Weimaraner Training

Weimarners are beautiful, highly intelligent dogs, but they have lots of energy and you will need to have it too if you intend to train one. Smart breeds are always more of a challenge because they are impatient and if you do not keep them occupied with the lesson they will become distracted. Think of your Weimaraner as a precocious child. They are capable of much and you will get as much out of the relationship as you are willing to put in.

I was first attracted to Weimaraners because of their beautiful gray coat and intelligent faces. These are still two of the reasons why I love them, but their intelligent personalities now ranks up there very highly as well. If you are interested in a Weimaraner or if you already have one, then you will be interested in the following raining tips.

Start Young

It is never too early to start teaching your puppy. The sooner they start learning good habits, the less time they have to learn bad habits. You have to be careful when training your puppy because while they are growing so fast you can easily injure them if you are too rough. It is best to wait until they are about six months old. At this point they are able to pay attention to you long enough to start lessons. If you try earlier than that, you will likely become frustrated and you and the dog will be unhappy. So let the first six months be about having fun and bonding with your dog.

During this time they will learn some things, like housetraining and maybe even basic commands. Most puppies will learn to come when called, although it may not happen 100 percent of the time. And every puppy will learn the word “No!” That is just part of being a puppy.

Leash Training

When six months rolls around, now it is time to get out the leash. Your puppy will have grown enough that you will not hurt it with jerks on the collar to correct it. Do not overdo it though. Remember the training is supposed to be fun. Make it a game and your puppy will want to do it.

Start with sitting. This is a relatively easy command to teach. With the dog next to you on your left or facing you, give him the sit command while tugging gently up on the leash. You only need to pull hard enough so that the collar puts pressure on the throat. This is uncomfortable so the dog will naturally move away from the pressure by moving its head up and back. This motion will cause it to sit.

If the dog resists, it is not because he is being difficult but because he does not understand. In such a case, place your other hand on the dogs back just north of the tail. Again give the sit command and as you pull up on the leash with one hand, push down on the dogs back with the other. This will make it clear to the dog exactly what you want.

Once you have done this a few times you should be able to return to just using a tug on the leash to relay your command. If ever the dog does not comply, you need to correct it immediately with that hand on the backside.

Be Consistent

Every time you give a command you must make sure the dog follows the order. This is the biggest single mistake that people make. Every time you ask your dog to sit, you need to make sure he does it. Otherwise you are teaching him something you do not want him to learn. And that is that sometimes “sit” means sit and sometimes it does not. Dogs are willing to live with the inconsistencies that sometimes when you give a command they have to follow it and other times the command can be ignored. If your dog learns this lesson, remember who taught him.

This often becomes a problem when you train a dog inside a quiet house or yard and then expect the same obedience out in the world full of distractions. Remember that your dog is willing to learn that “Sit” means sit when you are in the back yard but means run away and chase the cat when you are on a walk. So make sure you follow through so that your dog knows without question that “sit” means sit anywhere you go.

More on Weimaraners:

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