summer buz cuts?

Purplex15 · 08-16-2007, 11:49 PM

no one bashed any vet. it is common knowledge that vets went to school to learn about medicine. we went to grooming school to learn about a dogs coat and what it idealy should be.

if a dog like a border collie mix (mentioned in this post) is brushed everyday, taken to a groomer regularly to blow coat out with a hv dryer, and given good shelter and enough water, will fair very well in heat (i hope i dont have to mention not leaving the dog outside). what makes dogs like this hot and potentially suffer heat stroke is when the undercoat is not brushed out. the hair becomes clumped to the skin. it is like leaving a sweater on in hot weather, your skin cant breathe, which makes you even hotter. most peole do not want to make the extra effort to brush their dogs, or arent given the correct information, and just shave, avoiding the issue al together.

heres my personal problem with shaving. someone brings me a golden. i say, what would you like to do to "max" today. they say "i want him to look like a lab". well you should have gotten a lab. not a golden you intended to turn into a lab. as far as it changing the coat, well you may believe it doesnt do happen, but know that you are taking a chance everytime you shave

DivaDog · 08-17-2007, 03:39 AM

*sigh*

Fuzzie I wont even attempt to change your mind - you spend a couple of minutes reading an article that is all wrong if you read the one with the link on this site. I spent more than thatin years more than twice that learning about how a dogs coat works so forgive me if I just cant agree with you.

All I will do is refer any new readers of this thread to my original posts and that of a few others and hope you can make the right decision.

fuzzie · 08-19-2007, 10:17 AM

lol, no need, purplex changed my mind for me. I had completely overlooked the undercoat, and I think that blowing that out a couple times during the summer will adequately cool a dog down. I STILL do not believe an undercoat, or even a top coat, protects from heat, and you saw how fast that artical changed my mind , with a short, logical, scientific explanation. I currently cannot understand how a coat (though it will delay the transfer of heat) wich all but stops the release of heat and the transfer of cold, can also protect a dog from the heat. you tell all these people not to shave their dogs, but why? it insulates them but how?

Shalva · 08-19-2007, 10:46 AM

fuzzy in a nutshell.... the dog has two types of hair and if you go and feel your dogs coat you will be able to see it.... the outer longer coat is harsher it doesn't feel as soft..... it is a bit longer and shinier and coarser ..... that is guard hair.... then put your hand into the coat and you will feel softer fluffier fur underneath, that is undercoat.....

the guard hair is designed to reflect the sun and heat...... but what is the hot part is not the guard hair it is the fluffy soft undercoat that is thicker and more dense.....

when you shave your dog you succeed in removing the outer protective reflecting coat..... and you LEAVE the hot heavy thick undercoat....which is what causes a dog to be hot..... thus what you actually do is take away the protective part of the coat and you leave what is actually causing the problem..... that is why shaving doesnt work..... and I agree with some of the others that vets know about medicine but often overstep their boundaries with other areas like grooming and food.....

because you have already had a problem with heat stroke once I would be very concerned about shaving your dog that has already had heat stroke as shaving does leave them more susceptible to heat stroke..... I woiuld try to come up with other ways to keep your dog cool.... and you have been given great suggestions from the others.....

i have seven long haired dogs and we don't shave.... and many of hte groomers in this area will not shave these dogs....

while we as people think that shaving must be cooler... i mean it is logical.... less hair = cooler...... dogs are not the same as people and have developed mechanisms to keep them cool that may not seem logical to us but work for them....

I would not shave your pup.
s

fuzzie · 08-19-2007, 10:17 PM

thank you shalva, I wasn't aware that the top coat was actually a different type of fur, so it acts a bit like a mirror to the heat? that really isn't that complicated. it doesn't help that the only double coated dogs I know are shaved, so all that I really see is fluffy undercoat...

Shalva · 08-20-2007, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuzzie

thank you shalva, I wasn't aware that the top coat was actually a different type of fur, so it acts a bit like a mirror to the heat? that really isn't that complicated. it doesn't help that the only double coated dogs I know are shaved, so all that I really see is fluffy undercoat...

exactly so what happens is that the guard hair is not hot to the dog.... but that is what gets cut off when you shave.... the hot stuff is the undercoat and unfortunately that is what gets left on when you shave.... this is why the best thing you could do to cool down your dog is to invest in an undercoat rake... and try to pull out as much of that thick undercoat as you can..... and then try the other suggestions for keeping yoru dog cool.... while they might look hot because of the long fur..... trust me that if you shaved it off they would actually get hotter....

I think of it as a comforter like the ones yo ucan buy at LLBean where you have the white plain goose down comforter but you can buy a bunch of various color cotton covers for it to make it match your room.....
so then you get hot..... its august and you decide to try and make your comforter cooler...... so you take off the cotton cover ...... and sleep just under the goose down.... you really havent gotten rid of the part that is causing you to be hot.....

S

kendallj · 08-21-2007, 04:18 AM

Shalva that comparison to the down comferter was right on the money it explained the complexity of the canine coat very well. After reading this post it makes me want to take some grooming and dietary classes on the side of my veterinary training so that I can give proper advice and even be some what qualified to do so.

DivaDog · 08-24-2007, 08:07 AM

Kendal I think that would be a very good idea - you can never be too knowledgable where animals are concerned

newman_perry7 · 08-24-2007, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by merrow

lots of dogs like a kong filled with frozen yogaurt in the summer keeps them bizzy and cool

I most definatly agree with u. Newman loves it!!!!!

shell07 · 08-24-2007, 04:23 PM

Max, our border collie gets shaved every summer;early May. We live in Colorado and in the country, so it is dry all year long (not much rain). He also has an irrigation ditch to cool himself in, and is inside during the hottest part of the day. There are many dogs here in the country that do get shaved each summer-kind of a given here.. Sometimes he gets shaved twice a year, but this year only once since it was cooler..We have never had a heat stroke problem, or sunburn either. PLUS it keeps the cockle burrs out of his hair. Lots of ice cubes too

What is "doggie ice cream"..Do you have a recipe?