Shaving Your Dog

[Jessika]

I wanted to put out a warning about shaving your normally longer haired dogs during the summer, especially the ones with an undercoat.

Shaving a dog will NOT help it "keep cooler" during the summer months. In fact all you are doing is taking away their only protection from the harsh sun and exposing them to dangers such as severe sunburn, heatstroke, and even cancers.

Not only that, but shaving will ruin their beautiful top coat!

I feel like I've been repeating myself like a broken record across various dog/pet forums, so I will just give you a link to another forum where we have discussed this alread

PLEASE be aware of the dangers of shaving your dog before doing so!

http://theaustralianshepherd.net/aus...opic.php?t=592

[Rio&Nickysmommy]

Very interesting to read about. I have to Cocker Spaniels and I have been having them cut down real short for the summer months. My major concern has been being able to keep ticks and fles off of them. I dont have them cust bald but they get cut short. My dogs have hair on them just not the long Cocker hair flowing down their legs and such. I think the shorter hair in the flea and tick season makes it much easier to check and the dogs seem comfortable. Not sure if short hair cuts is the same as shved down?
Rio&Nicksymommy

[Jessika]

See that's where the line is fuzzy for me, too. Certain breeds don't have fur, they have hair that will continue to grow whether you cut it or not. Maltese, Shih-tzus, etc. Those I think it is ok on to get cut and such.

But for breeds with fur and especially those with undercoats, the line is fuzzy as to how short is too short?

[bckrazy]

I get chastised a lot when Gonzo is shaved. meh, whatever. I've heard from people with a LOT of Border Collie experience (like, years and years of owning/working/training/breeding them) that if your dog is an "inside" dog and does not get prolonged exposure to the sun, there will not be any side affects to shaving normally. Almost every rancher who works their dogs in the summer shaves at least their tummies, because working (and Flyball, Agility, etc) dogs are taught to lay down in a pond/bucket/baby pool of water after running and water is absorbed much more easily.

Gonzo is MUCH less tired from the heat after he's shaved. He never gets clipped to the skin, just about 1". He basically looks like a smooth BC. And, his coat is extremely healthy and thick. Some people have made good points about the coat insulating... a thick coat can ONLY do so much in 100*+ heat. I know people who have Malamutes & Huskies, and their thick coats don't do a lot of insulating for them in the summer, they're miserable outside in the heat. Like, dogs who were bred in the desert/heat don't exactly have a thick undercoat and top coat! I feel like, as long as the clip is reasonable and the dog is kept out of direct sunlight all day, what is the harm?

[jenluckenbach]

I believe that when many people say or hear the word "shave" they think naked. (think: as short as after surgery) This is not really the case. YES, it is short, but no shorter that a short haired breed (i.e. Doberman, Chihuahua)

And the problem with the thought that the dog's coat "insulates" against the heat is only true of a COMPLETELY brushed out coat. One must keep all the shedding undercoat brushed totally out or you do not allow air circulation at the skin. And after 22 years of pet grooming, people do NOT brush their dogs properly at home. (the ones coming to the groomers anyway)

Shaving the hair off a dog should not affect the coat. If the dog is healthy it should grow back according to the dog's DNA. Out of thousands and thousands of customers who have had their double coated dogs shaved I have seen only a handful who did not grow back properly, and of those, most ended up finding a thyroid or other metobolic problem.

And 99.7% of the people who have had their dogs shaved (the ones that crossed my path over the last 22 years) never go back to the full coat. Stories of how much more content the dogs are, are told often.

I am not a vet, only a groomer. My experience only comes from my customers. Take it for what it is worth.

[Jessika]

my biggest concern is heat stroke. Heat stroke can strike at any moment, whether they have been outside in the sun for hours or minutes, and unannounced. Heat stroke can be very serious and even lethal nad lead to death if you don't know what signs to look for or how to treat it properly.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

This is very good to know, thanks for sharing this, Jessika!

[Rio&Nickysmommy]

Thanks for the responses. I dont make my guys totally bald but my Rio hates to be combed and its really horrible putting him through it at times so when he is shorter its alot quicker and like I said before much easier to see if any fleas or ticks have gotten on him.
RIo&Nickysmommy

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Fully coated dogs also get heat stroke, I wouldn't blame that on shaving a dog. I shave a pug, a Chi mix, a purebred Chi and a Border Collie every month and they do tolerate the heat better when shaved (the BC especially, since his owner rarely ever brushes his coat thoroughly). I personally wouldn't shave my own long coated dog, only because I prefer long hair to short and I brush/groom Tango constantly. But, personally, I don't think there is any more of a heat sroke risk on shaved breeds than their is in fully coated breeds. It is true that dogs with thyroid problems will grow their fur back in patches and a lot of dogs when shaved will grow their coat back, but it won't look as full/nice as it did originally but if people don't mind then I don't see a problem with them shaving their dog. I could be wrong and this is a very controversial topic, but this is how I feel.

[wolfsoul]

Personally I wouldn't do it, myself. We get alot of dogs that come in to the shop whose hair did not grow back correctly. Just yesterday we had a BC come in whose's topcat was now the same texture as the undercoat, so the entire thing matted. When the groomer shaved it off, the entire thing came off in one huge mat. She said the same thing happened when she shaved one of her Belgians. We get alot of dog's whose coats come back in normally but then they have rough, wiry feeling patches of hair all over their body. Personally I think it's only good on dogs whose owners never brush them out, or dogs who have skin problems and need more air circulation.

[wolf_Q]

Here's my two cents. Reggie and Sydney are shaved usually very short. Nebo is not, he has a full thick coat (that is brushed out) made for very cold climates, not heat. He tolerates the heat better than Reggie and Sydney. When we've taken them on hikes Sydney especially (I'm sure part of this is her black coloring) really has a hard time with the heat and Nebo is fine. His top coat gets hot but close to the skin its still cool where Sydney's skin with less hair is a lot more exposed to the sun.

I do agree that a dog can get heat stroke shaved or not shaved you just need to take procautions when it is very hot. Smokey got heat stroke years ago and I don't think he was shaved short at the time.

As for the coat I've seen some grow back just fine but many that did not. If you want to shave your dog that's a risk you have to take. Recently an aussie came in that was shaved a year ago and it had a large patch on his back that did not grow back and the rest of it did. I groomed a pomeranian yesterday that was also shaved about a year ago (when she adopted the dog it was severely matted there was no choice) and her coat looked perfectly fine but near the skin were prickly topcoat hairs that only grew back about 1/4 inch.

I, personally, do not like shaving double coated dogs. I think they are better with their coat, IF the owner BRUSHES the dog throughly. I think in most cases shaving the belly and trimming the feathers is a better alternative to entirely shaving a double coated dog. But if the dog is a matted mess I'd rather shave them then put the dog through the pain of brushing if the owner will not keep up with it anyway.

We get 90-100+ degree temps here in the summer and Nebo, a siberian husky, survives with all his coat. Of course I wouldn't just leave him outside in the heat all day either though..he has a kiddie pool and trees for shade outside and inside there's air conditioning.

[emilysgk]

Hmmm I didnt bother looking before putting a new post asking this. See mind is one of them long hair breeds. She is a lhasa with about half length coat. Previous owner always kept her really short. She tried to claim to me that even brushing daily didnt keep matts away. Yes if you dont know how to do so properly. I will admist I only brush about once a week. Its enough to keep her pretty clean (of dead under hair) and keep the matts and such at bay. I dont have to worry about caot damage since she has been shaved numerous times already. She has a LOT of curl to the top of her head and base of back...maybe shaving caused this? In any case im deciding if I should cut her short (NOT shaved extremely short) or not for the summer. She spends lots of time outside and we have no A/C

[emilysgk]

I forgot to say also, that I do agree that most breeds, not including the extreme ones like lhasa and shih tzus, dont need to be shaved. Like I know someone whe shaves there golden every year, I dont think that help much. Same with various shepards and such. Some do it to get rid of the clumps they can lose when shedding... dont get the dog if you cant handle taking care of it as it comes...

[BC_MoM]

Anyone heard of the FURminator? It works great in substitution for shaving.

[Cataholic]

Jessika- I could hug you for posting this! I have a neighbor and a couple of friends that shave down their dogs and a cat. I NEVER hear about how it is benefitting to the dog or cat, just how much less hair there is. They do it year round- so, bull-pucky that it is just to keep the dog cool.

JenL, you raise an interesting point, but, again, I never hear, "oh, the dog is so much more contented now"....just the less hair issue.

I see a big difference between a puppy cut, or, a trim and the full blown 1/4 inch bald look.

Get a picture of a dog if you can't deal with the hair (and, I feel totally comfortable saying that as I have 7 cats, 6 of them long haired, a small house, and lots and lots of hair).