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The Weimaraner: Hunting dog or House Pet?

Where did Weimaraners come from?

Weimaraners were created to be hunting dogs.

The traditional family pet has primarily been a breed of dog originally created to be companion animals; dogs that have a genetic predisposition to be compatible in homes, which means they tend to be more like humans and less like dogs. As other breeds became popular as pets, breeders were compelled to produce animals that were equally compatible with humans by selectively breeding out undesirable characteristics over many generations. What you end up with, in many cases, is a dog that no longer has the strong instincts required to perform it’s original duty, but one which is more malleable to human ‘pet’ standards. The AKC emphasizes dogs be ‘friendly’ over any other criteria.

With favorite ‘pet’ breeds like Labrador Retrievers that have been popular pets for decades, breeders have had many thousands of generations and litters from which to choose the most pet-like animals to be bred.
Since Weimaraners (Vizslas, German Short-Haired Pointers…) have not been bred in similar tremendous numbers, their genetic predisposition is more likely to be as a hunter, and less like a mellow house pet. This is especially true if the pedigree of a particular Weimaraner favors the hunting lines and has not been as diluted with dogs bred specifically for the pet market. This is not to be confused with ‘pet quality’, which refers to appearance only. When people say they want a Weimaraner that is not ‘hyper’, then what they want is a different breed of dog. Just because you like the way a dog looks does not mean it is the most practical pet for you.

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