I have a friend who has a sister from Germany who is looking for a "blue" weimaraner intact male from a reputable breeder. She is having a very difficult time getting the blue color in Germany, and wants to purchase a 1-2 year old male (not a puppy). Does anyone know a reputable breeder of Weimaraners, preferably on the east coast because he would need to be transported to Germany?

The 'blue' is a coloring akin to a white-coated German Shepherd -- considered a disqualifying fault by the breed club. Probably why you don't find them in Germany. They are more strict about those kinds of things.

They are probably bred by some AKC breeders someplace. Trolling the internet will turn them up. Expect all the faults and problems that go with the inbreeding needed to fix that particular coat color.

Here is what the breed club says about them ...
http://www.weimclubamerica.org/auntie/auntie2.html#blue

I had never heard of a “blue” Weim, so I looked them up!

They are beautiful! Too bad they are considered undesirable color. I also got to learn about the long hair Weims that are so popular and excepted everywhere else.

Not helpful for your friend, but thank you for expanding my doggie knowledge.

ETA: I did learn that they are somewhat popular and not too hard to find here in the states, and found many pups available, but no adults…

And there would be little to no inbreeding needed as the blue is a dominate color and very easily bred for. Many reputable breeders will either not breed to the blues or will just cull the pups that are produced and hold onto the grays.

Blue Wiems

and Wonderful Weims

(Not trying to be argumentative, just found this somewhat fascinating!)

Mary,

Meredith Prillaman versatilek9s@yahoo.com

Roanoke, VA

Thank you so much for that valuable information - I will definitely pass that on and hopefully they will take heart and not further the unaccepted color. We need to be advocates for dogs when the opportunity comes our way!

The color has no genetic issues associated with it. It just isn't preferred. It isn't produced by inbreeding so why not breed blue weims if they have the conformation and temperament for it? And killing pups just because they're blue is sick and should be prosecuted as animal cruelty. Find it a pet home on a neuter/spay contract if they're that insistent on this "flaw" not getting furthered in the breed.

Cathy

FYI - culling does not necessarily mean killing. It means removing them from the breeding pool (sometimes it means euth, sometimes just spay/neuter and pet home like you said).

Also many show breeders will cull anything not in the breed standard (for example, ridgeless Rhodesian Ridgebacks, or long haired Rottweilers, or white Schnauzers - "that's not how it is supposed to look!")

I definitely agree that a dog outside the "standard" should not be killed! There are mutations that crop up and this will of course happen, and the results are dogs that can be just as great dogs as their siblings. But I also don't necessarily think they should be deliberately bred. But sadly there are many breeders in this world who breed only for looks and the show ring and just don't care about anything else.

With that said, blue Weimaraners are apparently not disqualified in the USA, they are faulted but can still be shown. However they are disqualified in Europe.

 Quote: Angela Burrell

With that said, blue Weimaraners are apparently not disqualified in the USA, they are faulted but can still be shown. However they are disqualified in Europe.

 Quote:

The Blue Weimaraner is currently a disqualifying fault in the American standard and is not accepted by the Weimaraner Klub e.V. (German Weimaraner Club).

From http://www.blueweimaraner.com/

The blues can compete in field trials and OB events, as they ARE allowed to be registered (much like a white GSD or a long haired Rott) BUT the color IS considered a disqualifying fault and will be dismissed from the breed (show) ring.

I find it interesting that it is such an issue, seeing as they now allow two other coat types that were NOT in the original standard, Stochaar (kind of a slightly longer, double thickness coat) and the long hair, both of which are a recessive trait that is being bred for. The long haired is actually becoming very popular! However, the blue WAS in the original 1944 standard.

 Quote:

Blue Weimaraners as we know them today in the United States can be traced back to one dog, Cäsar von Gaiberg (“Tell&rdquo, imported from Germany in 1949. His arrival sparked immediate controversy over his dark coat color even though the 1944 Standard, obviously written prior to Tell’s arrival to America, specifically includes the Blue color in the “General Appearance” description: “Color Gray (Silver, Bright, Dark, Yellow); the Dark Gray may be either ash or blue.”

(from the link above)

Oh well. I personally like the blue color, and think it even more striking than the grays... And as it is a dominant color, there should really be no need for a reputable breeder to cull (in any form); just don't breed to a blue! Those breeding to them are doing it because they find some compelling reason to do so other than color, so they obviously have something going for them conformational, temperamental, or instinctual/ability wise. They just want to keep/claim only the grey siblings/offsprings.

Jessica:

 Quote: Angela Burrell

With that said, blue Weimaraners are apparently not disqualified in the USA, they are faulted but can still be shown. However they are disqualified in Europe.

I read the AKC show information from a link you previously provided:

 Quote:

Any Weimaraner whose parents are both registered with the A.K.C regardless of wither it is blue or gray, is eligible for registration by A.K.C. an A.K.C. - registered blue Weimaraner is eligible to be entered and shown at any A.K.C. dog show. Under the present standard, the blue color is considered as a fault in the show ring, however, it is entirely within the discretion of the judge to place the blue dog ahead of any of the gray dogs he considers more faulty than the blue. The blue color is definitely not a disqualification in the show ring, regardless of the fact that powerful interests tried unsuccessfully to make it so at the time that the present standard was approved by the A.K.C.

http://www.weim.net/twn/General/blue-weim.htm

I guess without actually reading the standard - I really don't know!

And I like the long haired version, I agree it would be much easier on the dog to hunt in colder weather.

 Quote: Angela Burrell

Cathy

Also many show breeders will cull anything not in the breed standard (for example, ridgeless Rhodesian Ridgebacks...)

It's true... and it wasn't that long ago that this practice was finally discouraged, despite the fact that in the case of RRs, the ridgeless genes actually PROTECT against a dangerous defect known as dermoid sinus. As genetic research advances, inclined breeders are provided the opportunity to know more and more about the genetic markers and linkages behind all manner of traits - But the classic argument between breeding for form (looks) vs breeding for function (utility/temperament/health, etc.) remains out there in force.

I have actually known just as many blue weims as I have grey weims and I never got the impression that they were all that hard to come by in the states - blues and greys can come out of the same litter in fact. This is one instance where a disqualifying trait actually gained traction in the USA as a DESIRABLE rarity (how very American ). Given the blue coat color is still a fault in the show/breeding world, it would just seem that extra care should go into researching the breeder to make sure that A. they aren't breeding SPECIFICALLY for blues, and that B. their breeding program is otherwise respected for producing sound dogs (using the same questions one would ask of ANY good breeder). It looks like having a blue in a breeding program isn't forbidden, they just need to be so spectacular that even with their color fault they STILL surpass the competition...

In the same way that I rather fancy ridgeless RRs , I'm rather partial to the blue color on weims - and I'm so very glad to be living in a time when culling just means selling cheaply on a non-breeding contract! I do question whether the OP is looking specifically for an INTACT adult blue male because they're interested in breeding him... which should very carefully be considered unless that male had already proven himself superior in every other way...

Here's one more place for good reading material on those blues:
http://www.blueweimaraner.com/index.html

~Natalya



Edited by Natalya Zahn (01/21/2009 11:40 AM)
Edit reason: Sorry to double post the link - Jessica beat me to it, lol!