# Coat Length - Plush Coat + Long Hair



## dranseth (Dec 31, 2015)

Hello,

Not too sure of the genetics, but can a long coat + a long coat produce puppies that are short coat?

Also, are there variances to the long coat? The litter I am looking at has a sire with rather long hair; some hairs reaching 10 inches in length. The dam has a long coat but with maybe 6 inches maximum in coat length.

Thanks


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

A ) no
B ) absolutely

....I'm sure if you google long coat german shepherd you'll see quite a variation. I have known dogs both longer than your description of the dad and shorter than your description of the mom. Tail and ears usually give it away.


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## dranseth (Dec 31, 2015)

Hi Fodder, 

Thanks for the information. What exactly determines the actual length of the hair? Also, at what age would one consider their puppy, when of the long hair type, to have their full adult coat?


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

A ) lots of things... lines, genetics, overall coat condition/quality as it relates to diet, seasons, etc.

B ) generally by 2, earlier is not uncommon... although my guys coat changed slightly in color and fullness every time he blew his coat til about 6 or 7.

Ps. Carma is a long coat btw, and look how short her coat is on her body: http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/happy-birthday-gotcha-day/677450-happy-birthday-carma.html .....and then there's Taser at the opposite end of the spectrum http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/pictures-pictures-pictures/118445-course-heres-taser.html


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

But if the father of the father of your puppy had a short coat and he inherited the long coat from the mother.. wouldn't there still be a chance of having a short coat from one of the grandparents?? If that makes sense.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

It doesn't matter if it's expressed or not..... any stock (short) coats in the pedigree would still be carriers of the LC gene in order to produce any long coats.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

.....and with that, I've reached my limit. Perhaps a breeder or someone better versed in genetics will chime in.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I read this post from pedigreedatabase,com........helped me understand it a bit more...........the person seemed like they knew what they were talking about......then again....I'm an easy sell....I checked out the reference to FGF5 in the post and found "Long versus short fur is associated with a (Cys95Phe) change in exon one of the _fibroblast growth factor-5_ (_FGF5_) gene.".....so it seems somewhat credible.

SuperG

"*The gene responsible for coat length is designated as FGF5 (fibroblast growth factor-5). It is an autosomal recessive gene. Recessive genes remain "hidden" unless two copies are inherited. There are two variants of the gene for coat length, called alleles. Each parent contributes one allele. One possible allele is given the designation "L" (for short coat) and the other "l" (for long coat). The "L" form is the dominant allele, meaning coat length in an animal would be short coated if both inherited alleles OR a single copy of the "L" allele are inherited by the offspring. In order for the coat to be long or fluffy both inherited copies must be the "l" allele. Obviously, a dog may be either "LL" or "Ll" or "lL" or "ll". The dog with the latter allele pair will be long coated, while the others will all have short coats. However, the "ll", "Ll" or "lL" allele pattern means that these dogs are carriers of the allele for long coat and may, if bred to another dog who possesses an "l" allele, result in progeny who are long coated. Dogs who are "LL" are short coated and even if bred with another dog who possesses the "l" allele will produce only short coated dogs because the "L" allele is the dominate allele.

At least two other genes have been identified for coat texture, such as "satin" or "curly", but these are not the same as the gene responsible for coat length. The two I mention are autosomal dominant, meaning only a single copy need be present in the animal for it to show the given trait.*"


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