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Scott Hammer TOXIC

Scott Hammer TOXIC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2002
Messages
12,301
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28
Location
Warrenton, VA
As you all know, I put my 15 year old Weimaraner down a while back. Many thanks for those that helped me through that. But ever since that day there has been a hole in my heart that just wouldn't go away and everytime I looked into that void all I could see was my old friend. I tried to tell myself that time would heal and that with my lifestyle being as hectic as it is, I should not be so quick to try and replace him. Then my wife came to me the other day and told me she was ready for another dog. She had found a breeder that had 7 pups left out of a 9 pup litter (4 Blues and 3 Silver). The rest is history!! We went to the breeder and met the parents, 2 fine well adjusted dogs and the breeder had done an excellent job socializing and raising the pups to the ripe old age of 10 weeks. We spent about 2 hours with the puppies and after about an hour they all settled down and I moved to the back of the yard and sat down on a sheet. Puppies came and went as they played and romped but there was one (the largest of the litter) who stayed on the steps and "eyed" the goings on. When he would come down the other pups would clear a path and let him through. When he saw me, he casually walked up and sat in front of me and our eyes met. After a minute, he walked up climbed on my lap, let out a sigh and went to sleep. It was all over except for strokin a check!!:p



Now for the fun part. I've got to name him. Anybody wanna win a goodie bag from me? Here's your chance, take your best shot. I wouldn't want you to try blind so here is a few shots from his first day at home (I was supposed to go fishun today but couldn't):lol:



Pretty big boy for only 10 weeks eh?



IM000056sm.JPG






IM000055sm.JPG




IM000053sm.JPG






And you know he wouldn't be my dog unless............................





sm.JPG




:lol::lol::lol::lol:



Have at it!!



TOXIC
 
Well, there are probably going to be some really good suggestions, but the thought that crossed my mine, while looking at the pic's and remembering your comments (all of the other dogs 'made way'), my choice would be simple:



Regal



Whatever name you choose, I'm sure will be a good one.



Tex
 
That is one good looking dog Tox. Congrats.



If he was my dog, id name him "Smoke or Smokey" just because of his the color of his coat and at least in th epicture his eyes look like they are grey too.
 
Nam after Steve Martina dog in the Jerk:lol::lol:

***thead
 
Tox,



That is a great story... I kind of know what you experienced... Sometimes, they pick us... I saw Samantha and picked her up and never put her down until I had her home with me... When I picked her up she fell asleep in my arms...



A very nice looking dog.;) I'll think about some possible names...



 
Tox,



My wife likes the dog... She says to name him "Scout".... That is a good name.
 
bill has it right,

NITRO,

or if he has a gas problem...TOXIC:p



mike c
 
You could mess with his head and name him "Stay".



C'mere, Stay!!! C'mere, Stay!!
 
Makes me want to get another Vizsla Tox. This spring. Anyway I like Regal also. How about "Toxic's Regal Blue" That way you could call hime "Regal" or Reggie or "Blue"

fatrap
 
Beautiful dog Scott,:):)



I wish I could help with a name but none come to mind.



Mark
 
Congrats TOX, great pictures and it's obvious from the pics that you have found more than a dog, you have found a "friend". Not sure on the name, but I think it needs to be "confident", yet laid back......... Good Luck!



JP



PS: MOFish.....you got me rollin' on that one!:lol::lol::lol:
 
Since he was apparently top dog and Lucky is the top bass and the connection you have w/ Mac, I think Lucky would be a good choice. Besides he won the dog lotto to get to come to your home where he will be treated so well. You could do Crusher too. I think that's the smallmouths name. :unsure:

You could name him after a favorite lake too. Since Anna wouldn't be right, St. Clair would work and you can call him Clair for short. Or you can name him after anyone of the cast of characters here on the board. He kinda looks like he could be a Mac, or Mini or Neeley. :lol:





Gene
 
LOL...yer killin' me Gene!!



FYI:;)

"Topo" is the smallie..

"Spinecrusher" is the Musky

"Lenny" is the Lizard

"Clay" is the Clam

"Lucky" is the Male Bass

"Rosie" is the Female "

"Rocky" is the Crawfish
 
Oh Gawd Gene, I couldn't name him Mini.....He'd just chase females, never come home and when he does, he'd lay around the house all day!!:lol: Mac....hmmmmm, no way, I don't need a cartoon dog who would drink all of my Jack and out fish me on my own boat!! Wife liked Storm, Smokey and Chase, really liked Regal but we felt that Blue probably is the name of 90% of the Blue Weims out there. You kill me Mac, Menards ain't gonna work because he won't have his for long!!(he's already tryin to do the "wild thing") :eek::lol::lol: Leave it to the wife unit to get creative she say that Cobalt is another form of blue and she dubbed him Cobey....I prefer the Kobe spelling since it is Yamamoto's beef Co and he's as big as a bull, I'll lose as usual but for now, barring any revelation Cobey it is. Formal registered name, Hammers vonCobalt. He's already sleeping through the night in his crate but is not good at just being penned in there...howls like a freakin wolf!! We are working on that. Shhhhhh....don't tell the wife and daughter but he's already bonded with me. They'll take him out and walk him in the yard for a half hour tryin to get him to do his business and I'll walk out there and say "Sheesh Cobey go potty" and he'll squat and go;) Daughter is still looking at a Visla but she fell in love with Cobey's brother, another blue and she is racking her brain right now. I told her I didn't want 2 same age puppies (really complicates training) but would make an exception if that's what she wants. I took today off work to do some more "training". He's sleepin under my computer chair right now...who's trainin' who?:unsure:



TOXIC
 
"C"obey......Anglo Version!!:lol::lol: If I used the other version, he'd probably rape the neighbors Foxhound!! :eek::lol:



TOXIC
 
Gee tox I am honored to think you would even think about naming your dog after me....but to set the record straight...



I would be the one to drink all your Jack and outfish you on your boat. :) Mac only does it because he met me! lol



And about the chasing women all day, I dont chase em, I replace em!



And I do come home, when my batteries need to be recharged!



Good looking dog, nice name. Too bad he has to put up with you. LOL



Mini
 
Nice looking pup Toxic, I know you're going to enjoy him! What type of training do you use? If you're not familiar with clicker training it's worth a look. It's totally positive and the pups learn fast. Mine was doing sit, down, roll over, give a paw, and speak by 10 weeks (got him at 8 weeks) and is walking pretty well on a leash now.



http://www.clickertraining.com/
 
I've heard of the clicker training but doesn't it also incorporate food rewards? I don't do that. I use the Monks of New Skeete method. They are a Monestary in upstate New York that raise and train German Shepards. I trained my last Weim with the book..."The Art of Raising a Puppy". Starts out by giving you tests for the puppies you are looking at and step by step training methods. Worked fantastic with my last dog. This one is a little harder but at 10 weeks, he's 3 weeks older than Nero was when we got him. Cobey is a little more hard headed. He is 90% right now and I've had him for a whole 2 days!!:D Leash is fine, house training almost there, sleeps through the night crated, knows limitations and I'll have him to 100% in 2 weeks but it is a never ending process of re-enforcement.



TOXIC
 
hey toxic,

maybe if you cant figure out a name,

we can just call him TEDDY.



inside joke.

mike c



p.s. smallmouth real soon
 
Good looking pup Tox.. He had you the second he climbed into your lap!:wub: So you obviously picked the smartest one.;) If I had seen that last picture in a store front for sale anywhere in this country I would have grabbed Nancy's arm and said, "Nancy look,

that's Toxic's Dog.":lol:

Tox, Nancy said you probably already know this that they are very prone to bloat so it's better to feed them two or three small meals a day rather than one large meal and absolutely no playing with them or letting them outside after a meal. When

I was a kid there was a parental rule that you couldn't go swimming for an hour after you ate or you'd get cramps and drown. That's the rule with our dogs every day. They get fed in the morning and evening and are not allowed to wrestle around or go outside for an hour after they eat.

My own personal views on them is that they have to be socialized well at an early age or they'll become reserved with what they didn't learn. Very brave and loyal dogs and very protective of 'his' territory. They want attention and companionship and want to be a member of the family..They HAVE to live inside. They're VERY quick to learn but hate repetitive training. They also need a LOT of exercise or they will become destructive

and restless. They have a very high and strong prey drive, are naturally somewhat protective, so can easily be trained as a protection dog. Great dogs.

I think I told you this before Tox.. I used to train dogs on Sundays at 9th & K street in Washington. One of the woman from our Annapolis class came up there one day with her

Weimaraner ROMMEL. Just after the Obedience class the Officer who trains the D.C. Police dogs gave a talk about protection training to all of the students there. Liz, the owner of Rommel, said she didn't want to do it because it would change the dogs personality. The Officer and myself explained to her that that isn't so. But she got into her big SUV and got Rommel in, made a u-turn to get out easier and had to stop at a red light 1/2 mile away. While sitting there a guy with a knife yanked her door opened, grabbed her by her jacket and pulled her out of her car. She said Rommel was going nuts after she was pulled from the car but he was in the rear of the vehicle with one of those screens so he couldn't jump up front. Liz was very lucky and they found the stripped car about four months later but never did get Rommel back.:( Hopefully he was just let out of the car and someone else found and decided to keep him.:unsure:

I know the one that "picked" you out will be fine.. He'll have all the training, all the companionship and all the love he'll ever need or want.



Good Luck My Friend!



Uncle Billy



PS: He's a hunting dog isn't he? Then I don't think there's a better name then TRACKER.



Or: Winston.. Buddy.. Charlie.. Harley.. RUGER.. Fisher.. Hunter
 
Holy Moley what a good lookin pup.



Best of luck with him Tox, congrats!

First name that comes to mind when reading your story, and how they all parted and let him through.. "King"



I have a Belgian Malenois,(looks like a police dog), named Harley. And we also have a Chocolate Lab named Gracie.



Your pup is one good lookin' dog........best of luck naming him! Mike



 
Thanks Unk. Everything you said is true +2!! We feed 3 small meals a day and when he gets older we will put his food in raised bowls to help with the digestion. Funy thing, the breeder implimented "grazing" to minimize the chances of bloat for the litter. She just kept a full bowl of food down from a very early age and the pups grazed never eating a lot at any one time. Nero used to do this but I always thought he was the exception not the rule. Cobey is the same way. We feed 1 cup 3 times a day and he never finishes a cup before it's time to feed again!! Doesn't "gobble" at all and walks away from his food multiple times while eating. Only drawback is housetraining when they graze as puppies. Gotta let them out more often. You are spot on on personality and temprament. A reason a lot of Weims end up in rescue is because of the traits you listed. If you can't fulfill them, you are going to have a problem dog capeable of doing some real damage. Having owend Nero clued me in to that, thank heavens he was so intelligent (so is this dog)!! Nero was a fierce protector but you wouldn't know it until he flipped his "switch". When he went into protect mode it was very intense. I'm gettin a little older but I am going to try and get this dog out to the river like I did Nero. That was his favorite place on earth, it was magic to watch him work and swim. As you know, the blue is a disqualifying trait for showing as is the longhair version. I picked out the dog not the looks even though there was not a bad dog in the entire litter.



TOXIC
 
Toxic wrote: "I've heard of the clicker training but doesn't it also incorporate food rewards?"



Yes, it's true that you start with food rewards, but after the behavior is learned you wean them off of it. Food is what really interests puppies, so it's not hard to hold their attention with it. I mostly use his normal food ration as rewards. I measure it out into a baggie each morning, then make sure he gets it throughout the day. I don't feed him from a bowl, he earns his food as rewards for behaviors and gets fed from my hand, or works to get his food from his "smart toys" (such as Kongs). Of course he goes to work with me, so I am training (and feeding) him all day long, not an option if you can't be with him all of the time.
 
Beautiful dog, I like the name Chase, Jet, or, Cane. I partical to those and will be nameing my next pup one of those. I really like Chase.



CHRIS CAS+
 
If I could bring my dog to work everyday, training would be a blast!! But......I have to be in an office setting and then out of town or on the lake. I just never really liked the food training system. If it works great for you then all the best!! I know a lot of show and obedience trainers that use that method very sucessfully. I just don't like "bribing" a dog to things for food. I want to channel their natural tendencies to work for me. May sound somewhat existential but its not, I will spend the time to connect through training. I feel that while very effective, rewards training is just one of the many shortcuts to behavior modification. For example (not gospel by any means), take 2 of the most popular "Trainers" that are on television today...Cesar Millan and Victoria???(I can't remember her last name). Cesar trains through pack mentality and Victoria trains with food. Both get good results but I think that Cesar's methods fit my style better. Disclaimer: I regularly see Victoria employ pack training and I have seen Cesar use food so there is no 100% pure version of either. The Monks books do not mention food for training at all??? A big factor is time. Rewards training gets great results very quickly.



TOXIC
 
I;m with you there Tox on reinforcing and channelling those tendencies. I do admit to using treats too, though, not sure if I have done anything but create a beggar there.



Bday.jpg
 
You know me and my Vizslas. I took a while getting used to the fact the dog is smarter than I am but most everyone else is anyway. If in doubt check my stapled finger post.

fatrap
 
Great looking bookends there Tim. Ideally that's what I want...a pair. I use dog treats also but just for diversion. I take him out of his crate at 4am right before I leave the house and we all know what a puppy wants to do after he's been out and done his business!! Play, play, play!! I give him about 15min then it's back in the crate untill my wife & daughter get up at around 6:30. I usually toss a dog treat in the crate to keep him busy until I get out the door. It also sparks his digestive system for his outside trip later.



Mike, I guess that rules out me sending Cobey to you for bird training?:lol: Actually, that is a bit of a problem because as I stated, I like to see dogs used in the manner for which they were bred and since Weims are more upland bird dogs, I have to substitute wild ditch parrots and quail with retrieving dummies and frisbees. Around here 75% of the hunters shoot daffy in some way or another and Weims can't take the cold, they have no undercoat. I'm sure you can toughen them up to some degree but I doubt enough to hop ice in the Potomac and ponds to retrieve dead daffys like a Lab. I would love to hunt behind your dogs!! The best I have ever seen were 2 (father & son) German Shorthairs we used on a quail hunt in Kansas. What awsome hunters. The younger dog took a liking to me and not only stayed with me wherever I hunted, would not flush until I got to the covey even if his owner was there!!:lol: Needless to say I limited out 3 days in a row!! He even gave me a chance at the biggest ditch parrot I have ever seen. Flushed him on top of a hill, I raised my gun....locked on.....pulled the trigger......and I left the safety on:angry: There was no second shot on that bird. He was 300 yds away in about 5 secs!! Dog looked at me like "you dumbsh!t". I swear that pheasant was as big as a turkey!!



TOXIC
 
I;ve got a very long, somewhat thin, 6 acres so its about a 1/4 mile to the back of the lot. Been working on long distance sit-stay with these two, and the progress in the last few evenings is encouraging. The "reward" is they get to run run run that distance and come and play play play.
 
Well, wife just got back from the vet. Took him just for our own piece of mind and to make sure there are no suprizes. My wife said the vet put him up on the table and then asked her how old he was...when she said 10 weeks, the vet said ...Oh my, this is the biggest Weim I have ever seen!! Said we should have named him Horton because he is going to be as big as an elephant. The vet said she had never seen bones that large on such a young pup. She wants us to start feeding some special food to slow down Mongo's bone growth a little. She's gona keep a close eye on it. Everything else checked a-ok. Fine healthy pup per the vet. Just gonna be as big as a moose!! :lol::lol:



TOXIC
 
I am seeing the Blazing Saddles scene: Alex Karras: "Mongo Like Candy". good luck. I got some issues with our male BC.. he was an overly BIG BOY as a pup, not fat, just grew literally too fast our vet said, and the joints didnt keep up.
 
Toxic - Like father like son! LOL You keep telling us YOU are just big boned too! Ha ha
 
Tox

I belive the coat on a V is very similar to a Wiem. I've hunted with both. It seems Wiems do better on birds if they are introduced early. See if you can buy some pigeons, cut the pin feathers on one wing and let pup just worry the bird up from time to time. I start that about four months. Quail is better and that's what I do to get a pup birdy. Avoid at all cost the wing and string thing you'll just train a sight pointer. You want to see my dogs and action let me know I have videos. Right now i just have one as the other died of cancer. In my condition I can't train a pup for a while. Very labor intense if done right.

Mike

fatrap
 
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