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Why You Shouldn't Shave Your Long Coated Dog


luvsdogs
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Very interesting discussion.

We clipped our tiny little pomeranian every summer (SE Qld) and let her coat grow back for winter. It wasn't for a grooming issue (she was brushed every evening when her coat was long), but in an attempt to keep her cool in the hot summers. She was a very active little dog, always running around and loved playing fetch. She was a much happier dog with a short coat.

I've always admired the husky/malamute breeds, such good looking dogs, but thought I would never be able to own one as it would be cruel to keep such a thick coated dog in a hot Qld summer?

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I definitely agree that desexed dogs bring their own set of challenges.

I've never seen a cocker spaniel with a coat as thick and wooly as our cocker. His coat gets left to grow in winter but is definitely clipped in summer to keep him cooler. Not to mention we like going camping and to the beach with the dogs in summer and a shorter coat means it drys quicker and he doesn't get as dirty, although apparently that's just me being lazy :p

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Very interesting discussion.

We clipped our tiny little pomeranian every summer (SE Qld) and let her coat grow back for winter. It wasn't for a grooming issue (she was brushed every evening when her coat was long), but in an attempt to keep her cool in the hot summers. She was a very active little dog, always running around and loved playing fetch. She was a much happier dog with a short coat.

I've always admired the husky/malamute breeds, such good looking dogs, but thought I would never be able to own one as it would be cruel to keep such a thick coated dog in a hot Qld summer?

As it's been pointed out in this thread before if the undercoat is brushed out correctly the dog will be absolutely fine.

There are heaps of Sibes/Mals/Samoyeds/Poms/Akita's in QLD and other very hot places (Sibes are very popular in the show scene in Asia) around the world and they are fine.

My Samoyeds survive summer easily, much more so then our Lab. The Sammys are cool to touch on hot days.

Edited by Bjelkier
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I should also say that Perth summers are very hot but usually dry, I imagine humid heat would cause it's own set of management issues.

Funny you should say that! We had a sheltie with a strong tendency to get hotspots. The vet pointed out how that was ratcheted up along with the high humidity. Never, ever shaved back any of our glorious shelties, nor did they need it. Except for him.

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What are the physiological changes which happen to cause a shaved coat to not grow back properly? Hair is dead, presumably you don't shave below the skin to impact on the hair root, so how does cutting the hair shorter impact on the way the coat grows?

I can see that if you shave the coat as it growns it will look different because you've cut across the hair at the thickest part, so that as the coat gets longer the ends will be thicker and not tapered. I imagine it might taken a couple of seasons for those hairs to be replaced.

But how does shaving impact on the hair bulb? Is there some effect where the hair bulb is affected by heat/cold or the weight of hair?

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I definitely agree that desexed dogs bring their own set of challenges.

I've never seen a cocker spaniel with a coat as thick and wooly as our cocker. His coat gets left to grow in winter but is definitely clipped in summer to keep him cooler. Not to mention we like going camping and to the beach with the dogs in summer and a shorter coat means it drys quicker and he doesn't get as dirty, although apparently that's just me being lazy :p

And power to you if it makes your lives easier, sure he may not win Crufts but if he's happy and you're happy I doubt anyone will be tearing you apart. Haha.

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Guest donatella

And as ash pointed out her Pom was a much happier dog with a shorter coat in the summer and got brushed everynight with her long coat in winter.

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I definitely agree that desexed dogs bring their own set of challenges.

I've never seen a cocker spaniel with a coat as thick and wooly as our cocker. His coat gets left to grow in winter but is definitely clipped in summer to keep him cooler. Not to mention we like going camping and to the beach with the dogs in summer and a shorter coat means it drys quicker and he doesn't get as dirty, although apparently that's just me being lazy :p

And power to you if it makes your lives easier, sure he may not win Crufts but if he's happy and you're happy I doubt anyone will be tearing you apart. Haha.

That can be left to the relatives. :) My Annie's 'auntie' won Best of Breed for Tibetan Spaniels at Crufts. 'Auntie' lives in Sweden (where Annie came from) & her Swedish breeder entered her in Crufts.

In sub-tropical Qld, & now a desexed pet, Annie gets clipped of her heavy 'Swedish' coat in summer.

Here's Annie's Swedish relative, with Crufts' Best of Breed medal on display. My Annie is the spitting image of this sweet girl (click to enlarge):

post-3304-0-91233800-1378190150_thumb.jpg

Edited by mita
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I definitely agree that desexed dogs bring their own set of challenges.

I've never seen a cocker spaniel with a coat as thick and wooly as our cocker. His coat gets left to grow in winter but is definitely clipped in summer to keep him cooler. Not to mention we like going camping and to the beach with the dogs in summer and a shorter coat means it drys quicker and he doesn't get as dirty, although apparently that's just me being lazy :p

And power to you if it makes your lives easier, sure he may not win Crufts but if he's happy and you're happy I doubt anyone will be tearing you apart. Haha.

That can be left to the relatives. :) My Annie's 'auntie' won Best of Breed for Tibetan Spaniels at Crufts. 'Auntie' lives in Sweden (where Annie came from) & her Swedish breeder entered her in Crufts.

In sub-tropical Qld, & now a desexed pet, Annie gets clipped of her heavy 'Swedish' coat in summer.

Here's Annie's Swedish relative, with Crufts' Best of Breed medal on display. My Annie is the spitting image of this sweet girl (click to enlarge):

post-3304-0-91233800-1378190150_thumb.jpg

!!!! :D

(supposed to be the smiley face with love hearts - crazy phone lol)

Edited by Tibbie_tabbie
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I'm not sure what people mean about desexing being a problem. In my experience dog coats are enormously variable, even within the breed, and some dogs coats change considerably depending on what they are fed.. My old girl's outer coat (Labrador) went from too soft to semi-hard (as specified by the breed standard) as she aged, but her heavy undercoat and prolific blowing of coat has remained constant. Strangely, her daughter (nursing at the moment) was born with a hard outer coat and a relatively thin and short undercoat. The old girl was pretty wavy, as Labbies go, but after desexing, her coat is straighter. My present litter includes relatively long fluffy coats and some sleek-looking coats.

Btw, standard be damned. Living in a hot climate, I will always breed for a light and short undercoat (with Labradors). Winning shows is less important than the dog's health and comfort.

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She's just lovely Mita. My two Westie boys had to be completely shaved off after they came out of 'that' puppy farm with the most terribly filthy matted coats (apart from the fact they both stank to high hell). I have no doubt it ruined their double coats but genuinely had no choice. The wiry top coats have gone. Yet I'll never forget the grin on Andy's face as he got clipped for the first time - I'm sure he was truly comfortable for the first time in his life. So to keep them comfortable in Adelaide summers I clip them short in the summer and grow their coats for winter. It's a routine which seems to work well here. But if I had a Westie puppy from small, I'd try never to shave the coat.

Will see if I can find that photo of Andys first clip - his smile is amazing smile.gif

Edited by westiemum
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Westie, until you find Andy's first clip after being in a seriously neglected state, here's a pic from a similar situation. A rescue had to do likewise for a tibbie that came in. No other choice. The look on the face says it all (click to enlarge).

I agree how the clipping of a double-coated dog can spell the end of the coat as it was. Our excellent groomer laid it on the line when it became clear that Annie would best be clipped in this climate. She was happy to do it, agreeing with the need, but said I must first accept the risk of permanent changing to the full coat. But, as I'd be doing the same rotation that you've described, that risk wouldn't count.

post-3304-0-31425900-1378245737_thumb.jpg

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The clipped tibbie is very cute, Mita. Is that Annie?

No, it's a Tibbie that was rescued by a rescue group some time back. The coat was in a neglected state so they clipped him right back.

But that's the look Annie gets on her face when she gets clipped... like a little lamb ready to dance. :)

Just like Andy... look at his face, too!

Edited by mita
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