# Med/long hair dog owners - clipping ?'s



## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

I like having the min pin around because he doesn't shed much. But in the future we may be getting another dog. I find my options so limited because of the hair factor! 

So I'm wondering if you have medium or long haired dogs (labs or longer), can you clip them regularly to reduce the amount of shedding? Or does it not make a difference? The only long haired dog I had clipped was a bearded collie and he actually didn't shed much once we started keeping him clipped (with a home clipper) , but they have an unusual coat so I don't know if this is the norm.

If you can reduce the shedding with clipping, how much does it cost and how often does it need to be done?


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## TeddieXRuxpin (Sep 11, 2007)

Long haired breeds don't really shed. They blow their coats once a year and other than that their hair falls out like human hair. You can keep their coats short, but longer breeds like Shih tzu, Yorkie, etc etc don't shed.

I've never heard of shaving a lab and actually think it's kind of funny. I have a lab/doberman who doesn't shed much except in the summer. That is more like molting though.. 

So i'm not sure why you'd want to clip them... The cost ranges from groomer to groomer. I can get Teddie completely groomed for 25 bucks. That includes a bath, trim, nails, ears, everything. While other groomers would charge $100 to do the same thing. You just have to call a few groomers around you and see the price difference. Hair grows at about the same pace as human hair, a half an inch a month.


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

Our pomeranian has a double coat so she requires a bit of regular brushing. However our papillons are a hair breed, not big shedders and don't require much grooming. We comb through their long ear fringe while we are sitting in the evening. And they get brushed about once per week. They can be bathed in the kitchen sink when necessary and just left to dry after being toweled off.

But neither the pom nor the paps require professional grooming. Other long haired breeds require quite a bit of grooming. On the large breed side there are the afghan hounds, wheaten terriers, and beardies that come to mind. You either have to learn to do it yourself or take them to a groomer. On the small side there are the bichons, poodles (can also be the larger standard size), shih tzus, maltese...but they all require monthly grooming unless you do it yourself.


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## sheltiemom (Mar 13, 2007)

Dogs with _hair_ don't shed, like poodles, shih tzus....it is my understanding that those breeds need regular clipping. Double coated breeds _do_ shed, shelties, collies, labs, GSD, goldens, northern breeds....my shelties shed like friggin' crazy, even when they aren't blowing coat. It's truly unbelievable, and I wonder how they have hair left at all, but they both have nice thick coats. I have always heard that you shouldn't shave or clip short a double coated breed. The reasons why are a mystery to me, but I personally wouldn't clip mine b/c theit coats are their best feature and one of the reasons I wanted shelties, despite the shedding. I'm not sure clipping would help anyway, b/c it's the undercoat that sheds out and clipping takes off the top coat.

With double coated breeds, the best way to reduce shedding in your house is to brush them outside a couple times a week using an undercoat rake. I also spritz mine with water. And get ready to vacuum and lint roll. I only vacuum once a week b/c the hair doesn't bother me much, but I could easily do it every two days.


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## rogueslg71 (Dec 6, 2007)

i have a lhasa apso and they do not shed but you gotta keep their hair nice and unmatted (like most long haired dogs). it costs me from 35-45 dollars to get her hair washed, cut, the hairs between her paws cut, ears cleaned, teeth brush. u can go to the groomers less often if you keep up with brushing and bathing to prevent matts.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

TeddieXRuxpin said:


> Long haired breeds don't really shed. They blow their coats once a year and other than that their hair falls out like human hair. You can keep their coats short, but longer breeds like Shih tzu, Yorkie, etc etc don't shed.


Thats not true, Snoopy shed alot when he had long hair. He doesn't now since his hair is short but when it was long everytime anyone picked him up they would end up with hair on them. The vet had a big ball of hair on him when he was restraining Snoopy so I could give him a pill.


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## TeddieXRuxpin (Sep 11, 2007)

Durbkat said:


> Thats not true, Snoopy shed alot when he had long hair. He doesn't now since his hair is short but when it was long everytime anyone picked him up they would end up with hair on them. The vet had a big ball of hair on him when he was restraining Snoopy so I could give him a pill.


I've never heard of this.. Ok I'll say in most cases they don't shed. I haven't had a problem with Teddie since he's come to live with me and that's been 7 months. His hair is now 4- 4 1/2 inches long and the only hair he looses are the ones that come out when I brush him. Which are just the everyday hairs.

The difference is the dogs with hair and the dogs with fur.


sheltiemom said:


> Dogs with _hair_ don't shed, like poodles, shih tzus....it is my understanding that those breeds need regular clipping. Double coated breeds _do_ shed, shelties, collies, labs, GSD, goldens, northern breeds....my shelties shed like friggin' crazy, even when they aren't blowing coat. It's truly unbelievable, and I wonder how they have hair left at all, but they both have nice thick coats. I have always heard that you shouldn't shave or clip short a double coated breed. The reasons why are a mystery to me, but I personally wouldn't clip mine b/c theit coats are their best feature and one of the reasons I wanted shelties, despite the shedding. I'm not sure clipping would help anyway, b/c it's the undercoat that sheds out and clipping takes off the top coat.
> 
> With double coated breeds, the best way to reduce shedding in your house is to brush them outside a couple times a week using an undercoat rake. I also spritz mine with water. And get ready to vacuum and lint roll. I only vacuum once a week b/c the hair doesn't bother me much, but I could easily do it every two days.


I find that interesting because one of the dogs I sit for and also walk is a Sheltie and she doesn't shed. She's like Teddie. The only hairs she looses are the ones when she's brushed.

Teddie does loose more hair if upset or at the vet when he's scared. That does happen.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Maybe it was just because I was using the wrong brush when he had long hair.


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## Lorina (Jul 1, 2006)

When it comes to leaving hairs behind when you hold them or on furniture, my short haired cat sheds way worse than my very long haired dog. I do find tumbleweeds of blonde hairs under the kitchen table, and quite a bit of hair comes out when I use an undercoat rake, but I wouldn't call Beavis a heavy shedder.

I think Labs, Huskies and GSDs shed the worst, at least when it comes to cleaning the room after a vet visit. Sometimes it looks like they left half their dog behind.


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## sheltiemom (Mar 13, 2007)

TeddieXRuxpin said:


> I find that interesting because one of the dogs I sit for and also walk is a Sheltie and she doesn't shed. She's like Teddie. The only hairs she looses are the ones when she's brushed.


One of mine sheds worse than the other, and he also has coarser fur. They actually seem like they are blowing coat right now, I wrote the breeder about it last night, I am thinking it may have something to do with having the heat on in the house, as they did not shed this bad over the summer. But I'll be sitting on my couch and a big blob of fur will fly by in the air, it sticks to my couch and there will be balls of hair in the corners of rooms. Not so much on my clothes, it depends on the material and only seems to stick to my husbands wool suits and to sweater material, but when I brush them I can fill a plastic grocery bag in one sitting.


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## snowflake (Dec 12, 2007)

Iv'e actually stripped down several dogs that you wouldnt think needed to be shaved. I have a domerman mix that comes in and although she looks mostly like a doberman she sheds badly so the owners keep her shaved. Ive done Jack russell terriers and also a lab. Golden retrievers often and dachunds.


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## FriendsOfZoe (Aug 7, 2007)

sheltiemom said:


> I have always heard that you shouldn't shave or clip short a double coated breed. The reasons why are a mystery to me


I can only speak for goldens, but their coats act as sun protection and a temperature regulating system (yes, that's right, the coats help keep them COOL when it's hot, too), so goldens should NEVER be shaved (not to say that people don't shave them, plenty do, but it's not best for the dog).
If you're going to get a long haired, double-coated breed and keep it shaved to possibly reduce shedding...well, why get a long haired dog at all?? I would never get a dog that shed a lot or required lots of grooming unless I was totally happy to deal with all that.


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## xxxlisaxxx (Oct 15, 2007)

Durbkat said:


> Thats not true, Snoopy shed alot when he had long hair. He doesn't now since his hair is short but when it was long everytime anyone picked him up they would end up with hair on them. The vet had a big ball of hair on him when he was restraining Snoopy so I could give him a pill.


I totally agree with this not being true as well. My 2 year old cocker sheds like mad all year around (i am told this is because he is a house dog and sheds like that because of the heat). We do shave him right down in the summer as he is totally black and suffers when we have the odd hot day but i find when we do shave him right down he sheds even more only the hairs are alot shorter and more corser whereas its more like fluff when he is not shaved. Hope that makes sense.

I also have a samoyed, DONT EVEN GO THERE as far as shedding. I have yet to experience it as he is only 4 months old. I am not seeing anything around the house yet but as soon as I take a slicker brush to him I get enough hair out to make a small jumper


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

we're not thinking of getting something with LONG hair, but I was just curious as to wether clipping saved a little bit of the hassle of shedding with a lab or slightly longer coat.


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## the-tenth (Jun 29, 2007)

I have a Golden that leaves enough hair lying around to make a couple of small dogs, on a regular basis. Sandy's hair is slightly longer than a lab, and it's worse than Daisy's. Because it's small, and really tough, it gets stuck in the fibers of the couch and is a royal PITA to get out. Daisy is the winner by far by sheer volume. Never tried to cut her close, and Sandy isn't really long enough to consider clipping. I couldn't see that making much of a difference anyhoo.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Just for the record ALL dogs shed; why do you think long coat dogs tend to matt up? That is the hair that is coming out, but doesn't 'fall out' like most double or short haired dogs coats do, so it snags and tangles in the other coat. 

It's just a matter of 'how much' a dog sheds; long drop coated breeds, like Shih Tzus, Maltese, or Yorkies, along with other long coat breeds, like Poodles and Bichons, don't "usually" leave hair all over your furniture like alot of other 'normal shedding type' breeds. However, they take more frequent brushing to keep their coats from matting. 

Double coated dogs, like Collies, Shelties, Border Collies, etc, tend to blow their coats in the spring and fall, although you may be able to brush out hair pretty much every time you brush, it's just that you will notice the difference from when they are really shedding to when they are not. 

Short haired breeds (both double and single coat) often shed a bit year round, but again, these tend to blow their coats in the spring and fall mainly. 


Clipping any dog won't stop shedding, but it will sometimes get rid of a lot of the coat that IS shedding out, so you may notice a difference after the dog has been clipped; mainly your furniture won't be so loaded! Haha! 

I actually clip alot of Labs and Lab mixes here in MN...so it is not unheard of!! People just like the dogs super short in the summer, and it does seem to make a difference as far as how quickly the dog sheds out his dead coat. 

I discourage people with long haired double coated dogs from shaving those off, as the top coat takes a long time to come back on some dogs, and especially in Pomeranian and mixes, it often does not come back at all, and you are stuck clipping the dog off all the time to keep him from looking like a 'balding rat'.


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## Dieselsmama (Apr 1, 2007)

As has been mentioned, double coated dogs like labs, GSD, goldens etc. do shed, some shed a LOT. I know with my two labs I vacuum daily, to keep up with the hair tumbleweeds we get if I neglect it for a couple days. They each get a thorough currying with a rubber curry outside twice a week too. I work part-time as a groomer now, I used to run a shop and work full-time years ago. I refuse to shave any of these double coated breeds. These guys need their outer guard hairs to both keep them warm in winter and cool in summer. Often these dogs once they have been shaved never have their coats grow back in properly. They will have coarser picky hairs all over with tufts where it tries to come back. There is only one exception I make to this rule and that is for a very nice family that decided to try to shave down their rough coated collie instead of rehoming him due to their allergies. They come in every month for a bath and trim and it's working out well for them. It's hard on your clippers and blades to do these large shave downs too, I have to oil and change blades often to keep the blades from getting too hot when doing them. In my shop it cost these collie owners $65 each time they're, The average price I charge for doing a full trim on a Lhasa, cocker, shih-tzu, schnauzer etc. is anywhere from 45-65 depending on the condition they are in. If dematting is involved extensively it can go up from there. I did a very sweet old golden last week who hadn't been touched in probably a year. It took me 2 hours to get the poor girl brushed and combed out before she could even get into the tub. She took a grand total of 3 1/2 hrs. to groom and cost her owners $115. If they'd brought her in in decent shape it would have been around $50


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