Hi Brad,
I'm a breeder and in our last litter we had 2 long-hairs (one male, one female) out of a litter of 6 pups.

I was expecting this number of long-hairs because I know the plush/full coated sire has the recessive for long-hair (one long-hair pup from his previous litter with another bitch) and I guessed that the short haired Dam may carry the recessive too (although from her last litter, with another sire, there were no long-hairs, a couple were plush/full coated)

I have to expect some long-hairs in our litters because the dogs I have selected to retain in our breeding program (due to good solid nerves / temperament, great prey drive etc) tend to be plush/full coated and likely to carry the long-hair recessive.

I have no problem selling long-haired pups to good pet homes here in the UK. They are sold with a breeding restiction on their registration papers and a spay / neuter agreement.

Although I select for temperament above all, I believe a full/plush coat is more suitable to working in all weathers as it is waterproof, very thick and warm and still retains a proper undercoat. I have a short coated bitch with quite close lying hair which doesn't seem as efficient in the wet (worse in the snow!). A long-haired coat is totally useless in the wet!

The lines I am breeding from are German show and German herding:
Kirschental
Wittelsbacher Schloß
Kirchgarten
Monchberg

Hope this helps with your question. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hi Brad,
Our Long haired GSD was one of two in the litter from a female recessive gene. I just got my second long haired, but had to wait 2 liters for it. I think it is rare in a line of long haired and even rarer if there are no long haired in 3-4 generations? I have noticed there is quite a diff. in length of coats too. My long coat loves the water and swims like crazy, but I live on a lake so he has lots of access. Hot weather is harder on them.

 Quote:

Originally posted by VVG:
Our Long haired GSD was one of two in the litter from a female recessive gene.

Takes two to tango - BOTH the female AND the male must carry the recessive allele for long coats in order to produce one, not just the female. And it's not "rare in a line of long haired", if by that you meant when you breed two long hairs together, cuz you'll get 100% longcoats from that breeding.

SH3FH2
Can't any sheperd produce a long haired GSD?

http://www.leerburg.com/longhair.htm

 Quote:

Originally posted by VVG:
SH3FH2
Can't any sheperd produce a long haired GSD?

not really, it's a recessive gene, kind of like coat colorations. Both parents eith have to have a "long hair" recessive, both parents are "long hairs" themselves, or one parent is a "long hair" and the other is a recessive carrier.

Brad,
Read a book about dog genetics. It is not inevitable to get a WHITE GSD out of bloodlines that do not contain white dogs. I've bred about 300 litters and the only pups that had ANY white on them at all had a small spot on the chest, and guess what? One of the parents had a white spot on their chest as well.

Also the sire and dam of the litter must hold the recessive gene for long hair to produce "coated" puppies.

The SV has now concluded that genetics may actually only play a small role (25-30%) in bad hips. Environment, diet, exercise, etc...has a much more profound effect. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Ok, then scratch that. I was wrong. Just for the record I don't want anyone to think I'm an expert. Reading the article you wrote clearly points out what you were saying on the Long Coats. I apologize.

On the Albinos, I was just wrong . . sorry <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I edited out what I mentioned because I don't want the wrong info interfering with the facts. I don't want anyone to think that I did that to make it look like I didn't say what you told me.

Ed technically your wrong. Given the pigeon hole principle its is an evitablity that if you breed long enough you would get a white shepherd, of course so is winning the lottery. Hows that for the useless fact of the day. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Robert

link for pigeon hole principle:
http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~larryc/proofs/proofs.pigeonhole.html

The pigeon hole theory? Isn't that like the old "A" hole theory?

I think the guys who wrote the Pigeon Hole Theory have never bred dogs - another example of theory and bull shit trying to overpower common sense and experience.

I will know that they may have a point when I get a pup with a white tail or a white leg or white head every now and then. But so far in 25 years of breeding the best I can come up with is a damn white spot on the chest.