# Should I shave him?



## wayderz (Dec 28, 2009)

I have a pure bred Alaskan Malamute puppy, he's almost 4 months old and is getting HUGE 

Anyways, I like him to sleep in bed with me, sometimes he stays sometimes he finds a place on the floor however; when he is in my bed he breaths heavily, he also drinks a lot of water(I assume to cool off). For example, last night he was breathing heavily, then in the middle of the night whimpered like he wanted something, since he was breathing hard I figured "he has to drink" he sat and drank water for about 2 minutes.

I was thinking of having him shaved, since he is apparently uncomfortably hot in my bed, but loves to cuddle. 

It is the dead of winter, not warm out lol. I live in eastern West Virginia, it doesn't get much lower than 30*F, and he is an inside dog. But I'm still not sure if it would be okay to shave him.

He is bred for Alaskan terrain and bred to haul things at -70*F(at adult). Right now his fur is pretty long, he likes to lay in the snow and the cold doesn't seem to bother him not one bit, he comes inside sheeted in ice haha.

But...should I shave him? Would it be okay for his health?


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

No. Do not shave him.. His fur not only helps him stay warm when it's cold out, but insulates him from the heat and sun when it's hot out. If I am correct, Malamutes are a double coated breed, and you should never shave a double coated breed unless absolutely necessary. The coat will not come back the same.


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## flyingduster (Dec 10, 2009)

please don't shave him! Shaving a double coated breed can ruin the coat, causing it to come back thicker and woollier than ever! A shaved coat will help keep them cooler, but only while the coat is very short, the moment it gets longer, it'll be thicker than ever, and hotter than ever. Besides the fact that the look ugly shaved! lol.

Their coats are naturally insulating, they are not supposed to be shaved. You should be able to keep them fairly cool by keeping their undercoat well brushed out, as the insulating properties of the hair actually keep the heat away from the skin as well as the cold!


If he's getting so hot in bed, have him sleep on the floor. Yes I know you like him on the bed, but for such a massive breed, and the fact malamutes can be very driven and harder to control dogs, the floor is probably a much better option for everyone.


Basically I hate to shave down a double coated dog. I will do it, but only after talking to the owner a lot and making sure they know why and what they are getting into. Usually it's really only in the case of an older dog, that is just overheating in the summer and finds it really hard to be groomed properly anymore. In which case it's already old, it's coat is usually not in the best condition anymore, and it's for the comfort of the dog that I'll shave them down every summer. No way would I conceed to shave down a 4 month old mal pup.

Do a bit of research online about shaving double coated breeds, you'll find a lot of controversy about it, but learn as much as you can about both sides of the story before deciding to do it or not.


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## Birdie399 (Dec 26, 2009)

I wouldn't shave a dog with his coat type since it can be bad for their health (and looks awful growing back in), and have heard it doesn't cool them off much anyway.  I would give him a really good deshedding (at home or at a groomer) to get all that thick undercoat out if you can. Taking a lot of that out will help cool the dog down a lot more than shaving would, and is less risky to the coat. 
Give him something cool to lay on; if he's anything like my dog, he's drawn to hardwood and tile/laminate flooring. Or have water readily available in your room at night for him to drink if he's feeling hot.


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## wayderz (Dec 28, 2009)

> If he's getting so hot in bed, have him sleep on the floor. Yes I know you like him on the bed, but for such a massive breed, and the fact malamutes can be very driven and harder to control dogs, the floor is probably a much better option for everyone.


He's actually a well mannered dog. He's only 4 months, but we have 3 other dogs and he has mounted them, but never gotten into any fights and he's always loved attention from people. He's a really great puppy ^^ already knows how to sit, go for a ride in the car and "up".

Thanks everyone for the information, I will continue to do research on shaving the double coated breeds(as I knew he was, but didn't know shaving him would mess up his coat). I will also see if brushing helps a little.

P.S. I do love him sleeping in my bed, but weather he's in my bed or on the floor is his choice, I'd just rather him be more comfortable when he is in my bed, rather than scaring me with heavy breathing lol.


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

Yes it will mess it up.. I've seen double coated dogs that have been shaved, and the hair doesn't always even come back. It's a very bad idea. If you ever do end up having to shave him for some reason or another and his hair isn't coming back, Eqyss Mega-Tek (I think that's the one.. it's eqyss something..) might be able to help.. I've read it helps grow hair back.


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## MoosMom (Sep 15, 2009)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO! You WILL ruin his coat.. Your dog is simply regulating his temps. My guys pants ALL the time and is quite happy to be out in very cold weather. 

I personally REFUSE to shave arctic dogs unless there is some kind of health condition that warrants a damn good reason.


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## rubberduckey273 (Dec 30, 2009)

like mentioned above, the double coat not only provides warmth in the cold, but a natural cooling sytem as well, which allows air to flow down onto the skin. 

a good alternative is if your groomer offers it, to have his coat thinned a little. a good groomer should be able to do this with little damage to the guard hairs. and just having him bathed and blow dried will often blow out some of the hair if he's shedding.

if he's too hot, he'll get off the bed. you could also open up a window a crack and just bundle up really warmly yourself.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

You can get him a dog bed called a Cool Bed where you put water into the bed to absorb all his heat and to help him remain cool. If you have a really big bed then just place the cool bed on top of your bed and he can still sleep there while not overheating. 

I don't think shaving him is a good idea at all! It will ruin his coat and it might not even make him cooler unless you shave down all the way to the skin. Like this short. 

The length on his body.


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## shawnifer (Jan 5, 2010)

a lot of people that get their dogs groomed at my work get their double coated dogs shaved.... and more times than not it's awful looking. i only do it cause it pays the bills and if i wasn't doing it for them someone else would.
you can always tell when a dog has been shaved or not when they have a double coat.


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> You can get him a dog bed called a Cool Bed where you put water into the bed to absorb all his heat and to help him remain cool. If you have a really big bed then just place the cool bed on top of your bed and he can still sleep there while not overheating.
> 
> I don't think shaving him is a good idea at all! It will ruin his coat and it might not even make him cooler unless you shave down all the way to the skin. Like this short.
> 
> The length on his body.


Shaving it all the way down to the skin won't help.

Think of it like a house. There's a lot of insulation inside the house's attic, walls. In the summer, it traps the cool air in. In the winter, it traps the warm air in.

Double coats perform this same function. Panting is just like how we sweat. Sweating is not a bad thing, it's just a way to cool off.


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## HersheyPup (May 22, 2008)

One more vote for NOT shaving your Malamute! Please don't do it, nothing good will come from it, honestly! Regular grooming is essential, but only to pull out the dead undercoat. The live hairs of the undercoat AND top coat are natures insulator,,,TRULY keeping your dog cooler in warm weather and warmer in cold weather!
A coat will ONLY function properly if it is well maintained, a matted coat will not provide the dog with any insulation.
A 4 month old puppy is not going to have a neglected, matted coat. He simply is not old enough to have had time to get a matted coat!
His coat will come back softer (which is a very BAD thing!), and mat easier than you can ever imagine if you shave him.....he is not a poodle!


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

If you're terribly worried about it and the water bed is too expensive why not just try a Kool Collar?

http://www.koolcollarstore.com/









I absolutely wouldn't shave him for all the reasons already mentioned here.


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