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?