I can't remember ever disagreeing with Norma, but, her owner acknowledges that she is a long-coat. Her handler has acknowledged that his scissor marks were unattractive and now has his wife groom the bitch. Even if Norma were correct, the "soft coat" is just as serious a problem as a long-coat. The GSD Standard states, "Faults in coat include soft, silky, too long outer coat, woolly, curly, and open coat." She is what she is. And I think she is an awesome bitch. If her coat is all people can criticize, that is not too shabby! Can't wait to see her offspring in the ring in a couple of years. That IS what dog shows are all about, isn't it? Evaluating breeding stock? Haven't several breeders on this List just stated that coated dogs/bitches seem to have the best structure, temperament, color, etc., etc., etc.?? She is being evaluated in the show ring this year; the consensus of many judges seems to be that she certainly is breed-worthy! Let's move on. Paula, 58 days and counting Home of Best in Show, Best in Specialty Show, Multi-Group Winning, GSDCA Dual Title Award Recipient, AKC JAM/AOE, International and American Champion, Grand Champion Asgard Harley Davidson v Plamark, HT, PT, CGC, TC, HIC, OFA CHIC #64047 (Hips, Elbows, Cardiac, & Thyroid), DNA tested clear of the long-coat factor. #1 Male German Shepherd Dog in the Country, #4 German Shepherd Dog in the Country, as of 7/31/10 (Canine Chronicles) First male German Shepherd Dog Grand Champion. ---------- Original Message ---------- Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2010 8:08:19 -0400 From: <nhansburgh@xxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: question about coated Grand Ch. bitch & I have examined this bitch and she is a soft coat not a long coat. Very similar to a dog that joe bihari finished years ago called nando of bihari wonder. She has no inner ear hair not clipped or otherwise. Having stripped out coated bitches years ago and pointed them i know the difference. Her coat is very similar in thickness to Eli the winners dog from the 09 national. ____________________________________________________________ Project Management Cert Villanova PMP® & CAPM® Classes. Average Salary For PMPs is $100K http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL3241/4c66b7266cc806cb498st05duc ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2010. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in any post. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================