# To shave or not to shave?



## Submarineturtle (May 12, 2011)

I live in Columbia South Carolina, known to most as the hottest place on earth. I just rescued a Newfoundland, she is sweet as pie but heartworm positive. I dont want to make her body more stressed then it has to be. I was wondering if I should shave her coat or just keep her inside more since its summer? 

Any thoughts on the sbject?


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## Loki Love (May 23, 2010)

Keep her inside more - please don't shave her coat. If you shave it down, it could be irritable for her, and in fact her hair could grow back even thicker (and possibly end up shedding more). Get a good brush and brush her daily to get rid of all the excess dead hair.

Good luck!


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

I agree, shaving a dog down doesn't really cool them off much and it actually can work as a bit of insulation (which means if you do shave down, you must leave a couple of inches of growth, rather than down to nothing as it actually can make them hotter). Also, full coated/double coated breeds like newfs do not grow back a nice coat after a shave, it can really change the texture and appearance of the coat. If her coat is not that great anyway, you may want to clip it back but it's really good brushing (removal of the undercoat) that will be best long term.
And yes, these are not dogs that could handle the heat outside for any length of time...so be cautious about heat exhaustion, especially since she is hw positive.


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## WolfyNeiviv (Apr 24, 2011)

Plus, shaving and then being outside in the sun could case a sunburn which would be irritating for your gal.


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## amberly (Feb 6, 2011)

Agree with everyone else. Plz don't shave! She won't be happy nor would a good groomer. Def keep regular brushing to pull out all the added build up hair from shedding, it'll also help her skin to beable to breath freely which is what you want. If you shave her it'll throw off her body temp. Keep her out of the sun with lots of fresh water and reg. brush schedule. You don't want to break and damage her coat eaither, it'll also be hard to make her look good shorter since shes not a breed ment for shaving. You can get her a good trim up if you want tho, like feathers ect without actuelly shaving her.


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## dantero (Feb 2, 2011)

I agree with the don't shave. What I have done in the past with hairier dogs though is thin the hair on the inside of their thighs and lower belly (not up on the ribs, just the belly) area. Provides a little more surface area for water to evaporate if you get their belly area wet. The rest of the hair though actually helps protect them from the heat and sun.


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## xxxxdogdragoness (Jul 22, 2010)

I'm glad that I saw this post lol, I was entertaining the thought of shaving Jo, she is a fuzzy girl, but after reading this, im not going to lol, thanks guys for the advice.


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## Indigo (Mar 31, 2011)

I knew a couple of Samoyeds who lived in a hot place, who were shaved down to about an inch in the summer. Most people will tell you you're never EVER supposed to shave a Samoyed as the coat acts as insulation from the heat and protects from sunburn. The owner of these particular sams said they acted more energetic and in the pics the dogs looked fine when it grew back. She said if they weren't shaved they would act lethargic all summer.

As someone who never shaved her Samoyed and did numerous dog sports in the summertime, I often wonder how much he would have benefited from being shaven, especially on his underparts that aren't exposed to the sun. We had to stay in the shade except for our runs, and if it was too hot we couldn't run at all. When you're running around and working out, insulation is the last thing you want. I kept a water filled sprayer to spray him with, since they don't sweat under that fur. I also removed all of his undercoat as soon as chunks started falling out in the spring. He was still hot! Every movement in the heat had to be calculated and planned to keep him from getting in the heat stroke danger area.

I think a lot has to do with the color of dog as well. A dog with dark fur is going to get hot really fast whereas a light dog will stay cooler longer (especially if they aren't running around and generating internal heat). A dog that has darker skin is also more protected from sunburn than a light skinned dog -- just like people. They can still burn but it takes longer than it would for a light skinned dog. ...there is also sunscreen for dogs, just ask owners of hairless dogs.

My verdict? You have to weigh the pros and cons in your situation. If it is extremely hot where you live as you say and you have a thick furred black dog that is running around, his coat isn't going to do him much good. If he sits in the AC all day, I'd keep the coat and just brush it out as much as you can.


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## amberly (Feb 6, 2011)

some dogs have black skin and white coats it helps keep them warm in the colder climents sorta like polar bears with white coats and black skin and the arctic fox white cold black skin. you gotta watch shaving out even the under areas of some thicker double coated dogs because when the coarse hair grows back it can cause irritation and prickle the dogs and thus resorting in chewing on their own skin. I often times do take up the undersides pretty short tho but I try not to shave them out because of that reason. I also refuse to shave down such dogs where I work tho I have no problem taking the top layer of the dog and making the rest of the body feathers ect be the same length tho. exspecially since a lot of people don't brush their dogs. it helps make maintaining easier for the people and the dog and shorter without the save down. but generally the black skin still serves multiple purposes. I've seen many of coats destroyed from being shaved. of course not all but lots. Collies, sheepdogs labs goldens.they grow back in perm patches and it looks awful, sometimes a few years later their coat still hasn' recovered. it also puts a lot of stress on shaving a dog with this coat too. since they don't get groomed regularly like lets say a shih tzu or poodle they aren't use to the extended work and stress of the whole ordeal. and it takes tripple work to make the cut look good. so a lot of the larger double coated dogs don't always do so well with it. but besides the extra brushing out of the undercoat theydo make bulking shears to thin the coat out, which is great as well.


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## Indigo (Mar 31, 2011)

Just to be clear, I wasn't talking about shaving down to the skin.


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## amberly (Feb 6, 2011)

Yea, sadly there are a lot of horrible groomers who do! They aren't very good at communication. You won't beleive the things I've seen. Not some happy customers!


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## EscVelocity (Mar 31, 2011)

I get Seamus cut/shaved down to about an 1 1/2" to 2" all over, except I leave his tail. Make sure you are happy with the cut, because if the coat refuses to grow, you might end up stuck with it. However, Seamus has always grown into his coat by the time winter rolls around; I have had to deal with an uneven look though and I would usually just scissor it to give it a more even look while it is growing out.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Shaving a dog down to 1.5-2 inchs shouldnt hurt the coat. As it hardly, if at all, touchs the guard hairs. which is what messes up the coat if shaved off. 

Shaving a dog down with a shorter blade, will hurt and ruin the coat. i see it daily. when I have to shave down a ton of goldens ect at work. because the owners dont like the long hair. Or seem to think the dog wont survive the hot canadian summers (sorry but our summers are not that bad, and dont last that long either. And here in Ontario, we are known for the millions of lakes we have around every corner lol) I hate having to shave them, yes in a few months their coat starts to grow back. but from what i see, in most cases the coat doesnt grow back niceley at all. patchy, rough, balding, thinning is very very common.

Id get her on a good grooming scheduele, every 4-6 weeks take her to a groomer, get a good bath and a good through blow dry and brushing. The major issue double coated breeds have is, dead hair laying around in the coat, blocking the skin from breathing. OR invest in a good HV blow dryer for her.


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