weimaraner

History of origin

Genuine information about the origin of the Weimaraner or Weimar Pointer breed has been known since the beginning of the 1254th century, when purposeful breeding of this incredibly elegant and versatile hunting dog began in the German Duchy of Weimar and Thuringia. But almost all Weimaraner owners are sure that the story about the origin of these dogs from the dogs of St. Louis is not a legend, but pure truth, just look at this aristocratic and graceful creature. After returning from the next Crusade in XNUMX, King Louis IX, nicknamed “Saint”, brought with him long-legged exquisite dogs, distinguished by their magnificent scent and unusually beautiful gray-silver coat. And it was from them that the gray hounds originated, which began to be used first by royalty, and then by their vassals.

According to a more prosaic version of the origin of the Weimaraner breed, these dogs are descended from European Braccos, hunting dogs common in continental Europe. They were excellent bloodhounds, whose ability to follow prey by scent was highly valued in hunting. At the beginning of the XNUMXth century, large packs of these dogs lived at the court of the Duke of Weimar, where their breeding began. Here they got their name – Weimar Hounds, here were the first formulated standards for this beautiful and versatile hunting breed.

Since about 1890, enthusiasts who bred Weimaraners were no longer satisfied that dogs of this breed were considered only a variety of German hounds. A society of Weimaraner lovers was created and in 1896 the Weimar Hound (both smooth-haired and its long-haired variety) was recognized as a separate breed. The “Grey Ghost”, as the Weimaraner was called in Germany, began to participate in dog shows, where hunters from other countries drew attention to a beautiful and remarkable dog in its working qualities. But until the first third of the twentieth century, only members of the German Hunting Club could own this dog, which did not accept foreigners, so the world got to know the Weimaraners rather late.

Only in the first third of the twentieth century, an American citizen became a member of the German hunting club, who took several dogs across the ocean and began to breed and promote this breed. The Americans liked the graceful series of dogs so much that in the 50s a boom in Weimaraners began in the USA, and not only hunters wanted to have it. So gradually, from an exclusively working dog, the Weimar cops retrained into pets, which today are successfully kept in city apartments and private houses, not sent to hunt.

Breed description

Passionate hunting dog with strong character, easy to control, alert but not aggressive. The skull is broad, in proportion to the long head. Moderately protruding occiput. There is a deepening in the middle of the forehead, the cheekbones are well defined. The frontal ledge is insignificant. The length from the tip of the nose to the forehead is greater than from the tip of the nose to the occiput. The nose is large, hanging over the lower jaw, dark or meat-colored, turning into gray. The muzzle is long, powerful, the back of the nose is straight, but it can also be convex. The lips are moderately saggy, colored in the color of meat, like the palate. The jaws are powerful, teeth are complete, scissor bite. Cheeks are muscular. The eyes are round, set slightly obliquely with well-fitting eyelids. Pale blue in puppyhood, amber in adult dogs. Ears hanging high and pointed. The ear flap is wide, sharply rounded from below, reaching the corners of the mouth in length. The neck is muscular, dry and not very short. The upper line of the body from a curved neck through a well-defined withers passes into a not very long, strong and muscular back. The chest is powerful, well rounded, of good depth, almost reaching the elbows. The lower line of the body is slightly rising, the stomach is not drawn in. The tail is powerful, thickened at the base, set below the line of the back and densely covered with hair. The limbs are long, muscular, sinewy, set in parallel. The shoulder blades are long, oblique, well muscled. The shoulders are long, strong, set obliquely. Elbows straight and loose fitting. The forearms are long and set straight. The front paws are powerful, set straight, bring together, may be with a longer middle finger. The thighs are long, muscular and powerful. The lower legs are long with distinctly protruding tendons. The hocks are tight and powerful. The hind feet are compact without dewclaws, powerful.

The short-haired Weimaraner has a very dense, short, close-lying coat with no or little undercoat. The long-haired Weimaraner has a soft, smooth, long and slightly wavy coat, with or without a little undercoat. The longest hair is at the base of the ears, on the sides, on the tail, on the paws – good fringes and trousers. Weimaraner dogs can be silver grey, fawn grey, mouse grey. Minor white spots are allowed only on the paws and on the chest.

Photos

Character

“Weimaraners are dogs with human intelligence,” says Olesya Babaeva, owner of the Silver Windrose weimaraner kennel. – They, just like people, can be cunning, fall in love with the owner, adore and protect the children living in the house, express respect or hooligans if they are in a bad mood. Just like people, they like to learn something new, do what they love.

These are very kind dogs, with a sense of their own dignity, not showing aggression towards people, but able to assess the world around them and make their own decisions. You need to understand that Weimaraners are working dogs that were bred for hunting and initially have certain character traits.

Today, Weimaraner kennels are clearly divided into those that raise dogs for hunting and lead breeding lines from Weimar Hounds that have proven themselves precisely in work; and to kennels whose dogs are more suited to people as companions. Therefore, before getting a Weimaraner puppy, you need to understand what kind of dog you need. And even if you decide to take a Weimaraner as a pet, you need to understand that these beautiful and intelligent animals will not be able to lie elegantly on the pillow all the time, their energy must have an outlet, their high intelligence must solve certain problems. These dogs are suitable for people who are not just active, but also understand that a serious dog appears in their house, which needs to be dealt with, which needs to be given quite a lot of time. Then the existence of man and Weimaraner will be harmonious.

Care and maintenance

For dogs of the Weimaraner breed living with their owners as a companion, a private house with its own fenced area is most suitable, where this very energetic animal can run enough, throwing out energy, and will run to spend the night in a warm room – due to the thin coat and lack of undercoat, they are very cold and can get sick. But even in a city apartment, a Weimaraner can comfortably exist if the owners devote enough time to his walks.

“Weimaraners need a good and long walk,” explains Olesya Babaeva. – If the dog slept all night, and the helper received only 15 – 20 minutes of a walk, then when she returns home she will not feel tired and satisfied and will soon begin to misbehave, because she needs to throw out her energy. Weimar cops need to walk at least 1,5 – 2 hours twice a day. Owners should definitely take care of this! Moreover, a walk of a Weimaraner is not just a leisurely walk on a leash, during a walk the dog must load both his body and his intellect, otherwise he will be bored and suffer. it is desirable that the Weimaraner during each walk work out some commands, play on dog playgrounds, where, for example, special obstacles are installed, apporte a Frisbee plate or other objects, and also have the opportunity to run freely without a leash – in a park or outside the city . Then the dog will receive the necessary load, its body and psyche will develop properly.

After walking, it is enough to wipe the paws and body of the Weimaraner with a damp cloth or sponge. The short coat of the dog does not require much care – it is enough to comb it out once a week with a silicone glove. Long-haired Weimaraners require more care – it is advisable to brush their coat every two days.

“Weimaraners do not have a specific smell of dog, since they almost completely lack an undercoat,” says Olesya Babaeva. – It is worth bathing the dog as it gets dirty, using specialized zoo shampoos, no more than once a month, if the pet is not very dirty. My dogs sleep with me in bed, so I bathe them more often. The ears and eyes of Weimaraners, of course, need to be examined, by the way, the dirt in the dog’s ears can be a manifestation of an allergy and indicate that the food chosen by the owner is not suitable for the animal.

The diet of the Weimaraner is selected by each owner individually, it can be natural products or industrial feed.

– I feed my dogs with natural products – meat, fish, vegetables, I give them kefir and low-fat cottage cheese, – says Olesya Babaeva. – Owners who choose industrial dry food should carefully study the composition and choose good premium or holistic foods. There can also be an allergy to food, often to a large amount of protein, then you need to reconsider the daily diet of the dog. But, if the food is suitable, then it is better not to change it – Weimaraners perfectly exist on a monotonous diet, the main thing is that they receive enough energy and nutrients with food.

The claws of the Weimaraner are ground down individually – for some dogs long walks are enough, for others the claws will have to be trimmed once every two weeks with a special scratching post.

Education and training

– Weimaraner is not a service dog and it is not necessary to demand from it the maximum clarity in the execution of commands, but these are animals with high intelligence, which are themselves interested in learning: they like to perform new exercises, especially in a playful way, they are ready to learn everything new, so there will be no difficulties in their upbringing if enough time is devoted to this process from a very early age,” explains Olesya Babayeva. “It’s best to build training around positive reinforcement—it can be treats, but emotional Weimaraners respond best to praise and this kind of reward brings the most results. Weimaraners also have developed protective properties – they like to control the territory, whether it is a plot in front of a house or an apartment, they listen to any noise, try to warn the owners by barking that someone is approaching the door, so you will be ready to hear your pet quite often.

Weimaraners intended for hunting are specially trained – they are given to the onslaught, where trainers teach dogs the necessary tricks – to follow the blood trail, not be afraid of shots, to deliver the hunted bird or beast to the owner. But such skills are not needed for dogs living in the family as companions. It is enough to clearly execute the commands necessary for a comfortable life with people, to understand what can and cannot be done. Trust is the main quality on which the relationship between a person and his Weimaraner is built.

Health and disease

The Weimaraner is a fairly healthy breed of dog that has evolved over a hundred years without the addition of blood from other breeds, so it does not suffer from most of the genetic diseases inherent in dogs that breeders have worked hard on. And yet they have “problem areas” that the owners should pay attention to.

“Wemaraners have a predisposition to displays of the elbow and hip joints,” says Olesya Babaeva. – Therefore, before buying a puppy in a kennel, it is worth asking the breeders for the results of tests for dysplasia of the parents of the babies. Responsible breeders do not allow such dogs to be bred so that this predisposition is not fixed genetically, but it will not be superfluous to play it safe.

You should carefully monitor the diet of the Weimaraner to avoid food allergies or dermatitis, which may occur due to foods that are not suitable for the dog. In this case, the reaction is individual and the responsibility for the health of the dog lies with its owner.

“Another problem of Weimaraners is a weak intestine, like most tall dogs, they are prone to intestinal volvulus,” explains Olesya Babaeva. – True, in recent years this disease has become less common, for example, I know only one dog who had an intestinal volvulus. Nevertheless, the owner needs to take care of the pet and follow the rules of prevention: make sure that the dog does not eat quickly, swallowing air with food, does not pounce on food immediately after the walk – you need to feed it in an hour, did not go for long walks for a full stomach – between feeding and walking should take 4 – 5 hours. If you follow all the precautions – regularly vaccinate the dog against viruses, monitor the quality of its diet, do not walk it in areas where it can damage its paws, then the Weimaraners will not cause any problems to the owners, but will bring only happiness and a feeling of real strong friendship.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about keeping Weimaraners with zoo engineer, veterinarian Anastasia Kalinina.