Smooth Haired Weimaraner vs Old English Bulldog - Breed Comparison

The Smooth Haired Weimaraner is a beautiful silvery-grey dog that was once bred for hunting way back in the 19th century.

He has always been described as an all-purpose gun dog bred from crossing different German and French hunting dogs with the Bloodhound.

History of this dog dates back to 1897. This is when a club was formed in Germany for the breed.

This is an extinct dog breed. It is believed that the dog came from ancient dogs such as the old Mastiff. The Old English Bulldog was the original English Bulldog but quite different from the modern variety, with longer legs as well as a longer muzzle and more aggressive.

It is believed that the Old English Bulldog was the ancestor to many breeds and there have been efforts to recreate the Old English Bulldog, bringing about quite a few new Bulldog breeds. Records are actually unclear as to its origins and when you read up on its ancestry, you see that a lot of the information is conflicting.

A number of breeders have attempted to recreate this extinct breed with some success, but it must be borne in mind that these recreations aren’t the Old English Bulldog, as the genetics of it are extinct.

The lean, well muscled Smooth Haired Weimaraner is athletic to look at, brimming with energy and vitality. The coat is smooth and short and is a magnificent steel grey to silver coat which even tends to be a blue-grey color.

The short coat makes the dog low maintenance. He is also a low shedding dog. He is a medium to large sized dog standing at between 57 and 70cm in height and weighing in the region of 25 to 40kg.

The tail has always been docked, giving him that distinctive, dignified appearance. The tail then measures about 6 inches in length.

These dogs are also excellent water dogs with their webbed paws. The ears of the dog are medium length and floppy and the eyes are light amber or a blue-grey color.

Temperament:

You just have to look at the Smooth Haired Weimaraner and you can see how he just loves being with his human owner all the time, so much so that he is known for separation anxiety. Sometimes he can become so distraught separated from his owner that he can even injure himself trying to reach his owner. Being separated for too long can cause him anxiety issues.

Certainly this dog is going to need the right kind of training and socialization to calm him. They’re also full of energy too and are going to require a good amount of exercise.

This dog is extinct but he used to be a fairly broadly set, muscular dog, taller than the bulldog of today.

The average height of this dog was 36 – 40cm, weighing in at about 18 to 22kg. One of the dog’s more noticeable characteristics was his lower jaw that projected quite a bit in front of the upper jaw. The dog was deep-chested, the head broad and the nose and muzzle short.

The breed was developed for bull baiting, but in England, with the adoption of the Act of cruelty to animals, there was a decline in the interest for the dog, leading to it becoming extinct. There are old paintings from the 1800s and one such painting, Crib and Rosa, gives an idea of the form and size of the Old English Bulldog.

Temperament:

The regular English Bulldog today is often confused with the Old English Bulldog but it is a far sweeter breed than the Old English Bulldog. It is believed that the Old English Bulldog was an aggressive dog, bred to be this way because of his role in bull baiting.

As a pet though, brought up as a companion, he no doubt would have made a loving, loyal pet.

Your distinctive silvery-grey Weimaraner with his velvety ears and striking eyes is such a loving dog, desiring to be with his human family as much as possible.

They are also good with children. Their loving nature and eagerness to please will ensure that you have a fully integrated 4 legged family member in your home who wants to be involved with everything you're busy with.

Not much information is available on this extinct dog. Perhaps because of his history of being used for bull baiting, he wouldn’t have made a good family pet as he was too aggressive. He wouldn't have been a good choice for a first time dog owner and he wouldn't have been a good choice of pet for children.

He was possibly owned by a single person who made money from him. Small wonder then that he became extinct when he was no longer required for this role.

There are some common dog illnesses that most dog owners fear, and hip dysplasia is one. Fortunately the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals tells us that Weimaraners aren’t prone to this dysplasia the way some dogs are.

One cause for concern however is bloat, and as a deep chested dog breed, the Short Haired Weimaraner can be prone to this life threatening illness.

Known also as gastric torsion, the stomach swells up and the dog becomes lethargic and restless. Immediate veterinary intervention is required. One way to diminish your dog’s chances of getting bloat is to rather feed him two smaller meals a day as opposed to one large meal.

Also, skin allergies are fairly common with these dogs. If redness appears on the skin or the skin is dry and itchy with a rash and he is losing his hair, you may well need to get your pet to the vet. It is why we always recommend giving your pet some raw meat added to the diet and this can help to prevent skin allergies.

This dog, although extinct would have battled with common dog illnesses that can still be seen in the modern bulldog today.

Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome:

Brachycephalic airway syndrome is all about upper airway abnormalities and can be quite a problem in your Old English Bulldog because of the shortened muzzle of these breeds. These particular dogs have a smaller upper jaw and an overcrowding of of teeth and you will see that effort is required to inhale. They breathe more easily through the mouth then the nose. They have noisy breathing, particularly during exercise and in hot weather.

Cherry Eye:

Dogs have 3 eyelids, and cherry eye is the term used for prolapsed nictitating membrane, or the 3rd eyelid, when the eyelid comes out of place and you get a pink mass. It is a common condition found in Bulldogs, a genetic problem where surgical intervention or medicine may be recommended.

Training:

Every dog, especially the Smooth Haired Weimaraner with his anxiety issues, should be trained and socialized, and these dogs are easy to train because they’re intelligent and they want to please.

Grooming:

The short silvery coat simply requires a good brush-down twice a week to remove the few loose hairs there are. Even if you don’t need to brush him, just do it because of the type of dog the Weimaraner is.

He loves the closeness of owner and dog. It’s a good time to check him over for ticks and fleas, to feel for unusual lumps, to look inside his ears for signs of infection, to check his eyes too, that they’re bright and clear.

Diet:

If you feed your Smooth Haired Weimaraner commercially manufactured dog food, it needs to be one of the best ones with fairly high protein content. If feeding kibble, you can enhance the food by adding in some tasty home-made food. The Weimaraner’s stomach is easily upset so you want to add in easily digestible home-made food free of exotic spices and richness.

Boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta and spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots is super tasty and nutritious. Your Weimaraner will love such simple, good food and you can add a little to his dry kibble twice a week.

Also important is to add in some raw meat as this ensures a healthy skin. Make sure he has a constant supply of cool, fresh water.

If the Old English Bulldog were still around today, you would have cared for him like you would most other dogs -

Feed your Old English Bulldog puppy 4 times a day with high quality puppy food.

At 6 months of age you can be giving your young dog 2 meals a day.

Commercially manufactured food is fine if its a high quality one. Always check out the top 5 ingredients on the packaging – the first 2 should be protein or meat. Follow a simple, consistent diet to minimize symptoms. Your adult dog can have kibble and sometimes you can add in chopped boiled chicken, brown rice and vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots and spinach. A little bit of raw meat can also be added to the kibble once in a while. Never leave your dog without a constant supply of fresh, cool water.

Even though the dog is extinct, dog owners of that time would have had to watch their dogs for ticks and fleas and any of the common dog illnesses of that time.

The dog would have had some kind of grooming – a brush down a couple of times and he would have been checked for ear and eye infections.