So just where did this special "Gray Ghost" come from? While we know very little of the history of our breed, we credit Grand Duke Karl August of the Court of Weim, with the development of today’s Weimaraner. Weimar was the capital of Thuringia. Some of the earliest literary references note that the breed may have origins in the 13th Century, but the Weimaraner emerged in the 19th Century.
With that known the best that historians can do is rely on appearances and assumption which leads us to believe the breed was evolved from the Bloodhound family. The gray color is felt to be a recessive color inheritance from the Schweisshund, a genetic recession in the breeding of red or tan dogs, which dilutes the color to a silver taupe of various shades and depth along with suitable pigmentation.
Folded, high set ears, Weimaraners are intelligent, loyal, energetic, fearless demanding , family oriented dogs. But don’t let their adorable features fool you, as innocent as they look they can be destructive and clown-like. They do not take well to being ignored and do get separation anxiety thus leading to the destructive behavior. Weimaraners are a great companion, so look for them to usually be two steps behind you, just like a child.
The size of the Weimaraner was increased by breeding larger Weims together or by an outcross to the Great Dane, purely speculation though. Of the pointer outcross there can be no doubt due to the strong Pointer characteristics in their working methods and appearance.
The Grand Duke bred this dog to hunt ALL DAY without tiring, thus they do need a good amount of exercise. Originally they hunted big game which included deer, wild cats, wolves, bear and mountain lions for which their hound instincts were remarkable. As the availability of these large animals decreased sportsmen turned their energy to other channels, like smaller birds and animals which created the need for the Pointer characteristics of pointing the game and retrieving it. Thus we arrive at the modern day Weimaraner. Truly a great companion and loyal friend.
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