There is a very good reason that long coats in german shepherds is regarded as a fault. They are shepherding breed & therefore intended to work in ALL weathers longcoated GSD's do not have the correct undercoat to protect them from the wet & cold.

The police & other professional dog workers occassionally end up with longcoats as gift dogs but these are not kept if bred by the police etc where they have a choice.

The misconception of the publis is that GSD's have long coats & "Alsatians"(sic) have short coats. Due the preception of the "Alsatian"being vicious the option is to seek a nice longcoated GSD. The majority of breeders of Longcoat to Longcoat GSDs are doing it for money

I have been involved with rescue of GSD for a very long time & strangely enough the majority of rescues are badly bred longcoated & a high number are the so called"rare"white(but actually cream to biscuit)dogs. The breeders have no interest i rehoming the results of their profit making as the next litter is either arrived or on the way.

As for updating to include a fault that affects the dogs ability to work is like encouraging owners of other genetically faulted dogs(ie PRA, entropia, HD)to encourage the breeding of dogs with this fault to make it acceptable because one has a dog with the fault.

Enjoy your dog if you wanted to show you should obtain a dog that is bred to the bred standard rather trying to change the breed standard to fit your dog

Actually in Canada we always were of the understanding that German Shepherds were short-coated and the long-coated ones were Alsatians.

Wendy

Sorry Shadow, I am glad you are so pleased with you pup, it is just that the GSD is a working /pastoral breed and as such has to have the most waterproof coat possible. There is no reason you should not show your dog if you wish, the coat type is only one aspect of the breed assesment if you pup excells in other points he will still win. JackieH

I'll have to buy him a coat then if he has to herd sheep!!! he herds the chickens at home with no problem, he will even leave them alone if i tell him to, thats not bad at 5 months eh! there are 25 of them! Mind you if he does chase one and they turn on him he runs away!!!

Still i would sooner he was a bit of a wimp than agressive.

Hi Shadow
I know there is a White and Longcoat GSD club, who hold their own shows. Don't know anything more I'm afraid, probably worth doing a search on them.
Good Luck, Liz

Actually there is nothing to stop you from showing a long coat nor does the breed standard call for a short coat it states 'no hard and fast rule for length of hair'. The only thing thatwould let the dog down is incorrect coat texture. As a groomer I have certainly groomed long coated GSD's that have the correct coat texture and type just long. Most however have very soft coats which would be contrary to the standard.

ive put the phone number for the long haired and white gsd club on the board- looking for wolf like german shepard, while it might not say in the rules you cant show a long coat i think youd be wasting your time ,as the dog will look out of place, its not cheap either to enter shows and i think you'd get disheartened, im sure hed probably enjoy obedience or agility -when hes older for the latter and his hips have been scored------sounds like you're really pleased with him ,-keep it that way

The standard says "No hard and fast rule for length of hair" so if the coat is as a GSD coat should be, I see no reason why the dog should not do as well as he deserves in the show ring. I would be in trouble if I quote the whole coat standard but you should find it on a GSD site or may be on the KC site. If you want to show give it a go, you don't have to win to enjoy a day out. Oh by the way think you have to be fit to show a GSD at least from what I've seen. Jackie H

As Dizzy has pointed out there is nothing to state that you cannot show a long coated GSD, however the breed standard does describe this coat type as "undesirable" so unless you are quite prepared to be content with always being at the back of the class I wouldn't bother. A few years ago I was showing a lovely dog who did well enough at open level but was always placed behind dogs at champ shows which were not as good as him due to a missing premolar which is very disheartening not to mention expensive!
Why not try exemption shows, much cheaper and usually for a good cause.
Glad to hear that you are enjoying your pup but if you are serious about showing you will be far better buying a normal coated dog.

Liza68, Can't find anywhere in the standard that states the length of coat, have I got an old copy? Please advise. Jackie H

Hi Jackie
The version I am looking at is from the GSDL of GB and is approved by the WUSV, FCI and SV and is approved by the KC. It does however state that the KC standard will be based on and not deviate from this, but will be a shortened version which might explain why you cant find anything about coat length. However mine is quite an old copy and it may well be that yours is more up to date, so not quite sure! I will have a nose round the net and see if I can find the most up to date one available.

Thanks Liza, I'm using the KC illustrated Breed Standards dated 1998 so it could have changed. Whilst I'm at it does anyone know where and when the KC publish changes to breed standards. Thanks Jackie H

As changes are made to individual breed standards,they are published in the Kennel Gazette

Thanks Leigh, I stopped taking the Gazette when they changed the format (and increased the price) as I found I was only looking at the Sec. notes. Do they collect them together and publish them. Jackie H

I stopped getting it when they changed the format Jackie. I know they update their breed standard book yearly, and if you purchase it mid term, any updates are included on a piece of paper, added to the book.

Oh dear think I'd better ask the KC. I would have been quite happy to accept a long coat GSD provided the coat was straight, hard, double and abundant with longer hair as required. Hay Ho back to the drawing board. Jackie H.

Your not alone Jackie. If you get to the bottom of it, I'd be interested

Shadow, I have 2 GSD longcoats, really love them, both from english lines, both gorgeous.
I know that some longcoats do have double coats, so would then be suitable for working, but I think the percentage is low. Because your dog is from english bloodlines you will find that he looks very different in size and build when he matures compared to the Germanic show types, you would get a lot of stick at shows for this, even if longcoats were part of the Standard, the 'old english types' are not. I would forget about shows because you would not enjoy the atmosphere and the downright snobbery and hostility you would experience from some of the GSD show people. Enjoy your dog for what he is - a beautiful, loving pet who might not fit a set of rules as to what a GSD should look like, but is nonetheless, a GSD, and an absolutley gorgeous one at that!!
Hope this helps.

Hi Bear

I have to disagree with your point and think you are being somewhat unfair to people who choose the germanic type dog. I have never noticed the "hostility and downright snobbery" that yoiu describe when showing my dogs. I have found the vast majority of show people I have met to be very friendly and helpful.
There are many judges who still put up the old fashioned English type german shepherd, although you will still find that long coats are not acceptable.
Many years ago I wrongly entered one of my dogs, who was an excellent example of the breed under such a judge only to have him finish at the back of the class so it works both ways. The breed has been split into two seperate "camps" now for many years both of which are passionate about their "type" of GSD.
The only reason that Shadow could not show under the judges who prefer the old type is that the dog is a longcoat.

Hi Lisa68,

I did not say ALL show folk were snobby, but is it not the case that you have not experienced any hostility because you show the 'standard' type and therefore are part of the 'club' if you know what I mean?
I was under the impression, correct me if I am wrong, that the 'old fashioned' type of GSD from english lines, even if shorthaired, was still a different type, i.e height, conformation, than the Germanic show types, that they did not meet the Standard because of this so could not be shown. I fail to see then, how any judge could favour the 'old english' type of GSD in the show ring.
I don't feel I'm being harsh in my judgement of GSD show people, I myself have come under a lot of criticism from these 'standard fanatics' and I have had to read some real rubbish about whites and blues being genetically unsound, carrying serious health defects and having terrible temperaments, one person even said that these colours and types are not real German Shepherds and should be culled!
When I said that I may breed longcoats in the future ( after carrying out all necessary health tests ) you would think I had said I was going to breed demons, the reaction I got was unreal.
I personally, don't like the Germanic types, especially the show dogs with their sloping backs etc, but I say each to his own, and don't really voice my opinion much, but when I hear people saying the most awful things about the 'non standard' types, even wishing the death of puppies that do not fit a set of rules, then I can feel nothing but contempt for these kind of people, because in my mind they are fanatics, and while I am sure they are very nice to people who follow their 'rules' they are very different to the likes of me, and all the other people out there who won't 'conform' and therefore buy and love longcoats, whites, blues, and 'wishy washy' colours ( breed standard words ) like black and silver, silver sable.

It always makes me smile when people who own the 'germanic' slopey banana shaped backed GSD's start getting up tight about people who chose to own and breed the 'old english' type. After all the breed standard quite clearly says that the back should be level so who REALLY is breeding to the standard?

The backs usually are level in the better ones - its the set on and angle of the croup that gives the slope.

If you read the breed standard, you will also see that it gives proportions for length/height at wither ratio and for depth of chest and length of foreleg. Now which type is nearer correct?

Nix

Hi Bec

Good to see you still sticking to the breed standard of the 1950's re GSD's. Pity they had to exclude the noted suspicion of strangers when they updated it wasn't Did you know that it was brought in originally to allow nervous yet lovely dogs to be shown ?

Still it's still possible to win with the 1950's standard dogs if you choose good judges , they even allow the use of the very very fine chokers held tight under the ears to ensure that the nervous dogs don't move when handled. It's also nice to see the GSD's move with their head up in the air instead of level with their shoulders as if they were working

Anyone would think GSD's were a shepherding breed instead of a guard/show dog

I think you'll find my comments refer to the CURRENT GSD standard as per the KC's own site. I havent refered to temperament at all.

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