Stock coat and long coat describe coat structure and length. Working line and show line describe breeding background. They are separate categories, so choose them separately when searching.
What is the coat?
Length and structure
What is the background?
Documented breeding ancestry
Select a category to explore profiles. Coat length does not establish lineage.
Stock coat: the close-fitting outer coat
The FCI stock-coat variety has a dense, harsh outer coat that lies close to the body, with an undercoat. “Stock hair” and the German “Stockhaar” refer to this terminology. Owners sometimes say “short coat”; GSD Index displays the clearer label “Stock coat.”
Long coat: also called long stock coat
The FCI long-coat variety has longer, softer outer hair with an undercoat, including feathering around the ears and legs and a fuller tail. “Long stock coat,” “long double coat” and “Langstockhaar” appear in records. Our cards use “Long coat” while retaining the source’s original class wording.
A fluffy photograph alone is not enough to assign a documented category. Age, grooming, angle and the visible part of the dog can limit what a photograph tells you. Ask for the recorded description rather than treating the thumbnail as a classification test.
Why the organization matters in a show record
The FCI standard recognizes stock and long-coat varieties with undercoat. The American standard published by GSDCA describes an ideal medium-length double coat and faults an overly long outer coat. Read the rules of the actual show system before assuming that a class or coat description transfers unchanged between organizations.
This is a difference in judging context, not a reason to describe the dogs as separate breeds. Keep the event, organization and class next to any placement you compare.
Coat does not tell you the line
Do not convert “long coat” into “show line,” or “stock coat” into “working line.” Coat, ancestry, color and recorded activity are separate fields. A working title does not identify coat length, and a show appearance does not document generations of breeding history.
In the directory you can combine a coat filter with a documented line filter. “Not documented” means that the available record has not established the field. It does not create a third coat variety.
- Choose Stock coat or Long coat for appearance.
- Choose a breeding line separately when the record supports it.
- Read the source class when interpreting a show placement.
- Ask about the individual dog’s grooming routine and handling needs.
Sources & scope
Sources checked 26 October 2026. Rules and services can change; the issuing body’s current document controls. These references do not imply endorsement of GSD Index.
- FCI Standard No. 166: German Shepherd DogBreed standard; published 23 December 2010
- GSDCA: German Shepherd breed standardAmerican conformation standard and coat wording
No specialist review or first-hand experience is implied. Read our editorial standards.