Summer Cut?

[Tabitha]

My dogs competed in dog sports outdoors in darn hot summers. I don't shave them or cut their coats and I can tell you my dogs were no hotter than the other dogs. What is critical is to get the undercoat out so the fur can lift and air can circulate under the fur. Cutting the coat just makes it shorter - it doesn't remove the undercoat. Best bet is to find a groomer that can strip out the undercoat.

Considering I don't know were you compete or how hot it is there I'm not going to say 'It's hotter here than it is there!' But on the hot summers the average is 100*F to 103*F for the high. This could go on for several week with only the occasional drop in temperature to the high 90s. On "cool" summers it's about 97*F to 99*F. Its a relief if it gets down to 90*F! I already know how to strip my dogs coat correctly. I'm not worried about the under coat, I can take care of that just fine, but the top coat is still heavy. I'm not gonna lie, my dog are pretty filthy and that adds a surprising amount of weigh. With all the dirt they are always getting baths in the summer. All I need to know is, will shortening their fur about 2" to 3" damage it? Thanks for all yawl's help!
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[Jess041]

I don't think it will damage it, but you do risk the chance of the top coat taking a while to grow back in. But it's probably not a big deal because of where you live..

 

[take4roll10]

We used to shave my first sheltie in the summer. She had an incredibly thick coat. We couldn't even bathe her in our bathtub, because her fur would clog it. She certainly looked ridiculous shaved, but she did have more energy and seemed so much happier after her furcut. And her fur did grow back in time for the winter. I must also admit, I did not brush her as much as I should have.

Now that I'm an adult, I do take much better care of my dog's coat and her coat isn't as thick, so she does not need to be shaved. I can always tell when she needs a good brushing because she starts to lag when I walk her. After an intense brushing, she seems to have more speed on walks.

When shaving, you do risk the chance of the fur not growing back in same spots, growing back slowly, or growing back wavy.

 

[Greenepony]

We were in Waco last summer (so less wind, little more humidity thanks to living across the street from the Brazos) and Olive was pretty okay. We would do a long (4-6 mi) walk in the mid morning and another slightly shorter on in the evening (3-5 mi) and stop for water ever 1.5-2.5 miles.

With a stripped out undercoat and a trimmed back belly (she was spayed in May/June) she was pretty happy. If we were to go back this summer after living up north she wouldn't be happy but the gradual heat increase she was fine.

 

[Chris]

Last summer, Chris (a forum member) had one of her sheltie's given a summer cut. It looked very nice, and was comfortable for the sheltie.

Possibly, you can pm Chris about the cut, or she can post the picture again.

Here's Bitsy with her summer hair! Make sure you tell the groomer that NO CLIPPERS ARE ALLOWED TO TOUCH YOUR SHELTIE!

 

[Tabitha]

Thanks Chris! Bitsy looks so cute! I'll make sure the groomer doesn't get the clippers anywhere near my two boys. I may have to keep a close on them though, in Lubbock sometimes if you tell someone to do one thing the compleat opposite is done.

Example: The last time I got MY summer cut I asked for long bangs, below my cheek bones, and fairly short layers. At the end of it all I had very uneven SHORT bangs and hardly any layers to speak of!

I just hope my dogs have more luck than me!
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[BarbV]

We used to shave my first sheltie in the summer. She had an incredibly thick coat. We couldn't even bathe her in our bathtub, because her fur would clog it. She certainly looked ridiculous shaved, but she did have more energy and seemed so much happier after her furcut. And her fur did grow back in time for the winter. I must also admit, I did not brush her as much as I should have.

Now that I'm an adult, I do take much better care of my dog's coat and her coat isn't as thick, so she does not need to be shaved. I can always tell when she needs a good brushing because she starts to lag when I walk her. After an intense brushing, she seems to have more speed on walks.

When shaving, you do risk the chance of the fur not growing back in same spots, growing back slowly, or growing back wavy.

Just adding onto to this post.....I think you should consider shaving as a last resort.

The reality is that Shelties need to be groomed regularly and their undercoat does protect them as an unsulator. If you take that undercoat away, they may suffer more from heat.

So back to shaving....when you shave a Sheltie, you are mostly shaving the guard hair and some layer of their undercoat. If you only do a minor shave, then I don't think the dog will suffer, but any shave AT ALL runs the risk of the guard hair never growing back properly .

Frankly, I think its a personal choice. I prefer the classic Sheltie look, so I'll go overtime to brush out the dogs. But if your climate works against you, you do what you think is right. I'm not going to play judge here. Ultimately, its what you think is going to make your dog most comfortable regardless of what the standard says.

 

[Tabitha]

Just adding onto to this post.....I think you should consider shaving as a last resort.

The reality is that Shelties need to be groomed regularly and their undercoat does protect them as an unsulator. If you take that undercoat away, they may suffer more from heat.

So back to shaving....when you shave a Sheltie, you are mostly shaving the guard hair and some layer of their undercoat. If you only do a minor shave, then I don't think the dog will suffer, but any shave AT ALL runs the risk of the guard hair never growing back properly .

Frankly, I think its a personal choice. I prefer the classic Sheltie look, so I'll go overtime to brush out the dogs. But if your climate works against you, you do what you think is right. I'm not going to play judge here. Ultimately, its what you think is going to make your dog most comfortable regardless of what the standard says.

If I had it my way I would never consider getting my dogs trim and no matter what NEVER a shave! I love there hair almost as much as there attitude! I brush my dogs almost every night before we go to bed and, carefully, strip there fur once a month. But it doesn't seem to be enough! Trimming, even the smallest amount of there fur is the last resort for ME. But like you said Barb it a personal preference.
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[BarbV]

One final comment that just occurred to me when I reread this thread.....

Trimming the guard hair is NOT going to cool down your dog. The guard hair protects their skin and that would be the last thing I would want to be trimming off.

And yes, they also need a certain amount of undercoat to insulate too.

So I'm going to reverse my last statement a little and encourage owners to stay on top of grooming out the undercoat and minimize trimming as much as possible.

I can see that a puppy cut might be easier to maintain, but end of day, you still have to deal with the undercoat regardless, so I don't know what the puppy cut buys you.

Are your eyes spinning yet?

 

[Tabitha]

One final comment that just occurred to me when I reread this thread.....

Trimming the guard hair is NOT going to cool down your dog. The guard hair protects their skin and that would be the last thing I would want to be trimming off.

And yes, they also need a certain amount of undercoat to insulate too.

So I'm going to reverse my last statement a little and encourage owners to stay on top of grooming out the undercoat and minimize trimming as much as possible.

I can see that a puppy cut might be easier to maintain, but end of day, you still have to deal with the undercoat regardless, so I don't know what the puppy cut buys you.

Are your eyes spinning yet?

Ok, first of all I would like to say that I'm not arguing, but... I'm trying to make life easier for my dogs, not for me. When and if I get them trimmed I plan on continuing bushing there fur everyday and stripping it every month. So wouldn't getting a little weight off them from the guard hair (top coat) make them just a little bit cooler?
I know I must be being a pest, I'm not trying too. I'm just trying to figure out what to do!
Thank you!
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