Personality
Weimaraners are fast and powerful dogs, but are also suitable for the home given appropriate training and exercise. These dogs are not as sociable towards strangers as other hunting dogs, like Labradors and Golden Retrievers. Weimaraners are very protective of their family and can be very territorial. They can be aloof to strangers, and must be thoroughly socialized when young to prevent aggression.
Weimaraners are hunting dogs and therefore have a strong, instinctive prey drive. Weimaraners will sometimes tolerate cats, as long as they are introduced to them as puppies, but many will chase and frequently kill small animals that enter their garden or backyard. In rural areas, most Weimaraners will not hesitate to chase deer or sheep. However, with good training, these instincts can be curtailed to some degree. A properly trained Weimaraner is a wonderful companion that will never leave its master's side.
Training
Weimaraners are high-strung and often wear out their owners. They require appropriate training to learn to be calm and to help them learn to control their behavior. Owners need patience and consistent, firm, yet kind training, as they are particularly rambunctious during the first year and a half of their life.
Like many breeds, untrained and unconfined young dogs often create their own fun when left alone, such as chewing furniture. Thus, many that are abandoned have behavioral issues as a result of isolation and inferior exercise.
Activity Requirements
Weimaraners are highly intelligent, sensitive, and problem solving dogs. From adolescence on, a Weimaraner requires extensive exercise. No walk is too far, and they will appreciate games and play. An active owner is more likely to provide the vigorous exercising, games, or running that this breed requires.
Behavior Disorders
Those familiar with the breed acknowledge two common behavioral disorders: severe separation anxiety and aggression.
Manifestations of separation anxiety include panicked efforts to rejoin the owner when separation occurs, excessive drooling, destructive behaviors, and associated injuries such as broken teeth or cut lips. Behavior modification training and medications may reduce the severity of symptoms in some Weimaraners. As individuals of the breed age, the severity of separation anxiety symptoms decrease somewhat, but may not completely abate.
Early and extensive socialization of young dogs can prevent aggression. However, as the original purpose of the breed was to assist in hunting small to large forest game and to provide personal as well as property protection, a certain amount of aggression is innate to the breed.