Shaving your dog down for summer is particularly popular for pet owners. But it isn’t suitable for all breeds. Depending on the coat type your dog has, will determine the best grooming option to keep your pet cool.
Dogs coats come in two forms Single Coated and Double Coated.
Single coated breeds have coats like human hair that has no determined growth. Single coated breeds can be shaved and will commonly grow back the same as before. This means it will continue to grow till it is cut. Breeds include Shih Tzu, Maltese, Poodle, Bichon etc.
Double coated breeds refer to coats that have two layers of fur. The first is fine and fluffy close to the skin. It’s the fur that sheds; light and soft. An easy way to refer to this layer of coat is very similar to the insulation of our homes. This layer is excellent at trapping air and insulating the dog. Essentially it keeps the dog warm in winter and cool in summer. The topcoat is made of guard hairs that don’t shed and protect the coat from harmful rays and bug bites. It also works at insulating against the heat as well. Breeds include Huskies, Malamutes, Samoyeds, Border Collies, Golden Retrievers etc.
The image below shows how the double coat works when the coat is groomed regularly and once it becomes impacted with dead undercoat.
It can be misleading to think that shaving your double coated dog for summer will help your pet, particularly when it comes to the warmer weather. Evolution has provided them with exactly what they need to survive. By stripping them of their natural ability to and cool themselves, you could be doing more harm than good. It will also remove any protection your pet had from the elements. When the coat does grow back the topcoat will be shorter or sometimes not grow back at all. The undercoat will be thicker and denser. The older the dog is, the less likely the quality of the coat will be like before.
So the answer to the Question “To shave or not to shave, really does depend on the breed.”
Cute as a button Dog Grooming recommends Full Grooms for Single Coated breeds, we can clip back the coat to your desired length keeping your pet nice and cool.
We suggest pampering your double coated breeds with our Deshed packages. This will remove the excess undercoat to allow your pet to remain cool and provide your pet with a balanced coat. To further assist with cooling we can also clip the hair in between the paw pads.
If you do desire to clip your double coated breed, the team at Cute as a button Dog Grooming are also able to do this for you at your chosen length.