Do you shave your pup?

[ihartgonzo]

Yep, I guess the title is self-explanitory. I see a lot of people with clipped dogs that are not traditionally clipped, especially in California. My friend has a yellow Lab with a very slight clip, his fur is still moderately long. I have also seen a yellow Lab shaved to the skin!!!

Personally, Gonzo has been clipped for the summer several times, and he really seems much happier and cooler. I want to at least get his belly shaved, because he will be attending lots of Flyball, Agility AND Frisbee events, and after each run he has been taught to lay down in a baby pool/tub. When his belly is shaved, the water cools him down much quicker. I'm still considering getting a full-body clip for him... see his Dogster, if you want to know what he looks like with a buzz cut (and a mohawk). =P A lot of people give me wierd looks and ask why I would shave a BC, other people say he looks very happy. In all honesty, he is outdoors about 5 times a day - potty trips, a long walk in the early morning and in the evening, and 1-2 hours of exercising in the evening. The rest of the time, he is crashed on the couch! Does anyone feel shaving him is ridiculous? He does love his groomers, and his coat comes back in healthy every time.

 

[whatszmatter]

Does anyone feel shaving him is ridiculous? .

Yes

Fur is insulation just like in the walls of your home, it keeps heat in, and cold out in the winter, and in the summer they expel the heat they don't need thru their belly, tongue, and paws, and the fur keeps heat out. Shaving it off takes away their natural temp. regulation. I'll trust mother nature and the dog to know how to keep themselves at a good operating temperature before I trust some guy with a clippers.

 

[tessa_s212]

Leave the hair on his body, shave his tummy.

A few of our Cockers get shaved down all the way during the summer. In a breed like the Cocker, the hair does nothing to keep them cool. Shaving them is the only way to help them keep cool. Though, I certainly don't recommend shaving adog with thinner hair, or shaving a dog so short that it could get sunburnt.

And then the cycle starts all over again.

 

[stevinski]

jw but how many cocker spaniels do you have?

 

[tessa_s212]

Seven

www.freewebs.com/tessa_s212

 

[whatszmatter]

Leave the hair on his body, shave his tummy.

A few of our Cockers get shaved down all the way during the summer. In a breed like the Cocker, the hair does nothing to keep them cool. Shaving them is the only way to help them keep cool. Though, I certainly don't recommend shaving adog with thinner hair, or shaving a dog so short that it could get sunburnt.

QUOTE]
Do cockers have different fur than the rest of the dogs? As far as I know having dogs with long hair that is matted is the only thing that will affect its ability to keep cool, otherwise dogs with longer fur are the same as the rest.

 

[Wiggle Butt]

Tell your friends to stop shaving their Labs. Their fur is meant to protect them from both heat and cold

Oh, and HI ERICA. Didn't know you were here.

 

[tessa_s212]

Leave the hair on his body, shave his tummy.

A few of our Cockers get shaved down all the way during the summer. In a breed like the Cocker, the hair does nothing to keep them cool. Shaving them is the only way to help them keep cool. Though, I certainly don't recommend shaving a dog with thinner hair, or shaving a dog so short that it could get sunburnt.

Do cockers have different fur than the rest of the dogs? As far as I know having dogs with long hair that is matted is the only thing that will affect its ability to keep cool, otherwise dogs with longer fur are the same as the rest.

I guess you just have to be a cocker owner to understand. I can tell you for a fact that all of our shaved dogs are always MUCH cooler over the summer than our dogs that are left in full coat.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Yeah, I think I will just stick with his tummy, even if it looks kind of dumb! I really want his hindquarters trimmed, too. OMG they get so poofy.

Sarah, I didn't know you were here, either! I got a link to this from LJ. Good to see you! And, I know, it is pretty pointless to shave a Lab. Their coat is so short anyway... especially when they shave to the skin! >_<

 

[azcowgirl]

i like the mohawk! lol i just shaved my dog today like that. i usually do the mohawk and lion cut... the chest has fur and the back of his neck and everything. everyone likes the lion cut! lol they always ask me if i can cut there dogs fur!

 

[tessa_s212]

You do what?

We once did shave brownie to look like a lion(his gold color was even better..he was so cute) but we quickly shave dhim up and fixed him in a week after we had our fun.

But what dog of your's has long enough hair to be shaved?

 

[ihartgonzo]

But what dog of your's has long enough hair to be shaved?

I'm guessing the Chow/Shepherd.

Really, I don't think it's that huge of a deal. Some one who clips their dogs for the summer obviously does care a lot about them, regardless. I've gotten very rude looks when Gonzo is clipped (even though it is just to his undercoat), but I have met more people involved in dog sports and herding who really liked it and understood. Gonzo's coat is very thick and long and even though I understand the temperature regulation thing, he does seem very very happy without heavy fur all over him in 100* heat.

 

[soft pawz]

i think it depends ....

just look at it like that: if your wear a light shirt in the summer you will probably be cooler than if the sun burns directly on your skin......but wearing a winter coat in summer is for sure going to make you feel hot hot hot!!!

i wouldnt shave my dog down to the skin in summer but i also wouldnt leave him in full coat... no clue why anybody feels the need to shave a lab though.....i saw them doing that at petsmart last week and it looker really weird

 

[bubbatd]

I would never shave my Goldens and see no sense in shaving a Lab. Yes, I've seen a lot of shaved dogs... mostly because of lack of grooming and laziness of owners to remove mats . If you feel your dogs are cooler, so be it . Yes, my dogs loved to cool of in water after a workout... but I used a towel .

 

[Dizzy]

Labs have short but very thick dense fur... I guess that could be the reason.

 

[Gempress]

I personally don't believe that whole line about hair keeping the heat out. Protect the skin from sunburn and direct sun, yes. But actually keep out heat? No. If that were true, then why do most desert-originated breeds have extremely short hair? Hairy dogs usually come from cold climates, and short-haired dogs from hot climates. Northern wolves have thick, full hair; Mexican red wolves don't. That's proof enough for me.

It's very hot where I live, and a lot of people get their dogs shaved in the summer. And it's quite obvious that these dogs are MUCH happier and cooler with their coats shaved. They're more playful, more active and pant less. If you were going to take your dog in direct sun a lot, than I wouldn't do it. But if your dog is mainly indoors, I think it's a good idea.

 

[Dizzy]

Have to agree gempress.

I'd like to see the hard evidence that the hair cools them. If I see that, I will be happy to change my opinion.

 

[Kase]

As you all know Casey is a Golden and I have shaved her. I know I don't live anywhere near the equator but it does get hot here, sometimes . 2yrs ago during the summer she would wake us up in the night and I would think she'd be asking to go out so she could go to the toilet, that wasn't the case. All she did was sit outside, she was too hot but there was nothing I could do about it, there was no heating on and my bedroom window was open (our house was a new build and was generally a very hot house). She became very uncomfortable and someone suggested she either sleep outside (that was out of the question) or get shaved. We went with the second option and she seemed a lot more comfortable.

I know she's a golden and I didn't want her to be shaved, but I thought it would cool her down so I did it.

I honestly don't know if long fur does keep the heat out, I just figured less hair=cooler dog, whether it's right or not is a different matter. Now we have moved to an older house built in 1913, it has higher ceilings and tends to be cooler so I doubt we will have the same problems. As a result she won't get shaved.

 

[Sweet72947]

Lab shaving

I used to work at a groomer's as a receptionist and people would request their labs to be shaved every once in a while. People are under the impression that if you clip your lab short, it will stop them from shedding . However in my experience they just come out looking horrible and the shedding amount doesn't really change. These are the same people that complain that their dog sheds after picking him up from grooming. You just want to tell them (but can't because you have to be polite) that groomers don't have magic wands. There is no possible way to get EVERY HAIR out of a dog unless you brushed him for about ten hours straight or something.

I clip my terrier mix myself in the summer, but we let him grow out long in the winter. He does seem happier with short hair in the summer. If we let it get long he just lies there in the house panting.

 

[LabBreeder]

it doesn't matter how much, or how long, you brush a dog...you'll still get shedding if it has a shedding coat. our Labs don't shed much at all. she got stressed about our computer when we first got it and was shedding all over the place. you would have thought we'd had a lab hair floor in our kitchen! lol once she realized the computer wasn't some strange dog or contraption out to take attention from her (and after we bathed her with no shed shampoo) she stopped shedding...well there were a few hairs...but nothing like before. when ours get hot, she jumps in some water (pool, tub, pond, etc) and cools off and we take a break. i don't think i'd ever shave her or our youngest.