Weimaraner (Long Hair)

Size
Large to Giant (27Kg +)
Training
Puppy school only
Size of home
House with garden
Time at home
Often alone
Grooming
Weekly
Barking preference
Moderate
Personality
Independent + affectionate

History

The Weimaraner is a relatively young breed of hunting dog and dates back to the early 19th century. Historians believe the Weimaraner’s early ancestors can be traced back to the Red Schweisshunden dog, whose genetic recessive red and tan colour was responsible for producing the unique silver-taupe colour of the Weimaraner hunting hound.

Through selective breeding of hunting breeds, including the German Pointing breeds, by Grand Duke Karl August of the Court of Weimar in Germany, the Weimar Pointer was developed to be used in the hunting of big game, such as bear, deer, wild boar and wolves, which all existed at that time in the forests around Weimar, the capital of Thuringia in Germany.

With the advent of civilisation, the larger breeds gradually disappeared and hunters needed a dog with a soft mouth that could hunt smaller animals and birds and was capable of retrieving over land and water. In 1897, amateur sportsmen formed the Weimaraner Club of Germany and drew up the breed’s specifications.

It was not easy to purchase a Weimaraner and only club members, who had to prove their record of sportsmanship and abide by the club’s breeding rules, were permitted to own and hunt with a Weimaraner. Thus any dog not suitable to be owned and bred from, as deemed by the German breed warden, was not allowed in the club’s stud book, and any dog that was not physically and temperamentally approved, was destroyed. Hence, it was very difficult to become an owner of one of these early Weimaraners.

The first Weimaraners came to Australia in 1955 and were imported by Drs. Roma and Chris Kristenson, whose prefix was “Passau”. These early breeders, and those who followed and imported Weimaraners from other parts of the world, so as to improve both the structure and temperament of the Weimaraner,
resulted in the establishment of a highly competitive gundog here in Australia. Today, visiting overseas judges often comment that the Australian Weimaraner is recognised as being more than comparable to what is being bred in other countries overseas and, as a result, there is a growing interest from other breeders around the world to import Australian bloodlines.

Appearance

The aristocratic and athletic Weimaraner and long coated Weimaraner, is a medium to large, balanced, hunting dog, having well laid back shoulders, good length of back set in a straight line (length of body to height at withers is approximately 12:11), great driving power from the rear and must present a picture of a well-muscled dog capable of doing a day’s work in the field. The Weimaraner’s hunting ability is paramount, so his conformation should reflect this.

Temperament

This passionate hunting dog, whose temperament is friendly, fearless, and obedient yet protective, but not aggressive, has a close relationship with his owner and family.

Health

The Weimaraner is generally a healthy and often a long lived dog, but new owners should be made aware of the following that on rare occasions may occur: gastric torsion or bloat, eyelid disorders (Entropion and Ectropion), inward growing eyelashes causing chronic eye inflammation, extra eyelashes, reactions to multiple vaccines, Epilepsy and Haemophilia. Responsible breeders do everything they can to eliminate such problems in their lines, so puppies should only be purchased from registered and knowledgeable breeders.

Suitability

The intelligent Weimaraner is the ideal family dog, devoted especially to children, but needs to be taught the house rules and understand that he is not the boss of the household! Being a gundog, bred to be the hunter’s companion as well as his working dog, the Weimaraner loves to be close to his owner, so enjoys nothing more than exercising with him, sharing the luxury of being inside the home and being included in the family activities.

Words: Lainie Knox on behalf of The Weimaraner Club of NSW Inc

Image courtesy of Ari & Tina Karppa

In Conclusion

Now you know a little about the Weimaraner you may have think that this is the dog for you. Before you make a decision, please make contact with the breed club or your State controlling body for purebred dogs. They will be able to give you information about available puppies and also suggest dog shows where you can see the breed and speak to breeders. In this way you will gain a better perspective of the Weimaraner and its needs and whether this breed would suit your lifestyle.

Official breed standard as recognized by Dogs NSW (Last Updated: 09 Jul 2015)

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A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

General Appearance

A medium to large size hunting dog. Functional working type, pleasing in shape, sinewy and very muscular. Difference in type between dogs and bitches easily distinguished.Important proportions:- Length of body to height at withers approximately 12:11- Proportions of the head: From tip of nose to stop slightly longer than from stop to occiput.- Forequarters: Distance from elbow to mid pastern and distance from elbow to point of withers about equal. [Distance from elbow to ground is slightly longer than distance from elbow to withers]

Characteristics

Not Specified.

Temperament

Versatile, easily trained steady and passionate hunting dog. Persevering in systematic search, yet not too lively. Remarkable ability to pick up scent. Ready to seize game and other prey; he is a good watchdog, without aggressiveness however. Reliable pointing dog and worker in water. Remarkable inclination to work after the shot.

Physical Standards

Head and Skull	Skull: In balance with the size of body and facial region. Broader in dogs than bitches, yet in both, the relationship between width and cranial region to total length of head must be in good proportion. Median groove on forehead. Slightly to moderately protruding occipital bone. Zygomatic arches easily traceable behind the eyes.Stop: Extremely slight.Nose: Nose leather large, protruding over the underjaw. Dark flesh colour, merging gradually into gray towards the rear.Muzzle: Long and, especially in the male, powerful, appearing almost angular. Region of canines and carnassial teeth equally strong. Bridge of the nose straight, often slightly arched, never with a concave curve.Flews: Moderately deep, flesh coloured, as are the gums. Slight labial corner. Jaws: Powerful.Cheeks: Muscular, clearly defined. Definitely clean head.
Eyes	Amber colour, dark to pale, with intelligent expression. Sky-blue in puppies. Round, set barely slanting. Lids well fitting.
Ears	Lobular, broad and fairly long, just reaching to corner of mouth. Set on high and narrow, forming a rounded off point at tip. In alertness, turned slightly forward and folded.
Mouth	Bite: Complete, regular and strong dentition. Incisors should touch with a correct scissor bite.
Neck	Noble in appearance and carriage. Upper line arched in profile. Muscular, nearly round, not too short, clean. Becoming stronger towards the shoulders and merging harmoniously into the topline and chest.
Forequarters	Front legs General: High on leg, sinewy, straight and parallel, but not standing wide.Shoulders: Long and sloping. Well fitting, strongly muscled. Well-angulated shoulder joint.Upper Arm: Sloping, sufficiently long and strong.Elbows: Free and lying parallel to median plane of body. Turned neither in nor out.Forearm: Long, straight and vertical.Pastern joint: Strong and taut.Pastern: Sinewy, slightly sloping.
Body	Topline: From the arched neckline, over the well defined withers the topline merges gradually into the relatively long, firm back.Withers: Well defined.Back: Firm and muscular, without a dip. Not running up towards the rear. A slightly longer back, a breed characteristic, is not a fault.Croup: Pelvis long and moderately sloped.Chest: Strong but not unduly broad, with sufficient depth to reach almost to the elbows and of sufficient length. Well sprung ribs without being barrel-shaped and with long ribs. Forechest well developed.Underline and Belly: Rising slightly, but belly not tucked up.
Hindquarters	General appearance: High on leg, sinewy and well muscled. Standing parallel, turning neither in nor out.Upper Thigh: Sufficiently long, strong and well muscled.Stifle: Strong and taut.Lower Thigh: Long with clearly visible tendons.Hock Joint: Strong and taut.Hock [Rear pastern]: Sinewy, almost vertical in position.
Feet	Front: Firm and strong. Standing straight in relation to median plane of body. Toes arched. Longer middle toes are a breed characteristic and therefore not a fault. Nails light to dark gray. Pads well pigmented and coarse.Hind: Tight and firm, without dewclaws, otherwise like the front feet
Tail	Set on slightly lower than with other similar breeds. Tail strong and well coated. Carried hanging down in repose When alert or working, carried level or higher. In countries where it is allowed by law, appropriately tail docking is permissible for shorthaired Weimaraner used for hunting.
Gait/Movement	Movement in all gaits is ground covering and smooth. Hind and front legs set parallel to each other. Gallop long and flat. Back remains level when trotting. Pacing is undesirable.
Coat	Skin: Strong. Well fitting but not too tight.Qualities:Short-haired: Short (but longer and thicker than with most comparable breeds), strong, very dense, smooth lying topcoat. Without or only with very sparse undercoat.Long-haired: Soft, long topcoat with or without undercoat. Smooth or slightly wavy. Hair at base of ear long and flowing. Velvety hair is permissible on tips of leathers. Length of coat on flanks 3-5 centimetres. On lower side of neck, forechest and belly, generally somewhat longer. Good feathering and breeching, yet less long towards the ground. Tail with a good flag. Hair between the toes. Hair on head less long. A type of coat similar to a double-coat (Stockhaar) with medium length, dense, close fitting topcoat, thick undercoat and moderately developed feathering and breeching sometimes occurs in dogs of mixed ancestry.
Colour	Silver, roe or mouse grey, as well as shades of these colours. Head and leathers generally slightly paler. Only small white markings on chest or toes permitted. Sometimes a more or less defined trace occurs along the back. Dogs with definite reddish yellow markings may only be given the classification good. Brown marking is a serious fault.
Size	Height at withers:Dogs: 59-70 cms (ideal measurement 62-67 cms)Bitches: 57-65 cms (ideal measurement 59-63 cms)Weight:Dogs: about 30-40kgsBitches: about 25-35 kgs

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.SERIOUS FAULTS:· Widely spread woolly coat in the shorthaired variety.· Extremely curly or sparse feathering in the longhaired variety.· White markings except on chest and toes.· Ears: Feathering extremely short or long, not turned.· Back: Severe sway or roach back. Definitely overbuilt at croup.· Particularly pronounced dewlap.· Definitive bow or cow hocks.· Poor angulation, definitely turned outward turned elbows. Open paws.DISQUALIFYING FAULTS· Aggressive or overly shy.· Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.· Significant deviation in type, untypical for sex.· Serious deviation in the proportions.· Size more than 2 cm outside the standard.· Absolutely untypical, above lumbering or weak.· Absolute disproportionate.· Extremely impaired when walking.· Skin malformations and defects.· Partial or total hair loss.· Lack of feathering on belly or ears.· Deviations from grey tones, such as yellow or brownish, tan brand.· Colour other than gray. Blue colouring.· Foreface absolutely untypical.· Facial region: Absolutely untypical i.e. distinctly concave nasal bridge. Muzzle too short, pointed, roman nose or with too short flews.· Entropion, ectropion. Slight and one sided lid defects.· Jaw and teeth: Missing more than two PM1 or M3.· Chest, belly: malformations; barrel chest; insufficient chest depth or length; definitely tucked up belly.· Malformed legs.· Other malformations.· Excessively aggressive towards dogs or people, excessive fear.· Clearly showing behavioural abnormalities

Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

History

There are numerous theories regarding the origin of the Weimaraner Pointing Dog. Only so much is certain : That the Weimaraner, which at that time still contained a great deal of liam hound blood (« Leithund ») was already kept at the Weimar court in the first third of the 19th century.In the middle of the 19th century, before pure breeding was started, breeding was mainly in the hands of professional hunters and game keepers in central Germany, mostly in the regions round Weimar and in Thuringia. As the days of the liam hounds passed, the dogs were crossed with the (« Hühnerhund ») and breeding was continued with this cross. From about 1890 on, the breed was produced according to a plan and regarded as suitable for registration in a stud book. Apart from the short-haired Weimaraner, a long-haired variety occurred, if only singly, since the turn of the 20th century. Since being admitted to the stud book, the Weimaraner has been pure bred, remaining mostly free from crosses with any other breeds, in particular, Pointers. Therefore the Weimaraner is likely to be the oldest German « pointing » breed, which has been pure bred since 1900.The above History description is a direct copy of the English translation from the FCI Breed Standard on the FCI web site.