areas are most accessible during the winter months when children's leagues are off season. Walk to the park, secure the gates and let them go. It is amazing how fast our Weims can run! Take a tennis ball and a Chuck-it (man's best invention for a Tennis Ball!) with you. The Chuck-It sails the ball across the field and prevents you from having to touch a slimy ball! These are available at your local pet store. You can also practice obedience and agility moves during this time as well. Some areas have dog friendly parks, but don't forget to scoop the poop. Be respectful of everyone's right to play in a clean area! NEVER leash your dog to a bicycle or motor scooter. Exhaustion and over heating will occur rapidly and you will not be as aware of their status. Play time in your own yard can be fun for both of you. Provided you have a large fenced area, you can work on retrieval, manners, obedience or just simply throw the ball. Weimaraners need interaction from their masters and this hour can be well spent as a bonding/play time.