The only reason the coat will not grow back properly is and underlying medical condition. In places like the PN where the temp is lower and the winters are cold, yeah shaving is inapporiate. But in places further south where the temps can get over 85 with high humidity if you were wearing a fur coat wouldnt you be hot? I am also a groomer who works with a vet, yes the guard coat will grow back faster then the soft undercoat on double coated dogs (sheperds, collies, husky) and they will look scraggly for a bit but on cockers, poodles, and their assorted mixes their is not a problem. My cocker gets is back clipped every 4 weeks (he grows like a week) and his coat comes back just as pretty each time. Did you know that most dogs should be handstripped (removing undercoat with out shaving) When you turn away business by not shaving you are losing money. You should check out the petgroomer forums for more info. Most groomers will do a summer shave with her a 5 or a 7 with leaves about an 1/4 of a inch so their is some coat
Quote:I guess you didnt read the articles.... No matter what breed it is, the dogs fur acts as an air conditioner for them... cooling them off... I did read the articles , that's why I said "I understand the benefits" , I think you need to read my post , its an opinion just like those articles. Not all situations fall under that... there's always exceptions. You ever seen a dog so matted that maggots live under the fur? The opinion in your article is only based on one thing..not the many factors that can bring about a decision to shave. In many cases shaving or clipping benefits far outweigh the benefit of keeping the hair for cooling or heating purposes. Sure it would be great if everyone that got a long haired dog would groom it religiously and put it in the perfect environment . but that is never going to happen. You need to work with the circumstances of each dog and the owner's capabilities, not demand they do thing's your way only or nothing. Turning away a dog may mean it goes home, gets and lives with horrible mats that can cause other health issues. You can explain your concerns and maybe compromise with them on a shorter cut or a hygenic cut or something but refusal is not good for your business or the dog in my opinion. All they are going to do is go somewhere else that will do it and learn nothing. Nancy
Quote:We live in Southern California and have problems with foxtails! At least one vet visit a year for a foxtail in the girl area, ears, etc. There are these little sticker things that cling to the dogs fur and burrow into the skin too. I think fur is important and don't want my dogs to burn, But, one of my dogs has thick hair (velcro! Nancy described it best!) and she get's itchy in the summer from all of her fur too. We have her shaved down to about 1/2" to 3/4". That way she has fur, but it is shorter. She loves it. She prances around afterwards and doesn't itch for several weeks until it gets long again. We used to do the sanitary cut only (per the vet), but she was still itchy on her thighs and around her tail (that is where her fur is thickest). We leave her long and scraggly in the winter. (She's a Border Collie, Brittany mix).
Quote:My dog has the same issue with long fur and itchy skin. He also has issues where a single bug bite can turn into a raging yeast infection all over his skin, but that's not an issue if I shave him so that the air has better access to his skin. He is downright miserable with long fur during spring and summer, and I would never be so cruel as to deny him a healthy shave.
i've thought about getting my Saint Bernard clipped...he is SO hot in the summer and he also gets the skin problems...i find that when i clip the hair around his itchy skin area it clears up fast and hes much more comfortable...maybe if i clip it so its not too short...maybe keep it a few inches long?...
Quote:If anyone is worried about the dogs skin or anything under its long natural fur, a groomer would have NO trouble brushing out the undercoat after giving the dog a mediacted bath. We do that and the dogs skin is 10x healthier and the coat is healthy, shiny, and tangle free afterwards. From experiacne, any kind of shaving would make the skin worse and the coast would never grow in the same.
Quote:How much experience are you talking about? That certainly goes counter against mine and other people's experiences, so I'm hoping you're basing this on more than just a few cases and not just assuming every dog is the same. The long coat breeds aren't exactly natural, you know, and since humans bred for that trait it's their job to take care of any problems that the trait may cause . . . which sometimes includes shaving when the coat causes skin issues.
I clipped my cocker spaniel a few weeks ago, it keeps him from getting a ton of brambles and leaves and mudd and what not clumping in his coat. He also deals with getting too damp in his paws from being furry. so I am all for keeping a dogs coat trimmed if it's not being used for show. He's not shaved though his fur is medium lenghted now (after the buzzing).
So what's the difference between shaving one of my dog's fur down to 1/2" -3/4" and my other dog having naturally short hair at about 3/4". I don't see the difference. I don't agree with dogs that have their coats buzz cut, but it get HOT where I live (up to 120 degrees) and poor Kenzie suffers until we trim her coat. Brushing out the coat doesn't help if she has a thick coat still attached to the follicles! Even my vet recommended trimming her down short to help her (and I trust my vet).
We shave ours... and it's time. When it gets over 110 and she spends most of the time outside, she loves to be shaved.