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The Weimaraner (/ˈwaɪmərɑːnər/ VY-mə-rah-nər) is a large dog that was originally bred for hunting in the early 19th century. Early Weimaraners were used by royalty for hunting large game such as boar, bear, mountain lion, wolf, deer. As the popularity of large game hunting began to decline, Weimaraners were used for hunting smaller animals like fowl, rabbits and foxes.

The Weimaraner is an all-purpose gun dog. The name comes from the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Karl August, whose court, located in the city of Weimar (now in the state of Thuringia in modern-day Germany), enjoyed hunting. The Weimaraner possesses traits such as speed, stamina, great sense of smell, great eyes, courage and intelligence. The breed is sometimes referred to as the "gray ghost" of the dog world originating from its ghostly coat and eye color along with its stealthy hunting style.

History
The Weimaraner was kept in the Weimar court in the 19th century and carried a good deal of Leithound ancestry. Two theories propose that they descended from the Chien-gris dogs, or the St. Hubert Hound whose descendant is the Bloodhound. In the beginning, Germany's Grand Duke Karl August used the Weimaraner to hunt big-game like wolves, bears, and mountain lions, but as Europe's number of big-game decreased, the Weimaraner turned into a point and retrieve hunter of small game. The breed arrived to America in the late 1920's, and it's popularity increased in the 1950's. The breed became popular due to celebrities like Grace Kelly, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Dick Clark. The famous artist and photographer William Wegman increased the breed's popularity even more with his world famous Weimaraner portraits and video segments.

Nutrition
Weimaraners generally eat well, and should be fed highly rated food that contains a moderately high amount of protein. Water can be added to dry dog food to help with digestion; however, rich food like table scraps and canned food can upset the their digestion. A Weimaraner's activity level, age, height, and overall health will determine how often they need to eat and what kind of food they should eat. It is recommended that an average adult Weimaraner weighing about 70 pounds, should be eating 1,688 calories every day, but if a Weimaraner is used to hunting and strenuous activities every day, then their daily intake may increase to around 3,751 calories. The number of calories will decrease as the Weimaraner ages and decreases its daily activity.