The Weimar Bracco dog breed seems to have its origin in Germany, although there are different theories. Its name, however, was given in the eighteenth century, when Grand Duke Carl August of Weimar, who considered himself the king of hunters, selected this breed for hunting in the forests of Thuringia. It is also known with the name of Weimaraner. In order to preserve morphology and attitudes, the Duke of Weimar limited the ownership of the selected dogs to the members of the German club of breed, and they were bred for big game hunting. After the disappearance of big game hunting, these dogs were bred for bird hunting.
More ancient times, this beautiful hunting dog, with its silver coat, is depicted in some paintings by Van Dick and Van Baptiste Oudry at the feet of nobles and courtiers, or engaged in hunting activities, as early as 1600, but it is even said to date back to 1300, when its ancestor, from which today’s Weimar Bracco is thought to descend, the grey dog of Saint Luis, was brought to Europe and more precisely to France by King Louis IX on his return from a crusade in the Holy Land. This dog was destined for hunting, and showed a strong attachment to its master, something that we still find today in the Weimar hound.
At the beginning it was a hound, then it became a hunting dog; this characteristic makes it a versatile dog that can adapt to hunting everything, from the hare to the partridge in the fields, to the woodcock in the woods. It is also able to follow the trail of a wounded deer, or signal a wild boar by barking at a standstill with courage and determination.
Compared to other breeds of hunting dogs, it is not suitable to live in kennels with the other dogs of the pack, as it develops a very strong attachment with the master. In America the Weimar Bracco has been very successful and there are many activities in which it is involved: hunting, driving, police dog, even narcotics investigator, it is also an excellent companion dog and is very suitable for agility dogs.
Since the breed was recognized the Weimaraner has remained a pure breed, and is considered the oldest German hunting dog, remaining pure for over 100 years.
Character of the Weimaraner dog breed
The Weimar Bracco has a very nice character, it is sweet, faithful and devoted especially to its master, to be almost maniacal, for whom it develops a strong sense of protection. With children it is sweet and patient and plays happily.
It is a dog that has a strong territoriality, for this reason it is also an excellent watchdog, but never aggressive, and with strangers is initially wary even if its lively and playful nature makes it soon make friends. It feels to all effects an integral part of its family nucleus towards which it is very protective.
Its docile character makes it a very easy dog to train, but at the same time it is proud and stubborn and very determined, so it is very important to be able to keep under control its vivacity and its desire to do. You must be firm in the education, start very early, already as a puppy. A good socialization, also early, both with other animals and with humans, is very important. This is in order not to have problems with both people and other pets in the family, even though this dog tends to be quiet, not aggressive, docile and calm.
The Weimer’s Bracco is a dog that cannot be alone for many hours a day, in many cases loneliness can turn into a rather obvious health problem such as separation anxiety. And this can lead him to be destructive both in the house and in the garden.
It also fits in an apartment, but it needs a lot of space, so the ideal would be a garden where it can stay several hours a day and especially the Weimer’s Bracco needs a lot of movement every day. It is mainly a hunting dog, therefore it needs to have very intense mental and physical stimuli. A hunter owner is ideal.
Appearance of the Weimar Beagle dog breed
The Weimar cockerel is a medium-large dog, the height at the withers can reach 70 centimeters and the male weighs 40 kilograms. The female weighs about 5 kilograms less. It is an agile dog, snappy and with a good musculature, with harmonious and very elegant forms. It’s slender and linear with long legs, wide ribcage, with the bust that tends to narrow in the area of the kidneys.
The head is lean with a noble and statuesque profile. The ears are of medium length, rather wide and stretched forward. The eyes, blue in the puppies, very often become amber maintaining their great expressiveness. The truffle is clear.
The hair of the coat can be either short or long, although the latter is rare. It is bristly, thick and homogeneous in the short hair specimens, while in the long hair specimens it is soft, smooth or wavy, with little undercoat. The color is uniform, sometimes with slightly lighter head and ears and all intermediate shades of silver gray, from the darkest shade of antique silver, to the lightest shade of an aquamarine. The color of the coat reflects the light and because of the difficulty of detecting it in the fog, has taken the nickname of silver ghost.
Health and care of the Weimar Bracco dog breed
The Weimar Bracco is a robust dog with great physical endurance, it has a life expectancy of up to 15 years. It can develop some problems typical of other breeds such as hip dysplasia, retinal atrophy, hypothyroidism and stomach twisting.
As this is a dog that spends most of its time outdoors, it is a good idea to brush its coat quite often, as well as taking care of the hygiene of its eyes and ears, as well as its paws and interdigital spaces, and also a daily check to make sure it has no parasites, such as ticks and fleas.
As far as feeding is concerned, if he does the right amount of exercise he does not tend to gain weight. An adequate diet for its muscular and tenacious physique, under veterinary control, will be important for the health and well-being of this bloodhound.
