BLUE WEIMS

[gary70]

hi all.i've been looking into the availability of any blue weims in the uk with a view to adding one to the family of the 2 i already
own. first of all are there any here.from what i can gather they're widely available in america but very rare in the uk.
can or can't they be kc.reg??
lastly if i was to import one from the u.s.a is the process of doing so easy or like most thing, an administrative minefield??
i'm prepared to go to america to look at pups etc.
good excuse for a holiday
i really like the look of these dogs and form what i can gather there are no differences in the breed apart from coat colour.
any info on any of the above would be greatly appreciated.
thanks gary

i want one of these....

[tasha]

gary can I ask why you want another one?? they are not part of the breed here and do not meet the breed standard.

to answer your questions:

Yes there are a few blues in the UK but not from reputable breeders.

At the moment they can be registered with the UK Kennel Club if already registered or have a US registration BUT none of the clubs recognise them as part of the breed and are still fighting to have them removed from the register, the KC are looking to restrict the colours able to be registered to the three recognised colours in the standard this does not include Blue.

They are rare in the UK because no one actually wants them beyond the pet market where they are being sold for exaggerated prices. It is unlikely their popularity here will increase beyond the pet market if they are looking for a new fashion accessory.

If you wanted to import one it would be the same process for a grey, you would need to find a good and reputable breeder (I'd opt for someone recognised in field work via the WCA), you would need to wait for their passports to be completed or a 6 month period in Uk Quarantine - check with DEFRA as they will know what you will need to do. Most imported pups are about 10 months when they are able to come to the UK.

There are some lovely grey dogs out there that meet the standard why not just opt for one of those.

[cummel]

I agree with Tasha, why would you want a dog who does not match the standard of the breed? You would support breeders who are not breeding following the standard.

[chiendog]

I've seen a few Blue Weims. They can be very nice looking dogs. I've never seen one that could actually hunt, but I have been told that there may be one or two that can and do hunt fairly well. My belief is that supporters of the Blue will never convince the Weim world to accept the colour so they should probably focus on establishing a separate breed/variety based on the colour difference in the same way the Large Munsterland/German Langhaar or Picardy Spaniel/Blue Picardy Spaniel have.

That being said, I find the argument that one should avoid blues and breeders of blues because they don't breed to "standard" to be a bit shakey. Don't forget that 99% of weim breeders on the planet do not breed to standard. Oh sure they try their best to produce dogs that fit the rather vague written description... that varies from one kennel club to the next... but they do not breed to fit the most important standard of all: the working standard.

Is it really so egregious to breed dogs with a different coat colour when all of the most important attributes of the ones with the "true" colour are completely ignored? Before we hold aloft the holy standard (which one?) as a sort of crucifix to drive the blue demons from our midst, remember that if it is truly effective, it will drive away the useless greys as well.

Come to think of it, that may not be such a bad idea!

[cummel]

I speak about the FCI standard. But, why would you excuse breeding of dogs outside the standard because of other breeder do so too, where will it end?

I don't doubt about the existence of good hunting blue weims at all. I know there are and so are also other dogs who don't belong to a certain breed. We have seen here a crossbreed of Labrador X German Short hair Pointer. He looks and works as a Labrador, but he even points, perfect!

I agree with you about different breeding programs within different clubs in different countries, I would prefer more global harmonization as well, of course including hunting skills.

[chiendog]

I speak about the FCI standard. But, why would you excuse breeding of dogs outside the standard because of other breeder do so too, where will it end?

That is the point I am trying to make. For the "standard" to be truly effective, it must apply to all dogs. It cannot be used by those who do not adhere to it to castigate others that do the same. In English we say: It is like the pot calling the kettle black.

Since this is an international forum, here is the same expression (more or less) in a few more languages:

De pot verwijt de ketel dat hij zwart ziet
La pelle se moque du fourgon
Ein Esel nennt den andern Langohr.
l bue che dà del cornuto all'asino
Przyganiał kocioł garnkowi

[tasha]

isn't the one thing all the standards agree on the exclusion of the colour blue??? Its going to be a pretty good free for all if we suddenly decide that colour doesn't matter... what won't matter after that?

Hunting is always going to be different in different countries we don't all hunt alike for starters.... I suppose if we all had the same terrain, the same species, the same need for a wide or a close ranging dog etc etc things would be different but we don't so the dog has been adapted to its location, we don't all hunt the same species either.

You have to keep some distinctions otherwise you might as well just chuck them all in together and call them hunting dog.