Background
The long-hair coat has occurred in the Weimaraner since their inception. Initially, they were excluded from the studbook; however, this policy was changed by the German Weimaraner Club in 1935. The inclusion of the long-hair in Germany was influenced by traits that began to appear in the Weimaraner, where links to the long-haired recessive gene had been eliminated. Due to this, the Germans stopped trying to eliminate the long-haired variety from the breed. Around 2001, the WAC formed a committee to look at fully accepting the long-haired coat variety in our CKC standard. This would allow the long-haired variety to compete in the conformation ring without penalty. The long-hair coat variety had been included in the standards for all other countries for many years, with the exception of Canada and the USA. They have been permitted to compete in other areas, such as field and performance events. In 2007, the changes were made official, and the long-hair variety was permitted to compete in the conformation ring without penalty. Although still seldom seen in the show ring, they are gaining in popularity. This is due in part to their better protection of the more severe elements that we can experience here in Canada. With conscientious breeding by dedicated and reputable breeders, the qualities of the long-hair Weimaraner will continue to improve, and they will become ever more competitive in the conformation ring.
Genetics
The long-hair gene (lh) is a simple recessive gene. This means that if the puppy/dog does not inherit a lh gene from each parent, they will not have lh. The short-hair (sh) gene is dominant. This means that the following will occur when breeding.
*There is a DNA test to determine whether a short-hair Weimaraner carries the lh gene recessively
The long-hair gene (lh) is a simple recessive gene. This means that if the puppy/dog does not inherit a lh gene from each parent, they will not have lh. The short-hair (sh) gene is dominant. This means that the following will occur when breeding.
- Short-hair male to short-hair female, and neither carries the lh recessive gene* = ENTIRE litter will be short-hair
- Short-hair male to a short-hair female and one carries the lh recessive gene* = ENTIRE litter will be short-hair, and approximately 25% will carry the lh gene recessively
- Short-hair male to short-hair female, and both carry the lh recessive gene* = Approximately 25% of litter will be short-hair and not carry the lh gene, 50% will be short-hair and carry the lh gene, and 25% will be long-hair
- Short-hair male (non-carrier) to a long-hair female or vice versa = ENTIRE litter will be short-hair, and ALL will carry the lh gene recessively
- Short-hair male (carrier) to a long-hair female or vice versa = Approximately 50% of litter will be short-hair and carry the lh gene, and 50% will be long-hair
- Long-hair male to a long-hair female = ENTIRE litter will be long-hair
*There is a DNA test to determine whether a short-hair Weimaraner carries the lh gene recessively
