Coat: Years For Growth?

[sable]

Someone I know and has had shelties for years stated she has seen a sheltie's coat grow and become thicker for five years, and one at six.

I have read most shelties stop at 3, but females can grow til they are 5.
The sheltie this gal was chatting about was a male at 6 years old.

Anyone with a 5 to 6 year old sheltie have this experience? Where their coat just continues on.

Do you think the sire has more to do with the genes for a coat then the dam?
The dogs I have owned are more like the sire, then the dam, except one.

I remember (as I have said the myths) as my pappy used to say, the sire is the important one, and so are the grandparents. My grandpappy used to say the same, but he would add its a well bred dog if it has lots of hair between the pads. I giggle with that last one, he was into sporting dogs, not shelties.

 

[BB's_Shelties]

Besides seasonal changes, I haven't heard of Sheltie coats getting bigger at age 6. Could be that she switched the food to something different? Or the winter was espicially cold? Or perhaps he was neutered? I know that female shelties tend to get a bigger coat after they are spayed.
Brianna

 

[BarbV]

I guess it depends on what you mean by "bigger"? My forever pup had his long, flowing coat by about Year 3. By about year 5 or 6, he seemed to start to accumulate more undercoat so he looked more filled out than ever, but you can certainly see it starting in the first picture

http://www.sheltieforums.com/album.php?albumid=23

 

[sable]

Thanks BB and Barb for the input. Timber sure did have a lovely coat, he was a beautiful boy.

The male dog of this gal, the funny thing she lives in the south, never changed food. The gal I was chatting with she lives up north in the cold weather, her shelties had thin, and medium coats, the female she has now, wow what a coat on her, she is 5, and a rescue.

 

[Justicemom]

Thanks BB and Barb for the input. Timber sure did have a lovely coat, he was a beautiful boy.

The male dog of this gal, the funny thing she lives in the south, never changed food. The gal I was chatting with she lives up north in the cold weather, her shelties had thin, and medium coats, the female she has now, wow what a coat on her, she is 5, and a rescue.

Genetics make a big different in when the coat comes in. Some get it early some get it later.

Justice and Pike(Nephew and Uncle) were pretty smooth until about 3 yrs and continue to get thicker until about 5yr. Pike was neutered this summer and all holy cow, all his hair fell out and then came back in less than 6 wks longer and thicker than ever but the texture is way different. Same with Ember(Justice's niece). She was spayed at 2.5yr and her coat did nothing but grow for 2.5yr after that, she didn't even blow it. Before that she was pretty light coated.

Diva(Justice and Ember's cousin) is following the same pattern. She was doing ok and just starting to coat up until the pups came and well proof gone, hopefully she'll be getting it soon at 2.5yrs at least she has stopped shedding.

Bock and Porter are fuzzy mosters. Coat heavier and thicker than any of my other dogs. Their dad has had a huge coat since he was young age about 8-9 months so I believe they will too. Same with Jamie, who is not related to the others. Never seen so much coat on such a young sheltie. His Dad had a good sized coat as a young dog too. So I think genetics are the key really as all these dogs live in the same type of environment and eat the same diet.

I had to giggle at the hair between the pads. Justice must be the best bred dog in the world then as the hair between his toes is the only place it seems to grows . His hocks and around his ears, not so much. I swear I haven't cut his hock hair in 6 months. Not kidding. I got yelled at for cutting all the hair off his hocks when he was about 2yrs by his breeder but that is just how he is.

 

[sable]

Thanks Dr. Shelli. It is a hoot about the fur between the pads, that is how he would tell a good bred dog. I quess he quessed right because he had beautiful pointers quessing. The ol' fellows and their myths. I trim all the wild hairs off the hocks, even if we get into trouble, it is just one little spot not getting muddy.

As you stated I believe it has to do with the genes too. Lucky and Lady's coats are quite different also. Lucky stopped at 3 and has a nice silky coat. Lady is another story, she just continues on. She is alot like her sire in looks, and coat, except he is a tri, and she is a sable, same coat, same markings.

Different coats, different personalities, shelties just rock.

THANKS!!!

sable