Brush coat German Sheperds

Question
I just purchased a Brush Coat German Sheperd, I personally have never heard that phrase brush coat before I just thought they were called long haired German Sheperds. Also Is it common for the Brush Coat German sheperds to have a curled tail like a husky? Where can I find more information on brush coat German Sheperds.

Thanks ,, Paula

Answer
Hi Paula,  You are correct on a couple of matters here.  First off, there really is no such thing as a brush coat, they really are long coat shepherds.  A lot of people call long coats, brush coats because a long coat is a fault in the German Shepherd standard.  The long coat gene comes from the Alsation shepherd in europe.  The long coat does carry the gene that causes the curly tail too (also considered a fault in the German Shepherd standard).  If you don't want to show, they are great dogs.  They also tend to be thicker boned so they tend to be bigger than your standard shepherd.  If you breed the dog, it will pass on the long coat trait.  There is a breed of dog that is basically a long coat that is not really recognized by any organization (last I heard) but has become popular in the past decade or so, called the Shiloh Shepherd.  They do have websites on them if you want to find out more info.  Basically they are a long coat shepherd.  Hope this helps, and good luck with your new dog.

Dawn