WHAT IS TEMPERAMENT?
Temperament
is the inherited predisposition for a dog to react socially and to the
environment in a given manner. It is determined by a combination of inherited
behavioral traits and early life experiences. Temperament is firmly established
by the age of 3 months and remains relatively constant throughout the
life of the dog. Some indicators of a pup's final temperament can be tested
for at 7 weeks of age by a puppy aptitude test (PAT) along with observation other
personality tests. The predispositions that a pup inherits will determine what its
aptitudes will be - which types of work and activities it is likely to
succeed at and to enjoy doing, and how sociable and trainable it is likely
to be. Of course, appropriate socialization, exposure and training will
be required to bring these natural abilities to fruition.
Some of the
inherited traits that make up canine temperament are common to all breeds.
These include the tendency to: - be more or less sensitive to environmental
stimulation (hyper or lethargic) - react more actively ('fight') or passively
('freeze' or 'flee') when threatened - be more or less socially dominant
or submissive to authority - be more or less independent or sociable
In
order for a dog to be able to cohabit and thrive in the company of people
and dogs, a dog must have a 'sound' (also referred to as 'stable') temperament,
that is - not displaying any of the above characteristics in the extreme
and having a nature which allows it to behave safely and predictably in
the company of people and other dogs. Other of the inherited traits which
make up canine temperament do not exist in all breeds, but have been selectively
bred to serve the breed's working purpose.
The Weimaraner was developed
to be a multi-purpose gun dog for: hunting small furred game and upland
birds, pointing upland birds, retrieving upland birds, waterfowl and
small furred game, trailing live running or wounded birds or game and protecting the owner. Producing dogs that are capable of handling this
varied workload required selective breeding to produce dogs with strong
hunting, pointing, retrieving, trailing and protective instincts. In order
for a Weimaraner to be useful and trainable for its working purpose, it
must have a 'correct' temperament, that is - displaying all of these instincts,
as well as a 'sound' base temperament. A tall order to fill!
OPTIMAL WEIMARANER TEMPERAMENT
A
Weimaraner should have both a sound temperament, and the correct temperament
for the breed. A Weimaraner with a sound base temperament is both adaptable
and trainable. The job that Weimaraners were originally bred for determines
where on the continuum of each of the four traits common to all breeds
their temperament should lie.
1.
Excitablitity vs Inhibitability This refers to the inherited tendency
to make a dog more or less responsive to external stimuli such as novel
sounds, sights, smells, and touch. A dog that reacts actively, with gusto
and limited self-control, to touch or novel sights, smells, and sounds
is very excitable. A dog that ignores such stimuli is inhibited and a
dog that responds with a startle and withdrawal from such stimuli is very
inhibited. This type of dog may be referred to as 'touch-sensitive', 'sight-sensitive'
or 'sound-sensitive'. A balance between the two extremes produces a poised,
calm, assured dog. In the inherited tendency to be excitable or inhibited
a Weimaraner should be midway between the two; alert, bold, and confident
in its environment without being shy, hyper, or skittish.
2.
Active Defense Reflexes vs Passive Defense Reflexes This refers to the
inherited tendency to make a dog react, when personally threatened, by
either fighting back, freezing, or fleeing. A dog that readily fights back when threatened by
biting has very active defense reflexes. A dog that
flees or freezes and will only bite when cornered or in other instances
of extreme duress has very passive defense reflexes.
In the inherited tendency to display more active or more passive defense
reflexes a Weimaraner should have relatively passive defense reflexes
- it should handle game with a soft mouth and should require strong provocation in order to overcome its inhibition
to bite.
3.
Dominance vs Submissiveness This refers to the inherited tendency of a
dog to attempt to have authority over members of its 'pack' or to willingly
sumit to the leadership of others. A dog that displays a lot of mounting, mouthing, marking,
and posturing behaviours to people or other dogs is strongly dominant.
A dog that willingly cedes authority to other dogs and people by nudging,
pawing, rolling over or other pacifying behaviours, is strongly submissive.
In the inherited tendency to be more dominant or more submissive,
a Weimaraner should be midway in between, it
should not constantly challenge the authority of people or dogs senior in age to it.
4.
Independence vs Social Attraction This refers to the tendency of a dog
to keep a greater social distance from people or dogs, or to desire a
closer contact and more frequent interaction with them. This is often
also referred to as 'pack drive'. In the inherited tendency to be more
independent or more sociable, a Weimaraner should be midway in between the two, it should not be so sociable that it is unable
to work away from people or other dogs yet it should desire it's masters approval and guidance.
A
Weimaraner with the correct temperament for its breed is useful for the
purposes for which this breed was developed and will show strong evidence
of all of the following characteristics from puppyhood:
Hunting
instinct - the inborn tendency for a dog to range out away from their
owner to explore their environment. In any new or natural environment
a Weimaraner's curiosity and nose should lead them into the unknown without
requiring game to hunt, toys, or another dog to draw it out.
Pointing
instinct - the inborn tendency for a dog to 'freeze' on the scent and/or
sight of game. Expression of this trait does not necessarily require exposure
to birds or other game - puppies will often point plastic bags fluttering
by, songbirds, or cats.
Retrieving instinct - the inborn tendency for
a dog to bring tossed or found objects and game back to their owner. It
must be noted that a good retrieving instinct includes BOTH the desire
to hold and carry objects and/or game, AND the desire to deliver them
voluntarily to their owner.
Trailing instinct - the inborn tendency to
follow a human or animal track with nose to the ground. In Weimaraners,
trailing of furred game is often accompanied by 'giving voice' when on
the trail.
Protective instinct - the inborn tendency to protect their
owner, his or her family and their possessions. This trait is generally
not apparent until later puppyhood, and Weimaraners, while never aggressive,
should show good judgment to bark or bite in those situations which warrant
protection.
BREEDING
TO THE STANDARD FOR WEIMARANER TEMPERAMENT
Just as a Weimaraner ideally has the 'look' which conforms to the breed
conformation standard, so too should it 'act' with a sound and correct
temperament which will allow it to be adaptable and trainable and to excel
in the purposes for which the breed has been developed. The temperament
qualities referred to in the breed standard required for a conformation
and field championship are: bold, confident, fearless, independent, alert, keen, intelligent, obedient, friendly, kind, protective. Viciousness,
strong fear, shyness, and nervousness are listed as severe faults.
Until
the relatively recently, temperament was the deciding factor in determining
which dogs would be bred. For example, Weimaraners which had keen noses,
ran fast, hunted hard, took direction well, pointed staunchly, got along
well with people and other dogs, and were healthy, were the ones which
were most useful in putting food on the table and therefore were bred.
Unfortunately, in recent years, many breeders have placed much more emphasis
on the physical appearance of their dogs and much less emphasis on temperament
in selecting breeding stock. Most breeders do not fully assess temperament
in their breeding stock, and some do not assess it at all. The result?
A deterioration in temperament, with far too many cases of 'lawn-ornament'
Weimaraners, who may have the chest depth, front and rear angulation,
topline, foot structure and size which, as it says in the breed standard,
'above all...indicate the ability to work hard in the field', but which
do not hunt, point, trail, or retrieve, or are too hyper, too skittish,
too dominant, or too submissive to be trainable, or which lack the boldness
and independence essential for usefulness in the field.
A Weimaraner that
lacks either a sound temperament or a correct temperament for the breed
is no different than a dog which fails to meet the breed standard by having
severe cowhocks, a roached back, or being grossly oversized, dysplastic,
or missing teeth. A Weimaraner with both a sound temperament and a correct
temperament for the breed is a pleasure to live with, easy to train, and
a useful hunting partner. If the goal of a breeder is, as it should be,
"improvement of the breed", temperament characteristics should be given
equal weight with both conformation characteristics and health characteristics,
in planning a breeding.
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