You have decided to add a Weimaraner puppy to your family! How exciting! This is a big decision and one you are going to live with for many years. Please do your research before choosing your breeder and bringing your puppy home. The health and longevity of your puppy depend greatly on this. Finding a reputable breeder takes some work. Where should you start?
It is very important to choose a reputable breeder when buying your Weimaraner puppy. A reputable Weimaraner breeder is passionate about the future of the breed and will only breed dogs that will improve future generations. They will always have health testing completed on all of their breeding dogs to prevent known genetic diseases and health issues from being passed on to puppies. Reputable breeders will have a health guarantee and will always take a puppy back at any age if your circumstances change and you can no longer keep him.
Not every Weimaraner breeder is reputable, unfortunately many are not. Buying a puppy from somebody that is not reputable greatly increases your chances of getting a puppy with health and/or behavioral issues. Luckily there are a few obvious things to look for to know if your Weimaraner breeder is reputable or not.
Health Testing.
A reputable breeder will ALWAYS have all health testing completed on any dogs that they breed. This is a non-negotiable with reputable breeders. If the following health testis are not done, or the breeder cannot provide the proof of these tests being done, DO NOT buy a puppy from that breeder.
The Weimaraner Club of America has a wealth of resources describing some of the health issues found in Weimaraners HERE. The tests that reputable breeders will have completed on their breeding animals, including a few links for more information, are:
- Hip dysplasia
- Eye certification
- Canine Hyperuricosuria (HUU)
- Hypomyelination (HYM)
- Spinal Dysraphism (SD)
- Autoimmune Thyroiditis
Helpful tip – Any dog that has a CHIC number or OFA hips or elbow testing completed, along with several other tests, will be listed on the OFA registry and can be searched by name. This search is available to the general public free of charge. Go to www.OFFA.org and type in the names of the sire and dam of the puppy you are considering. The testing completed for those dogs will be listed there. There will be no records found for those dogs if testing has not been done.
Available Puppies
A reputable breeder almost always has homes lined up for their puppies long before they are ready to go to new homes. Typically the puppies are spoken for before the litter is even born. Reputable breeders usually do not have to advertise available puppies and in the rare case that they do, you won’t find them on a puppy buying website, Craigslist or newspapers. This is worth repeating. Never buy a puppy from a puppy finder website, Craigslist or a newspaper since there is a very good chance they will not be coming from a reputable breeder.
Most of the time you will have to get on a waiting list to get a puppy from a reputable breeder. These puppies are in high demand and for good reason. It is not uncommon to be on a list for up to a year, sometimes longer, to get a quality puppy from a reputable breeder. I know this seems like a long time, but they are worth the wait.
Reputable Weimaraner breeders usually only have 1 or 2 litters a year. Some may have more than that occasionally, but not normally. The majority of the time, puppies from a reputable breeder will be spoken for very quickly. A reputable breeder will typically not have multiple litters of available puppies at a given time. A breeder with many puppies available or that has multiple litters a year could be a red flag for a possible puppy mill or low quality puppies. Further reasearch is highly recommended before buying from a breeder like this.
When looking for a reputable Weimaraner breeder close to you that may have puppies available or an upcoming litter planned, a great place to start is with your local Weimaraner Club. A list of Weimaraner clubs can be found on the Weimaraner of America website here.
Breeder Knowledge
Reputable Weimaraner breeders are usually very passionate about their dogs. They have spent years living with and learning about this magnificent breed and are a great source of information about Weimaraners. They have made a huge investment of both time and money toward the betterment of the breed and truly care about what the future holds for these dogs.
The majority of reputable breeders actively compete with their Weimaraners in the AKC show ring or in the field and will only breed Champion show dogs and/or accomplished field dogs. Look at the pedigree for any puppies you are considering. Dogs that have earned titles will have letters at the beginning or end of their names. This is a list of AKC titles and what they mean.
Ask potential breeders questions about their dogs and their history of involvement in the breed, including accomplishments they may have. A good breeder will appreciate your willingness to learn and will probably take the time to teach you about the breed they are so passionate about.
Reputable breeders are a valuable asset if you are interested in getting started in dog shows or field work. Breeders involved in these and other dog sports are usually very happy to mentor their puppy buyers. Weimaraners are very active dogs and are happiest when they are out doing things with their owners. Reputable breeders love to see their puppies active in a sport and will invest their time and energy to help them to succeed.
Puppy Cost
Puppy prices can vary depending on your location. I live in Texas and the average price I have found for a well bred Weimaraner puppy coming from a reputable breeder with fully health tested parents is usually somewhere between $1500-$2000.
Reputable breeders typically do not charge any less for a “pet” puppy than a show puppy and usually will not sell a puppy on full registration (gives show and breeding rights) to anyone that is not already actively competing with Weimaraners. All puppies, regardless if they are going to a pet or show home, will have the same investment of time, energy and meticulous care as every other puppy in the litter, therefore costing the same whether intended for pet or show.
Some not-so-reputable breeders may charge significantly higher prices for puppies with breeding rights or a certain sex or color of puppy. This would be a signal that the puppy is not coming from a reputable breeder. It is surprising, but the price of a Weimaraner from a puppy mill or backyard breeder is usually not much, if any, less than one from a reputable breeder. Again, do your research and insist on only buying from a reputable breeder unless adopting from a rescue.
Why should You Buy From A Reputable Breeder
Buying a puppy from a reputable breeder greatly increases your chances of getting a genetically healthy, quality Weimaraner puppy. Although environment and nutrition can play a big part in overall health, puppies produced from genetically sound parents have much better odds of not suffering needlessly.
Buying from a reputable breeder also increases your chances that your Weimaraner will have a good disposition and will look like a Weimaraner is supposed to look due to careful breeding.
Buying only from reputable breeders can also help to stop overbreeding and overpopulation. When backyard breeders and puppy mills cannot sell all of their puppies, they will most likely stop breeding so many of them. For them having puppies means making money. When they aren’t making money from selling puppiesanymore they will most likely no longer breed.