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Why you should NOT shave your Dog for Summer
To shave or not to shave, that is the question. The mercury is steadily raising each day and I have seen more and more Facebook statuses gracing my wall about dog shaving. As a native of Arizona, I have alot of friends who still live there and of course have dogs. I have fielded questions, comments and tried to educate the masses on dog shaving. I must admit, this is a huge pet peeve of mine. For Pete’s sake… DONT SHAVE YOUR DOG!
So many people fall for the “They must clearly be cooler in the summer months with freshly shaven skin” logic. NO NO NO!
A dog’s coat works like a thermostat. It helps regulate their body temperature in both hot and cold weather, similarly to duck’s feathers and down. The undercoat and outer coat form an insulated barrier that keeps the temperature regulated. It becomes increasingly difficult for a dog to keep itself warm or cool with no fur. Dogs do not sweat like people do to cool themselves. The mechanism of cooling by sweating is through evaporation. Since dogs only sweat in the pads of their paws this is not an effect method of cooling. A dog cools itself by panting. Their coat does not effect their ability to pant.
Not only does the dogs coat act as the thermostat, it also is an efficient barrier to the sun and protects from harmful UV rays. Dogs have almost no pigment in their skin to ward off these harmful UV rays and are very prone to sunburn and skin cancer. Would you hide your body all winter then head to the beach in an itty bitty bikini with out sunscreen? In essence this is whats happening to your dog when you shave it and send it outside even for a few minutes to do its business. Rule of thumb, if its too hot out for you, its too hot for your dog. Make sure your dog has access to plenty of cool water and shade at all times.
Other myths regarding shaving dogs: to prevent it from shedding and to help with allergen control. Allergies to dogs are one of two types, dander or saliva, not the hair. If a dog has skin, it has dander so this is not preventable. There are some commercial solutions you can wipe on a dog to help with dander control but nothing prevents it. A dog sheds, end of story. Regardless of whether the hairs are 1/2 inch or 12 inches it falls out when it dies, and is replaced with new ones just like human hair. The fur is not falling out because its hot. It is a natural cycle that all dogs and cats go through a few times of year and there is no preventing it.
Dogs should only be shaved if it is medically necessary (surgery, hot spot treatment) or due to coat matting that is beyond hope (this is completely preventable).
This may be controversial, but I believe the opposite is true.
I have a designer dog, which is a poodle cross, and as their fur does not stop growing you have to shave it. We could shave it thick, but in summer we shave it thin. The reason is that while a dog does not sweat, it does lose heat through its skin. Do you wear a jumper in summer? Seriously, do you?
There is no reason I would not shave a dog in summer, unless you are going for many walks with your dog in the hot sun and the fur is so thin that they will get sun burn. When we have delayed shaving our dog down because of issues like not being able to get into a groomer etc, they really suffer from the extra insulation that they do not need.
Anyway, just my opinion. I hope it doesnt get erased …
We had a really soft coated Golden Retriever that had the smoothest light coat (he was 1/2 European and 1/2 American Golden. He was born in Missouri and had a lot of snow during his first year, but then he moved to Houston, with his adoptive owners and they felt sorry for him, thus shaved him. After that his coat came out darker and not as smooth.. Does that usually happen or is it just different with each dog or breed?
Shaving?!? I would never let the humans near me with a razor – my shiny, glossy mountain dog coat may be somewhat warm in summer but it protects me and its also part of my image
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We sometimes have to shave down Samick because he gets really bad hot spots in the summer and it is easier to catch them when they first start and get them treated.
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[...] Why You Should NOT Shave Your Dog for the Summer. Finally! Some intelligent input on this widespread practice. I met an Aussie in the park the other day who was very unfortunate-looking: her owners had shaved her for the summer. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that they hadn’t helped their dog and they’d ruined her coat. (It’s the Dogs’ Life) [...]
Good info! Thanks for sharing!
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I like this post it is well written an I have to agree.
Dogs are not to be shaven, because we believe it will be too hot dogs. That is the way the dog is made and should be left that way.
As is posted in the blog make sure your dog has a cool spot and lots of fresh clean water at all times.
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Very interesting article! You make a lot of sense. We used to shave one of our dogs because he shed so much. It actually did make the shedding seem less of a problem. A few years later, however, our dog developed Cushing’s Disease and his hair only partly grew back. He has been treated for the Cushing’s Disease and is responding very well clinically, but his hair has yet to grow back properly.
On a happy note he is a very happy and healthy dog now! 
Oh dear! I just got both my chihuahua and pomeranian groomed and got their fur cut really short for the summer! It’s not shaved but it’s pretty short (puppy cut). I hope I didn’t just destroy their natural UV protection. I wish I found this earlier!!
so many people are shaving their corgis too, and that is just so wrong for the dog, I wish more people would educate themselves on this issue
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We have a Havanese and live in Canada. We shave her down in the summer and have never really considered this. With the harsh winter we have, we dont do that in the winter. Have never considered the risks that could result from shaving. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this post. I was kinda debating this about one of my 2 lab mixes that always seems hot. Now I definitely won’t shave him!
I agree, I always see people shaving breeds that are naturally designed to cope with heat, they don’t need to understand the fur acts as shade!
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Nice blogs. For that matter,it helps shaving dogs when do outdoor activities.But its naturally cut in order for them to adopt where they are. Its nice seeing puppies, their new haircut, makes problem disappear.
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[...] its not that great to shave a dogs hair, their hair works to regulate their body temperature. Why you should NOT shave your Dog for Summer | It’s the Dogs Life Reply With Quote + [...]
If someone has a dog with a coat that needs that type of grooming (shaving), perhaps it would be best to trim the coat back starting in spring, before the sun gets too hot and giving your dog a chance to have a nice short coat going into the summer. We have a Shih-Tzu/Jack Russell with the craziest hair ever – kind of like always having a bad hair day. He gets a trip to the groomer in early spring for a good short cut (not complete shave) and when summer rolls around, he’s got a coat to protect his skin but he’s not weighed down with crazy hair.
I never ever thought about shaving my dog. I never thought that some people shave their dogs either. I do notice my dog’s hair shave a lot, but I rather clean after that seeing my buddy look so naked.
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Our organization is based in Arizona, the temp today is 115 and at night is stays above 90. We are active in the local dog rescues groups, the various approaches to keeping dogs cool in these temperatures often includes shaving the dogs. Additionally shaving assist in cleaning up ticks and hot spots. The VitaHound staff attempts to moderate the haircuts based on the concerns sighted in this article, and it’s encouraging to read the correct advice being presented to dog lovers. A dog’s weight can greatly affect their tolerance for heat, dog’s living in hot climates should be kept lean, heavy long hair breeds have no business living in the desert.
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wow, thanks a lot, I had know idea, I have lived here in arizona about 8 years. That is good to know, I ve had friends that attempted to shave their dogs several times during the summer months in arizona. I am glad they never followed through, now I can give them a call and give them this valuable information. Thanks mark
I found that shaving my dog makes him happy, but it is because his kind likes it. I never fully shave him anyway, just trim his hair very short. It really depends on the race. The first time I trimmed him he looked so naked to me, I needed to glam him up, so I used a few pieces of pearl jewelry I ordered for myself and made him a nice, fashionable collar that really popped on his dark fur. And since I had matching jewelry, we were “the talk of the park” when we went for a walk
I agree that shaving dogs unless medically necessary is wrong for all the right reasons. Unfortunetly, one of the contributors to the problem are trained dog groomers who do know better. I was bathing my dog in a groomers and witnessed a beautiful golden lose all his coat down to an inch. When I inquired about it the groomer said that they were aware of how unhealthy it was for the dog but they do it because the owner wants it. Education and denial of services would go along way here.
I don’t know about it before. I ever shave my dog last year,hehe. But, after reading your article, I wont shave my dog again. It’s so logical that dog’s coat can help to protecting himself from harmful UV rays. I don’t want my lovely dog get sunburn or skin cancer. Thanks for this info
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My dog has been infested with fleas because he can’t leave the hedgehogs alone. I’ve tried flea shampoo, flea collars, flea tablets and flea spray but nothing would stop the little bastards from living on him. So as a last ditch attempt we have just shaved him completely and he feels great and hasn’t died yet although obviously its early days.
OMG I honestly didn’t realize I might be doing my best friend harm by shaving the little fella, I thought I was actually helping him out especially when we lived is Spain were it gets really hot in the summer.
It’s something I won’t be doing in future, Thankyou for the education.
Regards
Dave
Thank you for your sharing, I have not known about this before. Often, I shave my little dog in summer just for making him feel cool and comfortable. I really do not know shaving do a harm to him
. I am so sorry for that.
If you begin questioning yourself about the health and happiness of your pooch, it might help to try to think of what nature calls for. Our dogs are domesticated but if they were in the wild, they’re fur wouldn’t be shaved during the summer. It probably wouldn’t be good to use this thinking as your decision-maker in every situation, but it really does help.
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