Welcome to the The Weimaraner Club Of America
The Weimaraner Club of America (WCA) sponsors many activities and programs, and it provides a channel of communications for members. One of its pioneer achievements was the development of Rating Tests for hunting and retrieving, later adding the Versatile ratings and the Bench Register of Merit (BROM) and most recently, the Field Register of Merit (FROM). Annual events include a National Championship Field Trial and sectional Field Trial Classics as well as a national meeting, a National Specialty Show and a Winter Specialty. The Weimaraner Magazine, published monthly since 1949, reports ongoing activities, show and field trial results, and other topics of interest.
The Dual Futurity Program, initiated in 1954, encourages and rewards quality breeding. A Futurity is best described as a competition with prizes, for which entries are made well in advance of the event and eligibility established by a series of monetary payments.
In effect, Futurities are essentially a breeder’s bet made at the time of breeding with sustaining bets until the event. The money collected is applied to administering the program and awards – prizes, trophies and rosettes. Puppies from nominated litters are eligible to compete in both field and bench Futurities. In 1981, the WCA began a Maturity Program as an adjunct to the bench Futurities to evaluate the Futurity competitors after an additional year of maturation.
The Weimaraner Club of America was organized for the sole purpose of protecting and preserving the qualities of the breed. Howard Knight introduced the breed in this country in 1929. He imported a dog and a bitch, but both proved to be sterile. In 1933 he obtained Mars aus de Wolfsriede, Dorle von Scwarzen Kamp and Aura von Gaiberg, which later became the foundation breeding stock in America.
In 1943 a constitution and by–laws were drawn up, and soon after a group of 20 people attended the first official meeting of the Weimaraner Club of America in Boston. The first president of the club, Howard Knight was honorary president of the club until his death.
The purpose of the Weimaraner Club is to bring together the owners and breeders of pure–bred Weimaraners in a concerted effort to preserve the desirable traits in the Weimaraner; to develop the standards set forth and further the interest in the breed through activities such as field trials, hunt tests, water tests, rating tests, and futurities, as well as encouraging the entering of our dogs in conformation classes in bench, obedience, agility and tracking events.
The Weimaraner Club of America is, as the name implies, national in scope. It is a member club of the American Kennel Club and subscribes to the rules and regulations of the AKC. The WCA is governed by a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and a six–member board of directors. The directors are chosen on a basis of geography and variety of interests, as much as possible, to provide all areas and interests with representation on matters concerning the breed and the national clubs. The officers and board members are elected on a biennial basis by the general membership. It also appoints, through its Board, national committee chairpersons who are responsible for the development and implementation of programs necessary for the betterment of the breed. The names, addresses and phone numbers of these chairpersons are printed each month in The Weimaraner Magazine and members with an interest in or questions about these programs should contact the chairpersons directly.
All the records of the various events and activities of the WCA are kept at the National Office of the WCA. The vast majority of all correspondence pertaining to the WCA is also conducted through this office, under the direction of the Executive Secretary who is hired by the Board of Directors. The Weimaraner Magazine is edited by the WCA Editor and correspondence pertaining to the content of the magazine and advertising should be addressed to the editor.
The Weimaraner Magazine is published on a monthly basis and is included in the annual dues, which are due December 1st each year. The magazine is published primarily as a journal of the activities of the WCA and of the local clubs. It is also published to supply information that will be helpful to the membership in all phases of the breed.
Weimaraners, as a breed, respond readily to intelligent handling. They are willing and sensitive and have a great desire to please their masters, to whom they become deeply attached. They make an excellent house dog and most adapt readily to the children of the family. They are protective and possessive of their adopted families. All of this without losing their abilities as hunting dogs, and they should be given ample opportunity to perform in the field.
WCA members who have puppies to sell are encouraged to place these puppies with people who are interested in the versatile qualities of the breed. The Weimaraner is a versatile dog and should be given the opportunity to develop their potential. Being a member of the local club in your area can help to develop this.
Anyone considering the breeding of Weimaraners is urged to use the utmost discretion in choosing stud dogs and brood bitches. They are also urged to be extremely conscientious in spaying or neutering any puppy in the litter that displays any serious fault as measured against the standard of the breed. The disqualifying faults that can be seen in the puppy are the blue or black color or long hair. Other faults to be avoided are extreme shyness or bad temperament. A dog or bitch that displays any of the disqualifying or serious faults should never be considered as potential breeding stock. It is only by the exercise of such precautions that we, as breeder of the Weimaraner, can guard against the deterioration of the breed and the loss of the superior qualities of the Weimaraner that have been developed over many years of carefully planned and selective breeding.
