almost black. Teeth: Well set, strong and even; well developed and proportionate to jaw with correct scissors bite, the upper teeth protruding slightly over the lower teeth but not more than / of an inch. Complete den- tition is greatly to be desired. Nose: Gray. Lips and Gums: pinkish flesh shades. Interpretation: To complete the picture of grace and nobility, the head should be pleasing with a kind, intelligent expression. Th e 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 and the ear set, which should be high rather than at eye level as in the Pointer. Th e trumpets, which are com- parable to temples in man, give the head a chiseled appearance. Th e flews should be straight, not pendulous and taper to the nostril. Th ey should not give the appear- ance of being snippy. Again the key word is aristocratic. Although it is not mentioned in the standard, any good bird dog needs large nostrils to better enable him to scent birds. BODY Th e back should be moderate in length, set in a straight line, strong and should slope slightly from the withers. Th e chest should be well developed and deep with shoulders well laid back, ribs well sprung and long. Abdomen firmly held; moder- ately tucked-up flank. Th e 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. Th e long rib cage gives the back its moder- ate length. Th e 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.. Th e chest when viewed from front and side should be well developed and deep as this is what gives the dog lung room when he is running in the field. Th e well sprung ribs and deep chest also enable the dog to perform his duties as a retriever. Th e shoulder assembly is comprised of the scapula and humerus. Th e shoulder blade should mold smoothly into the contour of the body and be well laid back. Th e scapula and humerus should be of equal length. When viewed from the side, the dog should have a well laid back shoulder blade and equally angulated humerus (upper arm); this sets the elbow directly under the tip of the top of the shoulder blade and well under the dog. Th e forelegs should not come straight o ff the front. Elbows should lie close to the body. Th is correct front-end assembly is important to a dog who must run in the
field, as it is the shoulder assembly and pas- tern that absorbs most of the shock when a dog is moving. Well laid back angles of the shoulder assembly give the dog the ability to reach and cover more ground with less e ff ort. COAT AND COLOR Short, smooth and sleek, solid color, in shades of mouse-gray to silver-gray, usu- ally 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 is a dis- qualification. A distinctly blue or black coat is a disqualification. LEGS Forelegs: Straight and strong, with mea- surement 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 devel- oped. Feet: Firm and compact, webbed, toes well arched, pads closed and thick, nails short and gray or amber in color. Dewclaws: Should be removed. Interpretation: Th e lighter shades on the head and ears are referred to as the “Grafmar Cap” and tend to become more prominent with age. Th e white mark on the chest may be in the form of a spot or a blaze and should be small. When evaluat- ing length of leg it is important to remem- ber that the dog is also a retriever. Th e dis- tance from elbow to the ground and elbow to the withers should be almost equal. TAIL 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. Interpretation: As mentioned previous- ly, the tail set should be high, a low-set tail being a major fault. It should be carried up or straight out when the dog is in motion, expressing confidence. GAIT Th e gait should be e ff ortless and should indicated 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 : Again, to insure that the Weimaraner can endure a day in the field,
his gait should be coordinated and e ff ortless. If his front angulation is correct and his rear angulation is equal to the front, there should be no wasted motion. Padding, restricted movement, or fast, choppy move- ment is incorrect. A Weimaraner should cover ground with reach in front and drive in rear and this movement should be e ff ortless and coordinated. If shoul- der angulation is correct, the back should remain level in movement without excess rise and fall of the withers. Th is indicates that the dog is put together correctly and is not putting undue stress on the shock absorbing mechanism, the shoulders. TEMPERAMENT Th e temperament should be friendly, fearless, alert and obedient. FAULTS Minor: Tail too short or too long. Pink nose. Major: Doggy bitches, Bitchy dogs, Improper muscular condition. Badly a ff ected teeth. More than 4 teeth missing. Back too long or too short. Faulty coat. Neck too short, thick or throaty. Low set tail. Elbows in or out. Feet east and west. Badly overshot or undershot bite. Snippy muzzle, Short ears. Very Serious: White, other than a spot on the chest. Eyes, other than gray, blue- gray or light amber. Black mottled mouth. Non-docked tail. Dogs exhibition strong fear, shyness and extreme nervousness. DISQUALIFICATIONS Deviation in height of more than one inch from the Standard either way. A distinctly long coat. A distinctly blue or black coat. REMARKS It is impossible for a gray Weimaraner to have a black mottled mouth. Weima- raner 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 main- tain 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.
S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , M ARCH 2015 • 203
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