When (if ever) will sheltie get full coat?

J

Jobibb

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Hi! I have a 3 year old sheltie and am wondering if his coat will ever grow more? is it possible for their coats to take a little longer to fully grow in? I love him regardless, but it is a little disappointing when i’ve been expecting all this time for him to get this nice long coat that goes down to his legs. I know that a lot of the pictures on the internet are of dogs that are propably shown in contests, but I have seen plenty of pet shelties in person that have a nice full long sheltie coat, and my boy has nothing close to that. Thanks for any help!
 
Ahh..all shelties are different. Some never get a full coat. My boy probably got his around 2 or so ...His pictures from when he was younger definitely had less of a coat.
 
Fillion's breeder said most of her dogs don't get full coat till around 4...and sure enough there it was! Missing the easy puppy brush out days :)
 
When was your pup fixed?

My Laddie never did coat up his whole life. I neutered him too early and that was the result of his sparse coat! I have a new puppy and won’t make that mistake again.

I agree that most Shelties don’t breakout to their full adult coat until 3-4! My female did not coat up until after her first litter at three.
 
I think when males are younger they have the thickness but not the length, the length comes as they age, although some dogs don't get much undercoat and others have shorter coats. Deska was a fuzz ball at 2 but his coat look it's best at 5yrs.

You're right, many show dogs are strategically groomed so their coats look fuller and longer. But too long is impractical for a working breed like a Sheltie, that relies on agility and movement to work. So here in Aust you'll see as many dogs with shorter coats as long coats at shows.

Plus, I hate to say it, but fat dogs have fuller coats. So if you see a Sheltie with a really huge coat outside the ring, just check it's waistline. Deska's coat became sparser when he got thin.
 
Gloria is right, if your pup was neutered early (before one year old) that will inhibit his coat growth. The size of the coat also depends on genetics. Some Sheltie lines have fuller coats than others. So look at your boy's lineage and parents and you can see what his coat will look like. And as others have said, many Sheltie lines don't really coat up until around age 3.
 
It definitely varies between shelties. My adult had a gorgeous thick full coat at around 2 (and she was spayed when she was under a year old). Now at 4 her coat is absolutely spectacular (and she is an itty bitty little thing under all that hair). My younger dog, at almost 2, does not have nearly as much coat as the older one did at her age (and she was spayed older). Her coat is much silkier so I suspect even if she does wind up with as much coat, it won't look as thick and full because it tends to lie flat. So as some people have already said, some of it is just the dog.
 
Thank you for all your replies! I believe he was spayed before a year so that could relate to why. It’d be nice if maybe he fills out a bit when he’s 4 or 5 but I won’t get my hopes up. He’s perfect either way! Thanks again for all of the help!
 
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