# shaved husky



## MidnightBlue (Jan 22, 2009)

i was thinking of shaving Blue. 

does anyone have before after pics of a shaved black husky???


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

i don't have any pictures but my friend had a siberian growing up and her mom decided to shave her too. they for some reason clipped the fur on her tail too and that was a super bad idea because her tail always looked yucky after that, too thin and scraggly. 

why are you wanting to shave down your husky?


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## harrise (Jan 9, 2008)

My Husky was shaved six months before I met him. It's been 14 months since he's been around here and eight months since he's technically been mine. The shave takes years to go away completely. It seems to have affected the shed schedule as well. To this day he still has places on his hips where the hair hasn't grown back correctly. I also had to shave the Saint when I got him due to hot spots/mattes and again it took years for the look to go away. Other than extreme medical reasons, I would never shave a double coat.


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

Yeah, you should never shave a Husky unless it's for very bad medical reasons. The coat protects them from the elements. It keeps them cool during hot weather, and it keeps them warm during cold weather. It keeps water from totally soaking them (water tends to run off the topcoat). The husky coat is there for many many reasons. Not even Florida or Texas heat is good enough a reason to shave them.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

I have a few huskies that I shave for clients. Its very difficult to get them to look nice while shaved..the thick undercoat is hard to get a blade thru, and they can look very choppy, uneven and ugly, if you don't know what you are doing. And like everyone said, the growing back is usually very ugly, and takes a long time. Many times, the coat never looks right again. Its uneven, soft, fuzzy undercoat, no guard hairs, and generally not a pretty sight. I tell people that want to shave their double coated breeds, they better be sure they want it, cause in order to keep them looking decent, they may have to just keep on doing it. Its not something you want to "just try" once...I wish I had some pics of some of them..and some of them growing back, but I don't. Thats a good idea though to take some to show people who insist on shaving their double coated breeds.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Graco22 said:


> I have a few huskies that I shave for clients. Its very difficult to get them to look nice while shaved..the thick undercoat is hard to get a blade thru, and they can look very choppy, uneven and ugly, if you don't know what you are doing. And like everyone said, the growing back is usually very ugly, and takes a long time. Many times, the coat never looks right again. Its uneven, soft, fuzzy undercoat, no guard hairs, and generally not a pretty sight. I tell people that want to shave their double coated breeds, they better be sure they want it, cause in order to keep them looking decent, they may have to just keep on doing it. Its not something you want to "just try" once...I wish I had some pics of some of them..and some of them growing back, but I don't. Thats a good idea though to take some to show people who insist on shaving their double coated breeds.


Ditto to this...

Unless you are going to be committed to doing it all the time, I wouldn't even try it once, as all it takes is one time of being shaved for the dog's coat to be permantly changed. 

On other double coated dogs, like Poms, I don't like shaving them, either, because after a while, they start looking like mange victims!!! No joke, that's what they are going to look like...it's just that they aren't truly 'bald', just really patchy because the topcoat doesn't grow back, and may not for a year or more. 


My advice would be to get some good deshedding tools, and thoroughly brush your dog every other day, or even every day; take him in to a groomer every month, or every other month for a really thorough bath, brush, and blow out to help with the amount of shedding at home. Try not to ever bath him at home, unless you can invest in a decent hi velocity dryer; the HiVo dryer is essential to helping release that heavy undercoat in dogs like him, and not drying him thoroughly can cause severe irritation due to the heat that accumulates, and potentially, hotspots.


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## Erick Aguilar (Jun 9, 2008)

Double coated dogs should NEVER be shaved unless it's per a medical emergency as already stated..
You can harm the dog if you do so, remove his isolation from heat and cold which is what a double coat does...

If you want to shave him because it's getting too hot.. .you need to read a bit more on them double coats.
Please don't shave him


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

What about when they are really matted down to the skin? My Chow mix stray that was a stray for a couple of years, is terrible matted. His back isn't too bad, but everywhere else, especially the neck, tail and rear end are horrible. He's scared of strangers, so I was going to shave him myself, but based on these posts, am unsure if I should.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

spotted nikes said:


> What about when they are really matted down to the skin? My Chow mix stray that was a stray for a couple of years, is terrible matted. His back isn't too bad, but everywhere else, especially the neck, tail and rear end are horrible. He's scared of strangers, so I was going to shave him myself, but based on these posts, am unsure if I should.


I think that in the case of a dog w/sever mats that cant be brushed out...and are causing the dog pain...then saving would be acceptable ....actually its probably a must!


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

spotted nikes said:


> What about when they are really matted down to the skin? My Chow mix stray that was a stray for a couple of years, is terrible matted. His back isn't too bad, but everywhere else, especially the neck, tail and rear end are horrible. He's scared of strangers, so I was going to shave him myself, but based on these posts, am unsure if I should.


You shouldn't shave unless it's a medical reason. Severe matting sounds like a medical reason to me. I'd see if the groomer can't fix it, but if they can't, try and shave only the spots the matting is in, not the whole dog.


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## myminpins (Dec 20, 2008)

If you shave down a double coated breed, wouldn't the fur eventually fix itself through shedding, moulting, blowing coat in the spring, etc.??? Might take a couple of years but it should eventually be okay, wouldn't it?

I can't stand it when people tell me they shave their shelties down because they're too hot  That's why they have a double coat you morons!!!! Ugh...


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## RBark (Sep 10, 2007)

myminpins said:


> If you shave down a double coated breed, wouldn't the fur eventually fix itself through shedding, moulting, blowing coat in the spring, etc.??? Might take a couple of years but it should eventually be okay, wouldn't it?
> 
> I can't stand it when people tell me they shave their shelties down because they're too hot  That's why they have a double coat you morons!!!! Ugh...


It eventually comes back, yes. But it's a long long process and they look UGLY until then.


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## myminpins (Dec 20, 2008)

That's what I figured. Thanks! 

I can see why you'd do it on an extremely matted dog who wasn't cared for properly or irritated skin, etc., medical reasons though but that's it.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

spotted nikes said:


> What about when they are really matted down to the skin? My Chow mix stray that was a stray for a couple of years, is terrible matted. His back isn't too bad, but everywhere else, especially the neck, tail and rear end are horrible. He's scared of strangers, so I was going to shave him myself, but based on these posts, am unsure if I should.


I have not seen a double coated breed that was so matted that the entire dog had to be shaved. With the right products, equipment, and know how, most, if not all of the coat can be saved. But it means finding a professional that knows what they are doing. I have saved MANY a coat with my protocol: I don't do any brushing before the bath. They go straight to the tub, and get a degreaser bath. Soak 10 minutes, rinse. Then a medicated bath with my favorite, EZ Groom Ultra Sheen. Soak 15-20 minutes. Then rinse. Then conditioner, my favorite, Coat Handler Leave in/or rinse out. Soak 10 minutes, then rinse most of it out. I then towel dry, and use a product called Answer, as a very light mist and rub it into the coat. Then I use my High Velocity dryer to remove the matted undercoat. The coat just slides right out. I have shocked many an owner by being able to save the coat. If you have to shave it, then do what you have to do, but use the longest blade possible, and be prepared for an ugly and long comeback. 


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> If you shave down a double coated breed, wouldn't the fur eventually fix itself through shedding, moulting, blowing coat in the spring, etc.??? Might take a couple of years but it should eventually be okay, wouldn't it?



You would think it would..but it doesn't always happen. The problem is not always the shedding undercoat coming back. The problem is that the guard hairs (the coarse hairs that you see..the colored hairs on the dog. Generally straight, shiny) have a very long life. They are not shed like the undercoat. When they are cut, it can take a VERY long time for them to come back. When a coat like this is shaved very short, like a 10 blade, it damages the follicle, and sometimes those guard hairs (and undercoat hairs) never come back. You can help it along by carding after clipping, and carding weekly while you are trying to grow it back. Sometimes that is a big help. Sometimes, it doesn't matter. The texture is never the same, and the coat never looks right again. I can think of one, maybe 2 doublecoated dogs that I could not tell had been shaved by someone..Every other one I see, I can tell immediately that the dog has been shaved at some point in its life..It has been called "clipper alopecia" by many. No one seems to be able to agree in exactly _why_ it happens though.


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## eaglewings (Sep 3, 2010)

i agree. never shave a husky, unless absolutely necessary. it not is bad for medical reasons, it looks ridiculous as well.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

RBark said:


> It eventually comes back, yes. But it's a long long process and they look UGLY until then.


Not to mention, it can change their color dramatically. A gorgeous sable and white sheltie or collie is usually a God Awful pale tan color after a shave. Red or dark goldens can turn out white, and some huskies can too. Most people back away from a shave when I explain to them that their red golden will look paled if they're shaved (especially if you leave the head and tail...white body, bright copper colored face/ears/tail? ugh.)


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

I would NOT shave a husky, or any other double coated breed. UNLESS it was the ONLY thing possible for the dog.

My boss and I have turned away many clients wanting their dogs shaved. Had a VERY irate border collie owner literally yelling at us for not shaving her dog. She said she would tell every one how horrible we are lol. Ok crazy lady.

We had to shave a chow the other day, hasnt been groomed in 3 years, SO MATTED, its legs wereliterally stuck together at the top. idiot owner was going to put the dopg down soon due to lrear leg issues he said. As soon as the dogs legs were clipped away from each other, he was back to acting like a normal, old chow (he is 13) but was very mobile, sitting, walking standing ect. Thw owner got a earful from us. Poor thing, there really was no saving his coat, it was terrible. I almost cried when he walked int he door.


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## eaglewings (Sep 3, 2010)

some people have no idea how to care for an animal. shame on them for not taking care of the chow! that is cruel. it sounds like you did a good thing for him and probably relieved him of a lot of discomfort. hopefully they will maintain his coat and take proper care of him. sadly, i have some doubts. these people who can't care for the animal should not have one!


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

I would NOT shave a husky, or any other double coated breed. UNLESS it was the ONLY thing possible for the dog.

*I've heard people say how much better their dogs feels right after getting a shave. I think the dogs probably feel weird, different, and not comfortable in their skin. So they bounce around, move differently, and it's reinforced to the owners. 
The funny thing is, a good finish on a shave can only be gotten if you (general) card and de-shed the dogs' undercoat to get a smooth finish. I tried to cram a set of horse clippers under a matted, FILTHY, once-a-year Bernese Mt. Dog shave, and it was a nightmare. The shave turned out good, because we gave up, bathed the whole mess, and de-shedded the dog before shaving. So, in a sense, shaving a shedding dog is a moot point *

My boss and I have turned away many clients wanting their dogs shaved. Had a VERY irate border collie owner literally yelling at us for not shaving her dog. She said she would tell every one how horrible we are lol. Ok crazy lady.

*I had someone uncork on me because I said it was stupid to shave a lab. Sorry, but it is. (Don't even get me started on the lady who wanted her boxer shaved, or wanted a *** **** LION CUT on her 2 month old sheltie!!!)*

We had to shave a chow the other day, hasnt been groomed in 3 years, SO MATTED, its legs wereliterally stuck together at the top. idiot owner was going to put the dopg down soon due to lrear leg issues he said. As soon as the dogs legs were clipped away from each other, he was back to acting like a normal, old chow (he is 13) but was very mobile, sitting, walking standing ect. Thw owner got a earful from us. Poor thing, there really was no saving his coat, it was terrible. I almost cried when he walked int he door.
*What a ditz. How could you miss that?! I wonder if she had the dog to the vet? Any dog who's coat can be knocked on with your knuckles and sound like you're knocking on a sheet of drywall gets shaved at our shop. One person brought us 3 outdoor cocker spaniels who had to be shaved with anything from a #10 through #40. It was disgusting. The youngest dog wasn't as bad. We charged 50 a piece for the 3 matted dogs and 35 for the cocker. The next day the woman called ranting and raving about how we ripped her off. We threatened to call the HS on her, and she kept insisting her dogs got excellent care because they were fed and watered daily @@*


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## ixmahr42 (Sep 2, 2010)

It is hard sometimes for people to understand that a Husky's coat actually protects them from the heat. I wonder why do you want to shave your Husky. Is it for medical reasons? Their coat protects them from the elements, the cold and the heat, so it's better to leave it as is. If the animal lives in hot climate, their coat simply will not grow as thick.


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