Not all German Shepherds are
show dogs and not all of them have the short coat usually associated
with the German Shepherd. The following pictures are of purebred,
registered, GSD, from pure bred, registered parents.
Vonderbrink's
Ekstase
aka
"Tassie"
One variation of the purebred German Shepherd is the
"long coat" which may occur in a litter of otherwise normal coated
puppies. It is a genetic throwback to the original breeds from which
the German Shepherd was developed. People who don't know very much
about the German Shepherd Dog will commonly mistake the long coat for
a mixed breed dog. The dog is, however, a pure bred, and exists in
both Germany and North America. I am told, in fact, that the long
coat was preferred by the military when dogs had to work in harsh
brush country where their coats protected them better. The "long
coat" can compete in any AKC/CKC sponsored event. The long coat is
considered a "fault" in the show ring and for that reason is seldom
seen in conformation. Many consider the long coat to have the better
disposition, better structure and better health that their short
coated siblings. People who own long coats become undying
fans.
Xena is also a "long coat."
with the most cheerful disposition, intelligence and beautiful body.
She lives with the Chue family in Edmonton.
Xena, the "Warrior
Princess" is also an experienced couch
potatoe
Here we seen Xena
being loved by "her boys" as she takes her place in the car
for a family vacation. Note the long hair on the
ears.
To see what a long coated
puppy looks like, seePuppies.htm
You can find many useful books
on German Shepherds as well as dogs in general from Amazon books.
Books and videos on canine nutrition, training and the
breed are also available. See Education.htm
