Coat Types - Page 1

Are different GSD coat types based on the region of where the dogs are from?  Breeding?  t seems like some have a regular plush coat and then it seems like some have a long smooth type coat.

I have noticed a number of different coat types and wondered how they come about.
Here are 2 dogs as an example.

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=79496

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=588429

Bora has a standard coat,  the other dog has either a standard coat with longer furnishings or is what is known as 'long stock' coat, difficult to be absolutely sure from one picture.  Both are currently acceptable within most countries Breed Standard s;  the long stock coat used not to be ok for UK conformation shows, but nowadays is.  Both have a 'double' coat, i.e. with undercoat.
There is another quite common variety of coat where the hair is much longer, usually referred to as 'long coated', which parts along the back, and frequently lacks undercoat, at least in some areas of the dog's body, and is therefore unwanted because it is not quite as weatherproof.
GSDs are about 12% capable of carrying the genetics for both of these longer coats; so they will appear in some combinations of bloodlines and not others.
Yes, back in the late 18oos when the breed was being formed a variety of herding-type dogs were used to combine into one, and some of these had different coat lengths and types, which is where the genes initially came from.

Thanks for the info!

I made a post on this thread but can't find it, lol. Anyway I'll repeat it:

Pardone me ACE952, I need to ask a question, in long coats there arew some single coated, what about standard coated, are there some with single coat?

Ibrahim

I have a friend who imported a long coated female GSD and after living three years here her coat became much shorter, nowadays she looks exactly standard coated except for the feathers behind the ears. Maybe in hotter climates hairs become shorter after changing coats !!!

Ibrahim

Good question Ibrahim.
Is there is difference in coat types say, czech, wgwl, etc?
Some seem more "slick" while others seem more "plush"

Yes, I can confirm that - although there is a genetic compnent and a lot of individual variation, in general the coats are shorter in hotter climates.  Here in Ecuador we have a relatively cool climate high in the Andes, but hot and tropical on the coast.  Dogs from the coast almost always have shorter, tighter coats, which grow longer and more plush if the same dogs are brought to live in the mountains for a while.  

Well, maybe it is a combination of texture and color. Your examples show a dark sable vs. a light sable, yes? So like people with red or blonde hair are often smoother textured compared to some other colors, perhaps dog color can be associated with a more likely texture, too. Just a thought. I think the black coats are always a tad more silky than other colors, just my observation/anecdotal experience.

It would be interesting to hear what others think about a color/texture association... for fun?

Beetree  would that be black as in all-black dogs, just;  or do you think the same re the black on a  e.g. saddle-marked black&gold, or bi-colour ?

Honestly ?  I don't think the colour of the coat has anything to do with texture;  different alleles.
Do believe that weather/temperature can affect the amount of undercoat present. That does not explain the lack of undercoat from birth in most fully long-coated dogs, which again is recorded as being genetic.

The genetic influence from the 'way-back' ancesters in the variety of herders explains why we still sometimes see curlier or wiry coats, esp. in dogs not bred for show/to meet the Standard.

 
 

 

Ibrahim  a standard coated GSD with a single coat - would be regarded as a fault in (certainly UK and German) Show rings and Surveys.  No undercoat at all, ever, in a normal coat dog, might indicate that all was not well with its pedigree; some outcross ? IMO.