# Coat/Undercoat Question



## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Hi all, I have been away for awhile but maybe some of you remember me. Still aiming for a puppy in spring.

My question is about coats. I know there are regular, plush, and long coats. But do they all have undercoats? Are there coat types that shed less than others? I live in a super hot area so I am thinking a shorter coat would be best. But I've seen several shorter coated GSDs and some are a lot thicker than others. Can one determine puppy coat type by parents?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Plush coats are just a fuller stock coat, vs a closer or tighter stock coat. Both versions have undercoats. Then there's a long stock coat (which is what I have) that does have an undercoat, and a true longcoat, which does not. I've had stock coats before, and they've shed as much or more than my LCs. The longer outer hair seems to keep the undercoat on the dog better, so when I do brush them I get loads of soft fluffy undercoat flying off all over the place, but I don't get the huge tumbleweeds of hair all over the house like I used to with my stock coats. 

If neither parent has the LC gene, all of the puppies will have some version of a stock coat. If both parents have the LC gene (it's recessive) than some of the puppies may be longcoats. All of my LC dogs have come from stock coated parents.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Stosh has a very 'plush' coat even though neither parent does- however, from what I've learned, the outercoat helps the dog to regulate their body temp. We live in TX and it's unusually hot this summer, Stosh doesn't seem to be feeling it more than Uschi who doesn't have all the fur.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Thank you Debbie for the explanation. Also Stosh thank you for the insight.

It's funny but I don't seem to recall a TON of hair or shedding from my prior GSDs but it has been 12 years since I had one and 23 years since I had the other one. However all the GSDs I have met in the last couple of years had a lot of shedding going on and 'tumbleweeds of hair' (LOL) in the house. 

So there's not a type of coat that is low shed or has no undercoat, then?


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

The food may be a factor. Ours don't shed that much but I do brush them every day and it's amazing how much comes off in the slicker brush


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

Sure, on a Doberman  As another post on the topic about why we have GSD's said that a Doberman is like a GSD only with very short hair. I agree as I also had a Dobe. You will get the devotion, intelligence, protection aspect, like in a GSD ony in a very short hair coat. You can even dress the dog up and have matching sweaters as Dobes get cold. Dobes come in black/tan so that would be like the black/tan markings on a GSD. If the hair is your concern, you may want to consider a Dobe. For myself in a cold climate and I love to be out in winter with my dog (not leaving the dog huddled next to the heat vent) it was one of the reasons that I later choose the GSD. For the hair, I'll put it this way, when I brushed my Dobe - 5 minutes (daily) I only used a small rubber curry comb as a massage then finished with a soft brush, when I brush my stock coat GSD (10 - 15 minutes daily or longer depending on if he's shedding) I use first the rubber curry comb to loosen the hair and for a massage, then the rake type brush to get out the loose fur, then a dog comb for the longer hair on the tail and back ends, then finish with the soft brush. I have to stop and remove the loose hair from the brushes frequently. I think you're smart to give the matter a lot of thought because distance in terms of years may have dulled the memory of the shedding.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Onyx is a bi-color and has always had a tight, slick stock coat. This past winter, because it was so harsh and seemingly never-ending~ she developed a thick undercoat. I am still brushing it out.
It seems to me that many bi-colors have a shorter coat than other colors, but of course they still have an undercoat.
It really depends on the environment on how thick an undercoat the dog will get, regardless of the length of the fur. And diet plays a _huge_ role in shedding and condition of the coat if the dog lives where there is little seasonal difference. Though daylight hours play into the coat blows, just like birds moulting.
A stock* longcoat* sheds but it is easier to clean up than the shorter guard hairs of the stock coat. They have more of a "fur" coat than a "hair" coat.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

my dog has a plush coat. i brush and comb him
4 out of 7 days sometimes more.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I also find my very hairy aussies don't shed (or should I say leave hair flying around) as much as my gsd's have..Aussie coats tend to have to be pulled out of them vs, just blowing like a gsd..

Masi doesn't shed much, or atleast I haven't experienced it,,maybe it's all the swimming she does...My others, Dodge I think was the worst,,I'd wake up one morning and he'd look like a 'junkyard dog' with TUFTS of hair that appeared overnite..when his coat was blowing, it was a major blow,,thank god for that air force blower !


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I've been told that true long coats don't have an undercoat, but I've never seen one myself.

Bianca doesn't shed enough to leave 'tumbleweeds', she only sheds a lot during the spring and maybe fall, and even then it's not huge amounts of shedding. I'd say about medium level of shedding, high being a Malamute or something-- a friend of mine used to have a Malamute?/Collie mix-- talk about fur tumbleweeds! Bianca is not even close to that.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

Anton has such a thick undercoat that it's not even funny. When he's soaked then it will take him entire day and more to become completely dry. The only thing is that water can't penetrate his undercoat so he's never really wet unless I'm giving him a bath.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Hondo is a long coat. I have to brush him nearly every day to avoid hair flying every time he plays in the house. But if I keep him well groomed he does fine. 

IMO - the long hairs are easier to clean up, sweep up & vacuum up. I don't have dog hair stuck to my clothes. I had a JTR once, and he left hair everywhere.


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## Eva von Selah (May 7, 2010)

Eva is a plush or stock with the full undercoat. The ones with no undercoat are generally obvious as the hair usually parts down the spine.

I agree that the plush may help contain the shedding of the underhairs. Eva's coat is very thick, undercoat and guardhairs. German and Czech working lines.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

Oksana,

in fact it was seeing Anton that got me thinking about this. If you stood him next to Judge the difference would be astounding in the amount of coat. Yet they are both stock coats. Interesting!


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

Here's Anton today when we got home after swimming 







His coat is short but very full because of undercoat  The other day we got together with a friend of mine with three Am showline shepherds and Anton looked like a different breed next to them.


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## VegasResident (Oct 4, 2006)

Bink, my last GSD was long stock coat (long coat with an undercoat). We moved to Vegas when she was about 4 years old and it can get to 116 degrees here. She was fine with it as long and the AC was up and in the summer she went out pee'd and came back in. We did walks very early AM and after sunset.

Our next GSD we are getting next week will be the same long stock coat from two standard that carried the gene.

She did not shed the same as a regualr stock coat (which I grew up with). She kinda clump shedded and most fur came out during the brushing.


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

I had a short-coated German Shepherd who lacked an undercoat. I think the term is "mole coat." Her top coat still shed though, she was not as pretty as my others, and she got cold in the winter. Poor girl.


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## VegasResident (Oct 4, 2006)

gagsd said:


> I had a short-coated German Shepherd who lacked an undercoat. I think the term is "mole coat." Her top coat still shed though, she was not as pretty as my others, and she got cold in the winter. Poor girl.


Brrrr....my long standard coat was so well insulated that she would go out in the snow in the back yard when we were in Idaho and not come in till she had icicles hanging from her belly!


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Isa is a plush stock coat. When she was a baby, I could have SWORN she was going to be a long hair, she had the tufts of longhair behind her ears too. Her hair is twice as long as my other two. She sheds a lot from her hips/thighs/"pants" area like crazy..









Akbar has a stock coat but it's a lot different from Cody's. Akbar doesn't shed much nor does much hair come out when I'm brushing him but Cody sheds like there's no tomorrow! I could create a whole new dog with his hair, lol. 

AKbar









Cody


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## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

Judge has a proper GSD coat. He sheds out in the spring and can become quite naked compared to winter coat. The short close double coats are called "Mole coats". Anton has a nice coat and it appears that he doesn't shed out as much as Judge does in the summer!


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