Guides

The Weimaraner breed

What living with a Weimaraner is really like, and whether one suits your life.

This is where to start if you are wondering what life with a Weimaraner is really like, or whether one would suit you. We cover the breed's history, temperament and daily needs as plainly as we can, including the parts breeders and owners say catch people out.

The guides here are written for people who are still deciding as much as for new owners.

• The Weimaraner: an owner's guideThe Weimaraner is a German hunting dog that lives for its people: grey, athletic and clever, it needs company, training and real work to be happy.
• Is a Weimaraner right for me?A Weimaraner suits you if someone is home most of the day, you enjoy daily exercise together and you will keep training for life.
• Weimaraner temperament: realities beyond the stereotypesWeimaraners are affectionate, clingy, energetic and clever hunting dogs; most problems come from boredom, isolation or over-arousal.
• Weimaraners and children: supervision and suitabilityWeimaraners can be loving family dogs, but they are big and bouncy, so homes with young children need active supervision, separate spaces and rules.
• Weimaraner colours explained: silver, mouse grey, roe, and why "blue", "black" and "brown" Weimaraners confuse peopleWeimaraners come in shades of grey: silver, mouse and roe grey, as the standards describe. Here is what "blue", "black" and "brown" really mean.
• The long-haired Weimaraner: coat, recognition, temperament and where to find oneThe long-haired Weimaraner is the same breed with a longer, softer coat, recognised by the FCI and UK but not shown in the US. What differs and what does not.
• Blue Weimaraners: what the colour is, what the standards say, and what to ask before you pay more for oneA blue Weimaraner has a charcoal-toned coat that every breed standard rejects. It can be AKC-registered, but it is never a reason to pay more.
• How long do Weimaraners live? Lifespan, what the studies say, and what shortens or lengthens itBreed and kennel clubs put a Weimaraner's lifespan in the low teens. Where the figures come from, what studies found, and what owners can influence.
• How big do Weimaraners get? Height and weight as the breed standards define themWeimaraners are a large breed. The FCI, AKC and UK standards each set a height range, and the FCI a weight: side by side, with what they do not tell you.
• Do Weimaraners shed? Coat, shedding, allergies and keeping the house grey-hair freeYes, Weimaraners shed: short, fine grey hairs all year with heavier seasonal moults. No breed is hypoallergenic. How to manage the coat and the house.
• Silver Labrador vs Weimaraner: how to tell them apart, and what each breed is like to live withA silver Labrador is a dilute-coloured Labrador, not a Weimaraner; the two share a coat colour and little else. Build, coat, temperament and needs compared.
• What a Weimaraner costs to own: every line in the budget, and where to find real figures for your countryOwning a Weimaraner costs far more over its life than the puppy did. Every budget line, from food and insurance to daycare, with figures cited by country.