About German Shepherd Coats

Owners can genetically test the potential parents before breeding to determine the type of coats their litter will have The Genotype has 3 possibilities: Clear, Carrier and Affected. Even though both parents may have stock coats, some of the progeny may have long coats. The chart below shows the possibilities.

The pictures below show puppies we have bred. The German Shepherd has basically three different types of coats:

• The Stock Coat:

  
  
  The Stock Coat is the most common coat on the German Shepherd Dog. This is the desired coat according to the German Shepherd Dog Club of America Standard and can vary from very short to plush hair with an undercoat.

• Coated or Long Stock Coat:

  
  
  This coat is most often referred to as a “Coat,” “Coated,” or a “Long Coat” which seem to be growing popular among the general public. A “Long Coat” has longer hair with a thick undercoat. They usually have longer fluffy hair around their ears and on the rest of their bodies and are beautiful animals. Many German Shepherd dog owners now prefer the appearance of a Coated Shepherd over a Stock Coat Shepherd. Our Karma carries this recessive gene and in our litters the Coated puppies have often been among the first to be chosen!
  
  The gene involved in this type of puppy is a simple recessive gene making Coated dogs somewhat rarer. Both parents are required to be coated or carry the recessive gene in order to produce long coated puppies. Even after many years of carefully planned breeding, a few coated puppies are occasionally born into a litter from Stock Coat parents because each parent is carrying the recessive gene. Some breeders try to breed this out of their bloodlines. Long Coat puppies can appear in litters from two stock coated dogs because each parent is carrying a recessive gene. Both of these dogs could be bred to different mates who do not carry the gene, and both could potentially produce litters without any coated offspring.
  
  
  
  A Long Coat puppy can often be an indication that the whole litter is going to be a good one. This is because the sires and dams who have produced the litter are carriers of strong genetics from their ancestors. Puppies with this recessive gene generally have a strong-boned body structure, are exceptionally good-natured and are of sound character. There is no correlation between a dog’s coat, obedience, performance and working ability. It is not uncommon to see police and military service dogs that are coated. This is because Coated dogs can be purchased cheaper while still having the genetics to meet the requirements of other working dogs.
  
  It is only in AKC Conformation are the Long Coats are considered a fault. The German Shepherd Dog Club of America as well as the SV have a separate class for Long Coats. In the UKC, a Long Coat is NOT considered a fault. The reason why a Long Coat is considered a fault is because when used on a farm with mud or herding, their long hair catches and holds more mud, dirt, debris, cockleburs and other clingy weeds and vegetation. There is a little more grooming maintenance and more hair to shed. However, there is a good market demand for Long Coats and we know breeders intentionally breeding for Long Coats.

A true “Long Hair” coated German Shepherd Dog is very rare and has no undercoat. The hair parts down the middle of the back and flows down the sides of the dog. Many have never seen or heard of this type of coat. The American Kennel Club (AKC) defines Stock Coated and Long Hair Coats as a fault for Conformation (along with white German Shepherds). Long coats are recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) German Kennel Club and the United Kingdom Kennel Club. The WUSV/SV has approved long stock coat dogs to be bred and shown and the German Shepherd Dog Club of America has created a conformation class for these dogs. In the past, they were allowed to participate in Schutzhund, but were disqualified from the show ring and breeding. Regardless, a German Shepherd dog still requires an undercoat or it is considered to be a fault. A Long Coat has a longer coat, with tufts in the ears, feathers on the feet and has an undercoat.


• Plush Coat:

  Plush Coat German Shepherds are in-between the Stock Coat and the Coated German Shepherds, but they are closer overall to Stock Coat dogs. Plush Coat German Shepherds do not have usually feathering of any type. A "Plush Coat" is considered very desirable for Conformation. The Plush Coat German Shepherds have a much longer length of hair compared to the standard coated dogs and a much fuller undercoat as well. Their hair is thicker, fuller and just longer overall than a Stock Coat. So a Plush Coat is shorter than a Long Coat, but more plush or longer than a Stock Coat. Often a Plush Coat will carry the Long Coat gene.
    

  
  
  

  Note: Until 1915, there were three distinct German Shepherd coat types: smooth haired, longhaired and wirehaired. The wirehaired variety has since disappeared.

    

Remember that regardless the type of coat, a German Shepherd will still shed!

Fun Facts: Dog Breeds with the best sense of smell: #1 The Bloodhound, #2 The Basset Hound, #3 The Beagle, #4 The German Shepherd, #5 The Labrador Retriever, #6 The Belgian Malinois, #7 The Bluetick Coonhound, #8 The Black and Tan Coonhound, #9 The Golden Retriever, #10 The Dachshund.