Life Span:	The life of the Weimaraner has been know to be anywhere from 9 to 15 years of age.
Litter Size:	The litter size of the Weimaraner is approximately on the average of seven puppies.
Group:	The Weimaraner breed of dog belongs to the sporting group, and is placed in position 39 of the AKC breed listing. The family consists of gundog, pointer, and versatile hunting dog.
Recognized By:	CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, APRI, ACR
Color:	brown,tan,blue,grey
Hair Length:	Short
Size:	Large
Shedding:	Moderate Shed
Male Height:	24-27 inches (61-69cm)
Male Weight:	55-70 pounds (25-32kg)
Female Height:	22-25 inches (56-63cm)
Female Weight:	50-65 pounds (23-29kg)
General info courtesy of terrificpets.com. Additional information about this breed can be found on their website.
Living Area:	It is important to choose the breed of dog that fits your personality and lifestyle. It is also important to understand the breed\'s guidelines when choosing a dog or bringing one home, such as not picking out a Terrier that is known as a barking or yapping breed when living in an apartment or close quarters. These are considered "common sense rules" and yet, most people pay no attention to them--getting rid of the dog later on when it becomes "ill-mannered." The Weimaraner is an outside hunting dog, and loves being outdoors at certain times. YET they need to be inside with their trainer/owner during the night, when it is cold or cool, or when it is time to watch television. They have a low cold tolerance and a slightly hotter tolerance. They are very affectionate to their owner and have a strong desire to stay with them at all times.

Description

An elegant and noble hunting dog with the look of an aristocrat, combined with kind and gentle features, the Weimaraner is very athletic with a total balance of body form that gives it the highest star quality look. The tallest of the gundog groups, a major requirment of this beautiful breed is that it works in the field--regardless of its background in show or hunting stock--with great speed and endurance. Any faults of this dog that interferes with its working ability are extremely penalized.

The Weimaraner combines the traits of speed and endurance with grace, raciness, an alert demeanor, plus pure stamina and determination. With a gait that is smooth and effortless, it should indicate that the dog has a smooth coordination. The hind feet needs to be parallel with the front feet when seen from the rear, and when viewed from the side, the topline should remain strong and level.

The head of this hunting breed is what makes it stand out in a croud, with a moderately long and artistocratic head, with a slight median line that gently extends back over its forehead--and stops moderately there. The occiput is prominent with well set back temples, beginning behind the wide set eye sockets--acceptable eye colors are shades of light amber, gray, or blue-gray. When excited, any of these colors have a tendency to appear black. The flews are straight and delicate at the nostrils with skin drawn tightly back, while the lip and gum pigment is a soft pinkish shade. Serious faults are a black-mottled mouth with a snipey muzzle.

Coat Description

The coat of the Weimaraner is short and smooth, requiring very little care other than weekly brushing and bathing every two weeks to a month, depending on the activity and lifestyle of the dog. High quality feed and good care will make the grayish coast shine, along with wiping the coat down when bathing is done. Routine worming and vet checks are mandatory as the dog is out in the field and on the ground.

Serious disqualifications for the aristocratic Weimaraner is a distinctly long coat, especially one that is blue or black. Serious faults are considered to be the color white over the entire body other than a spot on the chest, eyes are other than gray, blue-gray or light amber, black mottled mouth, non-docked tail.

History

Wanting to develop more of a multi-purpose hunting dog, the Grand Duke Karl August of Weimer was responsible for the earlier stages of the Weimaraner\'s development. In 1880, the breed was shown at a dog show located in Berlin where the dog was referred to as a "l\'mongrels." The Germans were famous for having a reputation as not only having but developing the best hunting dogs in the world, and the Weimaraner pointer or hunting dog was a result of that development. The Weimaraner had originally been bred as a houndlike fur-hunting, tracking dog that was supposedly meant to be aggressive toward the predators it was meant to hunt, and as the dog became more and more domesticated, the functions of bird-hunting and retrieving was bred into the dog for the needs of the German hunter and the Nobles of Weimar, and eventually became highly prized for their versatile hunting skills. Eventually the breed became widely known as the "Gray Ghost" as it was gray in color, with the ability to be extremely quick, using cat-like stealth when out in the field, combined with a ghost-like, silent, shadow-way of working the prey.

Over time, the nobles rigidly began to control the Weimaraner\'s availability to the public. This was to ensure the quality of the breed, and the German Weimaraner Club was formed at this time for that strict purpose by amateur sportsmen--with the purpose of breeding the dog for sport, not for profit. From then on, very few non-club members knew about this highly protected German dog breed--the club membership was tightly restricted and only club members could own and breed the famous Weimaraner with the breed type and temperament becoming proudly refined, with legends upon legins springing forth about the "great gray hunting dog." As the breeding continued, the 1850s showed a conversion from the "bear and deer hunter" hunting dog to the that of "fur and feathers" with those newly developed hunting instincts remaining today.

This restricted membership changed when in 1928, a Providence, RI, sportsman by the name of Howard Knight applied for membership in this restricted German hunting club which resulted in him coming back into the United States with two sterile females. But through perseverance, he finally achieved success when three female dogs and a puppy were sent to him: two were litter sisters--Adda and Dorle v. Schwarzen Kamp--and a one year female named Aura v. Gaiberg. The puppy was named Mars aus der Wulfsreide. When others began joining Howard Knight\'s efforts, the Weimaraner Club of America was formed in 1942 with a breed standard created, with AKC recognition in 1942, coming out in 1943 at Westminster.

Temperament

The Weimaraner is a breed that will normally exhibit alertness and friendliness, combined with energy and intelligence. Known to be bold and excessively rambunctious, this breed loves to hunt and run. If not allowed to do what their heart truly desires and is pent up, they will develop a destructive manner with sheer frustration. With a tendency to be headstrong and stubborn, lack of exercise or running will force these traits into a negative and unhappy dog. They need a yard that is large enough to run and explore in, and a home that allows them to sleep indoors on cool and cold nights, due to their very short hair. A special type of breed, the Weimaraner will be happiest when it is allowed to live a life both indoors and outdoors.

The best owner for a Weimaraner hunting dog is one who enjoys the outdoors and lots of exercise, and seriously wants a four-legged companion instead of a penned-up dog let out only on the week-ends. Daily high strenuous exercise is mandatory for the Weimaraner, so the city life is not for this breed unless it has that certain tye of owner. The Weimaraner needs to have an owner who has the strength and confidence to train, exercise, socialize, and love this dog. Timid with people and other pets, it makes an excellent watchdog. A thinking dog, this hunting dog is not only very proud but can be quite dominant, quickly discovering in his trainer or family member who is most like its personality. Intolerant of weakness, the Weimaraner treats such people with contempt and ignorance, preferring to shower the attention to those more deserving.

Thyroid Disease - Medium Risk

The Weimaraner ranks #63 among all breeds for autoimmune thyroiditis prevalence. While this is not a high risk breed, there is still a good chance of disease transmission through breeding. Therefore, all dogs intended for breeding should be tested first. 

Rank Among Breeds	Number of Dogs Tested	Percent of Dogs With Disease
#63	1,750	6.9%

You can download the full report (on all breeds) by the Michigan State University Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. Here

Other Health Problems

A major concern of the Weimaraner is gastric torsion, or "bloat." This is when the stomach becomes twisted and traps the stomach contents, with gas also becoming trapped inside. This is a serious condition of dogs, and is the second killer of dogs next to cancer. Many large, deep chested dogs are at risk it in addition to Weimaraners--such as German Shepherds, Great Danes, and Dobermans--with very few people knowing about it.

A condition of bloat can kill the dog within one hour if it is left untreated. Technically it is called "Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus" ("GDV"), which is related to swallowing air even though food and fluid are present at times. Abnormal accumulations occur of air, fluid, and/or foams which are present in the stomach--this is called gastric dilatation. Even though twisting of the stomach causes a majority of the bloat diagnosis, stress also plays a large factor. When the stomach begins to swell, it can rotate 90 degrees to 360 degrees between the esophagus and the duodenum, resulting in trapped air, food, and water in the stomach area. The bloated stomach causes several things to occur in the body of the Weimaraner--low blood pressure, shock, and internal organ damage.