If you are the proud parent of a Weimaraner pup, congratulations! Weimaraners are intelligent, have a huge personality, and are known to develop a strong bond with their humans. They were bred to hunt large animals such as bears and deer. Whether you adopted your Weimaraner to be a hunting dog, a house dog, or both, it is crucial for you to understand the genuine hunting instincts of the breed and tools you can use to hone in and/or control those instincts. Here's what you need to know. 

Weimaraners can run as fast as 35 mph

Weimaraners are incredibly fast and can reach speeds of 35 mph. Imagine how far your dog can get in just a few minutes. Because of this, it is important for you to train it to not run off until you tell them to, no matter what. Of course, during the early training stages of puppy-hood, your Weimaraner may get confused as it deals with whether to listen to you or to their instincts. 

Because of this, it's a good idea to get an electronic collar (e-collar) with a beeper locator for your dog. This device comes with a transmitter that you will keep with you to keep track of your dog and communicate with him. You can signal the collar to produce a beeping sound, which does two things. It allows you to hear where your dog is and also trains your dog that you want it near you when it hears the beeps.

The e-collar should also have a shock capability so you can train your dog to avoid certain animals. For example, if your dog takes off to chase a raccoon while on potty break in the backyard, the shock from the e-collar will train it to know that chasing raccoons isn't fun at all. 

Weimaraners have a keen sense of smell 

Your dog's strong sense of smell gives it the ability to hone in on which direction to go in when you have them out in the field on an active hunt or just in the backyard. The instinctual intelligence of Weimaraners causes them to know that their own scent can be picked up by their prey. For this reason, Weimaraners and other hunting dogs sometimes tend to roll in the dirt, mud, and greenery if it smells too much like a human or smells like doggy shampoo. 

To protect their coat and skin while they roll around as well as when they run through shrubbery and brush, have your dog wear a hunting dog vest. Ideally, the vest should have safety orange on it to help you spot your dog off in the distance, which is particularly important due to the coloring of your Grey Ghost as this breed can be difficult to see in woods and fields. In fact, trying to spot a Weimaraner without any safety orange on is similar to trying to find Waldo. 

Weimaraners have a lot of stamina—unless it's nap time

If you could bottle the stamina and energy your Weimaraner has, you could make a ton of money. With the amount of energy they use, particularly when hunting and playing, it's important to feed them a diet formulated specifically to meet their caloric and nutritional needs. However, this breed tends to have a sensitive stomach, which means new food should only be introduced slowly. Consult with your veterinarian for more information regarding dietary choices for your active dog. 

Weimaraners can just as quickly and easily fall asleep. Weimaraners love to nap, particularly after a long day out in the field. And they snore. Loudly. A large pet bed is a must-have, and it's important to get it used to sleeping in their own bed as young as possible. Cuddling with your young pup may be sweet now, but it's not a habit you want to start since adults are roughly 2 feet to the shoulders and typically weigh about 85 pounds. 

To better equip yourself and your dog, visit local hunting supplies stores.