Why You Shouldn't Shave Your Long Coated Dog

[luvsdogs]

This article has been linked a couple of times on FB. For those who ask the question, can I shave my long coated dog? here's the reasons why not.

http://www.examiner.com/article/why-you-shouldn-t-shave-your-double-coated-dog

[Dory the Doted One]

Sadly, I think a lot of people use the 'keep them cool in summer' reason as an excuse for..."I'm too lazy to brush my dog".

So in all likelihood they will shave anyway, despite valid reasons why they shouldn't.

[Missymoo]

I would still rather a pet owner clip their dog then see it in all sorts of matts and mess

[pepe001]

Also many long coasted dogs are shaved due to making it easier to find ticks.

[Dory the Doted One]

I would still rather a pet owner clip their dog then see it in all sorts of matts and mess

Very true!

[dee lee]

Also many long coasted dogs are shaved due to making it easier to find ticks.

Yes, I have a friend who shaves his GR for just such a reason.

And come every summer I am sorely tempted to shave mine, purely because I can brush my dog & sweep my floor 4 times a day and still have a fur carpet!!! It's not lazy, it's called not enough hours in the day!! :laugh:

But then I look at her lovely coat & just can't do it.

[Dogsfevr]

We are groomers & the most common reason for wanting to clip off coated breeds is lazy .

We clip off alot of elderly coated breeds which i have no issues with some are incapable of tolerating being brushed.

I tend to find the time poor reason a bad excuse.

It takes 10 mins to brush a coated breed with the right tools regularly but generally the dogs aren't trained so it becomes all to much hard work .

Goldies are the worst offenders & most want them clipped because they shed & they don't brush & have massive dags & dreadies in there pants ,

Goldies coats are so easy to brush .

As for tick areas i guess for many its easy but given show people can keep there dogs in full coats & still check its really not an excuse .

But i do agree i would sooner see it clipped off then live the life a matted mess which is so painful

[BC Crazy]

I don't understand people wanting to clip a double coated breed. It takes me 10 mins tops each dog everyday to run a brush, then wide tooth metal comb over them & do a tick check.

They very rarely get a knot because I do groom them daily. It's that easy. They get shampooed about once every 3 to 4 weeks. That takes me a hour each dog. Some people are just lazy I think.

But I have to agree as well I would rather see a clipped dog than one with an uncared for coat any day. Unfortunately I do see the latter a lot

[dee lee]

As a Goldie owner, I will contest matts always being the result of laziness.

Yes, most of the coat is easy, but the fine top coat matts quite easily. My dog, who has sensitive skin, will chew matts into her pants overnight &, if she really gets into it, occassionally I need to cut it out. It has nothing at all to do with not brushing.

As for the shedding, Summer is a freaking nightmare with my inside Goldie. The shedding occurs nonstop (around the year, but summer is particularly bad) & having spoken to a number of GR owners who shave their dogs in summer, they have found the shedding greatly reduced. That sounds pretty good to me.

Personally, I would not ever see the need to visit a groomer, because yes, Goldies are easy to brush, so I imagine the only ones groomers would see are the bad care cases.

[cassie]

I belong to a Saint Bernard group on Facebook; the majority of members are from the US and most of them shave their Saints every summer. I've tried explaining why it's not a good idea, and have posted links like in the OP but they don't get it. Many of them have little idea about a lot of things in regards to dog ownership actually. I have to bite my tongue now as OH started telling me off for clogging up his news feed with my "Saint arguments" :laugh:

Edited August 31, 2013 by cassie

[mita]

If anyone calls me a lazy dog owner because I get my thick-coated tibbie clipped back (like a shih tzu), I'll go into a Donald Duck rage. :)

First, because our tibbies get slavish attention & the clipping is part of that attention. Second, it's been checked with both our excellent vet & a highly experienced groomer.

It makes life far more comfortable in the hot summers for our thick-coated tibbie, Annie, who was bred in Sweden where the breed is popular in the cold northern European conditions. Life in sub-tropical Qld is a different matter. Annie is much, much cooler when clipped right back in summer... does a little dance of freedom when she emerges looking like a cross between a lamb & a small lion. Helps enormously, too, for flea & tick control.

Our other tibbie is Australian born & bred, and doesn't have the same thick coat. So she doesn't get clipped. Not necessary. Same with the tibbie next door, whose coat is light & silky. All, by the way are ex-Aus Champions.

For the relatively short Qld winter, Annie's coat has grown back. She's not being shown any more, & is a desexed pet.

I can't speak for all long coated dogs. My getting only some of my tibbies done, doesn't meant I support a blank cheque for every long-haired dog. The cons mentioned in that article are very valid.

Edited August 31, 2013 by mita

[persephone]

I always clipped our O E S D ... her amazing coat was just not compatible with all the prickles/dust/fleas /mud around here !! As she was always short coated , and indoors a lot , there was problem regarding 'missing' coat and when racing around outside she could do whatever she liked :)

[RiverStar-Aura]

How do you know if you have a double coated dog? My cross breed I've been wondering for years. He has quite long fur that lies flat on his body -- like a smooth coat JRT but the underneath is a different colour and fluffy. The top layer is harsh and waterproof and he sheds like crazy.

He's a beagle JRT cross supposedly if that helps. Mostly I'd like to know if what I've said above are characteristics of a double coat.

Sorry for going OT

[gsdog2]

So what double coated, long haired breeds were actually breed for warm to hot climates?

My parents are Dutch and they tell me my grandmother always had Newfies, beautiful dogs with thick coats - for the cold weather. Yes, these breeds have a thick coat to insulate them ........ against the cold.

[Mim]

I belong to a Saint Bernard group on Facebook; the majority of members are from the US and most of them shave their Saints every summer. I've tried explaining why it's not a good idea, and have posted links like in the OP but they don't get it. Many of them have little idea about a lot of things in regards to dog ownership actually. I have to bite my tongue now as OH started telling me off for clogging up his news feed with my "Saint arguments" :laugh:

Oh Cassie, I know how you feel! I'm on a Corgi group on FB and the majority of owners are in the US and shave their dogs. I bite my tongue about it and also about all the overweight dogs.

[Lhok]

I always clipped our O E S D ... her amazing coat was just not compatible with all the prickles/dust/fleas /mud around here !! As she was always short coated , and indoors a lot , there was problem regarding 'missing' coat and when racing around outside she could do whatever she liked :)

I read somewhere way back that a lot of the shepherds would shear their dogs when they did their sheep so I wouldn't be surprised if the OESD coat would be able to handle it.

--Lhok

[Guest donatella]

I'm thinking about getting Lucy a lion cut for summer :laugh:

[luvsdogs]

I've mostly had long haired animals. The 1st being a X-Persian cat, then my OH had a X-Poodle when I met him. She wasn't groomed much & had dreadlocks. Because of that I thought we'd get a short breed dog next. Never again. It was way worse for shedding so have had 2 Border Collies & a Japanese Spitz since. I have also had a pure bred Persian & he had to be bathed because of fleas, back then there were no flea spot-ons, & groomed regularly.

My 1st Border was really easy to groom & rarely had mats. My present BC has a different coat & gets what I call her dreadlocks on her hips & thighs when shedding. My little JS is the worst to groom because his "wool" feels/looks like cotton wool when shedding. If they get really bad mats I cut it out. It doesn't show but I'd never get them shawn. I guess if I had Llasa Apso or Shih Tzu I'd have them clipped off.

[mita]

So what double coated, long haired breeds were actually breed for warm to hot climates?

My parents are Dutch and they tell me my grandmother always had Newfies, beautiful dogs with thick coats - for the cold weather. Yes, these breeds have a thick coat to insulate them ........ against the cold.

My Annie from Sweden says, 'Thank you!' :)

I can't generalize from one case, but a Brisbane tibbie boy, imported from Singapore, had a silky coat with no undercoat. He was purebred, registered with the Kennel Club there. Made me wonder if that's what breeders in that v. hot climate had catered for.

[Dame Aussie]

Both my two have double coats. Very easy to brush and look after. Their double coat insulates them against cold and hot so I'm not going to mess with nature.