# Long haired GSD owners....give me an opinion



## lauramichelle (Mar 11, 2009)

The litter our pup will be out of is turning out to have several long coated pups. At first we were for sure we did not want a long coat. But....what if the best personality pup for us is one of the long coats? Do we a) just wait for another litter or b) go with the longcoat with the personality for us (the pups are almost 5 weeks old...so not quite ready to tell who will be best for us yet).

Are there any pros/cons to a long haired GSD? I have really taken to their looks from reading so much about them here on this forum. I love the ones that have the silky looking hair. But some turn out quite fluffy looking into adult hood. We looked a few pics online last night and my husband's comment was....."that one looked like he stuck his nose in an electric socket!". Is the smoothness or fluffiness of a long haired's coat genetic...or is it more to do with gooming? How hard is grooming a long haired GSD? Do they matte easily? We have a border collie mix, and his hair is very thick an mattes really bad even with regular brushing. 

I'm hesitant to wait on another litter. I've been nearly 3 months without a dog since my last dog passed away! And no matter what pup we get....within a week we'll be so attached we wouldnt care it it was purple and curly haired!


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## Fee (Jul 4, 2004)

I think you answered it with the last sentence









We have a long hair. She is our first one. She is a borderline Longstockhaar so not that fuzzy. Best dog we ever had. Excellent genetics, temperament and health, workability etc. 
She was a working/sporting dog and never had any disadvantages. Very strong and powerful dog. 

When she gets burrs in her fur she pulls them out herself LOL. We rarely brush her!! Her coat is just excellent.
She does take longer to dry after swimming but for us it has never been an issue and we have bougth a doggie hair dryer for the special days we need to dry her quickly (which is not often

She sheds much less than a shorthair which is good for our allergies and when she sheds it comes out in big chunk so easy to clean up. Her coat is gorgeous!

I have been told by Collie people that if the coat is correct, if they are bred correctly they just shake off the mud etc. No extra care. I guess there could be a differenece in long haired GSDs as well..

If you think temperament, health, genetics are great than I say go for it! Wishing you best of luck!


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## dOg (Jan 23, 2006)

<span style="color: #3366FF">My LH coat</span> seems to blow less coat than my smooth.

I know the standard says it's a fault, but then again, I've heard the SV is reconsidering that. Folks will tell you they're more work,
collect more burrs and matts, but I just haven't seen it. 

Your mileage may vary, but I get more hair out of the smooth. If I was spinning yarn, it'd be a larger % short!

There are 2 types of longcoats...long stock coat has a undercoat.
My boy is that type.

The other is plush coat, and has a light undercoat...and I have no experience with it, but understand it is the reason coats are considered a fault because a plush is not so well insulated to cold/hot/wet.

Having a smooth, I was looking for a coat. I just liked the look.


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## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

i would take the puppy i felt connected to. with a gsd there will always be a grooming factor, yes, probably more with a coat (longhair). when i got my sera i was looking for a black and tan male, i knew the instant i saw her she had to be mine. she was three weeks old, powder blue (she is a blue), the biggest of the bunch, and pushing everyone else out of the way for "dinner". jenniferd from this board just went looking for a black...felt immediately connected to a sable from another litter. it's all about the "connection", imho.

http://sera-and-cash.blogspot.com


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

I went looking for a sable male and ended up with a b/t female. I put temperament several floors over anything else. Diabla is not perfect, no dog is, but I know I picked the best of the litter, even if not the prettiest. If I'd have picked the laid back gorgeous male I know he was not the dog for me and if I've had picked the sable female, even if similar to Diabla temperament wise, even if she had been as good as Diabla I'd had been questioning myself every time a problem arise... "what if I had picked the b/t one?".

I refer to say every morning "Hi, ugly dog" and go to work, which she's always eager to, than to look at a beautiful sable and wonder if I took the wrong decision based on aesthetic parameters.

About the LG coat... I think the amunt of work depends in what you do and where you live with your dog. If he has to move 200 sheep everyday mats can become a nuisance, but for a pet the extra 5 minutes brushing is something you can live with.


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

Here's a recent thread discussing some of your grooming concerns:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1046936&page=1#Post1046936

And here's a recent thread with pictures of a bunch of board members' coaties: http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1049942&page=2#Post1049942

I personally will never be without a longcoat. I think if you get one you'll become addicted too. Temperament is obviously the most important thing, so I was looking for the temperament I wanted within a smaller pool of potential candidates.


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## lauramichelle (Mar 11, 2009)

Thanks everyone. I think we are just going to go with the "best pup for us" no matter what coat it has. You cant tell when they are puppies anyways...a stock coat puppy may turn out to be a very fluffy stock coat....or like the mole skin type with a very, very short coat. And a long haired puppy may turn out to not have very long hair compared to other long hair ones. I think its fun watching how they change as they grow up. All the pups in the litter are sables...so they'll all change color some anyways. If the long coated pups are even half as gorgeous as their long coated dad....they'll be beautiful. 

We just want a good family dog.

Long coated GSDs arent like some terrier breeds that need hair cuts are they? We had a mini schnauzer growing up....he had to have a haircut every 6 weeks or he looked like a rag mop!


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## lauramichelle (Mar 11, 2009)

If it makes a difference in care or how the pup might turn out....the dad is a long coat (the kind with no undercoat), the mom is a stock coat (bred out of 2 stock coats) with a grandmother that was a long coat with an undercoat.


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## lauramichelle (Mar 11, 2009)

I just realized that I"m not sure why we'd be concerned about long hair....before we decided on the GSD breed....we were looking into golden retrievers....and they are long haired and we didnt think twice about it. I guess its because you dont see many LC GSDs and really until I foudnd this board, had never heard of them!


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

The only differences I found with my foster GSD who was longhaired were that his shedded hair tended to collect into "drifts" instead of flying around in separate strands like my "regular" coated GSD, and he did attract burrs (of course he also loved exploring into areas where he was sure to find lots of them!)
Oh yeah I just thought of one more difference-- strangers seemed to think he was more approachable and more people would come up and comment on how "cute" he was or ask to pet him.


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

No hair cuts!!!!


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## gsdlove212 (Feb 3, 2006)

If you are not planning to become a breeder or showing, then the coat really has no bearing. Although I do believe that the SV has allowed Long Coats (with an undercoat) back in. Temperment should trump looks IMHO. 

That being said, I am getting my first coatie this coming Friday. She has the temperment and drive for what I want to do with her. That is more important to me that the length of her coat. 

From what I have been told, they do not require any extensive grooming that their stock coated counter parts don't need. Other than the occaisional burr or tangle. They do not need to be trimmed (however some folks will trim their feet in snowy weather to keep the ice from balling up on their feet). 

Good luck with your decision, but I say if the perfect match for you is in this litter (reguardless of coat type) then I would jump on it.


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## weber1b (Nov 30, 2008)

I would go for the long coat with no hesitation!!!!


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: gsdlove212If you are not planning to become a breeder or showing, then the coat really has no bearing.


I would disagree with that. We thought long and hard before deciding that a long coat was an option for us. We have 3 acres that we TRY to keep cut but our dogs get burrs. I have spent 30 minutes trying to remove burrs from the long hair on my Cocker's tail (he has a full tail) - I can just imagine how long it will take if Mauser runs through a patch of them!


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## gsdlove212 (Feb 3, 2006)

Ok Lauri, I conceed to your point. But seeing as how they were considering a Golden, I just didn't see that aspect as being at the highest priority. But you do make a point.


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## lauramichelle (Mar 11, 2009)

Burrs shouldnt be an issue. We have a fenced large yard with only grass and 1 tree.


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## gsdcentral (May 21, 2003)

Long Coated GSDs are beautiful. Some people think mine is a mix, I don't know, he is a found on the side of the road abandoned GSD, but I love him anyway. He carries his tail high, I think it's just because he knows he's handsome. Saw a coated SAR dog last weekend, she's a beauty. Pick the pup that picks you no matter the color or coat and you'll have a winner.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

and one more: http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubb...rue#Post1051840


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: gsdlove212Ok Lauri, I conceed to your point. But seeing as how they were considering a Golden, I just didn't see that aspect as being at the highest priority. But you do make a point.


A Golden with a correct coat should not get burrs, except possibly in the tail and the feathering of the front legs if that is kept long. If they do the burrs should brush right out.


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## lauramichelle (Mar 11, 2009)

Just an odd thought....anybody get those wild little strawberry things in their yard? We had those and my mom's mini schnauzer used to get them matted up in his feet fur. Anybody encountered these with a LCGSD? Luckily I havent seen any in our yard at our new house.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

these?










or are you actually talking about a type of wild fruit?


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## lauramichelle (Mar 11, 2009)

We had little plants that made teeny tiny real strawberries all over our yard as a kid. THey were real fruit...just really tiny. Our schnauzer would get them all matted in his furr. We dont have them in our yard at our new house. We just have a swamp in the lower part of the yard when it rains. We looked at our house during a dry spell....and then the first rain cam when we moved in and discovered our "river" in the back yard. That project will be done next year. Its a river when it rains...then turns to swamp till it dries out...which is never in the spring. We might put up a temporary fence to block it for now. My kids like the mud holes...I do not!


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## Lola1969 (Mar 6, 2007)

I can't think of a single con from my experience with having a coatie. I've never had any other coat type however (Ozzy is our first Shepherd). Best dog I have ever had, hands down.


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