Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group I'm Starting A New Oral Biologic!!

Hi Kat...Yes, there are long-haired shepherds, they're referred to as "coats", they are not allowed to compete in shows, as they are considered "undesireable" by the German Shepherd Dog Club of America(GSDCA) because it is a recessive gene that causes a GSD to be long-coated, therefore it is a "fault", the same thing applies to a white German Shepherd Dog. Now, they can compete in the agility classes but both "whites" and "coats" are prohibited from competing in the conformation classes...and just a footnote, there is no class or breed distinction in registering puppies that are coated or white, they are all registered simply under German Shepherd Dogs, as long as both parents are AKC registered and there aren't any violations or flags on the breeders record. And the breed standard in America is written by the GSDCA, there are veternarians of different specialties sitting on that board and make decisions about changes to the breed standard, of course these changes are made only to improve the breed, for instance, an attempt to eliminate hip dysplasia, mega-esophagous or some other imbalance. Once the changes are made in the breed standard, breeders then adjust their breeding program with the new goal in mind, in other words, it's never just for aesthetic purposes, it's always for mechanical reasons....