Breed trainability
Are Weimaraners hard to train?
Ask whether a Weimaraner is easy to train and the honest answer is yes and no, depending on the day and the dog. Many are quick, attentive and keen on a job. They are also large, fast and bred for the hunt, which makes a Calgary green space full of hares a daily exam. We treat the breed's strength and drive as things to plan around, not as faults in the dog or the owner.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
Grey ghost, real dog
Strength and drive come before the cue list.
The breed was developed in Germany as an all-round hunting dog, first for large game and later for birds, and it kept the build to match: tall, deep-chested and strong enough to tow an adult when a hare breaks cover. A Weimaraner that learned loose-leash walking as a lanky puppy is a different proposition from a two-year-old that has been winning the leash argument for eighteen months, and we would not call either one a bad dog. The second just has more practice.
Prey drive comes next, and Calgary supplies the test material. Hares and gophers use the same green spaces as everyone else, and this breed was developed to notice, point and pursue. In our experience that instinct gets trained around, not waited out. Arousal is the other piece. A number of Weimaraners tip quickly from alert to whining, spinning or mouthing, and a dog in that state can know a cue perfectly well and still struggle to answer it.
- Large, strong, built to chase
- Leash foundations before freedom
- Hares and gophers as distractions
- Arousal can outrun the cue
Programs and schedules
Which program fits depends on the dog, not the breed.
Complete On-Leash Foundations is our two-week program at $1,865 plus GST, built for dogs who drag, lunge at squirrels or treat the leash as a suggestion: loose-leash walking, heel, sit, down, stay and place around everyday distractions, slip lead, training collar and lifetime phone and email support included. Functional Off-Leash is three weeks at $3,030 plus GST for dogs whose manners are already decent and who are ready for more freedom, recall around distractions being the centrepiece, remote collar included.
Day Training is a weekday program, $650 plus GST per week: drop-off 8 to 10 am, pick-up 5 to 7 pm, and a weekly one-hour go-home session. It is built for dogs who need consistent work and owners who want them home every night, not as care for a dog that cannot cope on its own. That distress points to Behaviour Rehab, customized after a full assessment. The consultation settles which program, and a smaller one is the recommendation when it is enough.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Are Weimaraners easy to train?
For cues, often yes; many are sharp and food-motivated. The parts we see taking longer are impulse control around movement and settling when the house is busy. The dog's size adds a practical wrinkle: a strong puller needs leash skills before anything off-leash makes sense.
Are Weimaraners stubborn?
Stubborn is not the word we would choose. A Weimaraner that ignores a cue is often too aroused to process it, or has never practised that cue with a hare in the picture. We treat both as training gaps to close rather than attitude.
Are Weimaraners good first dogs?
They can be, for a household with time and energy for a large, active dog every day. We would weigh the size, the prey drive and the need for company honestly before choosing one as a first dog.
Are Weimaraners good off leash?
Many can be, once recall has been proofed around whatever pulls hardest on them, hares included. We build that on a long line and in designated off-leash areas before anything is trusted loose, since the bylaw requires a leash everywhere else. Functional Off-Leash is the program built for that stage.
Keep reading
Give the drive a job.
Describe a normal weekday for the dog, hares and all. Book a consultation and we will say which program fits, if one does.
From real owners
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