Weimaraner History and Ancestory

Originally known as Weimar Pointers, the Weimaraner breed was developed and perfected for German royalty in the Weimar Republic of Germany in the early 19th century. They were bred to be courageous hunters with exceptional speed and tracking ability. The nobles of Weimer used them to hunt wild boar, bear, deer and other big game. Ownership of the alluring gray dogs was carefully guarded and breeding was strictly controlled by the nobles and later by The Weimaraner Club of Germany.

The first breeding Weimaraners were imported to the United States in 1938 by Howard Knight, a dog fancier from Rhode Island. In 1942, The Weimaraner Club of America was formed and the breed standard was created. Later that year the breed was recognized by the AKC. Weimaraners were shown at Westminster for the first time in 1943.

A few years later, at the end of World War II, American service men returning from Europe bought more Weimaraners with them.

Weimaraners quickly became very popular American dogs. Even the President of the United States, President Dwight E. Eisenhower, owned a Weimaraner named Heidi.

By the mid to late 1950s Weimaraners were number 12 of 98 breeds registered by the AKC. All the hype eventually led to over-breeding, inferior breeding and their popularity fell.

By the late 1960s, the number of new registrations fell to nearly half, compared to new registrations at the peak of Weimaraner popularity in 1957. The downward trend continued through the 1970s and 1980s. During that time, efforts by breeders who were committed to improving the Weimaraner led to better health, temperament, and conformation.

Registations climbed in the 1990s with renewed interest in the versatile gray dogs and today the Weimaraner is one of the AKC’s most popular breeds.