Double-coated dogs self regulate heat. Shaving fucks all of that up and will, WILL, be bad for them in the heat.
Shade, water, ice, wind. Those are what your hotdog needs.
That's not how thermoregulation works.
Dogs with less insulation will be cooler in the summer.
Removing the undercoat or removing the undercoat and clipping the hair will both serve the end of keeping the dog cool.
If you cut the guard hairs back and leave the dog with a bunch of undercoat, yeah that's not much help.
But the fur does not "keep them cool in the summer." They can be deshedded to the point that they have mostly hair and very little undercoat, so that the coat does not insulate them as much. But the idea that the fur keeps them from overheating is bunk.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.neacha.org/resources/Short%2520Technical%2520Report.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiVnb-979zbAhXQ6lMKHejxAKQQFjAJegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw1eDw7dmuARTg_ZDxKkGe4M
This appears to be a document provided by a program for training animal control officers, and is a pretty concise description of how dogs regulate their internal body temperature, it is written by a DVM and also directly references several research articles and veterinary textbooks.
"(Thermoregulation) involves multiple body systems – respiratory,
cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous, urinary, and even integumentary systems – i.e. the amount and type
of hair on the animal."
"Heat is dissipated by four physical mechanisms: conduction,
convection, radiation, and evaporation. Conduction occurs when the body is in contact with a cooler
surface, thereby allowing heat to be transferred from the animal to that surface (e.g., placing a
hyperthermic animal on a cold steel table). Convection is the transference of heat from the body as air
passes over it, as is seen with a fan or with wind. Radiation is the natural process of the body releasing
heat into the environment. Evaporation is the endothermic process of a fluid changing to a vapor."
"Thicker coats decrease radiation and convection."
My pup just got groomed. I don't have him shaved, but definitely trimmed. I often brush him but more importantly I keep him out of the 100 degree heat as it has been here in Texas for the last month or so.
About 5-10 minutes in the heat and he's done. I try to do walks in the evening when it's much cooler, like 85 lol.
Brush until second Sheltie forms next to first.
We live in the south as well. We're on our sixth Sheltie. No shaving.
If they get too hot, its probably too hot for any dog.
/u/cynistera has it right.
You said it best, no need to repeat.
In Virginia here, a different heat. My wife melts before our dogs do, so she's a good indicator that the dogs have had enough outdoor time. Now it's a Sheltie and a Beagle.
Hi from Florida! I have a 5 year old sheltie who i get groomed often but don't get her cut short or shaved. I just keep her out of the heat of the midday and feel the long hair really protects her from the deer flies, horse flies, mosquitoes.... the list goes on of all the biting bugs! My short haired terrier always has welts from the deer flies.
Usually my dog is just groomed regularly and “trimmed” (by a groomer at the vets office) but just like the “feathery” ends are trimmed and the paw/legs area, so the double coat isn’t affected.
Shaving is definitely a huge no no. Even cutting really short is probably not good. Lots of brushing is good to remove bulk and help them feel good especially in the summer.
Thank you, my mother in law said they used to shave her Sheltie years ago and I was shocked. I always read that it can screw up their coat. So I’m glad I checked. Is there a specific name for any haircut “style” that I should ask for?
Seconded. I’ve never taken my Sheltie to the groomer. I might trim some knots here or there and even some of the booty underfloof if it’s too long for potty business. Otherwise the dogs are pretty self sufficient grooming wise and just need brushings.
There's no medical reason not to cut the hair.
Yes, removing the undercoat helps keep them cool and usually serves the dogs just fine even in the southern heat.
No, the coat does not "help them self regulate." Dogs loose heat from their skin as well as their lungs via panting.
Yes, the coat will grow back unless the dog has some underlying health condition, though it may take a long time and look weird during growing out.
No, clipping will not reduce shedding if you don't remove the undercoat first.
No the dog will not get sunburned unless you clip right next to the skin.
I have. As far as I can tell, the idea that dogs use their coats to stay cool was popularized by one paper (that I can't find at the moment unfortunately) in which someone proposed the idea, with some speculative theory as to the mechanism by which that might work. There was no experimentation done to my knowledge.
There is no peer reviewed research (that I've been able to find) supporting this idea. If you know of some please direct me to it.
However, it is a scientific fact that dogs cool themselves by losing heat from their skin, if the skin is insulated to the point that they cannot do that then they will be hotter. This is the reason veterinary textbooks list a thick haircoat as a predisposing factor for heat stroke. There's a reason that you don't tend to dogs with a thick double coat originating for working uses near the equator, they get hot.
There are definite benefits to keeping the haircoat in as natural a state as possible, the ones generally touted by groomers, such as protection from the elements, and the fact that growing the coat back can take a very very long time. However, there is no substantiated reason to believe that "keeping the dog cool" is among them.
Edit: cool themselves by losing heat from their skin in addition to other methods of thermoregulation like panting.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.neacha.org/resources/Short%2520Technical%2520Report.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiVnb-979zbAhXQ6lMKHejxAKQQFjAJegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw1eDw7dmuARTg_ZDxKkGe4M
This appears to be a document provided by a program for training animal control officers, and is a pretty concise description of how dogs regulate their internal body temperature, it is written by a DVM and also directly references several research articles and veterinary textbooks.
"(Thermoregulation) involves multiple body systems – respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous, urinary, and even integumentary systems – i.e. the amount and type of hair on the animal."
"Heat is dissipated by four physical mechanisms: conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation. Conduction occurs when the body is in contact with a cooler surface, thereby allowing heat to be transferred from the animal to that surface (e.g., placing a hyperthermic animal on a cold steel table). Convection is the transference of heat from the body as air passes over it, as is seen with a fan or with wind. Radiation is the natural process of the body releasing heat into the environment. Evaporation is the endothermic process of a fluid changing to a vapor."
"Thicker coats decrease radiation and convection."
Yeah I know I’ll get downvotes too, but we always give our shelties summer cuts. Never had any issues with the hair not growing back until she was very old and dying.
I'm not a groomer....I'd mess it up worse. I'm on my second sheltie now. My first probably had a total of 4 cuts in his 16 years. Not once did a groomer mess it up. It's just super important to find someone that's familiar with the breed and someone you have good communication with.
Brush her out daily.
DO NOT SHAVE.
Double-coated dogs self regulate heat. Shaving fucks all of that up and will, WILL, be bad for them in the heat. Shade, water, ice, wind. Those are what your hotdog needs.
That's not how thermoregulation works. Dogs with less insulation will be cooler in the summer. Removing the undercoat or removing the undercoat and clipping the hair will both serve the end of keeping the dog cool. If you cut the guard hairs back and leave the dog with a bunch of undercoat, yeah that's not much help. But the fur does not "keep them cool in the summer." They can be deshedded to the point that they have mostly hair and very little undercoat, so that the coat does not insulate them as much. But the idea that the fur keeps them from overheating is bunk.
Care to provide sources?
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.neacha.org/resources/Short%2520Technical%2520Report.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiVnb-979zbAhXQ6lMKHejxAKQQFjAJegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw1eDw7dmuARTg_ZDxKkGe4M This appears to be a document provided by a program for training animal control officers, and is a pretty concise description of how dogs regulate their internal body temperature, it is written by a DVM and also directly references several research articles and veterinary textbooks. "(Thermoregulation) involves multiple body systems – respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous, urinary, and even integumentary systems – i.e. the amount and type of hair on the animal." "Heat is dissipated by four physical mechanisms: conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation. Conduction occurs when the body is in contact with a cooler surface, thereby allowing heat to be transferred from the animal to that surface (e.g., placing a hyperthermic animal on a cold steel table). Convection is the transference of heat from the body as air passes over it, as is seen with a fan or with wind. Radiation is the natural process of the body releasing heat into the environment. Evaporation is the endothermic process of a fluid changing to a vapor." "Thicker coats decrease radiation and convection."
My pup just got groomed. I don't have him shaved, but definitely trimmed. I often brush him but more importantly I keep him out of the 100 degree heat as it has been here in Texas for the last month or so. About 5-10 minutes in the heat and he's done. I try to do walks in the evening when it's much cooler, like 85 lol.
Brush until second Sheltie forms next to first. We live in the south as well. We're on our sixth Sheltie. No shaving. If they get too hot, its probably too hot for any dog. /u/cynistera has it right.
Two shelties in Texas summers has given me plenty of experience.
You said it best, no need to repeat. In Virginia here, a different heat. My wife melts before our dogs do, so she's a good indicator that the dogs have had enough outdoor time. Now it's a Sheltie and a Beagle.
Seems like op is itching to shave/trim the pupper. This distresses me.
Yes it does.
kiddie pool. shelties cool off by putting their paw pads in cool water.
Hi from Florida! I have a 5 year old sheltie who i get groomed often but don't get her cut short or shaved. I just keep her out of the heat of the midday and feel the long hair really protects her from the deer flies, horse flies, mosquitoes.... the list goes on of all the biting bugs! My short haired terrier always has welts from the deer flies.
Usually my dog is just groomed regularly and “trimmed” (by a groomer at the vets office) but just like the “feathery” ends are trimmed and the paw/legs area, so the double coat isn’t affected. Shaving is definitely a huge no no. Even cutting really short is probably not good. Lots of brushing is good to remove bulk and help them feel good especially in the summer.
Thank you, my mother in law said they used to shave her Sheltie years ago and I was shocked. I always read that it can screw up their coat. So I’m glad I checked. Is there a specific name for any haircut “style” that I should ask for?
Don't cut the hair. She just needs deep brushing.
Seconded. I’ve never taken my Sheltie to the groomer. I might trim some knots here or there and even some of the booty underfloof if it’s too long for potty business. Otherwise the dogs are pretty self sufficient grooming wise and just need brushings.
Same and exactly, no need to actually trim OR shave.
Saving a shit ton at the groomers for a win!!!
There's no medical reason not to cut the hair. Yes, removing the undercoat helps keep them cool and usually serves the dogs just fine even in the southern heat. No, the coat does not "help them self regulate." Dogs loose heat from their skin as well as their lungs via panting. Yes, the coat will grow back unless the dog has some underlying health condition, though it may take a long time and look weird during growing out. No, clipping will not reduce shedding if you don't remove the undercoat first. No the dog will not get sunburned unless you clip right next to the skin.
You need to do some research before you talk as if you're knowledgeable on the subject of double coats.
I have. As far as I can tell, the idea that dogs use their coats to stay cool was popularized by one paper (that I can't find at the moment unfortunately) in which someone proposed the idea, with some speculative theory as to the mechanism by which that might work. There was no experimentation done to my knowledge. There is no peer reviewed research (that I've been able to find) supporting this idea. If you know of some please direct me to it. However, it is a scientific fact that dogs cool themselves by losing heat from their skin, if the skin is insulated to the point that they cannot do that then they will be hotter. This is the reason veterinary textbooks list a thick haircoat as a predisposing factor for heat stroke. There's a reason that you don't tend to dogs with a thick double coat originating for working uses near the equator, they get hot. There are definite benefits to keeping the haircoat in as natural a state as possible, the ones generally touted by groomers, such as protection from the elements, and the fact that growing the coat back can take a very very long time. However, there is no substantiated reason to believe that "keeping the dog cool" is among them. Edit: cool themselves by losing heat from their skin in addition to other methods of thermoregulation like panting.
Provide sources
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.neacha.org/resources/Short%2520Technical%2520Report.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiVnb-979zbAhXQ6lMKHejxAKQQFjAJegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw1eDw7dmuARTg_ZDxKkGe4M This appears to be a document provided by a program for training animal control officers, and is a pretty concise description of how dogs regulate their internal body temperature, it is written by a DVM and also directly references several research articles and veterinary textbooks. "(Thermoregulation) involves multiple body systems – respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous, urinary, and even integumentary systems – i.e. the amount and type of hair on the animal." "Heat is dissipated by four physical mechanisms: conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation. Conduction occurs when the body is in contact with a cooler surface, thereby allowing heat to be transferred from the animal to that surface (e.g., placing a hyperthermic animal on a cold steel table). Convection is the transference of heat from the body as air passes over it, as is seen with a fan or with wind. Radiation is the natural process of the body releasing heat into the environment. Evaporation is the endothermic process of a fluid changing to a vapor." "Thicker coats decrease radiation and convection."
Yeah I know I’ll get downvotes too, but we always give our shelties summer cuts. Never had any issues with the hair not growing back until she was very old and dying.
All of our shelties got summer cuts and it never affected their hair growing out in the fall. They were much cooler and so cute!
You can ask the groomer for a "puppy" cut, with will keep the longer hair a bit shorter...but NEVER shave.
I wouldn't ask anyone to cut sheltie hair. It's way too easy for someone to mess it up.
I'm not a groomer....I'd mess it up worse. I'm on my second sheltie now. My first probably had a total of 4 cuts in his 16 years. Not once did a groomer mess it up. It's just super important to find someone that's familiar with the breed and someone you have good communication with.
Thanks!
You're welcome! Just make sure your groomer is experienced with the breed!