With summer fast approaching, your canine companion will no doubt spend more time outside than usual. Many times owners think they should shave their dogs to help keep them cool, but should you?
Your Dog’s Fur has a Thick Under Coat and Longer Outer Coat
Your dog’s Fur has a thick under coat and longer outer coat. Double-coated dogs in general should never be shaved. Their coat is designed to insulate them from both the cold and the heat helping their body maintain a consistent temperature. Shaving such a coat will take away the dogs ability to self-regulate its body temperature. Removing the outer coat may also open them up to sunburn, and bites from insects that otherwise may not have been able to get through the coat. With a double-coated dog however, you should help them lose their undercoat if they are shedding it naturally. A deshedding type grooming tool and brush, where the loose undercoat is removed may be helpful!
Your Dog’s Fur is Regularly Matted or Knotted
This is probably one of the few justifications for shaving a long haired dog. Mats trap dirt and heat and interfere with your dog’s natural ability to regulate its temperature. Regardless of the time of year, all dogs should be kept mat free. However if your dog tends to mat easily and in many areas over its body, a shave may be necessary to bring the coat back to a mat free state, which in turn will help keep your dog comfortable in summer. Dogs that tend to mat should be combed out with a greyhound style comb at least once a week. This is probably one of the few justifications for shaving a long haired dog. Mats trap dirt and heat and interfere with the dog’s natural ability to regulate its temperature. Regardless of the time of year, all dogs should be kept mat free. However if your dog tends to mat easily and in many areas over its body, a shave may be necessary to bring the coat back to a mat free state, which in turn will help keep your dog comfortable in summer. Dogs that tend to mat should be combed out with a greyhound style comb at least once a week.
Alternatives to Shaving Your Dog
Shortening a long coat, without actually clipping the undercoat will maintain the dog’s ability to use its coat to regulate its body temperature, while giving the dog less to carry around. This is generally done with scissors rather than clippers. In particular shaving a belly and between the foot pads can also help both by cooling a dog and allowing those parts of the dog's body to come into contact with cooler surfaces as needed when the dog is too warm.
Keeping Your Dog Cool
You can prevent overheating by not over exerting your dog on a hot day. Providing them with plenty of shade, lightly spraying or dabbing their feet and bellies with cool water, and keeping drinking water accessible at all times. Cool treats to eat such as frozen yogurt, or a frozen Kong stuffed with broth are also great ways to help your dog stay cool. Remember panting is just one way a dog works to cool its body and doesn’t mean a dog is overheating. However the tongue should be watched as it will enlarge into a spoon shape the hotter a dog is. A large ladle like tongue may mean a dog is on its way to overheating and care should be taken to cool the dog immediately.
Contact Dog Sense today for professional dog grooming, training, and boarding near Lancaster.
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