Is a Weimaraner the Right Breed for You?
The Weimaraner breed originated in Weimar, Germany
in the late 1800’s. Their namesake, Duke of Weimar, was an avid sportsman who sought to create the perfect hunting dog. His vision was to cross-breed Bloodhounds with German and French hunting dogs, and to make the result a versatile dog for big game hunters.
Weimaraners are born
with beautiful dark tiger stripes, but these don’t last long. They disappear in a matter of days. They are also born with blue eyes that change to amber-grey-blue/grey.
Weimaraners are clever dogs
some people even call them “the dog with a human brain”. If you want to keep up with your hound, start training them from day one. They can be very intelligent and will outsmart you if you’re not careful!
Weimaraners are often called
“grey ghosts” for two reasons. One is the color of their coat, but also because the have a very silent, stealthy hunting style.
The Long Haired Weimaraner is
a pure bred dog. They are the result of a recessive gene passed on by parents. While they are not accepted by the AKC-longhairs are accepted by many kennel clubs outside of North America. In fact-the ORIGINAL German Weimaraner Club has both a longhair and shorthair on their logo.
Weimaraners dominate many tracking contests
because of their keen sense of smell. The first dog to win the sport of barn hunt was a Weimaraner named Lexi.
In a Landmark Genomic Analyses of Modern
dog breeds, the Weimaraner was found to have DNA with a common ancestor of the following breeds:
German Shorthaired Pointer
German Wirehaired Pointer
Large Munsterlander
In Dog Breed Running Competitions held by the AKC
called the FastCat, the average running speed of a Weimaraner was just under 25 mph. The fastest recorded speed was 36.3 mph by a female Weimaraner named Blue Belle Scott BCAT.
The Book “The Intelligence of Dogs”
written by professor Stanley Coren is considered a landmark study on canine intelligence. The Weimaraner ranks 21st out of 130 different dog breeds in working/obedience intelligence. This means a Weimaraner will learn new commands between 5-15 repetitions. In contrast, the brightest dogs need less than 5 repetitions. The least intelligent breeds need 80-100 to learn the same commands.
Weimaraner Puppy Growing Up!
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The C-BARQ study of dog breed temperament
is a huge study looking at the “personality” of 350 dog breeds and over 60,000 dogs. In this research, the Weimaraner ranks 13th out of 124 dog breeds in separation anxiety. They do not like to be left alone and may exhibit anxious behaviors (loss of appetite-barking-destroying things) when left by themselves.
Weimaraner Humor!
In this same research
the Weimaraner ranks 38th out of 124 dog breeds for aggression towards strangers. This means Weimaraners are prone to respond by barking, growling, showing teeth etc. when a stranger approaches theirs or their owners territory. In extreme cases, they may snap or lunge at a stranger. In contrast, Weimaraners have a very LOW score in aggression towards their owners and other FAMILIAR dogs/animals.
While Generally a Robust and Healthy
breed, Weimaraners (like every other dog breed) are prone to certain genetic health conditions.
Some of these are:
Spinal Dysraphism
Wobbler Syndrome
Gastric Torsion (Bloat)
So what is a Weimaraner like?
They have been described as the a perpetual 2-year old-full of energy, loyal and active. They adore their humans.
Follow you around the house-yes.
Poke their heads in the shower (get in if they can)-yes.
Sleep so close to you-they almost smother you-yes.
any many, many more…
They may be one of the most loyal dogs on the planet and are truly a breed that will love you more than they love themselves!
Our Ongoing Weimaraner Temperament Survey Results
A few of the 15 results:
1. 95% of Weimaraner owners say their dogs have a HIGH or ABOVE Average Energy Level-Need for Exercise.
2. 87% of Weimaraner owners rate their dogs at the Highest Level in their Need for Attention-Social Interaction.
3. 89% of Weimaraner owners rate their dogs as having/deeding a LOW or BELOW average Amount Of Shedding-Grooming.
4. 84% of Weimaraner owners rate their dogs having the highest level of Intelligence and Trainability
5. 83% of Weimaraner owners would NOT recommend a Weimaraner to first time dog owners.
Click Below to See the All of the Results and Take the Survey!
Take a Fun Weimaraner Quiz!
Weimaraner Dog Breed Infographic
