# Another longcoat post



## Omar Little (Feb 24, 2013)

My pup's litter is on the ground, will be 5 weeks old this weekend. Depending on the way things work out, I may have a choice of a long stock coat and 1 or 2 regular stock coats. Obviously, looks and coat is very much secondary, but in case it comes down to a tie-breaker, I'm wondering about longcoat now. I hadn't put much thought into them, but the idea is kind of growing on me. If anyone has any stories about difficulties or positives with longcoats, speak up! Also, any working line sable longcoat pics would be cool. There's some on google images, but it's kind of unreliable.


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## MilesNY (Aug 12, 2010)

Look up Gatordog on here. Her Carma is a long coat sable working girl.... And she takes lots if good pictures. ;-)


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## Omar Little (Feb 24, 2013)

Oh yeah, I forgot Carma was a longcoat. She's a beautiful sable LC.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Longcoats need a lot more grooming... that's the only difference I know of, although I've heard anecdotes that the sweetest puppies in a litter always seem to be the longcoats!


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

I think Long Coats don't really need more grooming at all. We have a LC and a stock. When Kastle (LC) is blowing coat, it stays under his top coat until I brush it out. When Pan is blowing (stock), it tufts out everywhere. Kastle does get mats in his tair and ear fluff that require brushing but that's about it. He dries WAY faster than Pan when we swim them.

Kastle


















Here is a video of Kastle growing up....so you can see the crazy coat changes, from one year to puppy


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

FG167 said:


> I think Long Coats don't really need more grooming at all.


Haha. That's what everyone says... but I dread grooming longcoats, it takes waaaaaay more time, product, energy, and patience than a short coat. More undercoat staying on the dog = more opportunity for tangles and mats to form. So not only does it take more of everything to properly groom a longcoat, I usually find mats behind the ears and in the britches. That will never happen with a short coat.

Your particular dog looks like his coat isn't all that long or profuse, so it's probably easier to take care of than most. Genetically he's a longcoat, but the expression of the gene appears to be inhibited somewhat. Unless those photos were taken right after he majorly blew his coat, or he's under a year of age.


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

Freestep said:


> Haha. That's what everyone says... but I dread grooming longcoats, it takes waaaaaay more time, product, energy, and patience than a short coat. More undercoat staying on the dog = more opportunity for tangles and mats to form. So not only does it take more of everything to properly groom a longcoat, I usually find mats behind the ears and in the britches. That will never happen with a short coat.
> 
> Your particular dog looks like his coat isn't all that long or profuse, so it's probably easier to take care of than most. Genetically he's a longcoat, but the expression of the gene appears to be inhibited somewhat. Unless those photos were taken right after he majorly blew his coat, or he's under a year of age.


No, that's what I mean. If I keep up as soon as I notice he's blowing, its super fast, way easier than our stock coat to keep up on. If I ignore/don't notice, then he mats.

Nope, that's what he looks like. He's two in the photos  The last show I put him in, the judge told me to just trim up his ears and call him a stock coat  Carma's coat will probably be similar in length it looks like.

ETA: he's from working lines, and two stock coated parents...perhaps that is why?


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

I would say that are a bit more work to groom but not excessively... I just go over him once a day making sure to brush through his 'pantaloons' and ear floofs so they don't mat. Washing and drying takes a little but longer too but it's not enough to deter me from them. They are my fav, if I had my way my next dog would be a bi color LC :wub::wub: Oh and if you do get a LC be prepared to be asked if your dog is a Belgian shepherd a lot. 


Untitled (2013-05-21 01:40:28) by Carriesue82, on Flickr


big bear by Carriesue82, on Flickr


Untitled (2013-07-16 01:25:23) by Carriesue82, on Flickr


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

Really, who wouldn't want one of these? 










We brush Shasta (and Thor, but his coat is shorter) out 5 to 7 times a week; it takes less than 10 minutes to brush her out. She has never had a mat. She stops cars on the street when we walk her.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

They are beautiful when kept well-groomed, that's for sure!


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

It really depends on the coat some are thicker with a heavy undercoat like my Apache, I would never want another dog with a coat like his. Kiya is a plush coat but she doesn't have that heavy thick undercoat. Lakota is a stock coat and let me tell you she sheds more than both my plush coats did in their entire life put together.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Ranger is a long coat sable and I'd say it is more work with him. His coat is extremely dense, you can't hardly find skin around his neck. When out playing in the rain, like today, he'll bring in a lot more debris than my stock coat females, of course he is only 11 months and really enjoys mud. We hike regularly and you can count on him collecting all kinds of sticker burs and weed seeds, especially around his neck and ears. With my girls the same seeds seem to brush off with my hand, with him its pick and pull time, but he's great about it. 

Someone mentioned them holding their under coat until brushed, which seems to be true with him and just as Freestep said he is a sweetie. Sorry for the crapty pic, this is weed seeds stuck around his neck after hike.


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## Omar Little (Feb 24, 2013)

Thanks for the coatie pics, they're all gorgeous! Good point on the debris magnet Nigel, I've heard Freestep mention that before 

And Freestep, you should know the litter I'm talking about, so I'm guaranteed a great looking pup, but these LCs are amazing.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

No difference to me, they both need grooming. My long coat sheds less. The look is amazing once you have one its tough to ever think of getting an normal coat for me.


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## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

I think that my long coat might actually shed less than my short coated. They take the same time to bath and dry. Their coats are both very dense, so I hate bathing both of them. You do have to make sure the tufts behind the ears don't get matted.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

kr16 said:


> My long coat sheds less.


Everyone says this, but the truth is, long coats don't shed any less than short coats. It's just that, while short coats simply drop dead hair everywhere, long coats hold onto that dead hair. So it appears that they aren't shedding, but trust me, they have just as much dead hair to lose. While short coats will just drop it, with long coats you must brush it out, or it will stick in the coat and cause mats.

Anyone who still doesn't believe that a longcoat sheds just as much, I invite you to visit to my salon when I have a coatie coming in. You will be astounded by how much hair blows out of that dog once I turn the HV dryer onto her!


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## meldleistikow (Oct 24, 2011)

So they don't shed less, but I am much happier that they hold on to it better until I brush it out rather than drop it everywhere


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

When the dogs are blowing their coats and we use the undercoat rake, our driveway looks like we are slaughtering kittens. _There is a lot of loose hair._ I'm not saying they don't shed as much (I have no basis for comparison), just that it's not that bad if you keep up with it. And any small additional inconvenience is worth it to me because I love the look so much.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

We got this pile of hair testing out something a local groomer showed us on her shepherd. We get huge piles when we groom him completely.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Freestep said:


> Everyone says this, but the truth is, long coats don't shed any less than short coats. It's just that, while short coats simply drop dead hair everywhere, long coats hold onto that dead hair. So it appears that they aren't shedding, but trust me, they have just as much dead hair to lose. While short coats will just drop it, with long coats you must brush it out, or it will stick in the coat and cause mats.
> 
> Anyone who still doesn't believe that a longcoat sheds just as much, I invite you to visit to my salon when I have a coatie coming in. You will be astounded by how much hair blows out of that dog once I turn the HV dryer onto her!



lol it never stops on either, I can brush all day and it never stops


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## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

I have a LC, but he is a showline boy. I agree with what some have said, they shed a ridiculous amount of hair...and it does get trapped. I brush/comb my guy every couple days at the very least, especially right now since he is still blowing coat. But who am I kidding, there is hair EVERYWHERE right now. So it is coming out on its own. I have brushed enough from my boy from this coat blow so far, to probably build 3 more of him...and the blanket in his crate is so hairy cause he sleeps on it. I dont have many problems with mats, I use a comb on his ear floofies and butt puffs and if you keep up with it, it isnt bad. He doesnt get any dirtier than a normal stock coat. He DOES take longer to dry, and has 'problem areas' that are hard to dry...(armpits, neck, butt puffs...) And strange, I have ALSO heard the sweetest dogs are the coaties


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

My longcoat sable girl Halo. :wub:










I'm on coatie #2 & 3, and I won't have anything else.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

OMG, I had forgotten how much I love Halo!


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## ksotto333 (Aug 3, 2011)

Love all these pictures of the Long Coats...had to include some of my own. I just love the look, especially the ears...

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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

My working line sable LC girl, Carma


7/30/13 by Gator_Dog, on Flickr


7/25/13 by Gator_Dog, on Flickr

Right now, if you were to pet her and then pet my stock coated male, you would get maybe a few hairs from her and an absolute hanfdul from him. All the dust balls floating around my house are from him. Yes, if I took a comb and brush to her, I would get out a decent amount of hair, but its nothing like it is when I brush my male. I comb her out just as often as I do him, which is a few times a week. No matted hair or knots. She dries just as quickly, if not faster than Aiden. I don't do anything special for her. I expect some snowballs between the toes in the winter and plan to trim the fuzz there, but other than that, its no more work for me at all. 

She is also quite a butt kicking working dog with drive for days


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## cjla (Aug 23, 2013)

Gatordog she is beautiful!! Sorry just had to tell you. And the other GSD on here is also beautiful!! Gorgeous dogs!!


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## Kaiser2012 (Mar 12, 2012)

I brush kaiser about once a week. Its mostly to keep his ear floofies from tangling and to remove any loose undercoat. 
















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## nomofish (Apr 13, 2013)

*Long Haired*

My humble, 2 cent opinion, but the long coat my family had was the sweetest natured dog (not just GSD) I have ever known. She loved us unconditionally but still really loved to meet new pack members. Go for the LC. Here she is waiting with her fam


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