[no.guru]

She is a mixed breed, definitely a herding dog. I've always thought she was a Shepherd and Husky mix. She's medium-sized and about 45 pounds. Hot natured, very playful and obedient. Once or twice she has been an escape artist, which makes me more confident of the Husky mix.

I don't groom her and I would rather not. She's an indoor dog mostly although I do exercise and walk her regularly.

I've heard that for some dogs, the undercoat cools them in hot weather. How do I know if using the Furminator is making her hotter or cooler for the summer months?

 

[spotted nikes]

Get rid of it. The undercoat insulates them from the cold. That's why they shed...to get rid of excess hair for the warmer months.

 

[sscott87]

Yeah, I agree with spotted nikes. Especially if you've seen that she blows her coat when the weather turns anyway. Back in March Jax began to blow his (his Husky side showing lol) and being my first time experience with such, I find it to be absolutely absurd just how much there was. Got a furminator brand new on ebay for about $20 (hehe) and absolutely love it. Best purchase for him yet. The first night I had it, we spent a half hour outside covering my backyard with his fur and I still was pulling off brush-fulls for a week. Since he was blowing it anyway, the furminator only helped accelerate it and keep some of it out of the house. I won't touch him with that brush when winter comes and the weather turns cold again; I'll get a regular brush of some sort to use when needed.

 

[Amaryllis]

Wait, I thought the undercoat insulated from the cold AND the heat. Muggsy had a full double coat and never seemed to mind either extreme. Obviously, I brushed him, but I never removed a layer.

 

[no.guru]

I've heard it depends on the breed. Not being sure of her mix is why I'm unsure about this.

Shedding season for her - like they say in the dog park - starts in January and ends in December.

 

[Niraya]

Wait, I thought the undercoat insulated from the cold AND the heat.

it does. That's why people who have double coated breeds are told to never shave them. The undercoat keeps them warm in the cold and cooler in the heat. Daily/weekly brushing will pull out the loose undercoat from shedding.

I would never use a furminator on a double coated breed as a good rake does the job just as well an is nowhere near as harsh on the coat as the furminator. (the furminator is a based off a blade that would go on clippers).

 

[no.guru]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I will look into this further and let you know what I find.

 

[xxxxdogdragoness]

I was going to buy a furminator for Josefina (ACD with an incorrect coat) to shed some of her undercoat so should I try it? Does it hurt?

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

I have one double coated dog, unless you count Shambles bizarre sections of double coat, the rest single coat. I do not use a furminator on my Elkhound because it makes his coat look ratty and broken up. He blows his coat in the summer, so I just brush with a regular slicker brush.

 

[no.guru]

I was going to buy a furminator for Josefina (ACD with an incorrect coat) to shed some of her undercoat so should I try it? Does it hurt?

It's definitely helped with mine. Much less hair than with normal brushing. Whether that's good for her in hot weather I'm not sure of yet.

 

[Niraya]

I was going to buy a furminator for Josefina (ACD with an incorrect coat) to shed some of her undercoat so should I try it? Does it hurt?

Personally I would never use a furminator on any breed or any dog - that's just my preference. I feel there are better tools out there then it. Owning a Siberian Husky i would especially never use it on her - though I know plenty of Siberian owners that use the furminator on theirs. It breaks the guard hairs and can ruin the coat. If I used it on Bella I would probably only use it MAYBE 15 minutes every other day/week - very rarely would I use it on her and only on parts of her where her fur is thick - never on her legs or anything.

It's really a personal choice. Many people love the fact that they can brush out a blowing dog in ~15 minute with it and can brush their dog every day with it with little shedding. Me - I love my dogs coat and her hair everywhere. This ill do it the old fashioned way even if it takes longer.

 

[sscott87]

As I said previously, I used it when Jax was blowing his coat and I was impressed and didn't figure any harm in it since I was more or less removing fur he was losing anyway. That aside, I wouldn't (and don't) use it on him regularly. I don't think I've even so much as touched it in weeks. Reading some of the other responses on here, I hadn't thought of it before but I could see where it could do more harm than good on some dogs. Guess the answer really is kind of dependent on your breed, but if you're looking for a great deshedder brush, it's definitely up there.

 

[no.guru]

This reminds me of men wearing an undershirt. Does the undershirt make you cooler or hotter in warm weather? In cold weather, multiple layers means greater warmth, and yet many insist an undershirt in warm weather makes them cooler.

This one looks like it's a matter of personal choice, as Niraya says. If she seems noticeably hotter than usual, I will know. For now, I think I will stick with only occasional use during the summer months.

Oh, and I don't wear an undershirt in summer although I do layer clothes in winter.

 

[Niraya]

Someone once made the analogy to me that a dogs undercoat was like the insulation in your house.

For reference:

Since heat will always move to a colder source, in cold climates, insulation slows the heat from leaving the house and in hot climates insulation slows down the hot outside air from entering the cool inside. The result in both climates is energy saved by keeping the air conditioner or the furnace from operating as often.

Just kinda apply that to dogs lol.

 

[no.guru]

Someone once made the analogy to me that a dogs undercoat was like the insulation in your house.

For reference:

Just kinda apply that to dogs lol.

Makes sense, but there's also the shedding. Gonna see how well I can balance the two, heat vs. shedding.

 

[Niraya]

Makes sense, but there's also the shedding. Gonna see how well I can balance the two, heat vs. shedding.

Shedding can be managed easily with daily grooming. I use just a regular brush and comb everyday and have minimal shedding. I have a Siberian Husky and before her I had a Great Pyrenees - I know all about shedding lol.

 

[no.guru]

Shedding can be managed easily with daily grooming. I use just a regular brush and comb everyday and have minimal shedding. I have a Siberian Husky and before her I had a Great Pyrenees - I know all about shedding lol.

Daily grooming in my experience isn't as effective. No doubt you know all about shedding,

Met someone at the dog park last week whose wife had their Great Pyrenees shaved pretty severely. He was not pleased.

 

[TTs Towel]

.......................

 

[Shell]

Have teh groomer shave her.

Don't shave a double coated dog. Then you take away all their insulation and sun protect and trade that for a coat that grows back wonky. One of my friends about strangled her roommate for shaving her BC/retriever mix (best guess, but clearly double coated), poor dog looked funny shaved and looks just as funny with the coat coming back in. Didn't do much of anything for cooling her off either.

My aunt had a husky for years in Florida. A good brushing worked on the shedding and didn't break up his coat. He managed in the heat as well as any other dog (hot is hot at a certain point)

 

[Niraya]

Have teh groomer shave her.

I mean ...if you want to expose the dog to a greater risk of skin cancer by taking away her protection...by all means.
(bad advice is bad)