Why do the German Shorthaired Pointer and the Weimaraner look so much alike?
Written by on Friday, September 26, 2008 – 10:12 pm -At the park this morning a neighbor passed by my dogs and I on his rollerblades accompanied by his young dog which I thought looked like a Weimaraner with spots. He told me that it was a German Shorthaired Pointer and when I look at pictures of both breeds they look like the same dog, just with different colored coats. Does anyone know why these breeds look so much alike?
I sincerely apologize to those of you who own either of these breeds. Didn't mean to offend anyone, but my hope was to express my thoughts and get a clearer understanding of the origin of these two breeds.
I would like to ask those of you who are stating that there are many differences to inform the rest of us some of those specific details. Much appreciated! 
The responses have been thus far highly dissapointing. I have yet to be convinced that these two breeds are so different, nor has anyone truly impressed me with a theory as to why they look similar. At this point I can only say that to those who think they are different are more passionate to express their opionions, and those who think they are similar would rather keep quiet since they have never taken the time to truly explore the history of these two breeds. I was hoping that you who know the differences could prove to those who frequently mistake. One of you even expressed your frustration for everytime someone thinks your German Shorthaired Pointer is a Weimaraner, but you did not mention the certain attributes that make your dog so special and unique. This has all been too dissapointing.
Actually well bred Weimaraners and German Shorthairs shouldn’t look that much alike, other than they are both large floppy eared dogs. They are different sizes, not to mention different colors, thier conformation is somewhat similar, but if you go to breeder websites or AKC, and look at the pics, you’ll see more differences then similarities. I suppose that given that they are both Germanic hunting breeds that they might share distant relatives though…
Posted in weimaraner pictures | 5 Comments »
By paintedrain2 on Sep 26, 2008 | Reply
Weimaraner: “There are various theories as to its origin. Some feel it is the result of albinism that overtook some ancient German pointing dogs.”
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/weimaraner.htm
They’re both Pointers.
I do not think they look very identical, though.
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By sheila n on Sep 26, 2008 | Reply
Actually well bred Weimaraners and German Shorthairs shouldn’t look that much alike, other than they are both large floppy eared dogs. They are different sizes, not to mention different colors, thier conformation is somewhat similar, but if you go to breeder websites or AKC, and look at the pics, you’ll see more differences then similarities. I suppose that given that they are both Germanic hunting breeds that they might share distant relatives though…
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By Taser on Sep 26, 2008 | Reply
Actually they don’t look anything alike and I don’t mean just the colour, though they are both sporting dogs.
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By ♥percy-pigs♥ on Sep 26, 2008 | Reply
Errgh it really annoys me when people say that. I have a german shorthaired pointer and they look different in lots of ways if you pay attention!
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By bookmom on Sep 26, 2008 | Reply
I think they look similar because they are both used for hunting and were developed in the same part of the world…if you are used to longer coated breeds, then they can look alike because they have short coats and muscular builds. But if you look closely, there are many differences.
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