Hi all

Again in advance Thanx and sorry if this is in the wrong place o long

Right, My GSD bitch, Meeka is long haired. Coming to summer time now down in South Africa and the temp the other day was 28 degrees Celcius which was already hot...so im wondering if i should have her shaved not completely clean shaven but just down to a short length.

What are your comments? are there any adverse affects to shaving a dogs fur?
My dogs dont shed a lot since i started them on the BARF diet so im wondering if the complete winter coat will be shed.

she is still very thick coated and i dont want to have over heating problems especially since they are outside all day. even though i have already ensured its fully shaded areas and that they have wading pools in the shade with flowing water so that the water doesnt stagnate...its like a koi pond with a waterfall.

any suggestions?

Yusrie
I also have a long-haired female GSD and live in Austin TX, which is not only HOT in the summer but quite humid as well. Besides keeping a couple of kiddie pools in the yard for the dogs to use as they will ,I did, in fact, clip her body hair this spring. I scissor trimmed the tail and ears but took the rest of her coat down to about an inch and it did make a bit of difference. You must realize I am not a groomer so she did look a bit chopppy and moth-eaten but she seemed a lot more willing to run around and cooled down much faster after any exertion. I don't leave the dogs out unattended in the yard however so I don't know how that would work......I'm too paranoid about what could happen to them and I also want them in the air conditioning when its in the upper 90's or triple digits. Dogs can handle cold better than too much heat so be careful.

Yusrie, I would not clip or shave your GSD's hair. It may never grow back well. Her fur will keep her insulated. Find some other way to help cool her off, a little wading pool or playing with water from the hose, but do not shave or clip her fur. It doesn't work the same on GSDs as it does on other breeds whose fur needs to be clipped often.

Many years ago, when I owned my chow, a lady approached me at 711 and chewed me out for owning such a dog in such a hot climate. I was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say to her. So, like you, I wondered if shaving the coat was what I should do. So, I called my vet and talked to him about what happened. He told me the woman didn't know what the heck she was talking about. He said the fur is actually a dogs protection from both the heat and the cold. He said that the temperature of a dogs skin was always at least 4-6 degrees cooler WITH fur and that to shave a dog was a great diservice to the dog. The fur actually protected the dog from the elements, especially the heat. I don't know if this helps or not but this is what I was told and ever since anytime I see a dogs hair shaved I think back to what that vet said to me.

I owned a tripple coated GSD at one time. Heat was never a problem. I just never worked her hard without some cooling water near by. Like Robbin said the fur seemed to insulate against the heat as well as the cold. What hasn't been mentioned is the help the coat provides against flying insects. They never seemed to get to her.
My vote is to not cut what is not too matted to comb out.
Randy

What causes a problem is any loose undercoat that when shedding does not get combed out and is allowed to get packed under the outer coat. I'm near Memphis Tn, think 98 degrees and 80% humidity in the summer. At one time I had 7 Chows and 2 Akitas and those dogs were never shaved. Plenty of shade fresh water and pools to splash in if they wanted


Lisa

Yeah, I was thinking of those hard to get places, like the haunches close up under the tail and the delicate areas between the rear legs. those areas always seem to mat up before I can comb them out. A little snip here and there does the trick with no harm. But your right, proper grooming over all is critical no matter what time of year it happens to be. Keeps them warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Randy

 Quote: lisa kidd

What causes a problem is any loose undercoat that when shedding does not get combed out and is allowed to get packed under the outer coat. I'm near Memphis Tn, think 98 degrees and 80% humidity in the summer. At one time I had 7 Chows and 2 Akitas and those dogs were never shaved. Plenty of shade fresh water and pools to splash in if they wanted


Lisa

Yes, I'm with Lisa.

This
http://www.leerburg.com/1072.htm
is my favorite for removing that undercoat without cutting the outer coat. I love it.

P.S. There's a little video at that link that shows it.

I think a rake is pretty good, too. Lisa is right (IMO) about the problem being that loose stuff packed underneath.

 Quote: Sandy Moore

It may never grow back well. Her fur will keep her insulated.

Interesting, I always shave my parents' American Eskimo because they never have the time to brush his coat. He always grow his fur back long. They don't bother to bring him to the groomer either so I offer to shave him once every six months. Usually, I leave his front coat long and keep his butt and stomach short.

thank you all

i do groom my dogs once a week a detailed grooming. and every other day just a quick brush to get the bits of grass and other things that get stuck in there fur out.

their coat is never matted or knotted...the only problem i have is the area between the rear legs...the female has very thick fur there and doesnt stay still if i brush there..and the male ..well...u kno...has this thing in the way...lol...
so i was thinking abt just shaving the belly area and between the rear legs..thats what our Vet suggested anyways.
i honestly thought their coat made them hotter because they black mostly and when the sun is out their backs are always hot to the touch.
but like i said..they have each in their seperate areas a big shaded well aired section with a little wading pool that i rigged with a pnd pump that keeps the water flowing so that it doesnt stagnate and it gets filtered to keep clean and cool for longer..so they always have their own private pool for whenever they want it...i have noticed that since its gotten hotter i have had to fill the pools more often bcoz they keep splashing in it

thank u...

so what do you guys think about the shaving the belly and area between the rear legs only?