Best Shepherds is always glad to answer any questions you may have regarding the
unique "Large, Long-Haired" German Shepherd breed. We invite you to read over
our answers to some of the most common questions which we have been asked. If
your answer is not found, or you need still further information or details, you
are urged to use our CONTACT
US Inquiry Form as a convenient way for you to ask your
question.
NOTICE: Possible Health Risks — IAMS and Eukanuba Dog Food
Procter & Gamble Company has issued a Recall of Specialized Dry Pet (Dog and Cat)
Foods Due Possible salmonella Health Risks to Animals
and HUMANS. To read more about this, we invite you to visit the official
IAMS website for detailed information:
IAMS and EUKANUBA RECALL INFO
What the Heck is a "Long Haired German Shepherd"?
Where does a Long Haired German Shepherd come from? This question and others
are asked when we walk our beautiful dogs. We often meet people from other states,
other parts of America or even other countries to whom these dogs are unknown.
CLICK
HERE to Learn MORE About these Fine Dogs and their
Long History.
What is the Difference between the Long Coat and Short Coat German Shepherd?
Long Coat German Shepherds differ in their breeding in that they are more
laid back and easy going. In general they have better temperaments than what is
encountered in the typical Short Coat German Shepherd.
In my opinion, I find that the Long Coat Shepherds are much "prettier"
and more elegant looking. Less inbreeding has occurred with the Long Coat line.
Curiously, a Long Coat is considered to be a "fault" when judging dogs in the
show ring. As a result, most breeders and including Best Shepherds, breed for
good "temperament", a nice personality, large size and soft coats. Probably as
the result of their history of less inbreeding, the Long Hair Shepherds tend to
have straighter backs and are less likely to develop "hip displacement" problems.
The Long Coat German Shepherd represents what the Old World Shepherds
looked like, unlike "the modern AKC dog show version". Believe it or not, the
Long Coat Shepherds actually shed less, except when Spring comes and
they "blow their coats".
Do All German Shepherds "follow you around all the time?".
Yes! That is their job, their purpose in life. It is to Love and
Protect you. They can't do that if they are not with you. German Shepherds are
very family oriented dogs. They always want to be with you. They love
human companionship and association. They do not like to be alone.
Why does my dog always lay in front of the door?
They like to lay where people come in and leave the house, since they
consider it to be their den. This is a sign of their loyalty
to you and your loved ones. It is a sign of their watchfulness.
What do you feed your pups?
All our pups are fed high quality, well-balanced dry or moderately moistened
puppy food. Table scraps and "human food" are not recommended.
Should I feed my puppy at night?
Best Shepherds recommends that your puppy is given no more food or water
after 6:30 PM. This helps them make it through the night without making
a mess in their crates. Puppies do not like to sleep in their mess.
Come to think of it, would you!
What kind of toys and "chews" can I give my puppy?
One good rule is to never give them old shoes or old clothes to play with and
chew on. They can not tell the difference between your "good" shoes and the "old"
ones you let them have to play with.
It is not good to feed them those popular "pig ears"! They are greasy
and unsterile and they will often give your puppy diarrhea. Most of the
cheap leather-like chews are not recommended because they often originate
from "who knows where" and may carry disease. Also, your puppy might nip
off bits of a brittle or "crisp" chew and choke on those pieces.
They do love toys with squeaks in them. But remember to frequently check the
toys for loose pieces and throw the toy away when it becomes ratty.
"Kongs" are loved by all our puppies. We also give them "chew flips",
which are little, good quality processed rawhide chews. The tougher that
leather, the better!
What do I do about my puppy being "mouthy"?
Never let your pup "mouth-on" people. Yes, it seems "cute" when they are mere
puppies, but when they get bigger it can become a problem. If your puppy becomes
too "mouthy" during normal play time and won't stop, it is time to stop the play
and let the pup settle down in his/her crate.
Never use the crate as a
punishment, only use it for a "time-out" resting place. As much fun as it
may seem, never play "tug of war" with your puppy. This kind of
play can become a long term problem, leading to unwarranted aggression or the
difficult to break habit of grabbing at clothing (or other things) that is on or
held by a human.
Why does my puppy sleep so much?
Your puppy is just a baby Shepherd. Like all babies, they need lots of
sleep time to grow and become big and strong.
How often does my puppy need to "go out"?
All puppies need to go out at certain times, such as:
When they wake up, even from a mere nap.
Whenever they come out of their crate.
About 15 minutes after they have eaten.
REMEMBER: All puppies need a routine. Once you establish a routine, your
puppy's housebreaking will become much easier.
Apparently there is much controversy about "when to do it." In the
opinion and experience of Best Shepherds, 6 to 7 months is a good age for the
females to be spayed. The neutering of a male should be delayed to about 8 to
10 months, so as to give them time for their heads to fully develop.
What do I do if my puppy "eats" his own "poop" (feces)?
Puppies often "eat" their own feces. The name for this habit is "coprophagia"
and Webster describes it as "feeding on dung". This is not unusual and is no indication
of there being a problem with the puppy. However, the habit is disgusting, at best!
An effective product is available which stops dogs and puppies from consuming their
own feces. The product is DETERTM Coprophagia Treatment
and the maker Eight in One Pet Products claims that, through independent testing,
DETERTM may be 95 to 98 percent effective in stopping coprophagia.
DETERTM may be conveniently ordered from the
PETSMARTTM Website.
What is a "Long Coat German Shepherd"?
A Brief History of the Long Coat German Shepherd Dog
The Long Coat German Shepherd is actually the "father" of the "Short Coat"
German Shepherd which most people know or have seen. Before about 1899, two
principal kinds of shepherds were found in Germany. One of these earlier
shepherds included a variety with a longer hair coat. As widely known,
shepherds were generally used to herd and guard sheep. They also protected
and provided companionship for their human masters.
In the later 19th century, a man named Rittmeister von Stephanitz recognized
the inate intelligence of these popular "farm dogs". He strongly believed that
these shepherd dogs were well suited for other tasks. He had an idea! He
imagined how the body structure of these dogs should be in order to perform
well as "working dogs". Amongst his ideas was that the coat of working dogs
ought to be relatively short.
In 1899 Stephanitz founded the "SV Club" (Schaferhund-Verein). As a
result of this club, a standard for the "German Shepherd" was set. Later on,
the FCI and VDH accepted this early standard. This was unfortunate because
the standard declared that the long-coat was undesirable and was no longer
an "acceptable" characteristic of the breed. Primarily this was because the
long coat dogs supposedly did not have any "undercoat" of fur.
After many successive years of breeding, even today some litters appear now
and then where the puppies have longer hair. When this does happen
the litter is usually considered a good one because the sire and dam
that produced the litter are apparently carrying the characteristic genes of
the "Olde World Shepherds" of many years ago. It is typical that the long
coated (long haired) German Shepherd has a very strong-boned body
structure. This breed variant also exhibits a very good nature and a great
character.
In the 19- sixties and seventies not many long coated shepherds were seen
in public, primarily because the usual "short coat breeder" almost always
"gave them away privately" to be used as "family dogs", with the
understanding that they would not be bred. The fact is that these "unwanted
dogs" made great family pets. More and more people adopted the long-coat
shepherd as a pet because they had a magnificently strong bone structure,
large size and wonderful temperment. Some owners of the long coated
shepherds realized that when they were used as working dogs they also
exhibited a great natural ability to be good schutzhund dogs, just like
their cousins of the "short coat" variety. Naturally these owners did not
want the original long coated breed to disappear.
In 1984 a small group of people gathered together in Germany to found the
"LSVD e.V" (Langstockhaarschaferhundeverein Deutschland e. V) club.
A result of this club has been the definition of very strict breeding
regulations with the hope to be recognized by the German VDH, SV and FCI
organizations. This petition for recognition was submitted in 1991, but no
recognition was forthcoming from the VDH, SV or FCI. Although the petition
was denied, this did not stop the LSVD e.V, whose membership was rapidly
increasing even to this day. Their goal was to make the original long coat
German Shepherd more popular. In the late 1990's a book "Ratgeber
Langhaar-Schaferhund" was published by Horst Hegewald-Kawich. This book
explains a lot about the long coated shepherd. It also discusses a very
important fact: the original long coat shepherd, like his more recent short
coat cousin, does in fact have a thick fur undercoat. The book also shows
that the long coat shepherd is both used as a working dog and also in sport
competitions all around the world, demostrating obedience, tracking, search
and rescue capability and agility.
The long coat German Shepherd is now shown and titled in Germany.
However, in the United States the shepherd's "long coat" is still considered
a fault for show purpose. On the other hand, long-coated German Shepherds
do compete in the United States for other categories such as:
obedience, tracking and agility. It is an irony that these shepherd's
beautiful long hair coat is still considered a fault for show
competition in the United States. On the other hand, the LSVD e.V has it's
own shows in Germany. The shepherds that are selected for breeding purpose
must pass at least one obedience test (SchH 1). They also have to be
presented in front of a breeding committee, where their "nature" (disposition)
is also tested. Furthermore, their hips have to be x-rayed to show no signs
of hip displazie before they can be used for breeding.
People who have come to know the beauty of the long-coated Germans Shepherd
dogs and their qualities want them for their handsome looks, keen
loyalty, basic intelligence and sound character. Here at BestShepherds, we
have over the past decade, had people from all over the country and the
world visit our website and come to our kennels. They invariably leave,
fascinated by the beauty of these intelligent, playful and socially
pleasant shepherd dogs.