Shaving or cutting hair

Baxter is a little over a year now, and we live in Florida. Last year we lived in Georgia and he was miserable in the summer. It got hard to walk him because he didn't want to be outside. Today we took a walk and had to take four water breaks in two miles.

 

Obviously I don't mind giving him plenty of water on a walk, but I'm wondering if cutting his hair or buzzing him would help him tolerate the heat at all. Plus would it look completely ridiculous? Has anyone ever tried this to help deal with the heat? Someone recently told me that they thought dog's hair actually helped protect them from the heat, too. So that may be another reason not to do it.

 

Thoughts are greatly appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Lois B. Allen on April 8, 2011 at 8:16pm

Does he breath heavily?  I had a fluffy who would gasp for breath here in the AL heat.  I kept running her to the vet clinic and they would say that her heart and lungs sounded fine. Eventually, we learned that she had heart disease but I did experiment with clipping her. When she was clipped, she breathed easier. So in hot weather, I clipped her down to the skin and she didn't get burned since it grew so quickly.  Then in addition, we watched her heart.  She apparently had more than one problem.  Normally, you wouldn't need to clip them because even with the heavier hair, they can manage their body temperatures.  You may only be able to take him out in the mornings.  Also, let the temperature be your guide.  If he has some heat sensitivity, maybe he shouldn't be out when the temp. goes over 90 degrees.

 

If you have a yard with trees, you can put a small play pool with water in it and he can get in when he wants to cool off.  there is a whole other discussion on little water pools for them to play in.

Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on April 8, 2011 at 8:19pm

no do not cut his hair. Their hair helps insulate them both from the cold and the sun. I bought Franklin a cooling vest from REI

http://www.rei.com/product/771101

it works really well. Also, I live on the river and he can swim in the vest and it doesn't weigh him down and some how the vest doesn't make him soaking wet underneath. Its a pretty cool product.

Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on April 8, 2011 at 8:35pm
Permalink Reply by Jane on April 8, 2011 at 9:15pm

I wouldn't do it. As others said the fur actually can help keep them cool. They can also get sunburn if they're shaved.

 

Another member (Doug and Gromit) posted these pictures on another forum I visit, hopefully he won't mind me sharing them. I thought they were interesting! The top one is outside, the bottom one inside in the air conditioning.


Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on April 8, 2011 at 9:21pm

My Corgis were born and raised in Florida, NEVER NEVER NEVER shave your corgi's double coat, do it ONLY for medical reasons OR if you have a fluffy (trim only). Long answer is in the FAQ.

 

Welcome to Florida! Keep your dogs away from retention ponds, don't let them run leash free or bark near the water. (Gators) You may also want to build a survival kit for hurricane season, it's just around the corner.

Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on April 8, 2011 at 10:59pm

The fur insulates from cold and from heat, don't shave the top coat, but do  brush  out any loose undercoat (Nature lets go of this for good reason!).

Dogs overheat easily and do  not have a good way of cooling off because they  do not sweat.  If your dog feels he does not want to walk because of the heat, do not make him walk, especially two miles...   If you want to walk, walk early morning, or after sundown, provided it's cooled off enough, and stay in the shade as much as possible.  A natural surface, like dirt or grass, will stay cooler than a man made surface.  .  Also, this may  sound funny, the smaller the dog's size, the larger the ratio of body surface to body mass.  This means that the smaller the breed of dog, the less well they can tolerate heat or cold. Small dogs, and short dogs, are also closer to the ground and the heat of the ground radiates upward.   In  the Summer, I always put my hand on the ground to check the heat level of the pavement, especially blacktop.  With shoes on your feet, you cannot judge this. Individual dogs of the same breed have different levels of tolerance for heat and cold, just as in people.  So, no need to  make it complicated: your dog is letting you know, just take your cue from him.

 

 

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Bob and SparkPlug on April 8, 2011 at 11:30pm
Welcome to Fl! I take Sparky on his long walk early in the day. It's cooler and the so is the pavement. He HATES being in the sun! Anyone who has seen him will tell you, he seeks out shade. Like Sam said, watch out for gators!
Permalink Reply by Don on April 9, 2011 at 1:08am

Noooooooo, don't cut the hair...

Dogs use the evaporative method for cooling down (  yes drool is nasty but helps cool them down ). Also that coat helps protect them from the sun, most dogs I know have a natural sheen to their fur which also acts as a reflector for the sun. As mentioned that there are several cooling products for your dog, most work quite well and a vest may be to much for a short trip around the block.
http://www.amazon.com/Kyjen-Outward-Hound-Designer-Bandana/dp/B000T...
http://www.rei.com/product/790636

Just remember that should your dog be overheating, any type of sudden cold can induce shock so its best to use these when the dog is already cooled off. Also I've read that mint helps in the cooling effect and several hollistic sites sell it for use on dogs and humans alike ( plus it smells good).

I myself carry a water mister with me, its not very heavy and good for the dog and I both. Put some ice water in it or fountain water and were good to go for a bit. I tend to soak down the ears every now and then as well though Jazmin hates this, it helps in the cooling process ( just don't soak the inside of the ears).

Also any hard run times aside from bathroom breaks are done early morning and evening, the only time I push her limits is hiking at which time every hour or so stop and check hydration and provide water if necessary. Hope these hints help out a bit...

 

Sincerely,

Don and Crew

Permalink Reply by Lucy & Ricky (Wendy/Jack ) on April 9, 2011 at 2:01am
We have lived in sunny, hot, southern Ca, for over 30 years with corgis. We have never shaved them & their coats seem perfect to keep them warm in winter and comfortable in the heat. That said, I've never seen a shaved corgi, so I am certainly not an expert on the subject. Yet, I would worry about drying out my corgis' skin and subjecting them to sunburn if exposed to a FL sun for months w/o their coat for protection. Also, we've never lived through a FL summer, so I probably should not be putting in my two cents.
Permalink Reply by Rebecca Marie O'Bryan on April 9, 2011 at 3:22am

i lived in SC and it is just like FL:) always hot and humid. since teddy has a grey coat and a thick under coat he would get very hot, fast! so i always got up at 8 or so to take him on a walk or wait until 6pm, even in the mornings there it would be about 80 with 100% humidity but still it was better than 100. i had thought about giving him a trim and im glad i didnt because for him 6month check up a corgi came in after being shaved and he was very badly sunburned! he had actually formed small blisters on his back bone. poor thing was in a lot of pain:( every time he would move he would cry a little. not sure what the outcome was as i was called in for teddys appointment but all i can say is after seeing that i will never trim teddy unless is for medical reasons.

 

but what u can do to cool him down is brush him down once or twice a week to get all the dead hair out so it holds less heat. they make all kinds of products that u can put on your corgi to keep him cold, such a s a bandanna that u put in the freezer 

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