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To be honest, you're really not supposed to shave a spitz-type breed, *even* in the summer.
I see alot of people do it, and they all say, "Oh, well, he matts, or he gets too hot..."
Well, if you take away all of his long guard hairs, he's going to sun burn, because he has no skin protection because all of his guard hairs have been shaved away.
He'll be more easily bothered by insects and environmental problems because, once again, his skin has no protection.
The dog should be blowing out coat any way in the summer, so its not like the undercoat will be there. That's really what keeps a double coated breed warm.
The guard hairs are water proof, harsh protectors, keeping the wooly undercoat free from matts and insects.
Plus, guard hairs take about 2 years to fully grow back out, and the coat will never ever look the same again. Sometimes, it even comes back in curly, darker, or will forever be more sparse.
And, because it takes so long for the guard hairs to come back, his wooly undercoat will matt more easily, because it doesn't have anything to protect it.
Just thought you'd like to know. I have a spitz breed and this information was given to me by the breeder I purchased her from, and the breeder has been showing the dogs in agility and conformation for 30 years, just in case you were wondering where I pulled all of this info.
Hopefully, you won't shave him again.
I see alot of people do it, and they all say, "Oh, well, he matts, or he gets too hot..."
Well, if you take away all of his long guard hairs, he's going to sun burn, because he has no skin protection because all of his guard hairs have been shaved away.
He'll be more easily bothered by insects and environmental problems because, once again, his skin has no protection.
The dog should be blowing out coat any way in the summer, so its not like the undercoat will be there. That's really what keeps a double coated breed warm.
The guard hairs are water proof, harsh protectors, keeping the wooly undercoat free from matts and insects.
Plus, guard hairs take about 2 years to fully grow back out, and the coat will never ever look the same again. Sometimes, it even comes back in curly, darker, or will forever be more sparse.
And, because it takes so long for the guard hairs to come back, his wooly undercoat will matt more easily, because it doesn't have anything to protect it.
Just thought you'd like to know. I have a spitz breed and this information was given to me by the breeder I purchased her from, and the breeder has been showing the dogs in agility and conformation for 30 years, just in case you were wondering where I pulled all of this info.
Hopefully, you won't shave him again.