All three coat types are shed throughout the year with heavy shedding in spring and fall. Weekly brushing is a must with daily brushing during the spring and fall.

Grooming your dog yourself, at your home and at your convenience will help you build a strong bond with your German Shepherd. You will not only save yourself the hassle of taking him to a groomer regularly, you save some money too.

Coat Color

The German Shepherd is a black and tan dog predominantly but can be gray (called blue) or brown (called liver) with varying amounts of those colors. He is usually lighter on the legs and face with dark accents on the ears.

Note: White German Shepherds are now considered a separate breed called the American White Shepherd.

Coat Type

There are three coat types: rough (relatively short with undercoat), long rough (longer with undercoat), and long-haired (without undercoat).

The correct German Shepherd Dog coat is relatively short with an obvious undercoat. This is quite waterproof. Some dogs are born with long coats which usually, though not always, are devoid of undercoat. Such coats are more difficult to groom, but many pet owners seem to like the long-coated version. The normal coat is dominant to the long version, so there are three kinds of coat: normal, normal but carrying the long coat gene, and long. About 10% of the pups are born long-coated.