Coat effects from neutering

So, if you see my other thread, I am looking at getting a German Spitz Klein puppy. A few breeders have told me that I'd not want to neuter as this can cause the coat to double in size or otherwise affect the quality of the coat.

I am currently deciding between a dog or bitch bearing in mind the unneutered aspect (which is what my other thread is about). However, despite my intentions it might be necessary at some point to neuter. Sp what exactly does happen to the coat?

Does anyone have any examples (photos would be fab but descriptions also good!)? Any experience or advice about this would be welcome. Even if not Spitz related.

I have English setters which I show and as such would not normally neuter them. However I have had older bitches spayed and their coats do change enormously but differently in different dogs. Rhian always had a long thick heavy coat which is now longer thicker and heavier than it ever was and I am unable to keep her in show trim and have to shave it off her back sides shoulders and haunches to leave me with still mountains of coat on her chest, belly front legs. breeches and tail which take ages to comb out. He mother, Delyth had a much finer coat and when she was spayed it grew like cotton wool and matted as soon as it came out of her skin. I could keep her in show trim but had to spend hours combing out the woolly bits. Delyth's mother =- Thalice had fine hair but lost of it and she just looked like a sheep and I never got to grips with it. Thalice's daughter Sapphire had a very thick and lustrous coat but never any length to it. When spayed it grew thick and curly and I have to keep it all cut short. I was never able to show any of them again once spayed.
I have had one male dog castrated at an older age and he never had much coat before hand. His actually improved and I did manage to show him. So spaying a bitch is likely to mean you or your groomer have a very difficult coat to deal with especially as you are choosing a dog where it's coat is likely to be one of the main attractions !

Hope all goes well

Thalice's Mum

I agree it does depend on the dog . I've had a bitch whose coat never changed and one who looked like a woolly sheep after spaying

Cariad was spayed late on at just gone 6, and her tail went really thin, and was just a bone covered with hair, it did go a bit better when her winter coat came in, but it is back to being a bone with hair on at the moment, she seems quite conscious of it as well, doesn't like me brushing it at all, as though she is scared she will lose more hair!!! She literally sits down with her tail tucked underneath when I try to sneakily do things with it

Thanks for that, I assume although not ideal you just have to get on with it.

I have never had a problem with the coats of spayed bitches, perhaps it is down to the individual dog or breed spacific...

I just think this is something to consider when you are buying a dog who as part of the attraction has a particular kind of coat which could change if the dog is neutered.
An entire bitch has a coat cycle along with her menstrual cycle and regularly loses and gains her coat as [part of this cycle. When she is spayed, this cycle stops and therefore so does the coat cycle. So she never drops her coat on a regular basis and what is left can change in length and texture and she stops having the type of coat you bought her for. However there are health advantages to spaying which you also have to consider. I have kept unspayed bitches for donkeys years and have never had any of these problems (so far). You need to do your research. ask advice from your breeder and make your decision. I think neutering a male dog is likely to have less effect as they dont have a menstrual cycle, but I have seen plenty of bushy curly older male setters who have been neutered.

Congratulations on thinking about all this before you get your puppy.

Thalice

My longcoated GSD bitch's coat went woolly, very thick and quite hard to manage when she was spayed.

I didn't notice any difference in the coat of my neutered loncoated GSD dog.

So, it sounds as though it is a risk but not a foregone conclusion.

I have 5 LC GSD bitches 2 are spayed 3 entire,
I found a huge difference in their coats when spayed! Freya's coat went wooly and she constantly moults BUT doesn't drop the coat (stays in the coat) so she needs constant raking!
Arin's coat got really long (think Dougal off the magic roundabout) her coat matts very easily but unlike Freya she doesn't seem to moult!

I think it just depends (sorry not much of an answer!) my girl got an emergency Spey. She's a northern inuit with a stunning silver coat. Her stomach hair has gone a bit wavy but unchanged other than that. Don't care much. It could have turned bight purple considering the alternative we faced.