The Labmaraner is a combination of a Weimaraner and a Labrador Retriever, the most popular breed in the United States. Labrador Retrievers are good natured, intelligent dogs and prized as working dogs. They are often used as guide dogs and in search and rescue. Despite their name, the breed originated from the Canadian island of Newfoundland, not from Labrador. They were originally referred to as St. John's dogs, after the capital city of Newfoundland and worked with local fishermen to retrieve fish and pull in nets. It is hard to believe that this popular breed was virtually extinct in the 1880s because of a hefty dog tax. The second Earl of Malmesbury imported the breed to imported to England where he bred them as gun dogs and retrievers. He was also the first person to refer to the breed as “Labradors”. Labrador Retrievers were recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1917. Often referred to as the "grey ghost" because of its distinctive coloring, the Weimaraner was bred for hunting in the early 19th century. These graceful aristocratic looking dogs were bred at the Weimar court in Germany as hunting dogs. Some of the breeds used to develop Weimaraners include the Bloodhound, the English Pointer, the German Shorthaired Pointer and the blue Great Dane. The Germans imposed strict guidelines on the breeding of these dogs and when an American Howard Knight wanted to import them, he was sent two that had been neutered but he eventually managed to acquire some foundation dogs in 1938 and in 1942 the Weimaraner Club of America was formed. The breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1943.
