Weimaraner getting started

My family is thinking about getting a weimaraner, apart from very much wanting this dog as a pet we want it to help ease the passing of your old dog, Penny. Both for her, hoping a puppy will breathe new life into her, and for the children who love and need Penny. There are two things that worry me about this, firstly, our dog is picky about who she is with, but loves puppies and has gotten along with other dogs, we are hoping that if she knows it from a puppy she will be more tolerant of it. Still, and my fear is we get a dog and find it's not compatable with penny and find we can't have the puppy after all. Is there any type of person who can come and see dogs, analyze them and see if they can be compatible with a second dog? My second worry is finding a reputable breeder for the pup, I'm terrified by the idea of getting tricked by a good looking business that is in fact a puppy mill, so if anyone knows a reputable breeder I would be so grateful. I live in silver Spring maryland, but if none are in Maryland then driving to Virginia or Pennsylvania is not an issue.
Thank you so much.

Based on what was said, my personal opinion is that you wait for your older dog to pass before acquiring a pup. New puppies are often stressful and have too much energy for an older dog. It can be overwhelming for older dogs and all they want is to live the rest of their lives in peace and comfort. It wouldn't be fair to your dog if it turned out that the puppy was just too 'in your face' and a complete bother to your dog.

If you are adamant at getting a new dog while your old dog is still alive, then I would look into adopting an older dog that's at least 2+ years old and could inquire about its personality before hand. That way, you can still get a young dog and not the uncontrolled overwhelming explosive energy a pup has.

For breeders, I suggest looking at the breeder list on the AKC website. Or a breed specific rescue. Don't buy from pet stores since the are most likely Mill Dogs.

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Here's what I can suggest....

Find a reputable breeder. Go to their place, and pick a pup you fancy. See if this breeder will go the extra mile to ensure your chosen pup's new home is indeed a sure thing, by them bringing the chosen pup over to your house/your existing dog's territory. Do a slow introduction out in the front yard first, from there go to the back yard, and if all still seems well, bring 'em inside and observe. You won't know long term how it may be, but this will give you a pretty good idea of whether your existing dog is going to accept the puppy in the first place.

If not, you can always wait until your existing dog passes, but that doesn't always have to be the case. I've have indeed seen older dogs exhibit signs of youthful behavior when a pup is brought into the picture.

If you do bring a pup home, I'd suggest crate training as well. For many reasons...(safety, potty training.....) but also so that when said pup is going a bit overboard with play with your older dog, you can give you older dog a break. Also, keep that pup well exercised.

Hope that helps.

We did the same thing when our Dane hit 8 years old, figuring she would pass soon. 3 years later, she's still alive and kickin :) We went to a reputable breeder the next state over to pick our chinese crested pup. We ended up getting the calmest of the bunch, and he was awesome with our Dane. She was like a puppy again, play bowing and wrestling with the little dude. She did get grumpy with him occasionally, but she had no issues putting him in his place. I think it helped that we got a small dog, which mature rather quickly.

What breed is Penny? If you're dead set on getting a dog while she's still around, you may want to reconsider your breed choice. Weims have ridiculously crazy amounts of energy, and might be too overwhelming for her.

Penny is a German short haired pointer chocolate lab mix. There's no worry of it having too much energy, though the crate idea is good, Penny is still as crazy and energetic as a puppy, but she has gotten more tolerant with age. Also she's used to having an in your face spastic puppy around because my sister loves her to death, she's super tolerant of her and the only thing that will get a growl out of her is if someone seriously hurt her.

GSP's and Wemaraners are both super active dogs. But, unlike the GSP, the Weimaraner tends to dominate other dogs and their human family. If you're not a strong alpha, chances are, your Weimaraner will bully Penny. If Penny leans a bit towards the aggressive side of GSP's, you could have a fight on your hands.

Are you set on the Weimaraner? There are other athletic breeds that would be a better match to join a pack with an established GSP/lab.

I think you underestimate the energy of a weimaraner. They are the highest energy dog out there, dobermans aren't far behind them and mine made me want to shoot myself. She didn't calm down until she was almost 5 and she still has a lot of energy. I'm not saying you can't get one, but realize the hell you are getting yourself into if you don't spend A LOT of time exercising the dog. We're talking hours every day (for years) if you are keeping it as an inside only dog. A high energy dog with little exercise will destroy your house, that's why I no longer have carpet, my dobie took it out for me. I have nothing against you getting a weimy but just prepare yourself for the work ahead of you. I say the same thing to people looking to get a dobie. High energy dogs are a huge commitment. I can't say I want to do it again.

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Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

I think you underestimate the energy of a weimaraner. They are the highest energy dog out there, dobermans aren't far behind them and mine made me want to shoot myself. She didn't calm down until she was almost 5 and she still has a lot of energy. I'm not saying you can't get one, but realize the hell you are getting yourself into if you don't spend A LOT of time exercising the dog. We're talking hours every day (for years) if you are keeping it as an inside only dog. A high energy dog with little exercise will destroy your house, that's why I no longer have carpet, my dobie took it out for me. I have nothing against you getting a weimy but just prepare yourself for the work ahead of you. I say the same thing to people looking to get a dobie. High energy dogs are a huge commitment. I can't say I want to do it again.

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I think you underestimate the energy of a GSP. GSP can run circles around a dobie. It's up there with the Weimaraner. She can handle a GSP, she'll be fine with the Weimaraner. Now, both together is a different story.

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Originally Posted by anatess

I think you underestimate the energy of a GSP. GSP can run circles around a dobie. It's up there with the Weimaraner. She can handle a GSP, she'll be fine with the Weimaraner. Now, both together is a different story.

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Ok, I did some reading, I didn't realize they were so crazy. Makes sense though! If they are worse than a dobie, I'll mark them on the list of breeds not to get! I use to take my dobie to the dog park for several hours before she was tired, it was just awful. We had dobies growing up, but they were on the farm with plenty of room to run. So much work in town with no other big dogs for her to play with. The Chihuahua is so much easier ;)

My mom and i were looking for a dog that was calm and gentle, patient with kids, little health problems, and didn't shed a lot. Our current dog sheds a lot, sadly her former owners kept her outside the entire time they had her because of it, so my mom wants a dog that sheds as little as possible. There are two kids in the house, we have all been around dogs before we were a day old and have been taught from then to command the respect and obedience of dogs and respect the dogs in turn, however the youngest has yet to learn respect for the dogs boundaries. all the databases said they are energetic if they don't receive exercise, but what dog isn't? Anyways, we looked at what dogs had the characteristics we were looking for and found weimaraners, my mom really likes them and she'd spent time around them so she knew they were a good breed, that's why we want a weimaraner. However, if anyone has a good breed that fits what we want in a dog I'd love to know.

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Originally Posted by Faolan

My mom and i were looking for a dog that was calm and gentle, patient with kids, little health problems, and didn't shed a lot. Our current dog sheds a lot, sadly her former owners kept her outside the entire time they had her because of it, so my mom wants a dog that sheds as little as possible. There are two kids in the house, we have all been around dogs before we were a day old and have been taught from then to command the respect and obedience of dogs and respect the dogs in turn, however the youngest has yet to learn respect for the dogs boundaries. all the databases said they are energetic if they don't receive exercise, but what dog isn't? Anyways, we looked at what dogs had the characteristics we were looking for and found weimaraners, my mom really likes them and she'd spent time around them so she knew they were a good breed, that's why we want a weimaraner. However, if anyone has a good breed that fits what we want in a dog I'd love to know.

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I have yet to meet a young Weimaraner that was calm or gentle, and they don't tend to be the most intelligent breed, either. Try checking out Viszlas. They are a little smaller, but still a good-sized dog, and very loyal to their family.

The Viszlas I have seen also need a lot of exercise as they are in the hunting/bird/gun dog group. I would not have this as an apartment dog if I didn't have a yard. The ones I have known that lived on a farm were extremely friendly, smart, and always on the move. Even having three legs did not stop one from keeping up with two horses and 300 acres. She was also skinny as a rail from all the running she did daily, and she had access to food 24/7.
The one I have seen someone walking in my old neighborhood looked like a dog I wouldn't want in my apartment. Very wired mentally and just needed a good run or mental outlet. And we know how they occupy themselves when inside.

Ever think of a dachshund or dachshund mix? Short hair, lots of fun, and can be exercised in an apartment. Mine showed up 7 years ago and is the perfect* dog for the apartment, the farm, hiking, kids, adults, other dogs.

*has tendencies to get into the bathroom garbage

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Originally Posted by aldebono

The Viszlas I have seen also need a lot of exercise as they are in the hunting/bird/gun dog group. I would not have this as an apartment dog if I didn't have a yard. The ones I have known that lived on a farm were extremely friendly, smart, and always on the move. Even having three legs did not stop one from keeping up with two horses and 300 acres. She was also skinny as a rail from all the running she did daily, and she had access to food 24/7.
The one I have seen someone walking in my old neighborhood looked like a dog I wouldn't want in my apartment. Very wired mentally and just needed a good run or mental outlet. And we know how they occupy themselves when inside.

Ever think of a dachshund or dachshund mix? Short hair, lots of fun, and can be exercised in an apartment. Mine showed up 7 years ago and is the perfect* dog for the apartment, the farm, hiking, kids, adults, other dogs.

*has tendencies to get into the bathroom garbage

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You might just be stating that it isn't a breed you would want if it's in an apartment, but I'm pretty sure the OP used the word "house" (no sarcasm intended). I agree that they are very high energy, but so is the OP's current dog. Dachsunds' tendencies toward back injuries/problems would prevent me from ever getting one to play with young children or a larger, high-energy dog like the OP's GSP. Just my $0.02. :)

Retired racing greyhound or a pup that couldn't make it onto the tracks.
Easy to maintain. Very short fur. Not super high energy, but can still be fun. Pretty lazy house dogs actually off the tracks. Always in need of a companion home.


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Originally Posted by satomi325

Retired racing greyhound or a pup that couldn't make it onto the tracks.
Easy to maintain. Very short fur. Not super high energy, but can still be fun. Pretty lazy house dogs actually off the tracks. Always in need of a companion home.


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Love these guys!

We looked at Vizslas first, my mom loves them too but yeah they are way too hyper, her friends owned one and she spent a lot of time around it so she knew it wasn't a good dog. We do have a nice yard, conservatively I'd estimate it's 20x40ft, and frankly choosing between a calm or active dog I'd pick the later because It seems so much simpler having a dog that's acting crazy and all it needs is to run around at the park for a few hours and go for a walk in the woods for an hour. Way easier than a dog that sits around being lazy and getting fat like a lab, and definitely less stress than a pug or English bull dog that you have to be careful to give them the right amount of energy so they stay healthy but don't overexert themselves.