KENAI
Weimaraner

The breeds · gun dog · versatile

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 99

Weimaraner.

Versatile hunting dog for all work in field, wood and water, before and after the shot: points, retrieves on land and water, tracks.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

12.8YRMedian lifespan12.6 to 13, measured on real dogs.
26 / 24INHeightdogs 26, bitches 24. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
55–88LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 77 lb (66 to 88); breed bitches 66 lb (55 to 77).
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 26 in (25 to 27) · bitches 24 in (23 to 25)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1971

FCI 99: females 57 to 65 cm (22.4 to 25.6 in).

Weight

dogs 77 lb (66 to 88) · bitches 66 lb (55 to 77)

Breed clubFCI-Standard No. 99, 2015

Center is the midpoint (30 kg). AKC breed web page: 55 to 75 pounds for females.

Coat

Short, smooth and sleek, solid mouse-gray to silver-gray; a distinctly long coat is a disqualification (AKC). FCI 99 recognises a longhaired variety and describes the shorthaired coat as short, strong, very dense, smooth lying, without or with only very sparse undercoat

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1971

The AKC and FCI differ on the longhaired variety; the US population is shorthaired.

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

5 of 5 · 5 of 5: short single coat with no or very sparse undercoat

DerivedFCI-Standard No. 99, 2015

Derived from the FCI 99 coat description (which states the undercoat) (short single coat = 5); AKC 'short, smooth and sleek' agrees. Applies to the shorthaired variety.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

12.8 years (12.6 to 13)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Row printed as 'Weimaraner'. Teng et al. 2022 (VetCompass life tables) covers 18 breeds and does not include the Weimaraner, so no life_expectancy_yr partner is shown. A second, smaller UK measure: Lewis et al. 2018 owner survey, median age at death 124 months (10.33 yr), IQR 98 to 155 months, n = 74 deaths 2005 to 2014; the two studies measure different populations and the entry leads with the larger.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped. WCA: 'Weimaraners need exercise', three words it says cannot be overstressed; running and swimming with the owner.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

5 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

2 of 5 · Once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC grooming band 'Once a week' = 2. WCA: short sleek coat washes out and dries quickly; grooming is mainly nails and teeth. The RKC page lists coat length as 'Short & long' because the UK recognises the longhaired variety; this band is the registry's single figure for the breed.

Grooming

Once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Why they get given up

Separation anxiety: the parent club calls it 'one of the most prevalent reasons cited when they are given up to Rescue'

Breed clubWeimaraner Club of America

Club statement, not a counted rescue statistic. Fewer than three sources behind this value.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Versatile hunting dog for all work in field, wood and water, before and after the shot: points, retrieves on land and water, tracks

Breed clubFCI-Standard No. 99, 2015

FCI 99 utilization clause. AKC standard: conformation 'must indicate the ability to work with great speed and endurance in the field'. NAVHDA lists the Weimaraner among its versatile breeds.

Primary game

Upland birds ('fur and feathers' dog since the late 19th century)

Breed clubWeimaraner Club of America

WCA history: converted 'from a bear and deer hunter to a fur and feathers dog' in the latter half of the 19th century; WCA living page: puppies 'point birds and retrieve to hand'. No species named by the club; 'upland birds' is KENAI's reading. Fewer than three sources.

Also used on

Originally big game (the club names bear and deer) for the nobles of Weimar; fur; tracking, with the club noting 'much of the original hunting instincts remain today'

Breed clubWeimaraner Club of America

WCA history: 'the Nobles of Weimar were avid sportsmen and hunted a variety of big game', 'converted from a bear and deer hunter to a fur and feathers dog'; boar is not named by the club. FCI 99 brief historical summary: kept at the Weimar court in the first third of the 19th century with much Leithund (liam hound) blood.

Range

Medium: a versatile dog that hunts for the gun and is judged on cooperation and search within the handler's reach

Breed clubNorth American Versatile Hunting Dog Association

No published range figure; characterization rests on the NAVHDA search and cooperation standards. Fewer than three sources behind this value.

Field trial standard

NAVHDA: Natural Ability (to 16 months: nose, search, pointing, desire, cooperation, tracking, water entry, gun shyness), Gun Dog Test (formerly Utility Preparatory) and Utility (field search, pointing, steadiness, retrieve of shot bird and dragged game, duck search and water retrieves, obedience); prized I, II or III against a standard. The WCA also runs its own ratings program (NSD/SD/SDX shooting dog and NRD/RD/RDX retrieving dog ratings, Versatile and Versatile Excellent) and AKC pointing-breed field trials

Breed clubNorth American Versatile Hunting Dog Association

WCA 'Standards for Shooting Dog, Retrieving Dog, Versatile and Versatile Excellent Ratings' PDF (Revised March 2022, weimaranerclubofamerica.org/handbook/Rating_Test_Rules.pdf) opened in the verification pass: it names NSD, NRD, SD, RD, SDX, RDX and sets up a water retrieve with ducks for the retrieving ratings.

Water work

Water is in the breed's definition (FCI: 'all works in field, wood and water'); NAVHDA Utility requires a duck search; the WCA ratings program includes retrieving ratings on water

Breed clubFCI-Standard No. 99, 2015

The short single coat limits late-season water (see cold_water_tolerance). WCA rating rules: retrieving ratings use ducks for the water retrieve.

Cold water

2 of 5 · 2 of 5: short single coat with little or no undercoat; the breed does water work in versatile tests but is not built for late-season water

DerivedFCI-Standard No. 99, 2015

Derived from coat plus water work (FCI 99 utilization 'field, wood and water'; NAVHDA Utility duck search). Fewer than three sources behind this derived value.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

8.5% · 8.5% dysplastic of 14,688 OFA hip evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026); 90.5% normal (22.8% excellent, 56.4% good, 11.3% fair); 5.7% mild, 2.4% moderate, 0.4% severe; OFA rank 144

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock and poor results may be withheld (Hou et al. 2013; Table S1 counts 9,289 public Weimaraner hip records 1974 to 2009, and the paper names the Weimaraner among breeds with steady genetic improvement in hips). Registry figure, not a population prevalence.

Elbow dysplasia

2.1% · 2.1% abnormal of 3,176 OFA elbow evaluations on record (OFA data service, retrieved Oct 5 2026; 1.8% grade I, 0.3% grade II, 0.0% grade III); 97.9% normal; OFA rank 124

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Same registry skew as hips. Hou et al. 2013 Table S1: 1,053 public Weimaraner elbow records 1974 to 2009.

Most common disorders

UK owner survey (n = 372 living Weimaraners; 43.8% with at least one reported condition): lipoma 17.5% (highest of 41 breeds; all-breed 4.3%), skin cyst 5.4%, skin lump 3.2%, allergic skin disorder 2.7%, skin cancer 2.4%, food allergy 2.4%, epilepsy 2.2%, colitis 2.2%, arthritis 2.2%. Causes of death (Lewis et al. 2018, n = 74): old age 17.6%, unspecified cancer 12.2%, heart failure 9.5%, gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat) 8.1%, significantly above the all-breed rate

StudiedWiles BM, 2017

Wiles et al. 2017 Additional file 4 and Lewis et al. 2018 Table 3 (within-breed proportional mortality). Owner-reported, non-random samples. OFA at access: eyes 5.0% abnormal of 1,319; thyroid 88.8% normal, 0.1% autoimmune thyroiditis plus 2.3% compensated autoimmune thyroiditis, 0.5% idiopathic hypothyroidism (2.9% abnormal in all), 8.4% equivocal of 1,326; hyperuricosuria DNA 22.4% carriers of 419 tested; spinal dysraphism DNA 6.6% carriers of 381.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 5; Mental Stimulation Needs 5; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 5; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

No KENAI kennel lists the Weimaraner yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

Side by side

Or let the selector rank the Weimaraner against your own answers.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 11 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Weim, Gray Ghost

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your weimaraner, on the record.

Log the days, the miles and the birds, and the KENAI app keeps the dog’s story beside the breed’s. Free to start.

Get the app