To shave or not to shave?
I am so torn.... My cardi, Nimh, is a very much fluffy fluffy. He is miserable in the humid hot summers and he's already not enjoying being outside and chasing the frisbee as he normally does. He's got plenty of access to water and has a pond and a river to swim in. He's brushed regularly. He's 5 years old and in very good health (no heart stuff, not overweight, etc). I gave him a kind of a lion cut last year when he seemed uncomfortable with the heat and he seemed to really enjoy it....ran around, had a lot more energy, all that stuff. But I've read quite alot about folks saying it's bad to do that and that the thick undercoat (his is VERY thick) keeps them cool and all that. But he's just so uncomfortable!!!! And he felt so much better (he seemed to, anyway) without all the fluff. I'm leaning towards giving him a cut again. I hate seeing him miserable and he loves so much to play. I attached of his last cut (I'm not groomer, that'll be apparent!, but he seemed happier and much livelier).
Another reason I'm asking everyone is that a friend of mine has a very fluffy chow mix that annually regulary given a summer cut to, but after the last time last year, her hair didn't grow back for over 6 months, and when it did, some areas were still left only sparsly haired (haunches and tail). Has anyone had experiences with this?
Folks are so helpful on this site and it's very much appreciated. I love this site.
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Nimh cut.jpg, 103 KB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Sorry, don't have any awnsers! But I have heard that you shouldn't and one reason being how they grow back and another that the hair does keep them cooler, we have a heavy coated Aussie and I just leave him be. Have you looked up some of the old discussions????
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on
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I'm torn on this issue! I used to shave my newfoundland down, and he was MUCH happier. Never had any issues with his hair growing back funny. He was an inside dog for the most part though, so I really didn't have to worry about sunburn--but he overall was much happier. (Once he got over being mad that he looked like a dork).
Seanna has very thick fur also. She always is miserable too in the summer. I took to getting a pair of thinning shears (like they use on humans to thin down thick hair), and use those to the best of my ability. Makes her a little more comfortable I think, but not by much. Her hair grew back fine after her ACL surgery, but others here have said it screws up their hair for good. I really just brush her more often in the summer, and we only go outside to be active at night when the sun starts going down. And we have our kiddie pool filled fresh every AM for the daytime when she wants to wade a little.
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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Hi Ellen,
Here's an old thread on shaving and a thermocamera picture.
Having a double coat is kinda like wearing an oven mitt, it provides insulation and protection. Without the coat, the skin will get sunburn, bug bites, dry skin... = more skin problem.
The undercoat grows back, but the top coarser coat may not grow back as your dog age.
Dogs do not sweat like human, their sweat glands are located at the bottom of their feet, dogs regulate temperature by panting.
Bill Gotthelf - fluffy corgi extraordinaire owns 4-6 fluffys in Florida, I've met his corgis, all of their coats are different and he does not shave them, if i remember correctly he only trim their under bellies, please check with him to verify. Bill is a friend, he's a board member of Sunshine Corgi Rescue and I've done several rescues with him, tell him Sam Tsang sent you :)
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Permalink Reply by Ellen Andersen on
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Thanks everyone! When I did shave him, I didn't shave him to the skin....he had about a 1/2 inch layer of hair left, so I wasn't worried about sunburn.
Sam, I'll definitely contact Bill.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on
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I wouldn't shave him but what about just scissoring the long hair down to a shorter length. Leave the undercoat and most of the top hair, just use hair cutting scissors and shorten him up to about one inch all over. He'd look kind of like a pup. When I groomed dogs, I would do this with long haired breeds like LLasas, Cockers, poodle mixes. It made it easier to keep them brushed, their coats always grew back just fine, and they were protected from the sun and whatever. Take it slow, keep brushing him as you do it so it is the same length all over, till you get it the length you want.
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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what if you just shaved the underside of his throat (like where his jugular vein is) and his belly? Their double coat does provide insulation but maybe by just shaving his underside it will be enough to alleviate some of the heat and yet keep the top half covered? I have always been told no don't shave but then I see many other dog breeds who its recommended to shave so not sure what is different about corgis. And I know many cats do well with a summer shave (my fluffy cat included). Maybe its the corgi's double coat vs the coat of a fluffy golden retriever or some of the other breeds that are frequently shaved.
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Permalink Reply by Cecily Kirkland on
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HI, We live in Florida, and we had our beloved Murphy cut very close including his neck muff every summer. When we did, he acted like a puppy because he had so much weight off of him just from his hair, and he was so comfortable, he literally danced to the car to get back in after going to the groomer. We lost him to heart failure a couple of months ago after 12 years of love love love, and are now approved for the sunshine corgi rescue list for another...playing the waiting game...anyway, his hair grew back perfectly all over, so no worries there. He was also a champion with a beautiful coat, so I would only be concerned for the corgi's comfort.
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Nimh was much more spritely after I'd given him a cut last year....and I did leave a good layer of coat....I think I'll start with belly and stuff and see how he goes.
Cecily, I'm so sorry to hear about Murphy! It's so hard. Hopefully you'll have a new pup soon! A house without a corgi is...well....a house! But a house with a corgi is a home covered in corgi hair!
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thank God for my ROOMBA!! It goes every day, and now it just picks up cat hair from my Abyssinian cat!! Gizmo was raised with Murphy, and he really misses romping with him. Hopefully he will not "abuse" a new corgi that comes into my household.
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I bought Franklin a cooling vest from REI, its called the swamp cooler or something like that. It would be an idea to keep him cool and also provide protection from the sun and some insulation if you do end up shaving him. I absolutely love mine and Franklin doesn't mind wearing it. It definitely helps keep him cool on warm days
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Permalink Reply by Emily Trupiano on
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Eeek, don't do it! Their coats protect them from the sun. Corgis just need to be brushed a lot, everyday. I invested in a high velocity blowdryer, the kind they use in grooming shops. After I bathe my dog, I plug the dryer in outside and that dryer blows out so much undercoat. I'm not sure how your dog is with the dryers, but they are great and cut down on brushing time. Your corgi is so pretty, and honestly, that haircut looks funny. A light scissoring around the butt, tail, and legs would look nicer.
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