Puppies

There are lots of things to consider when buying a Weimaraner puppy. To make it easier for you to navigate this process, the Club has produced ‘A Guide to Buying a Weimaraner Puppy‘ which you can download here

Choose your breeder carefully

The WCGB requires their breeder members to follow a code of conduct

1. Breeders must be members of the Weimaraner Club of Great Britain for the last two consecutive years.
2. The Breeder will ensure that both the Sire and Dam of the litter are fully registered at the Kennel Club.
3. The Breeder will ensure that every effort is made to place the puppies into suitable homes and will not sell to dealers or pet shops and will not sell puppies under the age of seven weeks.
4. The Breeder will register the litter at the Kennel Club and with the Club Secretary.
5. The Breeder will ensure that every puppy buyer is provided with a signed pedigree (three or more generations), and K.C. registration certificate at the time of collection or within six weeks of purchase.
6. The Breeder will ensure that every puppy buyer is supplied with a diet and care sheet.
7. The Breeder will ensure that the litter has been properly wormed at least twice prior to seven weeks of age.
8. The Breeder will recommend that the buyer takes the puppy to a veterinary surgeon within three days of purchase for a health check and vaccination advice. Should a defect be detected the breeder will either exchange the puppy, offer a full refund or agree a mutual compromise.
9. The Breeder will not part with any puppy with its registration papers if the puppy deviates seriously from the breed standard or shows signs of a serious hereditary defect.
10. The Breeder will be encouraged to take responsibility for any Weimaraner bred by themselves which is in need of re-housing.
11. The Breeder will be encouraged to list their litter free of charge on the Club website
12. Details required for the Puppy List:
    1. Date of birth or expected date of birth of the litter
    2. The number of each sex
    3. The name of the Sire
    4. The name and date of birth of the Dam
    5. Whether this is her first, second or third litter
    6. The date of birth of her previous litter(s) if this is not her first one.

What is a fair price for a puppy?

The Club Committee discussed this matter after it was reported that some Weimaraner breeders were charging an exorbitant £2,500 – £3000  for their puppies. After much discussion, the Committee decided that around £1200-1400 is a fair price and anything more and the breeder would need to justify the extra cost. Given that some of the top breeders in the country, both show, and work, don’t charge more for their pups, we can’t see how other breeders can demand more for their pups.

Why should we worry about price?

For the last few years, registrations have fallen considerably and are now at around  800  (including colour not recognised puppies) per year, a level that the Committee feels is sustainable, with the number of puppies matching demand. However, if the price creeps up then this can only mean one thing – it will attract the attention of the puppy farmer and pet breeder who wants to earn a ‘fast buck’, and then we find ourselves back at the 2000 level of registrations, and a large number of dogs coming to Rescue for rehoming. We’ve been there before and we hope we don’t revisit it.

In our code of conduct, member breeders agree to take back any dog that ‘bounces’ or to help the owners and Rescue to find a new home etc. As many breeders will testify, a higher price tag does not ensure a forever home!

Docking is for working dogs.

There is a surprising number of puppies are being docked. There is a legal exemption for breeders of genuine working dogs to dock their puppies at 2-3 days of age, but we are seeing more puppies being docked that are bred by people not known to have an interest in working. Docking is not a means to charge more for pups or attract buyers who are just interested in the aesthetics of the dog and not its working ability.

The Committee of the WCGB