And then you finally have a bitch and you decide to breed..... Looking back now, 10 years after I started, I finally realise how much work it really is. Not only before the breeding, it obviously starts with finding the perfect stud, but even more so when the pups are finally there. Cleaning the whelping box daily (100 times per day), feeding and socialising pups and welcoming prospective puppy-buyers, family and friends. Great fun, but exhausting!

Another issue is money. Breeding a litter is very expencive. Prior to the mating, you want to see the stud. Not an issue when he lives in the next town, but a different piece of cake when he lives in the UK or France. And when the pups are there, then the real spending starts. You need a whelping box, which is very expencive if you want a good one. The bitch needs her health checks, vacinations and deworming tablets. Then the trip to the dog, which has been extremely expencive for me. I've been to England twice now and once to Germany. One English mating didn't work out well and the German mating didn't result in pups either. We've also been travelling from the Belgium Ardennes to the Netherlands one time for a mating during our holidays. Also for nothing......
All things to consider before you start breeding. I haven't even discussed all the progesterone tests we did for nothing......

Sometimes you also need to cope  with disapointments. The dissapointment after an unsuccessful mating, the sadness after the death of a whole litter. These things usually only happen to others, untill they happen to you.

Despite everything, I still like breeding. It is fantastic to see all the puppy-buyers being so happy with their dogs, even after all these years. I am also very proud of all the dogs I've bred. Not all the dogs I've bred are being showed or worked, but I know very well how much natural ability they have after seeing them in the field. And that really is something to be very proud of. 

I'm not breeding for money or because it's so nice to have a litter of your bitch. No, I'm really trying to improve the breed. Despite the fact that for me field trial abilities are one of the most important things when it comes to breeding a litter, I also search for health, character and confirmation in dogs I want to use. Looking back at the litters I've bred now, I really think I've been successful in finding the right stud for my bitches.

There is something that I think is very important when it comes to breeding and I really have to write it down.
I know that it can be difficult for people to work their dogs, maybe because they don't have the facilities, maybe because they're just not interested. Despite that, I think it's very wrong to just forget about that part of the Weimaraner. I know breeders that just don't look at the natural abilities of both parents. They just don't care. I even know people who state that American Weimaraners for example are better housedogs than their German relatives.  

NONSENSE! In my very humble opinion, these are marketing techniques or the lack of knowledge of some breeders. I think we all know that Weimaraners aren't the easiest of dogs. They need a proper training to make him into a sociable dog. This goes for Weimaraners for every single country in the world.
A division between show/character and working lines is a real insult to the breed. A Weimaraner is a hunting dog who can only work properly if he's built properly and has the right character. Breeders, please be aware of this in order to keep the breed the way it was meant to be originally!!!!!