The long-haired German shepherd is not considered a show standard by the American Kennel Club and is therefore not allowed to compete in national competitions. Long-haired German Shepherd owners don’t care if their dogs win trophies because they have already decided that they have the best dogs on the planet. A long-haired German Shepherd is absolutely gorgeous to behold and has a much sweeter temperament than its short-haired cousins.
They also tend to be more comical than the short-haired variety that really makes the public love them. They are excellent at assistance work, are exceptional working dogs, and do quite well in police work. The long-haired German Shepherd makes a great pet and they love children. Only ten percent of German Shepherd puppies are of the long-haired variety, making them difficult to find. Since the American Kennel Club only approves the short-haired German shepherd, most breeders do not breed the long-haired variety.
There is a clear difference between the long-haired German shepherd and the short-haired German shepherd in that the long-haired German shepherd has longer hair. The characteristics of the hair of a long-haired German shepherd are that it is very silky and soft and is parted along the back. They have round bushy tails and big fluffy pants with fringes along the back of the legs. They have long hair between the toes and bushy tufts behind the ears. Puppies can be identified as a long-haired German shepherd if they have fringes on their ears or tufts.
Long-haired German Shepherds also do not have undercoats, therefore they are not waterproof and make them undesirable by breed standards. Long-haired German Shepherds also do not shed more than their short-haired counterpart, nor do they have a distinctive scent. These are two rumors that have passed through the German Shepherd family and both must be considered false.
The long-haired German shepherd makes a very good family dog. He has a sweet temperament, is intelligent, and works very hard when asked. This dog does a great job of policing and is kind to assistance work and is a working dog.
They love affection and live to please their owners. These dogs are also very comical in the way that only dogs can be comical. Just because the American Kennel Club does not accept these dogs does not mean that the public should be against having them. They are the best dogs and no one needs a trophy to tell them so. The fact that they don’t have an undercoat and aren’t waterproof shouldn’t make a difference when selecting a dog. So when you visit your next litter of German Shepherd puppies, look for puppies that have tufts of hair on their ears and fringes on their legs, and that’s the dog for you.
