length of hair

[gdlckprincess]

I have a rottie that was born Dec. 10 and was sheltered in a garage until we bought her. We noticed she had a longer coat. The vet said that was normal due to her being a winter dog and sheltered in a garage. They said that she would lose it as she got older. I am wondering if this is true or not. I have seen the parents and they are both short hair. Please help

[sophie's-mom]

Ian has longer hair than Sophie and he was born in September.

it's a genetic thing not an environment thing.

I wish Ian had Sophie's hair and markings!

[Denise L.]

A long coat is a recessive gene and 2 short coats can have a long coated pup.

I have a long coated Rottie and think he is gorgeous...just stock up on Swiffers!

[Judi W]

That is correct. The weather can effect the amount of undercoat, but it does not change the length of the guard hairs.

[gdlckprincess]

Sassy has excellant markings and her hair is getting shorter the more we brush it. I was a little worried when people started asking what kind of dog she was. Thank you

[gdlckprincess]

Can you tell me what and where the guard hairs are I would really appreciate it.

[gdlckprincess]

I went back to the breeder and asked for pictures of the parents as pups and sassy's dad has a longer coat. I think she is absolutely beautiful and her coat is very shiny, but like I said I got a little worried when people would say she's not a rottie they dont have long hair she has to be a german shepard. So thank you and another quick question where and what are the guard hairs

[Judi W]

The guard hairs are the part of the coat you see. The undercoat should not be visible. It sounds as if you have a long haired dog. Certainly no common but it can occur. In general, breedings that produce serious faults should not be repeated. Doesn't mean she is not pure bred nor does it mean she is not beautiful. Just that she is certainly not for breeding or showing in conformation

[Denise L.]

Originally Posted by gdlckprincess

I went back to the breeder and asked for pictures of the parents as pups and sassy's dad has a longer coat. I think she is absolutely beautiful and her coat is very shiny, but like I said I got a little worried when people would say she's not a rottie they dont have long hair she has to be a german shepard. So thank you and another quick question where and what are the guard hairs

Don't be concerned about what people say...Rottweilers sometimes are born with a long coat that's a fact. I WOULD be concerned if a long coated was sold as a "rare" long coated Rottweiler and charged a lot of money (Cyrus's story).

Rotties are double coated, I may be wrong (correct me pros if so!) but aren't the guard hairs the top coat?

[frontierrots]

within the acceptable coat there are several variations as to length and thickness, some being shorter and smoother and some being longer and heavier- without being longcoated or undesireable.

There are also slick coated and long coated and wire coated variations (recessives) which are not desireable for showing or breeding but entirely suitable as spayed/neutered pets

PLUS to complicate matters further, there are two types of puppy coats. seal coats (short/smooth) and bunny coats (longer/fluffy). BOTH types are normal and both can produce properly coated adults and you can have both types puppy coat in the same litter.

[gdlckprincess]

Everybody's comments have helped me greatly. Every time she gets brushed we brush out quite a bit the more we brush her the shorter her hair gets. If anybody has pics of a long haired puppy (6+ months) I would love to see them. Thanks again for all the good input

[Denise L.]

Originally Posted by gdlckprincess

Everybody's comments have helped me greatly. Every time she gets brushed we brush out quite a bit the more we brush her the shorter her hair gets. If anybody has pics of a long haired puppy (6+ months) I would love to see them. Thanks again for all the good input

A couple of us have posted photos of our longhair adults in the gallery. Cyrus is waaaaay back in the beginning. He is wearing his MIT T-shirt though so his coat doesn't show in all it's glory but you can get an idea.

[tigerjo67]

We just got a 4 year old long haired Rottweiler. We were surprised to see one. We had never heard of one before. The vet said he was a good dog. I do not think that they lose the long hair when they get older.