[SpudNZasha]

Ok so first off, I know huskies have two coats and it insulates her from extreme hot and cold. I also know they blow their undercoats twice a year. Secondly, the entire world of husky owners has told me not to shave her. So - now that I've said these these things, let me say...

My husky is ten months old. She has a VERY VERY thick babycoat - see avatar pic. Because she's a puppy still, she still has her babycoat and she did not 'blow it' this spring like huskies will do normally. Lastly - I don't live in the north. I live in New Orleans, LA with my husky.


So okay ... I know her hair ALSO keeps her protected from the UV rays and sunburn and all that - ... so with that in mind, if I don't shave her, how can I keep her comfortable in the heat and simultaneously keep her exercised enough to not destroy my house?

[whimsy]

Fill some baby swimming pools with water and let her splash around in them in the yard. Or if you have lakes or ponds nearby, you could take her swimmimg. Mine go swiming daily and we make them fetch a ball so they get lots of exercise in the water. When we get home they're ready to just lay and rest.

[Franny Glass]

You can rake out her undercoat. First, give her a good bath. Massage her a lot to loosen the undercoat. A rubber brush, like a zoom groom, helps a lot. There are even special shampoos that can facilitate shedding.

Then, dry her. You can blow out undercoat yourself with a high velocity dryer. Put the nozzle of the dryer right next to her skin when you use it. You might want to do this outside or in a room that can be easily cleaned. There will be A LOT of hair.

Then, rake her out. For a husky I'd just use a regular grooming rake (not a furminator or the like). Don't go wild with it as too much raking can cause a rash. You can always go back days later and rake out a little more.

All this can be done by a groomer if you don't have the tools you need. If I were a husky owner I'd invest in a good undercoat rake though!

P.S. Sometimes with huskies and similar breeds, clipping the coat can alter it for good. Once clipped, the undercoat grows back with a vengeance, but the outer coat grows slowly, if at all. It changes the color and consistency of the coat.

[JustTess]

Franny Glass,

I'm learning about my new adult husky too and I'm wondering why you suggested not to use the furminator?

I used to own samoyeds and I have already noticed their coats are far from being similar to a husky. My husky has already blown his coat but there is still more coming off daily.

[harrise]

When my sleds blow in early spring, it's kind of a two wave thing that takes 2-3 weeks. The initial raking makes everything look good for a couple of days, and then within two weeks it finishes. That's about the only way I can describe it. For daily exercise if it's over 50 degrees, I completely soak them with the hose before we go jogging. Then I take water with us and stop every 20 minutes or so. I can't remember where I read it, but soaking them also helps loosen that first layer. Just please DO NOT shave her. My Husky was shaved a year ago, before I got him. It has taken nearly that whole time to grow back properly. It was truly awful, he was 'half blowin' undercoat every 6-8 weeks like clockwork. It will be worse than you can imagine. Another option is a treadmill. Sometimes even at 4:30 am, it's too hot for the sleds. So we hang out in the garage and run on the treadmill for most of the exercise, then a short little walk around the 'hood to keep em at ease.

Oh, forgot the age thing too. You should be good to go after this fall's coat blast.

[jesirose]

I tried the furminator on Sadie and it was awful. I think for nordic dogs it is a bad choice. It works wonders on our cats tho.

[Franny Glass]

Yeah, for thick coats the Furminator sucks. It doesn't penetrate deep enough into the coat to do much more than rip out outercoat and annoy the dog.

[Graco22]

I agree with Franny. Get her a good grooming by a good groomer that knows what they are doing, NOT just a bath. A bath is not going to cut it. Just because she isn't blowing coat right now, doesn't mean there isn't dead coat in there that will come out. The rake is the best tool for you. But you should't try until after she is bathed and blown dry with a high velocity dryer. Otherwise, it is going to be uncomfortable for both you and her.

I do have a few huskies that the owners want shaved. Personally, I think its is horribly ugly. They do not look good shaved. Its near impossible to avoid some or many clipper lines from those thick coats, and they just look silly I think. And, like Franny said..they don't always grow back the same. I have one husky that has been shaved 2X a year with a 7F blade for years....He looks like a chemo patient when he comes in..Splotches of hair here and there, fuzzy undercoat patches there, not a pretty look at all. Usually you can eventually get the coat back to mostly correct, but it can take a year or more, with carding done often in the interim.

If you keep her coat well raked out of undercoat, she should be fine for summer. That dense coat will help keep her cool if not full of dead coat. And the pool idea is a great one.