Long Coated German Shepherd Puppies Are Difficult to Find

By Jan Ryan

The long coated German Shepherd is not considered show standard by the American Kennel Club and, therefore, is not allowed to compete in national competitions. The owners of the long coated German Shepherds could really care less whether their dogs win trophies because they already have decided that they have the best dogs on the planet. A long coated German Shepherd is absolutely beautiful to behold and has a much sweeter temperament then their short haired cousins.

They also tend to be more comical then the shorthaired variety which really endears them to the public. They are great at assistance work, make exceptional working dogs and do quite well with police work. The long coated German Shepherd makes a great pet and they love kids. Only ten percent of German Shepherd pups are the long coated variety which makes them hard to find. Since the American Kennel Club only approves of the short coated German Shepherd so most breeders do not breed the long coated variety.

There is one distinct difference between the long coated German Shepherd and the short haired German Shepherd in that the Long coated German Shepherd has a longer coat. The characteristics of a long coated German Shepherd's hair are that it is very silky and soft and will part along the back. They have round bushy tails and big fluffy pantaloons with fringes along the back of their legs. They have long hair between their toes and bushy tufts behind their ears. Puppies can be identified as a long coated German Shepherd if it has ear fringe or tufts.

Long coated German Shepherds also do not have undercoats, therefore, they are not waterproof and make them undesirable for breed standards. Long coated German Shepherds also do not shed more then it's shorthaired counterpart, nor does it have a distinctive odor. These are two rumors that have passed through the German Shepherd family and both should be considered false.

The long coated German Shepherd makes a very good family dog. It has a sweet temperament, is intelligent and works very hard when asked to. This dog does great police work and is gentle with assistance work and are very much a working dog.

They love affection and strive to please their owners. These dogs are also very comical in the way that only dogs can be comical. Just because the American Kennel Club is not accepting of these dogs does not mean the public has to be against owning them. They are the best dogs and no one needs a trophy to tell them so. Just because they do not have an undercoat and are not waterproof should not really make a difference when selecting a dog. So when visiting your next German Shepherd puppy litter, look for the puppies that have hair tufts in their ears and fringes on their legs and that's the dog for you.

Jan Ryan knows these dogs make great police dogs, assistance dogs and working dogs. The basic difference between German Shepherd types is the length of the coat. The grooming of long coated German Shepherds can be found in any book with German Shepherd information.