The Weimaraner is a German breed of dog that is widely used for hunting. Also called Weim, this breed comes in two different coat types, namely the short-haired Weimaraner and the long-haired Weimaraner. Today, around one third of new born Weimaraners in Germany belong to the long-haired group. Although some owners fancy the long-haired Weimaraner, this coat-type is not a recognized breed according to the conformation standards set by the AKC or American Kennel Club.
The long-haired Weimaraner is not eligible for conformation events or shows. It is not even recognized as a pure breed by the major dog associations. You may be able to register a long-haired Weimaraner with AKC only if both of its parents are AKC-registered. Nevertheless, it is recognized as a variation of the Weimaraner breed and it is accepted by a number of kennel clubs around world. As such, it can be considered for performance competitions such as Agility, Obedience and others.
The long-haired Weimaraner has a soft and silky coat, which can be either straight or wavy. If you touch its ear, it will feel as if you're touching a very soft wavy feather. It has a plume-like tail which is long and un-docked, unlike the short-haired Weimaraner which is docked to one-third of its original length. Other than the length of the coat, the long-haired Weimaraner is similar to its short-haired counterpart in every aspect of appearance.
During the late 1800s, the long-haired Weimaraner was primarily used for hunting water fowl while the short-haired Weimaraner was used for hunting land fowl. The long-haired Weimaraner is suitable for hunting in water because its coarse top coat is superb for repelling water. Also, it has an undercoat that functions as an insulator to keep it protected from the cold. The long coat helps to improve its hunting skills in the fields.
The long-haired Weim is rare because it possesses recessive genes. This is due to the fact that a Weimaraner's dominant trait is the short-haired. If a long-haired Weimaraner is mixed with a short-haired Weimaraner, it is most likely that short-haired Weimaraner puppies will be produced. It is very unlikely that long-haired Weimaraners will be born from such a mix. Another thing to note is that a puppy with mixed genes also looks like a short-haired Weimaraner. In a typical litter, there will always be 25% short-haired, 25% long-haired, and the 50% remaining will be of mixed genes.
The Weimaraner with mixed genes is often regarded as another type of Weimaraner. The breeders call it the Stockhaarig. The Stockhaarig features a short coat like that of the short-haired Weimaraner, but it has a coarser texture like the hair of the long-haired Weimaraner. However, this is not a recognized Weimaraner, and it is merely used to classify a mixed Weimaraner.