When I check the stats on hits to this blog, my posts about Weimaraners consistently rank at the top of the list, especially if they deal with the breed's coat colour. This morning I received a comment on one of the posts that posed a couple of questions that I felt deserved more than just a few lines to answer. So I decided to write an entire article in reply. 

Here is the comment:

And here is my long-winded reply:

Congratulations on the new pup! I am sure he is a sweet-heart and that you'll have a ton of fun with him. And welcome to the world of the Weimaraner where, as you are finding out, things tend to get a bit heated when non-standard colours are discussed.

I am not a geneticist so I cannot tell you with any degree of scientific accuracy how your boy's coat colour came to be. And I am sure that even a canine geneticist would not be able to help you without doing some pretty extensive testing of your pup and a whole bunch of its relatives. So the only option for us here is to look at the possibilities and then place odds on how likely they are to be true.

Souris-Manon and Quell each pointing a woodcock (and I missed both birds!)

Could it be a gene mutation like the one that I wrote about here?  

Maybe. 

Genes mutate all the time and clearly, Dr. Epplen's research showed that in at least one case, a de novo (new) mutation in a Weim pup did indeed result in a purebred Weimaraner with a grey and white (piebald) coat. So could it happen again? Sure, there is a one in a million (or billion or something) chance of it occurring again...in a single pup. But in 4 pups? Well that would make the odds one in a million (or billion or something) to the fourth power. In other words, about the same odds as me landing a hot date with Beyonce. So I don't think that the coat on your pup and its three siblings is related to the same kind of genetic mutation event that caused the piebald coat in Dr. Epplen's study.

Could it be due to a throwback to the old days? Does the (real) history of the Weim offer any clues about how your dog's coat colour could occur? 

Maybe.

Today, we all know that there is only one officially accepted Weimaraner colour (silver-grey) but it was not really standardized until later on. Reading the literature from the first phase of the Weim's development, from about 1880 to just before the first world war (1914), we can see that there was actually quite a bit of discussion about what the 'correct' colour for the breed should be. In the early years the most common non-standard colours discussed were white, yellow and yellow-red. For example, here is what the breed standard in 1884 said:

White markings are common in most dogs, on the chest and toes. It is however, desirable to eliminate these in breeding. Yellow burned (tan markings) dogs are to be discarded completely. 

By 1935 however, it seems that those markings were still there.

...the reddish-yellow shade on the head or legs, which nowadays occurs seldom, to be regarded as a fault; however a Weimaraner with reddish-yellow coloring should not receive more than 'good' when tested...if outstanding for hunting purposes, he should not be excluded from breeding

Clearly, genes for yellow or yellow-red where part of the genetic make-up of the Weim's coat, at least in the early days. So could your pup's coat colour be due to a one-in-a-billion chance of old, rare yellow genes suddenly aligning in it's DNA? Maybe. But I doubt it.

You see, the yellow and yellow red shades discussed in the old literature involved markings in the coat, specifically on the head and legs. Those markings are in fact still with us today. Although very, very rare, they are called "dobe" markings (as in Doberman) and they look like this:

Not my photo. This could actually be a Doberman x Weim mix. Used for illustration purposes only.

Your dog seems to be self-coloured (ie: the entire coat is all one colour, not 'marked' with a different colours on the head, legs and chest). So if the yellow or yellow red genes that were in the background of the Weim are responsible for your pup's coat colour, then they would have had to not only lay dormant for over a century and then, by pure luck, happen to find the right combination to appear, but they would also have to mutate in some way and go from just 'markings' to affecting the entire coat....of four pups! Is it possible? Maybe (I am not a geneticist) but I would put the odds at around a gajillion-gajillion to one.

So, if we eliminate the possibility of a mutation and of a throwback to the early days (and I think we can in both cases), what else could result in such a coat?

Occam's razor would lead us to the very real possibility that the genes responsible for your pup's coat were introduced by an external source at some point in the past. In other words, somewhere in your dog's ancestry, there is at least one non-Weim ancestor that brought in the genes for the white/blond coat your pup has.

Where, when and how could this happen? I have no idea. What I do know is there is no such thing as a 'pure' breed. All breeds have a bit of this and a bit of that in them. That is how they were created and every now and then, by accident or on purpose under the light of the moon, a bit more of this or bit more of that gets added into the mix.

AAAOOOOO!!!!!

You said that one of the parents is a blue Weim. They are handsome dogs, I've written about them here. And it is pretty well accepted nowadays that the blue coat is the result of a bit of this or that getting into the breed in the US (the most common theory is that is was from a Doberman). So we know that there is at least one source of 'outside' genetic material in your pup. As an aside, it has been estimated by the owner of the Weimaraner pedigree data base that 99.9% of Weims in the world today have the original 'blue' weim somewhere in their pedigree as well.

But could there be another source of outside genes, ones that could lead to a white/blond coat? Of course. In fact, I believe that the vast majority of all the Weims out there with non-standard colors (and even some with the standard color) are the result of something happening behind the woodshed in the past. Gene mutations like the one described by Dr. Epplen are extremely rare. Cross breeding (accidental or otherwise) is not.

But what about the pedigrees of our dogs? What about the records that show they are pure?

Dr. Epplen, the same fellow who did the DNA article on the piebald weim published another study on Weims that (among other things) looked into the accuracy of the Weimaraner pedigree information stored in Germany. The results indicated that:

Tracing patri- and matrilineages, several entries in the Weimaraner stud book cannot be reconciled with the male-only, Y chromosomal neither the female-only, mt inheritance patterns, respectively.

In other words, the pedigree record in the homeland of the breed, where there is a system with the most rigorous checks and balances and the most tightly controlled stud book on the planet is not 100% accurate. So how accurate is the pedigree information outside of Germany, in free-wheeling North America were there are far fewer rules, no breed wardens and a much stronger tradition of 'anything goes'?  Pedigrees are not perfect. Some are accurate, some less so, and some are pure fiction.

But what about the DNA breed testing results that say he is a purebred Weim? 

I am not sure what breed DNA testing service you used, but I assume it was one of the many such services that are now being sold online and through vet clinics. I don't want to go into all the details here, and it really is quite a rabbit hole to go down if you google it, so I will just link to an article written by a guy who does not pull his punches when it comes to such things, Terrierman, in which he says:

Breed DNA tests are not too different from Gypsy Fortune telling, Fortune Cookies, the I-Ching, Numerology and Tarot Card reading. 

Unfortunately, unlike DNA parentage tests which can tell you with near 100% accuracy who your pup's mother and father are, tests for breed-specific DNA markers are generally not nearly as reliable and are not really designed to determine if a dog is purebred or not. They are mainly designed to narrow down the ancestry of mixed-breed dogs and in almost all cases where purebred samples are sent in, the result are the same: yup! your dog is what you say it is.

Felix in neoprene at the Libau marsh on opening day, 1999.

Bottom line: As a guy on the sidelines who just wants everyone to have a dog that puts a smile on their his or her face, here is what I think is going on.
1. You have a very cute pup that deserves 100% of your love and devotion.
2. Anyone who says nasty things about you or your pup is not worth your time or attention.
3. The most likely explanation for your pup's white/blond coat is that genes from outside the breed were introduced into its lineage at some point in the relatively recent past. Your pup is therefore probably not a 'purebred' Weimaraner and only you can decide how much that actually matters.

Me and the Amazing Maisey.

Personally, I don't think it matters at all and I get the feeling that it will not really change the way you feel about your pup. He deserves, and I am sure he will receive, 100% of your love and devotion.

The only issue you may have in regards to his lack of 'purity' is if you feel that you were defrauded by the breeder. I have no idea where you got the pup or under what circumstances, but if you were specifically told in no uncertain terms that your pup is 100% purebred and guaranteed to be from purebred parents and grandparents etc., well then you may have grounds for a complaint. But remember, the breeder may believe that the parents are purebred because that is what the person they got them from told them...and so on down the line.

In reality, without video evidence or a written confession, it would be impossible to determine exactly how and where the outside gene event happened and who knew about it at the time. So tread very carefully in that regard. It might not be worth picking a fight with anyone at this point. The most important thing is that you now have a pup that deserves 100% of your love and devotion.

Where I would speak out and where I would have deep concerns is if you see any effort by anyone out there to launch some sort of super duper, rare, cool new white/blond colour of Weimaraner. It is not because the colour is unattractive - your pup is super cute and will be a stunning adult. And it is not because the white/blond dogs themselves are bad or undeserving of loving homes - your pup should be the light of your life. But as you are finding out, the Weim world (and the entire purebred dog world) can be an unforgiving place, and you can go insane by tilting at its windmills. So any effort to launch a new designer colour of Weim is guaranteed to end in misery for everyone involved.

Here is my advice: 

• Love your pup. 
• Take care of your pup. 
• Give him the fantastic life he deserves and forget about what nasty people have to say. Your pup doesn't give a rat's ass about them, why should you?

Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals

This just in from the good folks at Garmin:

The only Astro Canadians can enjoy right now is the one owned by a fellow named George Jetson. Seen in a recent illustration (above) Astro Jetson seems to have fallen on hard times since the show went into re-runs about 30 years ago. However, Industry Canada continues to list him as 'approved for use in Canada'.

Unfortunately for all us bird dog folks up here, the other Astro, the one made by Garmin, is NOT APPROVED FOR USE IN CANADA. The information I posted in my last update of the blog is NOT CORRECT. My source at Raytech* was mistaken. There is NO Canadian approved model or version of the Astro. Period.

I recently received word directly from Garmin (finally!) about the whole issue. In fact, they have recently updated their own site with the following statement:

Due to varying international regulations, this version of the Astro is approved for use only in the United States. The sale and unlicensed use of the Garmin Astro GPS Dog Tracking System in any form is presently prohibited by the Canadian government. According to a document published by Industry Canada dated June 2009, the MURS radio frequency used by the Astro will be permitted to be sold and operated on a license-free basis at the end of a five-year transition period (June 2014). This Industry Canada ruling may be found in its entirety at http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/vwapj/sp17-ps17-eng.pdf/$FILE/sp17-ps17-eng.pdf. Parties interested in the implementation of this spectrum utilization policy or with questions should contact their local Industry Canada office.

So it looks like my very first post on the matter was the most accurate. The issue is, and always has been, one of MURS frequency licensing. In the US the band is free to use. In Canada, you need a license...at least for now.

So, if you have an Astro, feel free to use it in the U.S. But don't forget to turn it off while you are in Canada.

THAT is the bottom line (I hope!)


*It looks like Raytech has removed all mention of the Astro from their website.

I just got off the phone with a VERY helpful gentleman at Raytech Electronique near Montréal. He provided me with a comprehensive answer (finally!) to the Astro Situation here in Canada.

So, here goes:

You CAN use an Astro in Canada. You can even buy an Astro in Canada. BUT (and it's a big but) it has to be the Maple Leaf version of the Astro. You see, according to the fellow I spoke to at Raytech, there are TWO DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF ASTRO 220's on the market. One is for sale in the US. I call it the Mighty Stars and Stripes version ...all gung-ho, can-do with a haircut you can set your watch to. It puts out 2 big watts of sheer Yankie power. But it seems that 2 watts is way too much for us sensitive Canadians. Any Astro unit sold up here must be modified to put out a lot less power...something like 0.5 watts. I guess we like our electronic gizmos to be more in line with our mild Canadian, let-it-be and pass the doobie attitude.

After all, there is a similar situation with the Garmin Rino, a sort of GSP/Walkie Talkie unit. It is available as a 1 watt unit in the US and as a .5 watt unit in Canada. Unlike the Rino however, users cannot switch the power levels on Astros. Canadian and American Astros are hard-wired to either put out 2 watts or .5 watts. So if you travel to Canada with an American bought unit, you can't use it. And you can't just flick a switch on it to lower the power so it conforms to Canadian regulations.

BOTTOM LINE: If you want to use an ASTRO in Canada. You MUST use the lower powered unit that is sold up here and NOT the higher output unit sold in the US. The units sold in the US violate Canadian regulations. I guess they are just a bit much for the delicate radio waves we have up here on the frozen tundra. But the lower powered "Astro-Canuck" unit is good to go. And get this...it is cheaper! Raytech sells them for only only 544.44 Canadian Loonies.

Now, where's my credit card?

UPDATE: See this post regarding even more up-to-date information I've gleaned from what seems to be an excellent Canadian source.

Recently, on a gundog forum, it seems that someone has taken issue with some of the information I had posted here about the Garmin Astro in Canada. In a somewhat snarky, not-very-Canadian reply, the poster reports that he/she received information directly from Garmin International that not only is the Astro legal in Canada (I've always maintained that it is. The information I gathered only indicated that it was not approved for USE) but that there is even a Canadian company selling and shipping the unit in the Great White North! If true, that would be fantastic!!!

However, it is still not clear that all the issues I outlined in my blog have been resolved. A major on-line seller of GPS and related products in Canada, GPS central, still states on their website that:

GPS Central does not carry the Garmin Astro product. It is not available for purchase in Canada where it is illegal to sell or use it. Its unapproved frequency interferes with channels not approved for civilian use. Fines for individuals are $25,000 with possible additional confiscation of property including automobiles. Electronics retailers face penalties of $50,000 or more. See Industry Canada.

It should be noted that the line that says the astro interferes with channels not approved for civilian use is not accurate. The frequencies used by the Astro can be used by civilians if they purchase the appropriate license which is freely available to private citizens. However, GPS Central's statement is similar to what I have heard from other distributors: that they have been told they cannot sell the units in Canada. US vendors have also told me the same thing. In fact, my interest in this whole thing came about after I tried to order an Astro a few months ago from Gundog Supply in the US and they emailed to say that they could not ship it to Canada.

Another large distributor of GSP devices has stores in the US and in Canada . It is called GPS City. Their American dot com site says: Availability: Ships August 31st/09. It then goes on to say the following: Canadian Customers! Save on shipping fees, customs, duty, and PST! Buy this item from Canada's original on-line GPS store, gpscity located in Calgary, Alberta. But when you click on the link to the Canadian dot ca site it says: This item is not available for purchase.

Even Garmin's own website states that Due to varying international regulations, this version of the Astro is approved for use only in the United States.

GPS central also provides a link to the department in charge of these things, Industry Canada. Their website states that "In general, Canadians expect to have access to the same range of electronic and wireless products and services that are available elsewhere in North America. However, making these frequencies available for these wireless consumer products often poses several challenges. One of the primary challenges is that the desired spectrum is often already in use. This means that incumbent licensees need a reasonable notification period to move to other frequencies to avoid interference to their radio services".

Now, there may very well have been some movement on the issue since I wrote my last post about the Astro. Considering that there is apparently a Canadian company selling them over the net and that a representative from Garmin has supposedly stated in an email that the unit is good to go up here, the Gov. may have recently granted approval for the Astro. As I stated in my blog, they had every intention of changing the rules governing the MURS frequencies, but not for five years:

The Department establishes the following time frame to permit MURS devices to operate in these five channels in the 150 MHz band. 1. a five-year transition period is established from the publication date of this spectrum policy, (June 1, 2009) after which the distribution and sale of MURS devices will be permitted;

So is the Astro really good to go up here? Honestly, I don't know. I certainly hope so and I will probably put an order through to the Canadian company selling them first thing in the morning. But I think I will also give Industry Canada and Garmin a call just to find out what their take on it really is...because we all know that "... it would really be appreciated that if you don't know what your (sic) talking about that you said nothing",

Isn't that right Mr. Manners?

UPDATE: See my this post regarding even more up-to-date information I've gleaned from what seems to be an excellent Canadian source.

Ok, we've all read about Karl August of Sachsen-Weimar and his connection to the Weimarner right? You know, the Grand Duke, that fancy-pants European nobleman, friend of Goethe, who liked his schnapps a bit too much, and, according to most Weim histories, more or less created the grey ghost and shared the breed with his fancy-pants friends?

Ya, that guy (check out those pants!)

Ok, so tell me this: why is it that despite years of on-again, off-again research into the Duke have I been unable to find one, single, solitary piece of solid evidence that proves he even knew what a Weimaraner was, let alone created it from scratch?

Sure I've read all the stuff published by Weimaraner enthusiasts. They are nearly unanimous in their assertion that the Weim came from the court of the Grand Duke. They point to paintings that seem to show the old guy out hunting, with dogs of all kinds prancing around the game fields of his estates. Any dog in these illustrations that is short haired and lighter in colour is immediately "identified" as a Weim. And they write that "it is said that the Grand Duke..." or "according to tradition, Karl August"...yada yada yada. Yet no one provides anything more than a sort of "I heard it from a guy who knew a guy that had a friend who heard..." sort of thing.

Now, the few mentions I can find of the Grand Duke that were written by men who tried to get to the bottom of the story turn out to be completely opposite to what most people believe. Guys like Robert Herber and Dr. Kleeman, renowned experts who lived and breathed this kind of stuff, concluded that:

"the hunting activity of the Dukes of Weimar had nothing to do with the existance of the Weimaraner" (Kleeman)

and

"hunting writers of the Royal Court of Weimar never mentioned the Weimaraner, which they by all means would have done for patriotic reasons." (Herber).

Herber even goes on to say that: "I have been in touch with the Hofmarschallamt and the Hofjagdamt in Weimar, who had found nothing concerning the Weimaraner despite thorough searching through their files. The name was probably brought into existence because the Weimaraner first occurred in large numbers in Weimar and was bred there. Even Diezel says nothing about the Weimaraner in 1873. (Herber, Deutsch Waidwerk No 22, September 1, 1939)

And I too have tried, in vain, to find any mention of Weimaraners in writings about the Grand Duke by people not connected to the breed. I've poured over a couple of Duke biographies and found nada, zippo, zitch about Weimaraners in them. Recently, I noticed that there is a new biography on the market. Written by Volker Ebersbach, it seems to be mainly about the Duke's connection to Goethe. On the cover is a beautiful painting of the Duke with a longhaired brown and white dog laying beside him...definitely NOT a Weim!

So, if Karl August did have a hand in creating the Weimaraner and if he did, as some "authorities" claim strive to keep it among the nobles of Weimar, why, oh why would he have his painting done showing him with a dog that is surely NOT a Weim?

Does anyone have this book...or access to it at a local library or book shop? I would love to know if the author makes any mention of the Weimaraner in it.

And while we are at it, can anyone tell me how the dogs in this illustration of the Grand Duke, Goethe and Corena Schroeter can be mistaken for Weims?


There are plenty of other illustrations of the man, some of them feature dogs. In NONE of them, is there clear evidence that the dogs are Weimaraners.

What gives? Is the whole Grand Duke thing just wishful thinking? Is it all a bunch of hokum?

Does anyone have any information they can point me to that clearly establishes a link between the Weimaraner and the Grand Duke?

Or should we considered this myth busted and follow Christopher Hitchens's advice?

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens

I recently received an email from a friend in the US who owns a Garmin Astro. The Astro is relatively new device that, in my opinon, should be ranked right up there with fire and the wheel in terms of revolutionary technology. In a nutshell, it allows you to know exactly where your dog is at all times within about a 7 mile radius! It does that by sending a signal from the dog's collar to a hand-held GPS unit carried by the handler. Astro's are really catching on in the US. In Canada however, they are not (yet) approved for use, so we can't buy one from a local GPS shop or even order one in from a US supplier.

So my friend was wondering what would happen if he brought his unit over the border and used it while he ran his dogs in Canada. Apparently there are internet rumours out there claiming that the Canadian authorities will confiscate any such unit and fine the user up to 20 grand for using it and then impound his/her vehicle! So far no mention of strip searches and waterboarding, but it is probably only a matter of time before the rumour goes viral and ends up with some sort of connection to 9/11 and ninjas.

So anywho, I decided to see if I could get to the bottom of this whole thing by contacting the Canadian Government department in charge of all things radio/gps related. After spending a couple of hours wandering through the Kafka-esque maze of Candadian Government bureaucrats and other forms of plant life, I finally found someone who knew what he was talking about.

Here is what I gathered from a very helpful fellow at Industry Canada, the dept. charged with regulating these kinds of things.

1. The Garmin Astro is not approved for use in Canada. This is because...

2. The Garmin Astro uses the MURS band to transmit from the dog's collar to the hand-held reciever. Unlike in the US, the MURS band is not free to use in Canada. You need to buy a licence for a specific frequency on it. Anyone can get a license for an approved devise like a radio and base station. It costs a few bucks, but is pretty much available to anyone with a walkie talkie. You just purchase a license from the Gov. and voila! You are good to go. Farmers, foresters, pizza delivery guys all over the place have licences for a MURS frequency. So in theory, you could just buy a licence for the frequencies that the Astro uses and head to the field. But....

3. The Astro is not approved for use in Canada. From what I gather, Garmin has not jumped through the hoops of submitting it for approval (yet?) since they know that MURS band is not free up here and in order for them to get exclusive use of the frequencies for the unit, they would have to buy out a lot of folks to get them off the band...ie: $$$$$$ Either that, or they realize that every Canadian Astro user would have to fork over more cash to buy his/her own license to use the thing in the field.

4. You see, the Astro uses all 5 frequencies of the MURS: 151.82, 151.88, 151.94, 154.57, 154.60. I did a check on one of them (151.82) just to see how many others are on MURS up here (there is a search function on the website of Industry Canada where you can find out.). Well, it turns out that there are lots of people and organizations that have purchased licenses for one or more frequencies on the MURS band. Everything from Government agencies (probably foresters) to some city of Toronto workers to farmers in Saskatchewan. So that means if you are using the Astro near them, you could interfere with their radios.

5. So there you have it. The reason is NOT some super secret Canadian Gov. frequency used to track drug lords and assorted terrorists. It is all about the way the MURS range of frequencies is managed in Canada. I suppose that Garmin could have bought out all the current licences users on the MURS band if they thought they could sell enough units up here to still make a profit. But alas, the accounting dept. told them "no way!" I figure that is why they haven't even sent the unit up here to be tested and approved for use. Even if it passed all the tests (I'm sure it would, all other Garmin devises are approved), it still could not be used due to the frequency thing...each and every user would have to buy a license for all five frequencies.

But fear not! Apparently the Canadian Gov. may be moving towards the same sort of set up as in the US, a free-for-all MURS band. Here is what they say on their site:

So the bottom line is this. The Garmin Astro is not approved for use in Canada and even if it were, each unit would (currently) need a license for the frequencies. But wheels are in motion to change all of this. From the document quoted above, dated June 1, 2009, it looks like it will take FIVE YEARS, for all of this to be cleared up. By then, I expect that other manufactures will have Astro-like devices, maybe ones that use a different band..who knows?

So, to get back to the original question: if you bring your Garmin Astro with you to Canada this season and use it in the field, will you be treated to a waterboarding session while government ninjas impound your car and bank account?

No.

Industry Canada is interested in compliance, NOT punishment. And they are not in the business of skulking around hay bails in Saskatchewan with scanners looking for law breaking Yankies with fancy collars on their high falutin dogs. So if a guy were to bring an Astro up here and it did happen to interfere with farmer Brown's radio base station and tractor in the field, or with a hydro worker repairing a line, he may be asked to turn it off and to stop interfereing with the frequency. No fines, no waterboarding.

However, if he then continued to use it, despite the warning, he could face stiff penalties. But twenty grand and the loss of his car? Nope. Unless he was following fire trucks in downtown Toronto and deliberately screwing with their radios as they tried to save a burning convent and orphanage, I doubt he would get anything more than whatever equivalent of a speeding ticket gets handed out by the radio/tv cops.

Of course, I'm just some guy on the net, not a laywer, not a cop, heck, I'm not even coherent most of the time. So take lots of salt with whatever advice I may provide and weigh the risks-to-benefit ratio of whatever action you may take.

It has always been an open secret in dog circles that crosses to English Setters, GSP's, GWP's and Pointers have occurred in some Griffon lines in France for decades. I've alluded to it before in various forums, offering only the information I had been given "off the record" and what I had seen in the field with my own (non-expert) eyes. And I've known for a long time that an internal squabble over the issue of cross breeding had been brewing within the parent club for the breed in France. In fact, there had been warnings about excessive cross breeding coming from some sources as early as the 1990's.

Now let's remember that cross breeding is nothing new in France. Breeders of all kinds of dogs over there are quite "creative" and the French kennel club system actually has a mechanism in place for cross breeding under certain special circumstances. So I am fairly confident in saying that pretty well every breed of pointing dog in France has had at least a shot or two of English or German blood sneak its way in at some point in the last 130 years. And the French are not overly puritanical about it either. Like everyone else, they know how to play the "pure-bred" game and they stick to the official party line in public. But in private they are among the few who will admit that there is some "wiggle room" and that a dash of this or a dash of that from time to time is not such a bad thing. And to be honest, I find their attitude refreshing in a way. At least they admit that no breed is as pure as the driven snow and they certainly don't have a hair trigger aimed at any heretic that even thinks about cross breeding.

But it seems that what was going on in French Griff-land had finally gone too far, even for the French. The battle is now out in the open and it looks like the gloves are off. The biggest, best-known breeder of Korthals Griffons in the country is being accused of crossing to "foreign breeds" (mainly English Setters) and of even faking HD reports on some of his pups. It's as if Bob Whele (r.i.p) were being accused of breeding GSP's into his line and paying off a vet to rubber stamp their hip x-rays!

The people making the accusations point to strange colored griffs popping up with black, white and tri-coloured coats ranging from wiry to long to slick. They claim that some field trial Griffs are now just as fast as Pointers, that they run to the horizon and point laying down; they "set" (I've actually seen this myself). And they claim that most of the dogs seem to trace back to two or three lines, mainly the biggest one in France, a breeder with more field trial wins and show titles than almost all others combined.

Now, let me just say that I have no dog in this fight. I've met some fantastic Griff people in France, Quebec and in the US. I really admire the breed and am very impressed with the progress it has made. But I am an interested bystander and I believe that politically, this may be a real brouhaha. But on a practical level, I am actually optimistic that the breed will benefit in the end. The French seem to have a worldly, pragmatic view about these sorts of things. They are certainly much less evangelical about it than some of the more zealous purists in the US and UK where a similar situation would end up with torch carrying mobs hurling accusations of witchcraft. No, in France there will be lots of political/personal mud slinging, but in the end once the issues have been thrown around the Octagon for a while, dedicated Griffon folks will work together to put the breed back on a more or less straight and narrow path and continue to breed some really, really good dogs.

Anyway, I'm making popcorn and sitting back to see how it all turns out. It should be interesting. If you want to try to follow along, here is the site that is the center of the movement to bring all the shady dealings to light http://www.griffon-korthals-authentique.com/ It's in French, but remember, Google is your friend. Just click the "translate this site" option in language tools.

Bonne lecture!

In its Aims, Programs, Test Rules booklet , NAVHDA states that:
There are several breeds of versatile dogs common in continental Europe, and with four exceptions, all were developed during the last decades of the 19th century.

I take issue with parts of the above statement. First of all, the number of versatile dog breeds developed in continental Europe is obviously more than just “several”. The actual number is close to 40. NAVHDA recognizes 22 of them. In addition, NAVHDA recognizes the 4 pointing breeds developed in the UK, breeds that that were not developed “in continental Europe” or traditionally bred and trained for versatile work. As for the 4 "exceptions", well that is just plain horse hockey.

The four exceptions are much older breeds that provided a base for some of the others. These are the Weimaraner, the Vizsla, the Brittany, and its German cousin, the Small Munsterlander.

While it is accurate to state that the versatile breeds were developed at the end of the 19th century, claiming that the Weimaraner, Vizsla, the Brittany and “its German Cousin” the Small Munsterlander are “much older breeds” is simply wrong. They were all developed around the same time as the other versatile breeds and in the case of the Vizsla, almost completely recreated from scratch in the first half of the 20th century.

The text goes on to provide even more astounding inaccuracies.
The tracking hound, pointer and waterpudel were the basic breeding stocks most widely used to develop the short and wirehaired groups.

I have no idea what “The tracking hound” is. While there were types of dogs, hounds if you will, that were used to track game: Lymers, Schweisshunds, Bloodhounds etc. there was no breed known as "The tracking hound".

And what the heck is a "waterpudel"? It think it may be a reference to water dogs. Since one kind of waterdog is called the "Pudel" in German, it looks like the author just cobbled a word together in an effort to sound sort of German-ish.

And then there is this whopper:“The longhaired group evolved from the Small Munsterlander and flat-coated retriever.” Just how the “longhaired group” evolved from breeds that simply did not exist before the middle of the 19th century is quite a mystery.

Finally there is even a specific statement aimed at closing the list to dogs that some feel should be on it. "No distinctive versatile hunting breed has been developed in North America.”

This statement is not really there to add anything to the subject of gundog history. Rather is is a thinly veiled argument against the recognition of the pointing Labrador; a strain within the Labrador breed that can do all of the things the versatile breeds do, but for whatever reason is not considered by NAVHDA to be a versatile breed.

C'mon NAVHDA, you can do better. In the eyes of many, you stand as the North American authority on all the versatile breeds. You are certainly the largest and best known organization that tests them. You could at least check the facts on their histories before you send your booklet to the printers or post it to your website.

WARNING:
What follows is a blog post written well before my morning triple espresso kicked me up a notch. I may come across as being somewhat of a sour old fart. But then again according to my wife , I am a sour old fart.

Let me tell you about Living Room...

Up here in Manitoba we have a whole lot of empty. The province is something like twice the size of England and home to about a million people. In fact we often hear our well coiffed politicians bemoan the fact that our population is stable at best and in many years it actually declines. You see, the old timers around here have a nasty habit of passing on to the happy hunting ground once they reach their 90's. And too many youngsters are accepting jobs offers "down east" in one of the new tatoo/piercing parlours that are springing up like magic mushrooms in downtown Toronto. What's worse, most working couples are so stressed out just trying to eake out a living that if they ever do get around to having sex, it is more like trying to shoot pool with a rope than it is about making babies.

The general reaction around here seems to be mild hand wringing. There might even a bit of teeth gnashing going on. For some reason forecasts of "zero growth" generate fear in some folks. Personally, when I hear that there simply "aren't enough people" in the province I can't help but grin.

You see, I don't like people.

I like dogs. I love my wife. My family is alright most of the time.

But people? They're the worst.

That's why when I find myself in a church for a wedding, funeral or to ask directions to the nearest Hooters family restaurant, I get down on my creeky knees and thank the Large One upstairs for the fact that I can go an entire hunting season without ever seeing another person.

Praise the lord and pass the amunition!

In it, blogger Patrick Burns lays out a scathing indictment of modern dog breeding practices that are still based on failed genetic theories of the 19th century. He pulls no punches, even going so far as to point out the rather high inbreeding co-efficient in the offspring of Charles Darwin himself. Yet he is careful not to simply accuse dog show enthusiasts of stupidity or deliberate wrong-doing, saying:

" Let me hasten to say that the Kennel Club is not filled with evil people intent on doing harm to dogs. It is, in fact, filled with regular people who are different from the rest of the world only in the degree (and the way) they seek ego-gratification and are status-seeking."

And I agree. Most of the show people I've met are indeed very nice folk. I am sure that they really do care for their dogs and work hard at their "sport". They seem to have good intentions and truly believe that they are "improving" the breed, one dog show at a time. However, when it comes to breeds of dogs whose entire genetic code is supposed to be hardwired for the hunt, putting them in the hands of show breeders is like selecting marines based on their performance in ballet school.

Ballet school is not about training young men to storm a beach and dogs shows are not about dogs. Burns sums it up nicely: "This last point is import: the Kennel Club is not primarily about dogs. Dogs do not care about ribbons, pedigrees, titles, and points. These are human obsessions. The reason a human will drive several hundred miles and stand around all day waiting for 10 minutes in the ring is not because of the dog, but because the human needs that ribbon, that title, and that little bit of extra status that comes from a win."

Warning! A bit of a rant coming up. I mean no insult to anyone or to anyone's dog. What follows are my personal observations and opinions on the Weimaraner breed in general, not a reflection of any individual dog.

There is a scenario repeated regularly on Weimaraner forums and e-mail lists. It goes like this: Someone announces that they will soon be entering a Weim in a trial or test or training class. A round of encouragement from others on the board follows, everyone wishing the handler and dog well. A few weeks go by and then a long winded post appears that details just what "went wrong". All the usual excuses are trotted out: "poor judging", "difficult conditions" "bad luck" etc. etc. However the one that sticks in my craw is the old saw about how Weimaraners are sooooo different from the other breeds and soooo misunderstood by judges and trainers. "Oh, they are so very different from all other breeds and should not be judged in the same way", "they work in a completely different way" "They are quirky".

Are Weimaraners really that different? And if the answer is yes, then why?

Let's remember that the majority of weim breeders outside of Germany and Austria do not base their selection on performance. Rather, they breed dogs mainly for the show ring or companion animal market. If they do any field work at all with their dogs the goal is usually a dog that can perform just well enough to get through a low level hunt test. Furthermore, most Weimaraner owners are not hunters and do not really know what a hunting dog should be able to do. Is it any wonder that weims are "different" from other breeds bred to actually hunt?

The "other breeds run further and faster" line is often used to explain why Weims do not win trials. I have also seen people state that "Weimaraners hunt in a completely different way than German Shorthairs etc."

I believe that there is very little justification for these attitudes. Range and speed are important factors in trials but they are not the only factors. Just because a dog runs far and fast does not automatically guarantee a win. It is my opinion that there are very few Weimaraners in the winner's circle because most Weimaraners are mediocre hunters at best. It is not that they hunt or run differently, it is because they do not hunt or run very well.

A good working weimaraner may not be quite as fast or far ranging as some other breeds, but the difference should be rather small. If a GSP runs at a full sprint out to 150 metres then a Weimaraner should run nearly as fast and almost as far ( I know some that run just as fast and far). The difference at most would be in the 10 -20% range.

What usually happens though is that most dogs in a trial are out there really hunting hard, with passion, drive and intensity at whatever the normal range for that type of trial is.

And then a Weimaraner is presented. A good one will look a lot like the other dogs, RUNNING hard with the same determination and drive as the others. Maybe it will cover (a little) less ground in each cast, and maybe the head will be somewhat lower while running, but there should be no mistake that this dog is out to find game and NEEDS to find it NOW.

More often than not however, a Weim is presented and what we see is a pale reflection of what should be happening. The dog trots here and there, pausing occasionally to piss on a plant or sniff at a mouse hole. If it stumbles across game, it may or may not point and if it does, there is little intensity. Range is never more than 20 or 30 yards despite the handler's urging the dog on. I hate to admit it ( I am after all a weim lover) but some of the worst dogs I have ever seen in the field were Weimaraners. Watching them "hunt" was painful. They were absolutely terrible. Yet in their owner's eyes, they were hunting in the "Weimaraner style" which is sooooo different and challenging.

Bullshit! They were hunting no better than my sister's tea-cup poodle. In fact, they were not hunting, they were out for a stroll wondering when they were going home so they could get back to that nap they were having.

It is no wonder that these types of dogs do not win trials. It is not because "weims don't run as far". The good ones certainly do. It is not because the weim is a "slower worker". Again, the good ones work with speed and drive...maybe not as quickly as a brittany or gsp but certainly at an intense gallop....not a lazy trot.

Maybe it is hard for the owner of such a dog to see just how poorly the dog does compared to other dogs. Maybe justifying the performance on the old "Weims are different" attitude helps the unease. But to an experienced hunter or field trial judge there is no illusion. The dog is crap (excuse my French) and should not be considered for the winners' circle. On the other hand, a good dog is a good dog no matter what colour it is. So if a grey dog enters a trial and runs with speed and style and points with intensity and stays steady etc. etc. then it deserves the top prize.

Most Weimaraners do not win trials because they are competing against dogs that have been selected for athletic performance in keeping with the original purpose of the breed. Those dogs have been selected by hunters and field trialers for just this purpose. Weims on the other hand are typically selected for their appearance by people that do not hunt and do not realize what a hunting dog should be able to do. The few Wemaraners that are selected for performance can compete with any other breed. They run and hunt and point and swim and retrieve very well. But they are the exception.

I am sorry what I have written sounds harsh. I believe that we should be honest. If the Weimaraner is ever to improve as a hunting breed we need to move beyond the attitude of "weims are so different" and get to work on selecting dogs that can compete honestly with the best of the best. We do not need to lose those endearing traits of the breed that we love so much, nor should we lose all traces of the weimaraner style. But we need to realize that a hunting dog, no matter what the breed, is like a high performance sports car ....not a minivan with bald tires and an empty gas tank.

Of course, that is just my opinion....I could be drunk.

When I dress up my Weims, it's camo neoprene!