This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, March 2015 issue.
Judges have the future of any breed in their hands when they judge. Having said that, I will add that, in my opinion, as a breeder with a limited breeding program, who has produced the two All Time Top Winners in the breed and the All Time Top Producer, and as a Breeder Judge, I have been sorely disappointed in the quality of judging in the past few years.
Twenty-five years ago, if you gave me a list of 10 judges and asked me who I thought was a good judge, I would say 9 out of 10 were good judges. Today, my response would be much different. What is the difference? Again, in my opinion, it is that many judges do not know breed type.
I look out into a ring of 8 dogs; 1 or 2 have breed type, and the rest are generic. Not bad dogs, but they lack breed type. The 2 that have breed type look different from the generic dogs and are oftentimes ignored. I am hoping that this article will encourage judges to understand breed type in the Weimaraner.
I think the easiest way to establish breed type in your mind is to view silhouettes of Weimaraners and Vizslas—two VERY different breeds.
The Weimaraner has a deep forechest. Although both standards call for the chest to the elbow, the Weimaraner standard calls for a well-angulated front-end assembly as opposed to the Vizsla standard, which calls for a moderately laid-back front assembly. This gives the Vizsla a straighter front and less forechest.
Again, the Weimaraner standard states well angulated, while the Vizsla standard reiterates moderate angulation.
There is a significant difference in the toplines. The Weimaraner’s topline “sets in a straight line sloping slightly from the withers.” The Vizsla’s topline is “slightly rounded over the loin.”
Now that you have type set in your mind, it is time to think about movement. I won’t bore you with the down and back, which should be sound. The Weimaraner should have an effortless, ground-covering movement. No wasted motion, it should be smooth and effortless.
Balance is of the utmost importance. Front and rear angulation should match. Problems in the breed: straight fronts, lack of balance front and rear, lack of forechest, too short-backed, low tail sets, snipey muzzles, lack of underjaw, lack of rear drive.
The Standard of any breed is a specification or blueprint for that breed. The writers of the Standards were interested primarily in working ability and wrote the Standard to describe the ideal temperament and conformation needed to perform the purpose for which the dog was bred. Anyone who is going to own, breed, or judge any breed should be familiar with the dog’s purpose and what conformation characteristics enable the dog to perform, with ease, the tasks for which he was bred.
An excellent reference is K-9 Structure and Terminology by Gilbert and Brown. The book is a study in anatomy and locomotion as applying to all breeds and explains the working parts beneath the surface with the mechanical laws governing them.
When interpreting the Weimaraner Standard, it is important to know that the Weimaraner is both a pointing dog and a retrieving dog. With the background knowledge of anatomy and the Weimaraner’s purpose, reading the Standard gives a clear picture of what the dog should look like.
A medium-sized gray dog with fine aristocratic features. He should present a picture of grace, speed, stamina, alertness, and balance. Above all, the dog’s conformation must indicate the ability to work with great speed and endurance in the field.
Height
Height at the withers: dogs, 25-27 inches; bitches, 23-25 inches. One inch over or under the specified height of each sex is allowable but should be penalized. Dogs measuring less than 24 inches or more than 28 inches, and bitches measuring less than 22 inches or more than 26 inches, shall be disqualified.
Interpretation: A Weimaraner should convey the impression of grace and style, a dog who can work in the field all day. He should be of medium size, not too coarse nor too fine, as a coarse, heavy-boned dog or a fine-boned weedy dog could not endure a day in the field. Medium size with regard to height needs no explanation as it is clearly defined with a disqualification for those who deviate from this size.
Moderately long and aristocratic, with a moderate stop and slight median line extending back over the forehead. Rather prominent occipital bone and trumpets well set back, beginning at the back of the eye sockets. Measurement from the tip of the nose to the stop equals that from the stop to occipital bone. The flews should be straight, delicate at the nostrils, and the skin drawn tightly. Neck clean-cut and moderately long. Expression should be kind, keen, and intelligent.
Long and lobular, slightly folded and set high. The ear, when drawn snugly alongside the jaw, should end approximately 2 inches from the point of the nose. Eyes: In shades of light amber, gray, or blue-gray, set well enough apart to indicate good disposition and intelligence. When dilated under excitement, the eyes may appear almost black. Teeth: Well-set, strong, and even; well-developed and proportionate to jaw with a correct scissors bite. The upper teeth protrude slightly over the lower teeth but not more than 1/8 of an inch. Complete dentition is greatly to be desired.
Interpretation: To complete the picture of grace and nobility, the head should be pleasing with a kind, intelligent expression. The head is similar to a Pointer head with the exception of the stop, which should be moderate as opposed to the pronounced stop of the Pointer. The ear set should be high rather than at eye level as in the Pointer. The trumpets, which are comparable to temples in humans, give the head a chiseled appearance. The flews should be straight, not pendulous, and taper to the nostril. They should not give the appearance of being snippy.
The back should be moderate in length, set in a straight line, strong, and should slope slightly from the withers. The chest should be well developed and deep with shoulders well laid back, ribs well sprung and long. Abdomen firmly held; moderately tucked-up flank. The brisket should extend to the elbow.
Interpretation: A Weimaraner should not be short-backed. He should have a long rib cage with well-sprung ribs, not slab-sided. The long rib cage gives the back its moderate length. The back should be straight (no rise over the loin, no sway) and should slope slightly from the withers to the tail, which is high set—a low-set tail being a major fault. The chest, when viewed from front and side, should be well developed and deep, as this gives the dog lung room when running in the field. The well-sprung ribs and deep chest also enable the dog to perform his duties as a retriever.
Short, smooth, and sleek, solid color, in shades of mouse-gray to silver-gray, usually blending to lighter shades on the head and ears. A small white marking on the chest is permitted but should be penalized on any other portion of the body. White spots resulting from injury should not be penalized. A distinctly long coat or a distinctly blue or black coat is a disqualification.
Forelegs: Straight and strong, with the measurement from the elbow to the ground approximately equaling the distance from the elbow to the top of the withers. Hindquarters: Well-angulated stifles and straight hocks. Musculation well-developed. Feet: Firm and compact, webbed, toes well-arched, pads closed and thick, nails short and gray or amber in color. Dewclaws: Should be removed.
Docked. At maturity, it should measure approximately 6 inches with a tendency to be light rather than heavy and should be carried in a manner expressing confidence and sound temperament. A non-docked tail should be penalized.
The gait should be effortless and indicate smooth coordination. When seen from the rear, the hind feet should be parallel to the front feet. When viewed from the side, the topline should remain strong and level.
Interpretation: To ensure that the Weimaraner can endure a day in the field, its gait should be coordinated and effortless. If the front angulation is correct and the rear angulation is equal to the front, there should be no wasted motion. Padding, restricted movement, or fast, choppy movement is incorrect. A Weimaraner should cover ground with reach in front and drive in the rear, and this movement should be effortless and coordinated.
If shoulder angulation is correct, the back should remain level in movement without excess rise and fall of the withers. This indicates that the dog is put together correctly and is not putting undue stress on the shock-absorbing mechanism—the shoulders.
The temperament should be friendly, fearless, alert, and obedient.
It is impossible for a gray Weimaraner to have a black mottled mouth. Weimaraner color is a dilution, and therefore it is impossible for a dilute dog to have black markings.
Our local club holds Hunting Tests, WCA Rating Tests, and Field Training Seminars. It is always amazing to me to see dogs who have never been exposed to birds go out in the field and hunt, point, and retrieve. You can actually see the point at which their brain clicks on, and they start hunting.
If nature has seen fit to maintain the natural instincts of bird finding and retrieving ability, we as breeders and judges should strive to produce and reward a dog whose structure and temperament enable that dog to perform these duties.
