Husky Fur?

[crow_noir]

Thank you Wolf Q!!!

I had actually been contemplating shaving Koli, but something was nagging at me saying it was a bad idea and unnecessary. (Besides being a personal preference... I don't like the feel of shaved fur. Totally takes away the calming effect for me.)

I wasn't going to have it shaved down far, but i wondered about the insulating properties.

All i figured i would do would be shave the fur away from the pads for the summer? Is that bad since they are used to having that as a shield? I just figured that since besides panting dogs lose most of their body heat through their pads that trimming away the fur would help it escape faster.

I have two siberian huskies. They get a bath and good brushing once a month. I use a high quality shampoo and make sure they are rinsed thoroughly (this is important, husky coats are not easy to rinse out which can cause problems). I also blow out their coats when drying them with a high velocity dryer. I work at a grooming salon so I have all of that available to me, which helps of course. I've heard that huskies should not be bathed more than once or twice a year but my dogs have never had a problem...their coats are soft and they do not have dandruff. The bathing helps with the shedding (they are indoor dogs). I brush them when they get their baths and usually once or twice in between that, though I don't see how it would hurt to brush more often. They don't get the really thick coats since they are mostly indoors in the winter, but it does thicken some. They definitely shed badly, Nebo hasn't started blowing his coat for summer yet, but I'm sure he will soon.

Does Mika have indoor access? If so, she should be fine in the summer. Don't leave her outside in the hot sun for long periods and make sure she has plenty of water. Do NOT shave her. The coat insulates against the heat and cold, shaving will only make her more likely to get sunburned and possibly ruin her coat. Keep her undercoat brushed out, that's all she needs. If she likes water she may enjoy a kiddie pool for her to play in.

I'd love to see some pics of her, I LOVE siberian huskies as do many other members here!

[wolf_Q]

Shaving/trimming the fur around the pads is fine. I keep Nebo and Keva's feet fur trimmed short year round. Some people say huskies need it for traction on the snow, but mine get around fine in snow...the fur just seems to collect snowballs between the pads. It also helps immensly with cleaning up muddy paws, they don't bring in as much dirt when there is less fur. Plus I just prefer a neat appearance to the feet. I've honestly never thought about it helping with cooling though, I did know that they sweat on their paws but I didn't think about trimming the fur helping with that.

Sydney (schnauzer) gets shaved and the huskies tolerate the heat much better than she does. Their top coat will be hot but near the skin it is kept cooler, with Sydney the sun is heating her skin directly. Nebo does get pretty hot in the summer but as long as he has access to water/shade/indoors he's fine. I've seen some huskies/malamutes/any breed with undercoat get shaved and grow back fine....but I've also seen many that grow back weird, like thinner, thicker, or bald in places.

I looked at your photos and Koli is very pretty. For what its worth, she looks like she could be purebred siberian to me.

[crow_noir]

Thanks

Shaving/trimming the fur around the pads is fine. I keep Nebo and Keva's feet fur trimmed short year round. Some people say huskies need it for traction on the snow, but mine get around fine in snow...the fur just seems to collect snowballs between the pads. It also helps immensly with cleaning up muddy paws, they don't bring in as much dirt when there is less fur. Plus I just prefer a neat appearance to the feet. I've honestly never thought about it helping with cooling though, I did know that they sweat on their paws but I didn't think about trimming the fur helping with that.

Sydney (schnauzer) gets shaved and the huskies tolerate the heat much better than she does. Their top coat will be hot but near the skin it is kept cooler, with Sydney the sun is heating her skin directly. Nebo does get pretty hot in the summer but as long as he has access to water/shade/indoors he's fine. I've seen some huskies/malamutes/any breed with undercoat get shaved and grow back fine....but I've also seen many that grow back weird, like thinner, thicker, or bald in places.

I looked at your photos and Koli is very pretty. For what its worth, she looks like she could be purebred siberian to me.

As for the paws, I prefer the shaggy look, but hey... if it helps them. And i AGREE, it really helps keep things cleaner!

I'm naturally attracted to the dogs with feathering... like on their tails, back of the legs, ears. English Setters, Papillions, etc. LOL. I love feathering. The one time we took King to be groomed (PetStore, middle of winter, realllllly needed a bath...) we asked about everything that was included in the package. We directly told them to leave the paws alone, they even wrote it down. We came back and i INSTANTLY noticed that his feet were trimmed. They argued and said they left his feet alone. I let it go... he was bathed, clean, dry, and ALIVE. I was happy. You could clearly tell though that his feet were trimmed. All the hair was the same length and you could see his nails.

[crow_noir]

Hey, she's finally loosing some fur... but i wouldn't call it "shedding." It was still quite stuck in there. I decided to try the comb on her again today... I was able to get a few clumps out... but it was pretty much still stuck in there.

The only thing really shedding on her is the top of her head. ???

Man, this stuff comes out so easily when it's ready to! It's all straight and silky. King's took weeks to all come out... and you could only get some out at a time, it was all woven together. Koli's is all neat and orderly. What ever's loose comes out with out hassle. Either it's in or it's out.

So yes... Koli is finally shedding (with my help.)

[-Pickle-]

owning a husky myself, i know that huskies are notorious shedders- especially in the lead up to summer if your summers going to be hot- but you can get moult formula to put in their food which depleats the intesity of the shedding- it works for most animals methinks.
apparently you can get husky fur spun into wool to knit with
i love huskies undercoat- its REEEEAAAALLLLLYYYY soft

[Wahoo]

Having owned Malamutes I can share the following:
I expect the coat to blow twice a year with some minor shedding being constant. I brush weekly to help control it- spritzing with water helps prevent hair damage and also assists in containing what would be clouds of fuzz floating all over. I bathe him every 6 weeks or so.

I would not shave a northern breed unless absolutely necesssary. (severe matting, wooly coat, medical condition etc). You are correct in assuming it helps insulate from heat, as well as cold. The note about it not coming back correctly is also true.

Dodgemonster has not yet begun his moult this year- maybe June?
I have been collecting shed fur for spinning/knitting- maybe an afghan someday?

[crow_noir]

He he... You know how we were discussing the attributes of shaving?

Well... I end up having to trim a nice sized patch on Koli's side. UGH! She got pine tar in her fur some how! We don't have any pine trees in our yard. I don't know where she would have picked it up from.

Oh and in case anyone's wondering... yes she is shedding some, but it's holding in there tight even after a dip in the lake and a bath! Frustrating. I'm like "Won't you all just come out already!?"

[Jessika]

My two have been blowing their coats for about two weeks now... and it's awful... vacuuming twice a day only to have a fresh coat of fur all over EVERYTHING not even 10 minutes later... showing up at work with a shirt that you'd thought was white but is really black... yeah it's pretty bad. It's slowing down now, thank God, but man, this year it was even worse than normal for them lol

[Glacier]

I'll have to get a picture of Antare soon. He looks like a sheep who is way way overdue for a sheering!

[crow_noir]

*sigh* I wish that was my problem... I can deal with that type of shedding. It's so easy for me. (Lots and lots and lots of brushing. Two or three different types of brushes. Brushing until my arm falls off. And you just pick up the tumble fweeds as they form around the house.)

Koli's just doesn't want to come out.

You're weird dog. Weird i say.

Have you tried vacuuming the dogs? Seriously. I did that a few times with King. (Using the hose attachment.)

My two have been blowing their coats for about two weeks now... and it's awful... vacuuming twice a day only to have a fresh coat of fur all over EVERYTHING not even 10 minutes later... showing up at work with a shirt that you'd thought was white but is really black... yeah it's pretty bad. It's slowing down now, thank God, but man, this year it was even worse than normal for them lol

[buttercup132]

*sigh* I wish that was my problem... I can deal with that type of shedding. It's so easy for me. (Lots and lots and lots of brushing. Two or three different types of brushes. Brushing until my arm falls off. And you just pick up the tumble fweeds as they form around the house.)

Koli's just doesn't want to come out.

You're weird dog. Weird i say.

Have you tried vacuuming the dogs? Seriously. I did that a few times with King. (Using the hose attachment.)

Sounds like she's blowing her coat. Maybe book a appointment with the groomers. Getting a bath and blow dry really helps and they brusht hem after all that too.

[cyber-sibes]

We always have plenty of husky fur around here, too! Since mine have been outside dogs (until now), they get quite a thick undercoat & longer guard hairs. (They are beautifully fluffy most of the year.) They shed on different schedules. And their shedding has changed as they have matured. They shed more now than as younger dogs.

Frustrating. I'm like "Won't you all just come out already!?"

Sherman's breeder (who shows sibes) told me that the females tend to shed more or less year round, whereas males will usually blow coat twice a year. Females also grow longer coats as they get older, which is true of Star.

Star looses a little fur from spring-fall, but doesn't shed heavily until about November. "I always ask her "shouldn't you be growing fur right now?"

Sherman sheds in spring, like you'd expect. If he doesn't get brushed, he resembles a dandelion gone to seed. He has a second shed in late summer/early fall, but not nearly as heavy as the first. I've saved Sherman's whole shed before. It fills several plastic grocery bags.

I bathe mine a couple times a year (more often during skunk-hunting season ). It's so much easier now that the pet store has a bathing station. I love the hydro-wash because it really gets the fur wet quickly-which takes FOREVER if you hand-bathe. Rinsing is much easier and you can't beat that blow-dryer!

I don't brush them much except during shedding, and then work on them a bit at a time very frequently. They won't tolerate a long brushing. Heck, Star won't tolerate it longer than five minutes!

I don't trim their feet unless the fur gets ridiculously long, or they start getting iceballs. I can see where fluffy feet might help in hot weather to give them a little extra cushioning on hot side walks. Have to think about that now that they are city dogs.


I've also heard that you should never shave a husky, Their fur protects them from heat as well as cold.

[Glacier]

I'll have to get a picture of Antare soon. He looks like a sheep who is way way overdue for a sheering!

As promised:

Think he needs a brushing??

[polarpooch]

Wow, that's a good looking sheep you've got there Glacier!

As for general shedding issues, huskies can, and do shed on different schedules. My old husky, Cookie, used to shed November into December. My new one didn't start blowing her coat in earnest until this spring (she just turned 2). I had thought I'd gotten a lucky, magic husky that wasn't going to shed whole dogs onto my carpet and clothes. Silly me.

I wouldn't worry. (Don't shave her!)

[crow_noir]

OMG that would have been driving me nuts! I would have picked those out by now. Then again I'm obsessive compulsive when it comes to things like that. Things have to be perfect... shirt sleeves, dog fur, etc. I'm a picker.

As promised:
Think he needs a brushing??

P.S. Those are some purty stones there on the ground too beside the purty pup.