# How long will his coat be?



## Vagus (Oct 7, 2012)

Hi everyone, I'm going to the breeder this weekend to make my final choice on which little bundle I'm bringing home next week. I just have a quick question - How long do you think this pups coat will be? I ask, as his potential owner lives in another city a few hours away from the breeder and is having doubts about whether he will really be a plush/fluffy long coat. He was the only long coat born in the litter. If she pulls out, he will become available to me, expanding my options. I am not bothered by coat type/colour at all, but do rather like his temperament and have had the chance to interact with all the pups a few times (I live quite near to the breeder). So now I'm curious, how long you think his coat will be - or is it too early to have any idea?

Just over 3 weeks here:


















and 6/7 weeks here:
on the right









On the left


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## Bear GSD (Apr 12, 2012)

It's hard to tell from the pictures but I can tell you he looks like my pup at that age. My pup wad the only LC in a litter of 6 from two stock coated parents
I have to say even though my Bear is coated, he is more on the plush side and not a long coated as most I have seen.

I don't know how track back the link but if you look under my threads it's listed as "Bear is 1!!! Look how he's grown". You will see some pictures when Bear was about that age and a little older.
Good luck in picking out your puppy!


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## Vagus (Oct 7, 2012)

Sorry about the pictures, they're all I have to show. I figured it might be worth submitting them in case there are some key features that give away a certain coat type that an untrained eyes (like my own) would miss.

Your boy is just stunning! What a beautiful and happy looking dog. You must get plenty of attention when you two are out and about.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Pup is from working lines? I'd say a coatie, cute coatie!
Showline pups usually look very fluffy, but WL's are tighter/woolier before the adult coat comes in. And most LC WL's don't really get thick/long like the SL coaties. Seems to be silkier type and develops slower. But that does depend on environment, too. 
The litter is adorable! I'd take that sable as my 'pick'!!


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Here are some pics of mine, to compare for you:

at 10 weeks, last august:










Sept '11










Last February:











last month:










Today:












I live in a cold part of the US, about 2 hours from the Canada border. His coat is seasonally affected, so it's thicker and richer in the fall and winter.


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## Sherry (Mar 2, 2012)

@ RocketDog -- Wow! That is one gorgeous GSD! His poses are priceless!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I agree, Rocket and his scenery :wub: I love his mane!


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## Vagus (Oct 7, 2012)

@Onyx: These pups are German show line, and he is definitely of the poofy variety. The breeder is keeping 2 pups for herself, and I suspect the sable is her top pick too 

@Rocket: Oh wow he is breath taking, I love his dark face. It's funny, he didn't look especially fluffy as a puppy, but wow his coat really grew. 

While we're here - I feel I don't know the exact definitions. 
Coatie, long coat, plush coat?
Which ones are massive in their fluffiness, and which ones just have some tufts behind the ears and a bit of extra hair hanging from their bellies/legs/paws?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Seeing a sable in a showline litter is uncommon. 
Long coats are dogs without an undercoat, coat is parted down the spine and silkie(this is very uncommon in the GSD)
long stock coats are dogs with an undercoat
plush coat is just a description, but isn't really a 'type', though many SL's tend to be more thick/plush than WL's so some will describe the coat as plush.
I have a long stock coat(lines unknown) and she is very thick undercoated. This is her summer coat(when she is "out of coat")

























I don't have pup pics of her, she is a rescue.


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Aww Thanks you guys. He wasn't the super fluffiest puppy, but he's actually not that long-haired now, either. If he had just some ends trimmed up, I don't think he'd look that much different than a short stock coat except for the mane-- he does have a lion's mane, LOL.


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## Vagus (Oct 7, 2012)

@Onyx: I see, that makes much more sense now, thank you. Coatie then refers to the long stock coat, yes? As for the sable - the pups' mother is a sable. I think where I live (I'm not from the US), sable popularity is increasing in the shows.

Pups mother pictured here at 6 months


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Wow-- she is gorgeous! 

Any pup you get, enjoy and post lots of pics!


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

Rocketdog, your boy is stunning!

I thought it was odd to have a sable SL. I don't think I've ever seen one before. My bitch wasn't as long coated as Kacie, but I guess she was a stock long coat as she had an undercoat. We always referred to her as a 'plush coat' as this best described her look. She had 'pants', but her other areas weren't as long. 

The pup you're speaking of is the biggest of the litter! I'd want to get my hands on that sable, but maybe just because of all the years of brushing, cutting out mattes, etc. on my bitch. Seemed like loads more work than my short coated dogs. I do miss that look, though. :wub:


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## Vagus (Oct 7, 2012)

Very good point Jag, thank you. As gorgeous as he is, I'm not sure about all that extra grooming. 

It's funny, I've made an entire thread about this boy, but he isn't even my first pick! I was just wondering if its worth considering him (i.e. is he available to consider), as I'm not sure if his potential owner is happy with his coat.


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Honestly Rocket is only a year and a half. So maybe I just haven't seen anything yet. But while he does require a bit of brushing occasionally, and I have had to give him a bath in the spring (and probably about now he's due again), I have never found mats on him ever. And believe me he swims and hikes 4-5 days out of the week and LIVED in the snow last year. The worst brushing was in the late spring when he was getting rid of his winter coat. Also it could just be Rocket himself, but he sheds far less than any dog I've ever had. :shrug:


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

It was the 'pants' that caused all the trouble with my girl. The rest of her? Not so bad. She just matted horribly in her pants area! Nothing seemed to help. She was probably 2 before it started getting really bad.


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

RocketDog said:


> Honestly Rocket is only a year and a half. So maybe I just haven't seen anything yet. But while he does require a bit of brushing occasionally, and I have had to give him a bath in the spring (and probably about now he's due again), I have never found mats on him ever. And believe me he swims and hikes 4-5 days out of the week and LIVED in the snow last year. The worst brushing was in the late spring when he was getting rid of his winter coat. Also it could just be Rocket himself, but he sheds far less than any dog I've ever had. :shrug:


I agree with this, we seldom have matting issues. Just when we're camping I have had to cut some burrs out, they seem to get intertwined badly.. 
pictures at 8 weeks she is the outside pup

and a year


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Sable show lines are not all that rare or unpopular these days. The Arlett lines carry sable and there are some sable VA dogs around.

If the puppy has ear tufts it is a long stock coat.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Vagus I think this pups is a coatie! And very cute!

Rocket is also stunning!


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