History of the Weimaraner

The history of the Weimaraner is fascinating and is also clearly evident in the look and hunting characteristics of today's Weimaraners. Weimaraners are thought to have originated from the tracking (on lead) and trailing (off lead) 'grey hounds of King Louis' of France used to hunt big game over 500 years ago. Although they were called grey only some of the dogs were totally grey with the remainder having reddish-tan markings in the pattern seen in Dobermans. This pattern continues to show up rarely today and the dog looks exactly as you would imagine a Weimaraner-Doberman cross would appear. These dogs are referred to as 'Dobe-marked' or as having 'the mark of the hound'. The hound origins of this breed are still seen in the long, thin, folded ears, the flat cheeks and the moderately long head which characterize Weimaraners, in their excellent tracking ability and in their enthusiastic pursuit of furred game. Many Weimaraners prefer fur to feathers and many give voice when on the chase of rabbits or deer - another hound trait. Left undocked, a large proportion of Weimaraners' tails would be carried high and slightly curved over the back in hound fashion.

With the advent of guns in the 28th century, these 'grey hounds of King Louis' were crossed with bird dogs of the time to produce a lighter-framed, faster, versatile pointing dog. Subsequent crosses with the Spanish Pointer are thought to have caused the Weimaraner's light yellow or light blue eye colouration and the occasionally seen patches of white on the throat, chest and feet as well as the occasionally seen shorter, thicker, pointer-type ears. Crosses with setters of the time are thought to have introduced the recessive longhaired gene to the breed. Longhaired Weimaraners continue to occur occasionally from breedings of shorthaired parents. The coat of these dogs resembles that of a field setter, with the coat on the body 2-2.5" in length and longer feathering on the ears, legs, abdomen and tail. The tail is docked only a few inches or left undocked.

The mixture of pointer, setter and hound influences resulted in a dog capable of tracking, trailing, pointing, retrieving, and capable of working both small and large game and both upland and wetland birds. One hallmark of the breed that was evident in the earliest times and continues to the present is its strong attachment to its master. While this created a protective, trainable, closer ranging hunting dog known for thoroughness, intensity and ease of handling in the field, it also created a breed unsuited for kennel life.

Beginning around 1850 the Weimaraner was developed in the Weimar region of Germany to stringent and highly controlled standards for performance and conformation. A strict regimen of culling as well as strict criteria for breeding over nearly 200 years resulted in outstanding natural ability in not just some members of the breed but in virtually all Weimaraners in existence at the time.

Weimaraners were introduced to North America largely by returning WWII servicemen. These dogs became renowned as "wonder dogs" that were "virtually born trained to perform amazing feats tracking, in the field, and in the obedience ring". Many such claims were true - puppies were known to show a finished field performance from their first contact with birds and in 1943, the first American Kennel Club Weimaraner show champion also earned an American Kennel Club obedience title at 6 months, 2 days old - the youngest dog ever of any breed to do so.

Everyone wanted a "grey ghost" and registrations went from 300 in 1947 to over 10,000 in 1957. However, the price of popularity was high as it led to generations of nonselective breeding, or breeding with only success in the show ring in mind. The result was marked erosion in the breed's natural instincts and working ability over the next several decades. As the breed faded in favour, serious breeders began to have a stronger influence. Unfortunately, some breeders focused exclusively on show performance and others solely on field performance resulting in a drift toward division into 'show-bred' and 'field-bred' Weimaraners. In recent years, a movement has begun to reintroduce show-bred dogs to field work and to show some field-bred dogs. It is a testament to the strength of the initial German breeding program that a number of today's show-bred Weimaraners possess considerable natural field ability with a few even becoming Dual Champions. Hopefully, the trend toward preservation of field ability will continue and the Weimaraner will re-establish itself as a pre-eminent pointing dog.

There are three coat variations present in the breed, a 'blue' coat, a 'Dobe-marked' coat, and a 'longhaired' coat. These variations continue to be a source of much confusion and controversy...are the Dobe-marked coat, the blue coat, or the longhaired coat a result of cross-breeding, genetic mutation, or recessive genetic traits? Should the breed standard permit these variations? The answer to these questions can be found in the wonderful book of our breed, "Weimaraner Ways", authored by Jackie Isabell and Virginia Alexander.

The American breed standard for Weimaraners describe coat and colour as short, smooth and sleek coat in shade of mouse-grey to silver-grey, usually blending to a lighter shade on the head and ears with a small white mark allowable on the chest, but not on any other part of the body and any long-haired coat or coat darker than mouse-grey to silver-grey considered a very serious fault. The German and Canadian breed standards have a similar description of coat and colour with two exceptions - long-haired coats are not a disqualification and Dobe-marked coats, although not a disqualification as in North America, are considered a severe fault.

The so-called 'blue' Weimaraners, are shorthaired dogs with a very dark blue-black, almost charcoal coloured coat. The first known blue-coated dog was born in Germany and sold to the United States. Controversy and speculation surround the mating which produced this dog, with some of the opinion that the blue coat resulted from a cross mating with a Doberman or Great Dane, others of the opinion that it was a result of severe inbreeding, and others of the opinion that it was a result of a naturally occurring genetic mutation. Blue-coated Weimaraners have not been produced outside North America since that original blue-coated import, but have continued in small numbers on this continent as the blue colour variation is dominant to grey. While blue-coated dogs can be registered in North America, it is considered a disqualification or very severe fault in breed standards worldwide. Therefore, blue-coated dogs are considered undesirable world wide and it is not considered acceptable to breed blue Weimaraners.

According to Weimaraner literature, both the longhaired and Dobe-marked coat variations have existed since the earliest days of the breed's existence.

The Dobe-marked Weimaraner has the typical grey base colour with rusty, tan, or cream patches of lighter colouration in the same pattern as seen in Dobermans. The marks range from 'phantom' barely visible ones to very distinct markings and the Dobe-marked pattern may also be referred to as 'the mark of the hound'. The longhaired Weimaraner has the typical grey colouration of a shorthaired Weimaraner, however, the coat hair is 1-2" long on the body with longer feathering on the legs, under the abdomen, and on the tail. In longhaired Weimaraners the tail is left undocked, or is only slightly docked. Longhaired Weimaraners have a coat appearance which resembles that of the Setter breeds, although the hair is generally not so profuse as that of show-bred Setters.

Many people who see a Dobe-marked Weimaraner for the first time assume it is a Weimaraner-Doberman cross, however, the Weimaraner is an older breed than the Doberman by at least 150-200 years. Likewise, many people who see a longhaired Weimaraner for the first time assume that it must be a Golden Retriever or Setter-Weimaraner cross.

Dobe-marking and longhaired coats both occur as a result of recessive genes, and both have been considered undesirable in the breed in North America. However, decades of selective breeding to eliminate both variations on this continent have not been successful. Dobe-marked and longhaired pups continue to periodically crop up and surprise the breeder because the genes responsible are carried by dogs that do not exhibit the marked or longhaired patterns. As the genes responsible for both Dobe-marked and longhaired Weimaraners are present in many top pedigrees, these coat variations will probably always exist in our breed, with some arguing that these coat variations should therefore be permitted in the conformation ring.

As the Dobe-markings currently remain a severe fault according to breed standards worldwide, it is not considered acceptable to breed Dobe-marked dogs. The breeding of longhaired Weimaraners is more controversial. Due to the discrepancy between their full acceptance in the breeds country of origin (Germany), and their disqualification in North America, some are adamant that longhairs should not be bred while others actively endeavour to produce them. One argument in support of the acceptance of longhaired Weimaraners is that this recessive trait contributes positively to the density of coat in shorthaired carriers. The primary argument against acceptance of the longhairs is the worry that these dogs will be bred with only coat in mind, with a resulting deterioration in temperament and usefulness.