Improving the breed - Page 6

Hexe
I am no writer, and I should have made it a new paragraph.
 

Hexe,  this is the breed standard FCI 166/23.03.1991 / no more long stock coats allowed.
Take a look at page 3 "Haarkleid" - changed again in Dezember 2010...
http://www.sv-duesseldorf.de/images/stories/PDF/rassestandard.pdf
The current English version you can find on the SV homepage with "stockhaar" AND " langstockhaar"
Kind regards
Susie

Please explain to me what coat has to do with working abilities; brains, beauty and health certifications.  Thank you...

I used to be neutral about the stock coat/long stock coat issue.

But last summer we went camping with 4 dogs, 1 long stock coat, 3 stock coats.
The long stock coat was nothing but trouble. The spear grass and burs cause horrible infections. Her fever was 104 after the second day. I ended up having to come off the mountain to find a groomer and medical help of all the horrible skin infections caused by the spear grass digging into her skin. My whole vacation consisted of grooming, giving pills, pulling burrs, spear grass and trying to keep the wounds clean while primitive camping.

IMO German shepherds are supposed to be all around wash and go dog that required minimal grooming.
Long coats are beautiful, they may have the temperament and drives to work, but they are foofoo dogs.

@ sitasmom- that's a bit extreme example.  in an average home, the coats aren't any more trouble/work than the stock coats. We live on an 18 acre farm with a big pond and 3 acres woods in Ky that my dogs run on, and my one coated boy doesn't get any more burs/tangles/etc than my 3 stocks do.

Agree Sita not a good scenario for a long coat but really does not factor in to their working abilities other than camping in the stickers;  brains, beauty and health certifications.  Granted I am not a fan BUT really should not make a difference what type coat they carry.  Does not affect their abilities to work.  Sure foxtail will cause problems along with wild oat seed, etc but you have to use slicker brush and get those out.  Can't let them fester.  Just curious as to different opinions on that type coat.

If we are going to generalize on LSC GSD's, I will add my .2 cents.  From what I seen, worked and spoken to breeders over the years the LSC generally have a very good temperament, excellent drive and working ability.  In the past while their coat was considered "faulty" for not having the double coat; they were never criticized for temperament or working ability.   I have had friends and family own LSC GSD's and I have really liked each of those dogs.  

My first GSD was a longcoat. He required a lot more grooming than my stockhairs, formed ice ball between his toes in the winter and mats behind his ears and elbows. It took him days to dry if he was soaked to the skin and he was a burr magnet. I've dealt with long coats in another breed. If they have harsh guardhairs they fare a lot better than they do if they have soft guardhairs and a sparse undercoat. Dog drivers hate dogs with long soft coats, they won't  use them.

Not all longcoats are the same. The guardhairs must be harsh and stand off from the body with a thick undercoat. Otherwise there is a big problem.

Yes Blitzen, realize they can freeze to death in the arctic for sure with improper coat texture also a fault in the arctic breeds, called a glamour coat, hell to groom and keep up so no sled racing for those dogs, but still not faulty for brains, beauty and general good health...  they can still work in different venues.   I have heard before LC GSD's usually have excellent temperaments??  Is that true?    Just curious.  Thx  Nan

It's often said LSHs are better shaped, better constructed, better 
temperament, better drives  ... etc.  Apart from the 'surprise' of
sometimes finding a really nicely constructed dog under all that
hair, which is odds-on similar to finding a really nicely constructed dog
WHATEVER it's coat is like, these generalisations are all untrue
IME.   I guess, having dealt daily with as many longcoats as
Stocks, the proportions are actually about the same, of very good
dogs over the more mediocre ones.  After all, most of 'em come
from the same families !

CMills sorry to be contradictory but I just don't agree with you -  in my
last job we had a mix of 'coats' and not, kept on an estate much as
you describe.  Lots of space, mown lawns, not too much thorny under-
brush, woods, lakes ...  and I have to agree with what Blitzen described
in the next post.  Loads of grooming, many tangles, ice balled feet in
Winter.  Ugh.  Lovely dogs, but give me a Stock coat any day.