How to identify short or long coated German shepherd puppy

• Any time from 5 weeks old, a long haired German shepherd puppy start growing extra hair at the back of the ears, paws.
• Long hair puppies look different from other pups in the litter.
• Long haired pups have an unusually distinctly darker shiny heads and facial markings that are not very visible when compared to their litter mates.
• Long haired GSD have a silkier and softer coat, bushy tail and generally more hair compared with the short coated GSD.
• Unlike their short double coated counterpart the long coated German shepherd do not have water resisting coat.
• The long haired German shepherd dogs are the predecessor of the short coated German shepherd. The breed standard was set by the SV club in Germany from the requirements of the long haired but strangely, the long haired was said to fall short of the German shepherd breed standard.
• Since the German shepherd dog (GSD) was primarily developed as a working dog, it was considered that the absence of an undercoat will hinder their working ability. Therefore it is considered that the long coated fall short of the standard required for the German shepherd dog.
• According to the American kennel club (AKC), it is only the double coated short coated German shepherd dog (GSD) that is within the restrictions of the German shepherd breed standard. The long coated GSD is considered a fault in the breed.
• In fact the only place where a distinction between long haired and short haired German shepherd becomes obvious is if you choose to enter your GSD for conformation dog show. Long coated German shepherd dog is considered a serious fault in conformation dog shows and will not be accepted.
• Like earlier stated, the major difference between short coated and long haired is primarily in the length of the coat.
• Both coat length require lots of grooming but in certain environment (e.g. on a farm) long hair German shepherd grooming can be a nightmarish experience in order to maintain their coat.
• Long haired GSDs will also require more maintenance to keep the fleas and ticks off them compared to the short coated.
• Short coated German shepherd dogs are very common while the long haired versions are quite rare because the gene of the long hair is recessive. Though there are some breeders these days that focus majorly on breeding only long haired.
• In order for parent GSDs to produce a long coated pup, both parents must have the recessive long haired gene. So if both parents are short haired German shepherd dogs and carriers of the recessive genes then they could produce long haired German shepherd puppies.
• Another reason the long haired GSD is rare is because a lot of GSD breeders shy away from breeding the long haired since it does not meet the acceptable standard for conformation dog show.
• Most long haired GSD owners consider the long haired GSDs to be quite beautiful. It’s one of the reasons why the long haired GSD is so loved.
• Lovers of the long haired GSD say that it has a milder temperament than the short haired GSD. They are therefore more likely to be better pets than working dogs compared to their short coated counterpart. There is no scientific evidence to justify the milder temperament.
• Most importantly, the German shepherd either short or long haired remain one of the world’s most intelligent and versatile dog breed and they must be well trained in order to get the best out of them.

Short Haired German shepherd Facts and Pictures

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