Long Coated and Sable German Shepherds
I've had many people ask me about the color and coats of my German Shepherds. Auri and Pike are long coated German Shepherds. Shodo is a plush coat. The long coat of a German Shepherd is a recessive trait, meaning both parents need to give a pup a long coat gene in order for the pup to be long coated. And because it is recessive, even a long coated dog bred with a dog who does not carry the gene, will only produce standard coated pups. Those pups however, will now carry the long coat gene (from their one long coated parent) and if bred to another dog with the coat gene, could produce "coats" along with standard coated pups in a litter. Long coated dogs have two copies of the coat gene and do not carry the stock coat gene at all. Auri's parents were both coats, therefore all the pups were coats. Neither of Pike's parents were coats and he was the only coated pup in the litter, having gotten one recessive coat gene from each parent.
The coat length can vary. The Eastern European bloodlines tend to have a shorter long coat, often the only noticably longer hair being around their ears, whereas some West German showlines have coats nearly as long as a rough collie. For several years the long coat was considered a fault in Germany and these dogs were not bred there. But with the coat gene undetected in so many dogs, coated pups were still showing up. In 2010, the German SV decided to again allow the long stock hair dogs in the show ring and for breeding, believing many good genetics were being passed over. The only difference between the coated dogs and their stock coat siblings is the length of their coat, their working ability is the same.
Auri and Pike are black sables, Shodo is a very dark sable. Bailey is a deluted cream, saddle back sable (stock hair). Sable or gray as they are called in Germany, is actually the genetic dominant color of German Shepherds. Over the years, the color of the saddle back, black and tan shepherd has become the traditional color of show dogs, and what most people think of when they think of German Shepherds. Over the last 50 years, sables and solid blacks have typically been seen in the Eastern European and West working bloodlines. Despite what some think, sables are NOT husky/shepherd crosses, and solid blacks are NOT shepherd/lab crosses.
Sables range from very light (Bailey) to almost black (Pike and Auri), the richest colors being preferred in the German Shepherd standard. The indiviual hairs of a sable dog are banded with color with black tips and a gray, cream, red, or black undercoat. With sables, you're never quite sure what color sable you are getting when the pup is little. A general rule is that the adult color with be close to the birth color, keeping the parents' color in mind. The coat color can darken until the dogs are 2- 3 years old. Pups of any color may be born with small white spots on their chests. If this is the only white on the pup, it usually disappears with the puppy coat, well before their first birthday.
banner- Auri (head shot) and as a young puppy (the front pup on the right with her head on a littermate)
Below- Auri, Shodo, and Pike.
The coat length can vary. The Eastern European bloodlines tend to have a shorter long coat, often the only noticably longer hair being around their ears, whereas some West German showlines have coats nearly as long as a rough collie. For several years the long coat was considered a fault in Germany and these dogs were not bred there. But with the coat gene undetected in so many dogs, coated pups were still showing up. In 2010, the German SV decided to again allow the long stock hair dogs in the show ring and for breeding, believing many good genetics were being passed over. The only difference between the coated dogs and their stock coat siblings is the length of their coat, their working ability is the same.
Auri and Pike are black sables, Shodo is a very dark sable. Bailey is a deluted cream, saddle back sable (stock hair). Sable or gray as they are called in Germany, is actually the genetic dominant color of German Shepherds. Over the years, the color of the saddle back, black and tan shepherd has become the traditional color of show dogs, and what most people think of when they think of German Shepherds. Over the last 50 years, sables and solid blacks have typically been seen in the Eastern European and West working bloodlines. Despite what some think, sables are NOT husky/shepherd crosses, and solid blacks are NOT shepherd/lab crosses.
Sables range from very light (Bailey) to almost black (Pike and Auri), the richest colors being preferred in the German Shepherd standard. The indiviual hairs of a sable dog are banded with color with black tips and a gray, cream, red, or black undercoat. With sables, you're never quite sure what color sable you are getting when the pup is little. A general rule is that the adult color with be close to the birth color, keeping the parents' color in mind. The coat color can darken until the dogs are 2- 3 years old. Pups of any color may be born with small white spots on their chests. If this is the only white on the pup, it usually disappears with the puppy coat, well before their first birthday.
banner- Auri (head shot) and as a young puppy (the front pup on the right with her head on a littermate)
Below- Auri, Shodo, and Pike.
