Hi there,

I took my two and a half year old Border Terrier Alfie to be hand stripped today, the first visit for several months.

The man at the groomers who has stripped Alfie few times before said that despite the fact he's stripped him at least once since he was neutered a year ago, that his coat is now not water proof and a full strip can't be done as the hair has changed.

He said it's because neutering can affect the hormones and therefore the coat, and I wondered why my vet didn't mention this, and why I've found nothing on the internet about it either.

I brought him home without having anything done. I don't know whether to just leave him now, or risk a clip - the guy said it doesn't always grow back fluffy after clipping but I don't want to take any risks to worsen his coat!  But when summer comes around again I don't want him to be uncomforatably hot.

Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of this happening?  I'm so disappointed that my boy's coat is apparently spoilt, because he always had such a great coat before neutering.

thanks,
Charlotte

Hi CHarlotte, I can only speak about my own breed(Newfoundlands) Having the bitches spayed certainly DOES alter their coat. They tend to grow a 'lamb' wool coat, especially under the belly! That can be difficult to groom and keep looking nice! Once they've been 'done' they tend to keep their coats too and not drop them twice a year. But certainly the groomer is right in the fact that the lack of hormone has an effect (think about men, those with high testosterone levels 'lose' all their hair, but tend to have a high sex drive!) All the best, Dawn.

Hi, have you checked our borderterrierworld.co.uk, you will be able to ask your question to some very experienced border terrier owners/breeders.  Hope this helps.

Yes it is fairly common for a male Borders coat to go soft after neutering, it doesnt usually happen for a good few months though.  Females largely remain unaltered when spayed.  To be honest you have a dog without a weatherproof coat anyway now, so clipping isnt going to make any difference, except he will look a lot smarter, and you can do it more regularly and keep him smart all the time.
Dawn.

Thanks a lot Dawn,

Charlotte

I'll do it now, many thanks