Clipping Border Collies

[Amurryka10]

Hi,

I have 2 beautiful bc's and I am considering clipping them this summer for a several reasons...

1. Thought it may keep them cooler.

2. I live in the bush and we get an obscene amount of ticks so thought it may help me see them with a shorter coat if they get one and same applies for a snake bite (heaven forbid that should ever happen!!!)

3. Avoid grass seeds/ prickles which I have spent every other summer tirelessly pulling them out of their coats each day.

4. They love to swim and the dam water gets pretty manky when it is low so shorter coat means less grossness being dragged around.

I have done some googling and there seems to be ongoing debates on clipping this breed, some say never to do it as their coat is also an insulator and others say it is fine and grows back no problem and they seem to cope better with the heat.

I am a little vain of their appearance and I know they will look positively awful hahahaha! but I am thinking of what may be more comfortable/ practical.

They are 4 and 6 years old and have not had any trouble in the past but they do seem to feel the heat quite a bit which results in me leaving them in mostly during the day and outside at night unless i am taking them swimming where they can cool off immediately.

Thoughts please border collie people?

[denali]

Firstly, your dogs are beautiful :)

I think all your reasons are very logical, especially the ticks.

However I do believe that their coat is insulated.

I am a groomer, and have clipped a few BC's. I don't really like doing it, and i can usually convince most people not to and to just do a trim and tidy up.

or just clip their bellies short so they can lay on the tiles etc.

Re. the coat regrowth thing, some dogs coats grow back terrible, super thick, full of the undercoat and can change colour.

However some grow back perfectly fine.

I also don't know if it makes them hotter or cooler, i find that clipped or not they all pant. Which is what most people measure 'hottness' on.

Just do what suits you, in the end it is your decision :)

I hope that helps.

ETA: have you tried cooling coats?

Edited November 13, 2013 by denali

[Rascalmyshadow]

I have never owned border collies but I have groomed quite a few, the ones I have clipped the owners have given positive feedback and continued to clip them in the warmer months.

It will definitely make their maintenance easier especially looking for ticks. I would advise not going too short maybe leave them an inch all over, the shorter the coat is clipped the more chance of it not growing back well.

I personally don't like the look of them clipped.

[Amurryka10]

Yes, I am rather apprehensive to do it. The thought that their coats may grow back yuck turns me off.

Maybe I will just go with the leg and belly tidy up. I have survived this long maintaining them, I am sure they are and will be ok.

Plus I too really like they way they look. I washed them today and they look so damn adorable which is what got me changing my mind haha

Thanks for the feedback:)

Also, what is a cooling coat?

Edited November 13, 2013 by Amurryka10

[Daisy.Tea]

I hack into my aussie girl who has no need to be beautiful. By that I mean that her pants and tail get a bit of a trim maybe an inch or so off as well as brushed out. It means I don't need to brush her as often and there aren't as many burs. She hates getting groomed and it makes her quite anxious so I like to make it easier on us both.

I don't think I could clip her though. It's such a risk it may grow back terribly!

[Amurryka10]

Yeh, I do give mine 'bum haircuts' also haha

Diesel looks like he is getting around with 3 tails otherwise and often comes running back to me with half the state forest attached to it hahaha!

Took me 3 years to work up to doing that! I used to brush it religiously but it dread locked so easily and he didn't like it much so I got brave and I got the scissors!

[dancinbcs]

The only reasons to clip off a BC are for tick prevention in a high risk area or in old dogs who are past being groomed. Clipping will not keep them cooler and could actually take away some of their protection against snakes. Clipping short exposes the pink skin in their white areas to sun damage and any exposed skin is more likely to react with contact allergies. No one can predict how a clipped coat will grow back but it is usually with a much thicker undercoat. Farmers tend to scissor off the feathering and trim long manes and pants to reduce the number of grass seeds picked up. Personally I hate to see them clipped off but if it is for health reasons then it may be for the best. I have no idea how I would cope with them in tick areas but I have plenty of friends who manage to do it.

[cali]

I would shave the belly and cut all the feathers and extra length off, this is what I do with my BC's, its makes them easier to clean, less likely for stuff to get caught up and the shaved belly cools them off, and it doesn't look dumb lol

[sheena]

I don't clip my BC's for reasons others have given ie insulation, regrowth etc, but I do give them a regular going over with a rake & clip around their feet & thin out my girls tail & pants with a Mars Coat King. I only use this on the underside of her tail, so as not to spoil it's appearance. I have always thought that a long hair dog would have more protection from a snake bite, just like us wearing long trousers. I don't look for ticks, I feel for them as I find this more effective than just looking. Of course if my dogs were to get affected by a tick then I would have no choice...their lovely coats would have to be clipped. Interesting that comment someone made about a coat protects them from contact allergies. A fellow I know had his BC clipped & has been having endless trouble with contact allergies mainly around the feet.

[~Anne~]

My Mother in law's BC was clipped every year and her coat always grew back just as gorgeous. She was a far happier dog too after it was clipped.

[benshiva]

A Border Collie has a weather proof coat for a reason. It insulates against both cold and HEAT! Keeping them cool isn't an excuse to clip off the coat. However, if I lived in an area heavily affected by Paralysis tick, I'd consider it

[alpha bet]

We do grooming here at the kennels and often have people request full clips for borders and aussies.

We recommend that they do a belly clip, inbetween the back legs as well as under the armpits for dogs with thick low tails we also clip slightly a bit under the tail and around the anus to reduce the risk of anal problems .... A bit like having a hunter clip on horses during the winter, clipping off the sweat areas.

This gives the advantage of clearing the areas where grass seeds or ticks can hide but still leave the dogs with the protection of the coat for insulation. Some of the dogs we have been clipping this way for the last few years seem to have adapted very well to this method and it makes it much easier to manage the heavier coated breed as well as cleaning dogs down before they come indoors.

Edited November 14, 2013 by alpha bet

[Amurryka10]

I am not going to clip, can't do it!I love my fur babies because they are so furry and cuddly! haha

I will just do what I have always done in the past!

Are there any undercoat rake things people recommend? I just use a normal brush but I'm sure there are better ones out there!

Edited November 14, 2013 by Amurryka10

[OSoSwift]

MY BIL clips his off and their coats so far have always grown back normally. They are entire so not sure if that makes a difference. They line up to have it done and seem much happier. We have shocking grass seeds around here and one of his dogs got grass seeds in his testicles after one run through the paddock (they are working dogs)and he ended up very unwell and very sore. they thought they had got them all but obviously not. They don't have the issues when they are clipped off

[~Anne~]

The passion people have for not shaving coats is always amusing to me personally. I see the same in the pug world where people also want to shave coats. Who cares if they do. It wont solve the problem of shedding but it does help keep them cooler.

The idea of the belly clip is a good compromise for this breed I would think.

It's not your dog though that's being shaved so why do people care so much?

Sure, offer advice about the potential for sunburn and things that are true but in the end, the ultimate decision and the welfare of the dog is not anyone's concern but the owner.

Osowsift, the border collie I spoke of was desexed. Her coat was glorious when it grew back every single time. She always looked like a puppy after it being shaved off.

Edited November 14, 2013 by ~Anne~

[JulesP]

I find it interesting when people say that they know BC whose coats grew back nicely. Every BC I have seen that has been clipped has grown a horrible coat back, totally different from a normal coat.

[BC Crazy]

I too have never seen a BC' s coat grow back after a full clip nicely either. Quite a few people clip their Borders in my local area & not one of them have got a " normal" coat. They look pretty shabby really. Which is a shame.

[~Anne~]

I'll find a picture if you like. Tash was shaved every Summer. She was a gorgeous dog with a glorious coat even after many full shaves.

I live in a high tick area and it's semi rural too so there are ample examples of clipped border collies to choose from. It's a common scenario here and when out on walks and talking with people I've never heard anyone say it's ruined the dogs coat. To be fair, it's to a questions I've specifically asked either.

[BC Crazy]

We do grooming here at the kennels and often have people request full clips for borders and aussies.

We recommend that they do a belly clip, inbetween the back legs as well as under the armpits for dogs with thick low tails we also clip slightly a bit under the tail and around the anus to reduce the risk of anal problems .... A bit like having a hunter clip on horses during the winter, clipping off the sweat areas.

This gives the advantage of clearing the areas where grass seeds or ticks can hide but still leave the dogs with the protection of the coat for insulation. Some of the dogs we have been clipping this way for the last few years seem to have adapted very well to this method and it makes it much easier to manage the heavier coated breed as well as cleaning dogs down before they come indoors.

I don't clip my guys as BC's have a double coat & it is their insulator against all the elements including heat. So lucky for me I love grooming :)

However I do live in a bad tick area which is very worrying. So I am really liking the sound of this belly clip as they apparently keep all their top coat which is great & would help me in my constant tick " feel" which is a must. Trouble is I am at a loss to find a descent,knowlegeable & trustworthy groomer in my local area. If anyone does know of one would greatly appreciate a pm :)

Edited November 15, 2013 by BC Crazy

[~Anne~]

Here's a couple of articles that may add a balanced view.

http://www.animaldermatology.com/newsletter/20789/Derm-Digest-July-2012

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=urlFOAYWjxkC&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=dermatology+canine+shaving+coats&source=bl&ots=Entm2jiSjD&sig=qUA2T5G3AdTVHPppGPXXKFBqmwM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=skGFUrWSHoK6iAfz34CQCA&ved=0CDgQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=dermatology%20canine%20shaving%20coats&f=false