What to do with Barney's coat?

I just don't know what to do, Barney seems to have been clipped prior to me getting him but only along his back which is only a couple of inches long, the rest of him is much longer... he gets really frizzy and fluffy very easily, even after using conditioner when I wash him. How long does it take to grow a full coat back, can a clipped and neutered dog ever grow a silky coat again? I am currently resisting the temptation to get him clipped and just keeping everything crossed that it's going to grow in, he was on a very poor diet before I got him so obvisouly it will take time for a quality coat to grow.

I am tempted to get him clipped so that he only has the healthy new hair and get rid of the hair that grew whilst he was on a poor diet..... I know it sounds a bit shallow but I do love a silky cav.... what would you do?!

It doesn't take long for a coat to grow back again.
Is the main problem that the coat doesn't sit right? It sticks out all over the place?
I would try an Ann Hall dry dog coat which is made to measure.
After washing and when the dog is still damp,you can slip the coat on and the hair will dry in a nicely set position.To keep him looking neat and tidy,just try a spritz with a grooming spray every day and see how it works out.
I'll find some pics of my dogs wearing them,just to show you.
Sins

Also just a thought -- for many dogs, they only have hair an inch or two at most on the lower back anyway (I would think this is the case for almost all cavaliers!) . Both my (neutered) males are like this naturally but the coat is long and silky on sides, A drying coat does help a lot to keep the coat heat -- as does not washing the dog really frequently as the coat will settle into place naturally even if it dried in all directions (as I know from experience!). I only bathe the dogs every 3-4 months and simply give legs/undercarriage a rinse with water as needed for any mud/urine.

Aled (18-month-old neutered rescue) resembled a hairy hearth rug when I got him. Three years later, with a lot of brushing, oli on his food and a weekly raw egg, he has a lovely long silky coat - except on his hind legs, where it grows long, wispy and cottony. Nothing seems to change it, so I just use trimming scissors to cut it back to the same length as the rest. As Karlin says, frequent bathing removes the natural oil from the coat, which it needs to hang straight and silky. The downside of Aled's improved coat is that in spite of regular Frontline, fleas regard him as a luxury hotel and will leap on him, totally ignoring Oliver (who has a much shorter, thinner coat) curled up beside him!

Kate, Oliver and Aled