Why early weapon adopters also develop countermeasures

Did early German military use of Zeppelins coincide with early work on defences against them?

Yes. Britain offers a parallel through its strength in both submarine construction and anti-submarine warfare during the interwar period.

Early German military use of Zeppelins coincided with early work on defences against them. Britain offers a parallel in the 1920s and 1930s. During much of that period it was a leading submarine builder and an anti-submarine warfare specialist. Both cases connect experience of a weapon with efforts to counter it.