Smooth Haired Weimaraner vs Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie - 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.

The Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie is one of the oldest scent hunting dogs around. A crossbreed between the French Hounds and the English hunting dogs, the Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie is believed to be an offspring of several famous dogs such as the Beagles, the Poitevins, and the Petit Gascon-Sainttongeois.

Although the genesis of this dog breed is somewhat unclear, a majority of the sources believe that it was developed in the 16th century at a time when written records of dog breeding never existed. Throughout the 16th to the 17th centuries, the Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie became a treasured dog breed thanks to the rise of hunting games among European nobles. As the sport thrived in England and especially in France, the need to own the Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie became paramount leading to this dog breed’s popularity. Formerly known as the Petit Anglo-Francais, this dog breed was changed to its current name in 1978 before being admitted to the United Kennel Club in 1996.

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.

The Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie is a dog breed that resembles a Beagle. Developed in France, this scent hound has served as a hunting dog for centuries making it an athletic breed with unusual characteristics. Their chests are narrow and deep while the heads are smaller as compared to the rest of the body. The eyes are brown and dark while the tails are medium in size. The limbs are tall, straight, and muscular while their steady necks and broad muzzles are an indication that these dogs are surely bred for hunting purposes.

Since Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie are athletic dogs, you will, of course, expect their overall weight to be lesser as compared to most other breeds. These dogs have a short, dense coat that’s easy to groom. With a life expectancy of about 13 years, these breeds are generally healthy and quite easy to maintain. The only major problem these scent hounds experience is a hip and elbow dysplasia which will require you to inspect them for injuries upon returning home from their line of duty.

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.

Children friendliness

Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie are non-aggressive, stubborn but tolerable dogs that work well with kids. However, proper training and socialization must be conducted to ensure that these dogs don’t cause harm to your kids.

Special talents

The Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie is not a shy pet. These dog breeds do make a perfect companion especially due to their hunting characteristics. They can get along well with new owners and should be kept with a same-breed companion to reduce nervousness.

Adaptability

When it comes to their adaptability, Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie are better suited to be working dogs over being kept indoors. They are therefore suited to farm settings or rural areas where there’s vast track of lands to play and exercise.

Learning ability

Finally, the Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie is not suited to everyone. This is because this dog breed is quite stubborn and unable to follow orders like most indoor pets do.

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.

The Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie is known to be a generally healthy dog with very few health concerns. We think the reason why it’s a healthy dog is due to its athletic characteristic and medium-sized body which is not prone to problems as compared to its large-sized contemporaries. However, since this scent hound is a cross-breed between two well-known breeds, there are chances that it might suffer from several health problems that mostly affect closely related breeds. Some of these health issues include;

Hip and elbow dysplasia

The hip and elbow dysplasia is a skeletal condition that occurs when the hip or elbow joints fail to develop properly. This condition is very painful and is most common in large breeds such as the St. Bernard, Great Dane, and the German Shepherd. Although the main causes of this condition include; poor nutrition, obesity, lack of exercise, and excessive growth, hereditary issues are very common and can’t be ruled out.

Demodectic mange

Another health condition you need to watch out for is the demodectic mange. An inflammatory disease caused by various types of mites, the mange can become intolerable in case the number of mites inhabiting your dog’s hair follicles become exorbitant. Among the common signs you’ll expect to see include; redness on the skin, alopecia, and problems with the immune system. To tackle this problem, pet owners will need to groom their dogs more often by digging deep into the skin to identify the mites.

Cataracts

Cataract is a normal eye condition that affects the eye lens causing it to lose its transparency resulting in impaired vision and later blindness. Although this condition is viewed as a byproduct of aging, some dog breeds such as the Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie are most likely to suffer from this health condition. A common treatment for this condition may include; applying eye drops to help prevent inflammation, surgery or treatment of the underlying factor.

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.

Feeding the puppy

The Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie puppies need to be fed with excellent-quality dog food to provide a balanced nutrition for precise growth. For puppies between 8 and 12 months, 4 bowls of food a day will be enough. Puppies ranging from 3 to 6 months old should be given at list 3 meals in 24 hours period. Always feed your puppies with top quality puppy foods to avoid any possible nutritional defects. Dry food mixed with canned food, broth, or water is perfect for puppies.

Feeding the adult

When your Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie has reached maturity, it will be best that you feed him once in each day. Always go for the best dog food to ensure that you feed him with proper nutrition. Other meals you can incorporate (but in small quantities) are cooked eggs, fruits, veggies, and cottage cheese.

Points for good health

The Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie should be fed with excellent-quality food to avoid various health problems such as tooth and bone concerns. Since these breeds are prone to hip dysplasia, regular veterinary check-ups should be observed at all times.

Games and exercises

The Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie is an athletic dog breed that requires regular physical activity to stay in good shape. Following the footsteps of their ancestors, these dogs are hunting dogs despite the fact that some people prefer keeping them indoors as pets. To eliminate boredom, it’s wise that you set aside some time on a daily basis to exercise your dog as well as take a walk down the streets or around the park.