# Summer Cuts



## bordercollielover (Mar 29, 2008)

Hi, I'm new here and I was wondering if any of you have ever gotten your dog a summer cut. I have border collies . . . and I just want to know the pros and cons, and maybe some pictures of before and after. I'm trying to decide if a summer cut on a border will look good. One of my dogs is really fuzzy and always so hot in the summer. Thanks for the help!

BorderCollieLover,
Elise


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

bordercollielover said:


> Hi, I'm new here and I was wondering if any of you have ever gotten your dog a summer cut. I have border collies . . . and I just want to know the pros and cons, and maybe some pictures of before and after. I'm trying to decide if a summer cut on a border will look good. One of my dogs is really fuzzy and always so hot in the summer. Thanks for the help!
> 
> BorderCollieLover,
> Elise


A dog's coat is their thermal regulator. It keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. If you shave them you remove that protection and they have a hard time staying cool. Not only that but with a shaved coat, they are more apt to get sunburned.


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

Reno is correct!


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

I shave my Border mix in the summer because she enjoys the water alot, and I don't have a dryer (only my human dryer) so rather than burn her, or ban her to the outdoors til she's dry (and being in the city, and Not always having something to DO outside in 100 degree weather!) I would rather be able to quick towel dry her and be able to bring her in. She's also alot quicker to bathe if she gets muddy on a rainy day walk, and I have to bathe her in my bath tub at home...with her heavier coat, it takes quite a long time, because our shower head is not very high powered, so it takes awhile to soak her through...but with the short hair, she soaks down quickly! She seems fine with the shorter coat... and it is alot more 'convenient' for us in the summer to keep her clean because she is such a water\mud hound. In the winter, we let her coat come back in.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

I keep Snoopy's hair short in the summer and long in the winter. Before I got Snoopy's hair cut he got hot real fast and we couldn't do much. But once he got shaved down he enjoyed the outdoors as he didn't get hot as easy.


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## tcasby (Apr 30, 2007)

Snoopy (and my dog) have hair. A BC has fur. Hair can and should be cut. Fur is another matter completely.


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## Kittie Gee (Mar 11, 2008)

Another thing to consider is that some dogs fur does not grow back the same as it was before, it can change texture, color or not grow back in fully or at all. They have the hair they have for a reason. And I feel if it is not essential that your dog get shaved (ie mats) then I feel it shouldn't be done.


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## bordercollielover (Mar 29, 2008)

Thanks for all of the replies. So you are basically saying that since BC's have fur, not hair, that I shouldn't get a summer cut?



Love's_Sophie said:


> I shave my Border mix in the summer because she enjoys the water alot, and I don't have a dryer (only my human dryer) so rather than burn her, or ban her to the outdoors til she's dry (and being in the city, and Not always having something to DO outside in 100 degree weather!) I would rather be able to quick towel dry her and be able to bring her in. She's also alot quicker to bathe if she gets muddy on a rainy day walk, and I have to bathe her in my bath tub at home...with her heavier coat, it takes quite a long time, because our shower head is not very high powered, so it takes awhile to soak her through...but with the short hair, she soaks down quickly! She seems fine with the shorter coat... and it is alot more 'convenient' for us in the summer to keep her clean because she is such a water\mud hound. In the winter, we let her coat come back in.


What type of hair does your Border mix have? Is it courser or really fuzzy? My Levi has really, really fuzzy fur. He gets a lot of mats and he loves dirt and water . . . mixed! Does your dog's hair grow back just fine?


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

your border collie should not be shaved at all. so many different reasons.
the hair WILL not grow back the same right away. it varies between dogs, but the norm is about 6 months to a year of growing out before the hair is back to normal. it is my belief that the more you shave a dog with an undercoat, the more likely it will be that the hair never comes in the same. so until it grows out, your dog will look terrible and actually be more work to take care of. the reason it takes so long is because the gaurd hairs, or top coat, take a lot longer to grow than the undercoat (the hair that sheds). your dog will be a fluffy mess for awhile, and brushing everyday will be a must b/c the fluffy undercoat mats extremely easily when they are no gaurd hairs. also, b/c your dog uses his coat for insulation against cold and hot weather, he will be at a greater chance of getting heatstroke in the summer, and freezing in the winter, and this is until his coat full grows out. that means that you have to be even more careful with prolonged exposures to extreme weather. people like to excuse shaving their doublecoated breeds by saying "oh but he is so hot", when it is simply not true. if your dog indeed is cooler without his coat, then that is b/c the owner is not grooming the dog enough, and the undercoat has become impacted. that is the only way a dog with an undercoat is at risk with his full coat. im sorry that him being in full coat isnt very easy, but you are the one who wanted a border collie, and im assuming that you knew the dog had a lot of fur. any groomer you take your dog to will know this, and some will refuse to do your dog simply b/c they are against doing harm to an anaimal, and they believe taking away a dogs thermal regulater to be harmful. if they do take your dog, then i wouldnt use that groomer.


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## bordercollielover (Mar 29, 2008)

Wow, okay, that rules getting a summer cut out. Oh, I'm fine if I still have to have his full coat. I just wondered what was better for him. But, you brought up a lot of stuff I hadn't thought of. And I wouldn't have gone ahead without talking to a good groomer about it anyway. Thanks very much for the info! That was just what I was looking for!


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## Rowdy (Sep 2, 2007)

We have a sort of in between that we do with Toby (our rough collie). During the summer we have his belly shaved and his feathers , especially his pants, cut short - about 1 -2 inches. The shaved belly keeps him cooler and the short feathers cuts down on the amount of foliage that he collects. It looks a little strange, but he still looks like a collie.


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## Rough_Collies2008 (Jan 4, 2008)

Rowdy said:


> We have a sort of in between that we do with Toby (our rough collie). During the summer we have his belly shaved and his feathers , especially his pants, cut short - about 1 -2 inches. The shaved belly keeps him cooler and the short feathers cuts down on the amount of foliage that he collects. It looks a little strange, but he still looks like a collie.


Oh so he is going to join the shaved belly club with Riley










Riley's belly was shaved because of medical reasons, I really wouldn't have done it otherwise.

As said above. I would never do a 'full' body shave of a dog with fur. Their fur keeps them warm, and keeps them cool.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

bordercollielover said:


> What type of hair does your Border mix have? Is it courser or really fuzzy? My Levi has really, really fuzzy fur. He gets a lot of mats and he loves dirt and water . . . mixed! Does your dog's hair grow back just fine?


I would say if he has super fuzzy BC fur, probably get him scissored shorter, but don't get a short shave. With a scissor cut, he will get rid of a lot of the longer fuzzies, but it won't change his coat, and should grow back in normally...If he is in the water alot, this may be the way to go, as it will be easier managed in the summer. 

My girl has more of a retriever\BC type 'mix'...not super fuzzy, and definitly not 'furry'...Her's grows back nicely...


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## acanoffleas (Jan 15, 2008)

Shavedowns are something of a controversial thing between groomers. You'll hear a mixed variety of replies. I really don't enjoy shaving down double coated breeds (like huskies, shepherds, goldens, etc.), but I HAVE done it. As already mentioned, the coat acts as protection against both the cold and the heat. It's when the undercoat builds up (the dog will shed the under layers of hair, but it doesn't fall out...it gets "stuck" under the top layer of fur), that the dog gets hot. A good bath and brush with a thorough blow out will help with this. A touch up with scissors and a sanitary trim will help to keep the dog clean and mat-free as well.


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## doggone6 (Sep 7, 2007)

Realistically, most dogs get shaved because the owner doesn't want to deal with maintaining the coat and doesn't want to spend a lot of money on grooming.

The Voice of Experience (aka The Crotchety Old Dog Lady, me) says that you can certainly shave down a double-coated breed (let's say, a Chow) and if the dog is healthy and is genetically programmed to have a good correct coat...the coat will grow back just fine. However, a dog's coat (be it "fur" or "hair") is INDEED the dog's thermal regulator and shaving a dog down is not the best thing for the dog.

Basically, you can figure if you're hot, your dog will be hot too. You can take off most of your clothes and get cooler, but on the other hand...you don't have a hair-coat DESIGNED to keep you cooler in hot weather! Just my 2 cents.


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