Lester in The Lake District UK 2008

Whether you are an existing or prospective owner of this wonderful breed, just how much do you know of your Weimaraner history?

In gun dog terms, if you consider for example that Pointers can be traced as far back as the 13^th century, then it is fair to say that  Weimaraner history is relatively short in comparison.

In its early years this dog was known simply as the Weimar Pointer, a cousin of the German Short Haired Pointer, its name deriving from the court by whom the breed was sponsored. They were bred exclusively for the nobility in the Weimar province of Germany in the early 1800’s and ownership of the striking silver/gray dogs was carefully guarded by the nobles. Some think Weimaraner history may date back as far as 1600’s in a similar form due in some way to the fact that a Van Dyck painting around that time portrays dogs that bear a distinct resemblance to this breed, although the relationship cannot be proven. The breed was developed to meet the needs of the German forester.The aim being to create a noble-looking, reliable gun dog and I think it is fair to say that they succeeded on both counts!

When you research back into Weimaraner history you find that they were originally bred for tracking wounded wild boar, stag, wolves, wildcat and occasionally even bears. Their owners required a keen, courageous dog with a sharp eye and the ability to point, retrieve, work in water for long periods when necessary and be obedient to recall. Even today they retain all of these traits although you are more likely to see them as a household pet rather than the hunting dog of yesteryear. Weimaraner history also shows us that they are an all-purpose breed, a jack of all trades if you will, whose temperament is unlike that of any other gundogs. They have a superb nose and can wind game up to 100yds away and are exceptional on the blood scent of wounded game. According to our research of Weimaraner history, when the big game gradually disappeared from Europe, the breed sadly became a rarity, a victim of it's own success you may think. Fortunately however, with selective breeding they returned as small game hunters and once again their popularity increased and Weimaraner history was allowed to continue. 

Initially, Germany was possessive of this alluring breed, but then Weimaraner history shows in 1929 an american Howard Knight was accepted into the Kennel Club of Germany and was permitted to bring two of the dogs to the United States where unsurprisingly, the breeds popularity grew quickly. By 1942 the American breed standard was created. Today it is one of the American Kennel Clubs most popular breeds. It clearly became a dog to be seen with and famous owners in those days included Grace Kelly, Roy Rogers and US President Dwight D.Eisenhower who owned a bitch called Heidi. We believe current owners include US and UK actors Brad Pitt and Robson Green. Weimaraner history shows us that, they have been used as service dogs for the disabled, as rescue dogs and as police dogs in the UK and Germany.

When you look back over Weimaraner history, the dog we know of today, is the product of selective breeding in Germany. The qualities they desired have been so well established  that they are still typical in the dog worldwide, even after generations of non-selective breeding.  

We are sure that you will all join us in ensuring that Weimaraner history continues to flourish in the future as it has done over the years for this the noblest of hunting dogs.

Let us introduce you to our two faithful weimaraners on the 'about us' page and then check the 'dog natural health care' page to see how they are getting on right now!