Weimaraner moves to prominence as top dog

Press, 5 March 1980, Page 21

Weimaraner moves to prominence as top dog

The Weimaraner is a m e d i u m-large species, shorthaired with a distinctive grey coat and amber coloured eyes, which may be taking over from the Afghan as the new “trendy” dog. The breed first came to prominence in -the German province of Weimar, under the patronage of the Grand Duke Karl August

shortly after the turn of the eighteenth Century. The grand duke, dreaming of a cultural Germany like Athens, took great pride in field sports fine guns and breeding fine dogs. Originally the Weimaraner was used as a tracking hound on big game such as bear, wolves, deer

and pig. However, by the mid-nineteenth Century-', wing-shooting was becoming fashionable and big game scarce, and so the Weimaraner was selectively bred for greater versatility. Today, the modern Weimaraner will point game, retrieve, as well as track. The Weimaraner has always been valued for his .trainability and is extremely biddable, preferring to hunt for his master rather than hunt for himself. Weimaraners have been readily accepted by shooters, as they make a great bush companion and are now found in all facets of hunting in New Zealand — tracking darted deer in

live recapture, locating and pointing deer and pig for foot shooters, retrieving lost oppossum carcases from poison lines and for duck shooting and general birdwork.

Although primarily a hunting dog, many owners have chosen other fields to develop their Weimaraner’s many talents. Rated highly in obedience work overseas, Weimaraners are becoming increasingly successful in obedience classes here. Growing too is >their popularity in the show ring. The Weimaraner’s distinctive appearance assures him of plenty of attention from onlookers. Further testimony to the breeds adaptability is that in England, .the metropolitan police have a Weimaraner for police work and drug detection duties,

while the United States Army has used the Weimaraner to trace fallen missile parts at its White Sands Testing Range. As family pets, .‘.he Weimaraner is gentle with children, yet protective around the house; his size and bark being a deterrent to would be burglars. Generally most dog owners will solemnly swear that their particular breed of dog is .the most intelligent. Weimaraner owners tend to be even more fervently fanatical in conveying this belief.