Weimaraner: Dog food and breed portrait
The Weimaraner is a large utility hunting dog from Germany. The FCI leads the breed in group 7, section 1.1 (standard 99). The Weimaraner is appreciated by hunters for its great endurance and its versatile application possibilities. As purely a family dog, however, he is only suitable to a limited extent and is therefore rarely seen as such.
Origin of the Weimaraner
The exact origin of the Weimaraner can not be fully traced today. However, it is known that the breed was kept as a hunting dog by Carl August, the Grand Duke of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach, in the early 19th century.
The first evidence of the Weimaraner's targeted breeding dates back only to around 1890. In 1897, the Weimaraner Klub e.V. (Weimaraner Club) was finally founded and is still active today for the breeding of the Weimaraner.
In Germany, Weimaraners are still used primarily as hunting dogs. A large number of breeders, therefore, do not give their puppies to the public without a hunting license.
In the USA, however, the situation is different. There the Weimaraner has developed into a very popular family dog. In contrast to Germany, the main focus of their breeding there is therefore on his outward appearance and less on their suitability as a hunting dog.
Characteristics of the Weimaraner
The Weimaraner is a large dog breed. Male dogs weigh up to 40 kilograms and grow to a height of about 70 centimetres. Females are slightly smaller and lighter with a maximum shoulder height of 65 centimetres and a weight of up to 35 kilograms.
The slender body of the Weimaraner is muscular and wiry. They have large, broad ears, which hang down to the corners of the mouth on each side of the head, and amber-coloured eyes.
There are both short-haired and long-haired Weimaraners. In short-haired animals, the coat is strong, dense and almost free of undercoat. In the long-haired Weimaraner, the soft topcoat can be either wavy or smooth and can occur both with and without an undercoat.
The long coat is inherited recessively. For this reason, litters of short-haired Weimaraner can also contain long-haired animals. Regardless of the length of the coat, Weimaraners are either silver-grey, mouse-grey or deer-grey.
Weimaraner nature and character
The Weimaraner is a classic hunting dog, which is characterised by a regal character and a distinctive self-confidence. Nevertheless, he is an affectionate companion, but he usually only gets involved with one particular person and often pays little attention to other members of the family.
The Weimaraner is sensitive and strong-willed at the same time. For this reason, it is very important in his upbringing to find the right degree of consistency and to avoid excessive hardship. Ideally, owners of a Weimaraner should therefore already have some experience in dealing with dogs.
Apart from this, Weimaraners have a protective instinct that is untypical of hunting dogs, so that they are also suitable for guarding the house and yard aside of hunting.
Activities with the Weimaraner
In Germany, the Weimaraner is still used primarily as a companion for hunting. There he proves to be extremely versatile, whereby his strengths come to the fore especially after the game.
Apart from this, the Weimaraner is also suitable for training as a therapy dog, which can make a valuable contribution to the success of animal-supported therapy.
As pure family dogs, however, Weimaraners are still rather seldom to be found. This is partly since the keeping of these intelligent four-legged friends is quite demanding.
Without sufficient physical and mental activity, which goes far beyond normal walks, behavioural problems in Weimaraner dogs are inevitable. If, as a non-hunter, you still decide to join the breed, you should therefore make sure that you can provide the necessary workload with activities such as dummy training or mantrailing.
Weimaraner diseases
Normally, the Weimaraner is a robust dog that is not considered to be excessively susceptible to disease. However, as with all large dog breeds, there is a certain risk of suffering a life-threatening stomach torsion.
Weimaraner dogs can occasionally suffer from hip dysplasia and, in individual cases, epilepsy. Beyond that, however, no other health problems typical for the breed are known, for which the strict regulations of the Weimaraner Klub e.V. are responsible.
Because the breed has been increasingly bred as a pure fashion dog by dubious breeders in recent years, it is quite possible that this will change in the future and that various diseases will occur more frequently in the future.
The life expectancy of the Weimaraner
A healthy Weimaraner from a responsible breeder normally reaches an age of 10 to 14 years. However, inbreeding and poor husbandry conditions can shorten the Weimaraner's life expectancy and sometimes lead to a much earlier death.
The correct nutrition of the Weimaraner
A balanced diet makes a decisive contribution to a long and healthy life for your Weimaraner. In this context, in addition to a feed quantity that meets their needs, it is particularly important to keep an eye on the composition of the feed.
We recommend feeding the Weimaraner with our cold-pressed dry dog food without grain. The croquettes produced in the cold-press process swell less in the stomach, which can reduce the risk of your dog's stomach turning.
In addition, the following products can be useful for Weimaraner dogs if required:
- Bellfor Joints & Bones as natural support for the musculoskeletal system
- Bellfor ZEComplete as protection against ticks without side effects
- Shiimun Skin 7 Coat as support for the skin and coat
The Bellfor nutritional concept helps you to provide your Weimaraner with high-quality dog food and easily digestible food supplements in every situation.
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