The Weimaraner

BACKGROUND

There have been numerous theories cited over the origins of the Weimaraner. One fact remains certain, that the Weimaraner had much Leithund blood in it. These dogs were kept during the first third of the 19th century at the Court of Weimar. Towards the middle of the century the dogs were found almost exclusively in the hands of professional hunters and forest officials in central Germany, especially in the regions of Weimar and Thuringia.

These dogs were usually bred for performance and when the days of the Leithund ended, these breeders crossed their dogs with Huhnerhund (refers to Pointers and Setters) and continued these matings further. The Weimaraner is the oldest German pointing breed, and has been pure bred for about 100 years.

The versatile Weimaraner (nicknamed the "Grey Ghost" due to its unique colour) is a dedicated companion dog. From the early years of the breed to the present day, they have lived with people as dedicated companions and hunting dogs. In Australia both the Weimaraner (shorthaired) and the Weimaraner (longhaired) varieties are available.

AVERAGE LIFESPAN

Weimaraners live to about 12 years. The oldest known in Victoria was 18.

AVERAGE SIZE & WEIGHT

57cm to 70cm
25kg to 40kg

BREED PERSONALITY, CHARACTERISTICS & TEMPERAMENT

Weimaraners are a breed for those people who enjoy a dog that is intensely devoted and responsive to attention - they demand attention - and will follow owners from room to room, usually lying down with body contact when owners sit down. They are wonderful with children, protective, fun loving, easy to train, and can be quite the clown.

COMPATIBILITY WITH OTHER PETS

They usually get along with other pets especially if introduced at a young age, however, rabbits, ducks or game are not recommended.

CARE REQUIREMENTS

Daily running in a park or large area and some training to exercise their brain prevents them from becoming bored and destructive. Regular brushing with a rubber grooming mitt is best. It needs grooming more often when losing hair. This usually occurs twice a year. Regular bathing, cleaning of ears, trimming of toe-nails and dental care are essential too.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE

The decision to own a Weimaraner should be considered carefully as they require an active person who is prepared to give it the exercise, love and attention it demands. They do not like to be relegated to the back yard and forgotten. Once you decide upon the breed you will become one of the many who firmly believe that this is the most wonderful breed in the world and could never live without one.

- ROGER CARAS -
A Celebration of Dogs.

THE WEIMARANER

The Weimaraner, one of Germany's top sporting dogs, dates back less than two hundred years. It was meticulously developed by noble sporting patrons at the court of Weimar. It was a snob sporting dog developed and jealously guarded by one of the biggest collection of snobs the dog world has ever seen. You were right or you couldn't get your hands on one. Bloodhound stock clearly played a large role at the beginning, as did a German breed not known in this country, the red schweisshund. The Weimaraner is a first cousin to the German shorthaired pointer.

The Weimaraner is a perfect example of a highly refined breeding experiment that paid off, but it did produce a breed that is exactly right for some kinds of people and perfectly dreadful for others. The snobs of Weimar weren't entirely wrong in the degree to which they protected their creation.

The solid mouse to silver-grey Weimaraner with its short, dense coat is a dog that simply must have early obedience training or it is capable of being a first-class pest. It is headstrong, wilful, adoring, incredibly intelligent, and responsive to praise. When a Weimaraner doesn't know what it is supposed to do it can be counted on to do all the wrong things. I have known Weimaraners whose owners had not bothered to train them or teach them manners to go through a plate-glass picture window because they had been left home alone too long and were bored, bless them. I knew of one that dragged a charred log from a fireplace and pulled it from room to room chewing charcoal off as it went. It took a professional cleaning firm to repair the damage. It could have burned the house down.

That kind of flaky behaviour must be seen in contrast to the well-managed dog, however, or it gives a distorted picture. A well-trained Weimaraner is a regal accomplishment of canine genetic art, and as intolerably ill behaved as a mis-managed specimen can be, that is how extremely good, solid, and reliable a properly raised example will be. It is one of those dogs, and this is so often true of the sporting dogs, that it is what you want it to be. Few dogs can be more of a nuisance than an Irish setter, a Vizsla, or a Weimaraner that has had its vital energy levels, its need to perform, and its exuberant love affair with life ignored. They need exercise, they need training, and they need opportunities to participate in vigorous, ongoing events. You ignore those facts at considerable risk to your property. I have known very few sporting dogs that had anything at all wrong with them except their owners.

IN CONCLUSION

If you have decided that the Weimaraner is the dog for you and you realise that it is going to be “your shadow” as you go about your routine in your house.

For more information please contact:

Lois Richter