Weimaraner

Weimaraner
Short-haired bitch, two years old
Origin	Germany
Traits Height Males 59–70 cm (23–28 in) Females 57–65 cm (22–26 in) Weight Males 30–40 kg (66–88 lb) Females 25–35 kg (55–77 lb)
Kennel club standards Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen standard Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard
Dog (domestic dog)

The Weimaraner is a German breed of hunting dog of medium to large size, with history going back at least to the early nineteenth century. Early Weimaraners were used by royalty for hunting large game such as boar, bear, and deer. As the popularity of hunting large game began to decline, Weimaraners were used for hunting smaller animals like fowl, rabbits, and foxes.

The name comes from the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Karl August, whose court, located in the city of Weimar (now in the state of Thuringia in modern-day Germany), enjoyed hunting. The Weimaraner is an all-purpose gun dog, and possesses traits such as speed, stamina, great sense of smell, great eyes, courage, and intelligence. The breed is sometimes referred to as the "grey ghost" of the dog world because of its ghostly coat and eye color along with its stealthy hunting style.

History

A Leithund, possible ancestor to the Weimaraner

The Weimaraner was kept in the Weimar court in the 19th century and carried a good deal of Leithound ancestry. In the beginning, Germany's Grand Duke Karl August used the Weimaraner to hunt big game like wolves, bears, and boar, but as Europe's number of big game animals decreased, the Weimaraner turned into a point-and-retrieve hunter of small game. The breed arrived to America in the late 1920s, and its popularity increased in the 1950s, largely because of celebrities like Grace Kelly, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Dick Clark. The famous artist and photographer William Wegman increased the breed's popularity even more with his world-famous Weimaraner portraits and video segments.

It was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1954.

Characteristics

Long-haired bitch

The eyes of the Weimaraner may be light amber, grey, or blue-grey, and the ears are long and velvety.

In November 2009 and on 1 January 2010, the United Kennel Club (UKC) removed the disqualification from Blue and Longhair Weimaraners. A black coat remains an automatic disqualification, though a small white marking in the chest area only is permitted. Dogs with blue coats are disqualified from conformation/show competition, but are recognized as purebred Weimaraners by the AKC.

A long-haired variety is recognized by most kennel clubs around the world except the American Kennel Club. The long-haired Weimaraner has a silky coat with an undocked, feathered tail.

According to the Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard, the male Weimaraner stands 59 to 70 cm (23 to 28 in) at the withers. Females are 57 to 65 cm (22 to 26 in). Males normally weigh about 30–40 kg (66–88 lb). Females are generally 25–35 kg (55–77 lb). A Weimaraner should give the appearance of a muscular, athletic dog.

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  A long-haired bitch
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  Blue is not an accepted colour
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Health

According to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, Weimaraners enjoy low rates of dysplasia. The breed is ranked 102nd of 153 total breeds and has a very high test rate and a very high percentage of excellent rating among those dogs tested.

Other health issues include:

• Cryptorchidism
• Distichiasis
• Elbow dysplasia
• Entropion
• Pituitary dwarfism
• Hypertrophic osteodystrophy
• Hypomyelinogenesis
• Hypothyroidism
• Progressive retinal atrophy
• Renal dysplasia
• Von Willebrands Disease