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to shave or not to shave?


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my girl have a beautiful coat of fur, shes tri-colored, but mostly black. she spends most of the day playing in the backyard, and her fun gets SO hot, im concidering giving her a shave/buzz cut for the summer. have anyone done this with there dog? or would you?

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We have a similar problem with our tri-coloured who is mostly black (although it's shedding out), and I've considered alot of options. I wouldn't suggset shaving your dog - it causes other problems with bugs but the few people I've met that do it (one with a beautiful golden retreiver so goes bare every summer :rolleyes: ) swear by it!

 

I'm also curious to know if anyone makes fly sheets for dogs? :D Fly sheets are for horses, they help keep the flies at bay and also can reflect the sunlight off their back, and I think that might really help our poor girl, this summer is just horrible for her!

 

Nes.

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Yes to the flysheet type of coat.

http://cleanrun.com/category.cfm?Category=...FTOKEN=51920312

 

Also in my prior issue of Clean Run there's one that is made of reflective weaving. They don't offer it online yet, but it's made of this stuff in the shape of a dog coat:

http://cleanrun.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_I...FTOKEN=51920312

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I had both girls clipped to about an inch all over, and they are much cooler and happier. Sammi especially doesn't do well in the heat. She sleeps better, and has more energy.

 

The heat never has seemed to bother Mr. Buzzard that much, so we didn't have him clipped. Don't shave, whatever you do, they can get badly sunburned.

 

Ruth n the BC3

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The thing about shaving is it won't "really" help keep your dog cooler - it can make the problem worse.

 

Dogs have the long guard hairs that PROTECT the dog from the sun and help keep the dog cool. When you shave the dog you cut those long hairs off so the dogs can actually become HOTTER then before. Most people think that it helps the dog, but, in truth, their outer fur already is meant as a cooling devise - so take that away and you can make the problem worse. So if you are just thinking of shaving the dog just to make them cooler (verses wanting to shave to remove a very thick, matting coat or something) I wouldn't - it just doesn't work like you think it would. So if you want to keep your dog cool, you would be better off just leaving the fur natural ? that will actually be better and keep the cooler.

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Originally posted by Kat's Dogs:

So if you want to keep your dog cool, you would be better off just leaving the fur natural ? that will actually be better and keep the cooler.

Does that also go for the undercoat? I've bought a new undercoat rake that combs out LOTS more undercoat than I ever thought she had. Does combing it out actually make her cooler, or would it be better to leave it as it is?

 

If it's okay, then it would be another option to consider before shaving. There was a thread some time ago about where to buy one.

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The undercoat is what keeps the dog warm. (and why the SHED like crazy in the summer....). So that would keep your dog cooler to remove some of the undercoat. (it is the fluffy, not silky, short fuzz).

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Okay, then I'll rake away . She doesn't shed much at all, compared to other dogs. Maybe she needs some help with that.

 

Here 's the thread I meant, btw. Mine looks different but the outcome is the same.

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I have a BC mix that we got in February. She is black and has VERY long hair. It was matted so we had her shaved when we brought her home. Last month I wanted her trimmed and the dam lady shaved her again. I hate it. She has the cutest ears and with no hair they're just dog ears lol. I'll probably continue to trim her up till her hair fully grows back. It still sheds just as bad shaved as not, and I dont notice a body temp difference. I wouldnt recommend shaving except for mats or something. Here is Riven shaved.

IM000307a.jpg

 

This is about a month before - dont look at the clumps of hair in the background LOL :rolleyes: I had just finished brushing her.

small891a.jpg

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