Why did you want a longhaired Weimaraner?
Many things go into any individual's desire for a certain kind of dog. My wife and I had been talking about longhairs since we had our first Weimaraner 35 years ago. An additional consideration is that I hoped a longhair would handle cold water better than the shorthaired variety. So far, I rather like it.
Why go to Germany for a dog?
Because the long coat is a disqualification in the United States, it follows that little or no serious breeding of longhairs among quality breeders has taken place. I wanted a good hunting dog and it's just as easy for me to get a dog in Germany than in a U.S. city a substantial distance from my home.
Do you plan to breed Baika?
I have no definite plans. Nor do I have the kind of home where that would be easy. Moreover, it will be two years before I would even think about that and if I did, it would be because she became an exceptional, healthy dog, not just because she's a longhair. Besides, I'm getting pretty old for that sort of thing. If something happens to her, I'll get another from Germany.
Why does the Weimaraner Club of America hate longhairs?
Well, they don't actually hate them since longhair information appears on the WCA Web site ... but the membership keeps voting them down, despite their international acceptance. Why does the membership do that? ... damned if I know ... but I do know that once you start a lynch mob down the road, it's awfully hard to stop it.
I heard that longhaired puppies in litters in the United States had to be culled ( a nice word for killing).
An unfortunate misconception. (Required by whom, after all?) A longhaired Weimaraner is perfectly acceptable to the AKC as long as you don't take it into the show ring. (On the other hand, you're supposed to take an oath that you won't breed one if you apply for membership in the WCA. ... which is interesting since you violate the WCA's so-called "code of ethics" if you BREED a longhair, but not if you PRODUCE a longhair, which is quite easy given that the long coat is recessive to the short one.)
Are you a member of the WCA?
No. Our membership lapsed around 30 years ago.
Do you plan to enter Baika in AKC field trials?
The AKC trials have little to do with the way I hunt (nor, I suspect, with the way most people hunt, unless they do their hunting on horseback). Baika is a rather close-working dogs, which suits me fine, but that's not what field trials are all about.
Do you advocate longhairs?
I'm long past advocating anything. The whole dog business is too wrapped up in politics for my liking. I think people are entitled to their own opinions. I'm happy with my dog ... if there are those out there who get upset about it, that's their problem. I hope it eats them alive.
You sound like a curmudgeon
I'm working on it.