Penny was spayed at 4 months and just before her third birthday I conceded defeat. I'd been hoping never to have her clipped, but her coat was so lush I just couldn't keep it from matting.
I adored her long mane and locks but the odd thing is, I think now that she looks really sweet when shorn all over. This is the second time she has been clipped. The first time I got the groomer to keep a lot of her feathering, but penny got quite matted over summer so it all had to come off.
I'll see if I can post some pictures for comparison.
The first is today - she was clipped this morning
The next is the halfway clip
And the last is what she looked like before she was clipped at all
From what I've seen on this forum, it's next to impossible to maintain a heavy coat after spaying. Penny had two operations to remove grass seeds before I finally had her clipped, and our fear that she might get another was a big part of the final decision to have her clipped