Shaving Your Dog

It depends on the dog and the coat.  Triple coated dogs and some double coated, are best left in coat, as sometimes, shaving does coat damage that is slow to repair, if at all.  However, it is essential that the undercoat be kept THOROUGHLY brushed and combed out, to allow the air to reach the skin through the top coat, thus providing that 'natural air conditioning' effect we've all heard about.  If undercoat stays packed against the skin, it becomes like wearing a winter sweater all summer long.   Sometimes simply shaving out pads and doing a belly trim can help the dog cool down on hot days.  Golden retrievers, border collies, cockers and the like, are routinely clipped down short for summer, and usually without any regrowth problems.  It can serve to cool down an active dog, but is also helpful for bathing at home or drying off after a swim in the lake or pool!  Pink pigmented dogs with short clips, should avoid the direct sun for the first couple days after grooming.  With these few exceptions, most dogs should benefit from a short summer 'do'!  Just check with your groomer to see if clipping coat down will be the best choice for your pet!