[BeckyP]

I have a Bernese Mnt dog/ Pry mix and her hair is on every thing. I brush and I brush but it still doesn't seem to help. I have thought about shaving her so many times, Not to mention now hot it gets here in the summer but I am always afraid her hair wont grow back the same and she will look funny. We also plan on getting a Saint Bernard. So would you shave them or just leave them?

[all4thedogs]

I have a long coated GSD that we never shave. He sheds like crazy and we brush him like crazy, just things we have learned to live with. I chose not to shave him because of the fear that his hair would not grow back right. He has a beautiful coat and I dont want to ruin it. Also, their coats protect them from the heat, it insulates them.

If you are worried about a Saint with long hair, why not consider a smooth coat? They have much shorter hair.

[BeckyP]

When we do come across a Saint we wont discriminate. If we find a smooth coat that would be great but so far we have pretty much only seen the long hair.

[Purplex15]

these dogs should nto be shaved. many groomers, including myself, actually turn away people who want to do this (unless for an extreme medical issue). the best thing to do for your dog is to have him groomed when the shedding gets bad. they can blow out all the dead hair which is much better than just brushing. i know you think your dog is hot, but if the dogs undercoat is brushed and not matted, the hair is actually aiding in keeping the dog cool. the only way the hair will make him hot is if the undercoat is not routinely maintained. the hair may or may not be changed forever, but it will definetly not grow in the same right away. the undercoat will grow faster than the gaurd hairs, and the dog will be pretty fluffy for awhile. some dogs grow back normal, some dont. and the more you shave, the less likely it is that the hair will grow back the same. not only that, but shaving him will not make the shedding stop, the hairs that shed will now be little tiny hairs that stick to everything and are very prickly.

i say this almost daily. when you get a dog, you really need to consider all aspects of having that dog. all dogs shed to some degree, and if you cant stand it that much then you need to consider a dog that doesnt shed as much. your dog are considered heavy shedders. did you realize this when you decided to get him? shaving him will only satisfy your need to not have dog hair everywhere, and actually give the dog more chances of freezing in the winter and overheating in the summer. you need to accept your dog, and keep him in his natural coat.

[animalcraker]

I've shaved my sheltie down before and he was much happier once I did. And his coat grew back exactly the same if not better than it was before. Granted I do prefer to just groom hi and blow out the coat since I adore his long hair. In the particular instance when I shaved him he was going to be having surgery the next day, so I figured he wouldn't look as funny with a bald spot if I shaved his entire body. I think the key to his coat growing back so nice was that I left a good inch of coat on him and fed a high quality diet which helped to coat grow back beautifully.

[Shaina]

There was a Bernese Mountain Dog at the park today that had been shaved: he looked really strange (and the shaving had taken place a week or two ago already). He still shed a ton, it's just that the hairs were shorter.

Personally I'd never do it if I had a breed like that. It can really mess up their coat permanently. BMDs and Pyrs are known for heavy shedding...if it bothers you that much you might want to find a good groomer to go to during the worst of it.

[Shanette Peters]

I agree with Puerplex15, These breeds among many others shouldn't be shaved unless due to medical problems. Shaving won't help the shedding nor the heat/cold. Keep up with regular brushing and the dogs coat will help keep him cool in the summer and warmer in the winter. If you don't like how much this breed shed's and you want another dog consider a smooth coated breed.

[Rough_Collies2008]

I also wouldn't shave. Long-haired breeds rely on their coats to control their temperature(in both heat and cold weather). By cutting their long coat they can't naturally do that. Really though, I just couldn't imagine shaving my rough coat collies or sheltie. I love the long hair!

St. Bernards Rough Coat or Smooth(I had a smooth) shed a lot. They are heavy heavy shedders at times. There is no way to get around that.

Originally Posted by Purplex15

these dogs should nto be shaved. many groomers, including myself, actually turn away people who want to do this (unless for an extreme medical issue). the best thing to do for your dog is to have him groomed when the shedding gets bad. they can blow out all the dead hair which is much better than just brushing. i know you think your dog is hot, but if the dogs undercoat is brushed and not matted, the hair is actually aiding in keeping the dog cool. the only way the hair will make him hot is if the undercoat is not routinely maintained. the hair may or may not be changed forever, but it will definetly not grow in the same right away. the undercoat will grow faster than the gaurd hairs, and the dog will be pretty fluffy for awhile. some dogs grow back normal, some dont. and the more you shave, the less likely it is that the hair will grow back the same. not only that, but shaving him will not make the shedding stop, the hairs that shed will now be little tiny hairs that stick to everything and are very prickly.

i say this almost daily. when you get a dog, you really need to consider all aspects of having that dog. all dogs shed to some degree, and if you cant stand it that much then you need to consider a dog that doesnt shed as much. your dog are considered heavy shedders. did you realize this when you decided to get him? shaving him will only satisfy your need to not have dog hair everywhere, and actually give the dog more chances of freezing in the winter and overheating in the summer. you need to accept your dog, and keep him in his natural coat.

You explained the heat thing better then me!

[BeckyP]

Originally Posted by Purplex15

these dogs should nto be shaved. many groomers, including myself, actually turn away people who want to do this (unless for an extreme medical issue). the best thing to do for your dog is to have him groomed when the shedding gets bad. they can blow out all the dead hair which is much better than just brushing. i know you think your dog is hot, but if the dogs undercoat is brushed and not matted, the hair is actually aiding in keeping the dog cool. the only way the hair will make him hot is if the undercoat is not routinely maintained. the hair may or may not be changed forever, but it will definetly not grow in the same right away. the undercoat will grow faster than the gaurd hairs, and the dog will be pretty fluffy for awhile. some dogs grow back normal, some dont. and the more you shave, the less likely it is that the hair will grow back the same. not only that, but shaving him will not make the shedding stop, the hairs that shed will now be little tiny hairs that stick to everything and are very prickly.

i say this almost daily. when you get a dog, you really need to consider all aspects of having that dog. all dogs shed to some degree, and if you cant stand it that much then you need to consider a dog that doesnt shed as much. your dog are considered heavy shedders. did you realize this when you decided to get him? shaving him will only satisfy your need to not have dog hair everywhere, and actually give the dog more chances of freezing in the winter and overheating in the summer. you need to accept your dog, and keep him in his natural coat.

Yes I research my dogs before I get them. I also know that all dogs shed to some degree and I asked before I just took a pair of cutters to her. My dog will not freeze for one because she is an inside dog and two we really don't get all that cold her. I was more worried about her getting to hot. Your first paragraph was very informative and I appreciate that I didn't know her coat helped cool her. But your second Paragraph I find very offensive. I know I am new to this board but I don't need to be treated like a bad dog owner. I'm sure anybody who has a Great Pry will understand where I am coming from with how much hair they have. It doesn't just come out in one or two little hairs it comes out in clumps and she gets brushed at least two times a week. I try and do it more but not always possible.

[Willowy]

Hehe, I shaved Penny last spring:

I did touch up the haircut after I took this pic, so it wasn't so patchy. She still looked really funny for a few weeks. After a month or so, enough hair had grown back that she looked OK. I think she liked it; she didn't pant as much after going on a walk, anyway. I haven't decided if I'll do it again this year. If I do, I might take her to a groomer this time so she doesn't look so awful. She's never been to a groomer, though, so I'm a little worried. It grew back by October and is just as thick as it ever was. You'd never know that she had been shaved.

[banjosteve]

seriously, I wouldn't shave your BMD, just brush them a lot and also if you notice a pattern of heavy shedding, just give them more frequent baths (well more like rinses) in warm water -- this will help get some of the lose undercoat out when you brush right after. I do this for my Jindos, but they really only shed twice a year.

[Dakota Spirit]

To me - it doesn't make sense to get a long haired breed/dog just to shave it. You want a St. but you also don't want long hair (I assume, since you are asking about shaving) then WAIT until you find a short haired pup.

It's not discrimination, it's being proactive and picking the right dog for your household.

[Dieselsmama]

Originally Posted by BeckyP

My dog will not freeze for one because she is an inside dog and two we really don't get all that cold her. I was more worried about her getting to hot. Your first paragraph was very informative and I appreciate that I didn't know her coat helped cool her. But your second Paragraph I find very offensive. I know I am new to this board but I don't need to be treated like a bad dog owner. I'm sure anybody who has a Great Pry will understand where I am coming from with how much hair they have. It doesn't just come out in one or two little hairs it comes out in clumps and she gets brushed at least two times a week. I try and do it more but not always possible.

IF you do shave the dog, this is assuming you can find someone to do this, I like many other groomers around here would NEVER shave a dog like this, please remember the coat may ot ever grow back properly. Their coat insulates them from both heat and cold. All those outer guard hairs you're considering removing reflect the sun and heat, keeping them cool. It's hard as a groomer to hear all the requests to shave dogs that were meant to have coat, we're left wondering why the people wanting us to shave their golden's coat off just didn't get a lab in the first place?? I can appreciate the work a coat like you have requires but if you take the time to maintain her coat by thoroughly line brushing and combing twice a week, there will be much less shedding. Having her hair come out in clumps tells me one of three things, either when you brush and comb her you're not doing a thorough enough job getting down to the skin everywhere or she's nutritionally lacking something her coat needs or there's something medically wrong such as a thyroid disorder. No one's trying to call you a bad dog owner, we assumed since you were asking opinions on shaving her you wanted our honest opinions. There are extreme medical reasons that might necessitate shaving, but for reducing shedding there are much safer alternatives, just understand she'll always be a heavy shedder just as a Saint will be.

[lovemygreys]

I don't understand having a long coated breed and then wanting to shave it so you don't have to "deal with" the hair.

[BeckyP]

Originally Posted by lovemygreys

I don't understand having a long coated breed and then wanting to shave it so you don't have to "deal with" the hair.

I never said I didn't want to "deal with" the hair. I just said that she sheds a lot and asked about shaving. I have never questioned getting a long hair dog. I love her and I love the breed and I will get another. If I have to live with the hair that is fine I just wanted to ask for others opinions. People have said not to do it because it was bad for the coat so I will not shave her but I thought I would ask. Some of the responses come across very rude to a newbe. You sure make people feel welcome here don't ya?

[chucky]

when i was a little kid, we had gsd, my uncle did shave him once, it was summer, and it was hotter than usual, and there was no ac back than, i still remember, the dog looked funny, very funny, but in a few months it grew back a little , and it wasn,t noticable anymore, the dog was fine, it didn,t affect his health or behavior, in any way, thou he didn,t drink as much, i assume he wasn,t as hot anymore.

and my wife shaves our brittany every summer, i don,t like it, cuz he looks like overgrown puppy, but he doesn,t mind, it does get very hot here. and humid too.

[animalcraker]

Originally Posted by BeckyP

Some of the responses come across very rude to a newbe. You sure make people feel welcome here don't ya?

Please don't be put off by soe of the others responses. Many of the responses you got were from groomers themselves, and shaving a coated breed is a very touchy subject for them. Often times were so emotional about our responses we forget to re-read them to make sure they aren't comming off offensive. I'm sure no one meant to attack you as a dog owner, they just disagree with shaving a coated breed.

I'd also like to note that working in a vet hospital we have to shave tons of coated breeds for medical procedures and their coat comes back in just fine. I've only seen one dog that had a full body shave that didn't grow back well; and the owners just left the dog outside all day and threw it some more pedigree when it's bowl was empty. I just don't get how a groomer will say the coat will never grow back right when I see it done everyday. Though I do agree that shaving will not cut done on the amount of sheding.

And Chucky I noticed the same reaction in my dog when I shaved him. He didn't pant as much, he wasn't on a constant quest for water, and he looked much happier.

[Dakota Spirit]

Originally Posted by animalcraker

I just don't get how a groomer will say the coat will never grow back right when I see it done everyday.

They say that because in some dogs/breeds it DOESN'T grow back correctly. Though, it's probably more from a show dog stand point where coat has to be just right.

The hair grows back fine, but it's not always the right texture for example.

[skelaki]

Originally Posted by BeckyP

I never said I didn't want to "deal with" the hair. I just said that she sheds a lot and asked about shaving. I have never questioned getting a long hair dog. I love her and I love the breed and I will get another. If I have to live with the hair that is fine I just wanted to ask for others opinions. People have said not to do it because it was bad for the coat so I will not shave her but I thought I would ask. Some of the responses come across very rude to a newbe. You sure make people feel welcome here don't ya?

Invest in a Mars King coat rake (I think that's the correct name. Groomers?) For long-haired breeds that shed, it's a great tool to have.

[doggone6]

She will still shed. The hairs will just be shorter.