Page 134 - K9 News - Issue 15 - March2021

A Life-Long Owner’s

Perspective

Here is what Association Committee
members Colin and Denise Fletcher had to
say about owning our breed.

Colin writes: My wife and I have owned spare time, energy and enthusiasm working as
Weimaraners for over 30 years along with a team to help organise working tests for the
Slovakian Rough Haired Pointers for almost 20 Association, and many of the other HPR gundog
years. I have worked both breeds on various clubs which we belong to.
local shoots during the winter season and
If that was not enough, we help support the
Working Tests throughout the summer. Back in
many annual game fairs by displaying our
2018 we went to see our friend who had just had
dogs at “meet the breed” or “discover gundogs”
a mixed Weimaraner litter of short and long-
features. Where we are eager to share our
haired puppies and as soon as we saw Dakota
enthusiasm with all-comers who pass through
(a long-hair) we knew she was coming home
the tents to learn about active working dogs.
with us.
By long tradition we join fellow HPR owners
Up to this point in our Weimaraner story Denise
camping out at the Game Fairs in the
had never personally trained or worked a dog,
summermonths. Though we say it ourselves, our
usually being in the background helping me with
game fair camping barbecues are legendary.
the training with tasks such as dummy throwing,
or with admin and catering at the many HPR
events we have attended.

Well after much patience and a lot of hard work
with the help of Pruso Dog Training, Dakota and
Denise went along to their very first Working
Test and won a 4th in the Puppy Test. With this
first success, Denise realised she had caught
the bug. She says, “Working Dakota has been
brilliant, and we have kind of taught each other.
She’s really steady and calmer than the previous
Weimaraners we have owned and does not like
to be over handled or shouted at.

Dee continues: “But unlike most of our other
Weimaraners, she will get in the water at every
opportunity and works happily over all types of
ground. What I love most about her is that she
will come up to me in the evenings, cuddle right
up on my knee and go to sleep, just like a baby”.

Being a breed enthusiast is not just about
the handling and the training. We expend our

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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / MARCH 2021