About this breed
The silver-grey coat of the Weimaraner has earned the epithet of the “Grey Ghost”. The breed was created at the German Court of Grand Duke Karl August of Weimar where it was developed as a pointing dog for the nobility in the early 19th century but there is a dog of Weimaraner type in a Van Dyke portrait three centuries before this date.
The nobility of Weimar wished to retain the dog as exclusive to the elite classes and a club was set up with strict enforcement of breeding and ownership. If a dog was sold to a non-member, the dog was secretly sterilised before passing it on. It was not until the advent of the Second World War, that the breed became better known outside of Germany with some exports to the USA and the UK. From that time the breed's popularity soared with much admiration of its skills in the hunting field. The breed was first seem in the UK in the 1950’s and he is now very popular in the show ring.
The breed also has a long-haired variety, which is much less numerous.
Images for this breed
The Gundog breed group
Dogs that were originally trained to find live game and/or to retrieve game that had been shot and wounded. This group is divided into four categories - Retrievers, Spaniels, Hunt/Point/Retrieve, Pointers and Setters - although many of the breeds are capable of doing the same work as the other sub-groups. They make good companions, their temperament making them ideal all-round family dogs.
Colour Watch
Category 3: Breeds with >10% to 30% registered NBS colours or between 500 and 1000 NBS registrations per annum
Breed Standard colours
Breed standard colour means that the colour is accepted within the breed standard and is a traditional and well-known colour in this breed.
Breed standard colours in this breed include:
- Mouse Grey
- Roe Grey
- Silver Grey
Non-breed-standard colours
Non-breed-standard colour means that the colour is not accepted within the breed standard and whilst some dogs within the breed may be this colour, it is advised to only select a dog that fits within the breed standards for all points.
Colour is only one consideration when picking a breed or individual dog. Health and temperament should always be a priority over colour.
Non-breed-standard colours in this breed include:
- (NBS) Blue
Other colour/s
'Other' means you consider your puppy to be a colour not currently known within the breed and one that does not appear on either the breed standard or non-breed-standard list. In this instance you would be directed through our registration process to contact a breed club and/or council to support you on identifying and correctly listing the new colour.
Health
Whether you're considering buying a Weimaraner puppy or breeding from your dog, it's important to understand the health issues that may affect the breed and how they can be managed or avoided.
Pre-breeding health screening
Best Practice schemes and tests
These tests address conditions that are still significant for the breed, though they might be less common or newly identified, and research is ongoing to determine their full impact.
To support the breed’s health, responsible breeders should ensure they complete all tests in Best Practice.
Following our Best Practice guidelines means completing both the Good Practice and Best Practice tests for your breed.
- Elbow testing (for elbow dysplasia) using the BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme
- Eye testing using the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme
- Hip testing (for hip dysplasia) using the BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme
Click here to find out more about The Kennel Club's health standard
Find out about a particular dog's results
Please visit our Health Test Results Finder to discover the DNA or screening scheme test results for any dog on The Kennel Club's Breed or Activity Register.
You can also view the inbreeding coefficient calculation for a puppy's parents, or for a dog you're thinking of breeding from.
DNA testing services
We don’t currently offer a breed-specific DNA testing package for this breed, but we have a wide selection of individual DNA tests available. To find out more and view our full selection, click here.
The breeding for health framework
Throughout 2025 we ran a major review of our pedigree dog health work, from which we have developed a new model called the breeding for health framework.
This framework covers all aspects of health and welfare that should influence breeding decisions for any breed or type of dog, building on from our previous Breed Health and Conservation Plans, and is broken down into three main areas of health:
- inbreeding/ genetic diversity
- conformation
- breed-related disease/ wellbeing
By applying the breeding for health framework, we can group all the breeds that share a certain issue together, so that we can provide targeted support and breed communities can share relevant experiences and expertise. All previous actions and priorities from the Breed Health and Conservation Plans are being transitioned into the new framework.
You can read more about the breeding for health framework here, and watch this space as we update and progress this framework to apply to your breed
More about health
If you have any concerns about a particular health condition in your breed then you may wish to speak to your vet or you could contact your breed health co-ordinator.
Breed health co-ordinators are individuals working on behalf of breed clubs and councils who are advocates for the health and welfare of their chosen breed. They acts as a spokesperson on matters of health and will collaborate with The Kennel Club on any health concerns the breed may have.
To contact your breed health co-ordinator please email:
Breed watch
Category 1
Currently no points of concern specific to this breed have been identified for special attention by judges, other than those covered routinely by The Kennel Club breed standard.
Breeding restrictions
There are a number of The Kennel Club's rules and regulations that may prevent a litter from being registered, find out about our general and breed specific breeding restrictions below.
More about breeding
There are two coat types known for this breed - smooth and long-haired. The option to select long-haired is provided when registering a litter online. For any paper applications, a note should be made next to the relevant puppy or in the form of an accompanying letter. If registered as such, the wording long-haired will appear after the breed name on the registration certificate and noted in the Breed Records Supplement, otherwise the dog is considered to be of the smooth-coated variety.
Looking for a puppy?
Looking for a Weimaraner? Explore our list of puppies and rescue dogs for sale near you.
More information
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