# Thoughts on summer haircuts



## jennretz

You should not do it. The coat is a protective barrier and actually helps them regulate temperature. It also helps prevent sunburn and a multitude of other things. Bad idea.


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## K9-Design

I live in Florida. I groom a lot of pet goldens. I would say half want a summer haircut. I've perfected the summer cut by using a 3/4" to 1" blade comb on the whole body, a 10 on the belly from armpits to groin, and scissor the ears, feet and tail. Looks great and not so severe as a really close cut. 
I have cut dogs down with a 10 blade, (that is very short) -- sure is easy and fun to do but they really look bald for the first 3-4 weeks. 
But I agree with you, the dogs appreciate it!
Anyone who says shaving a dog won't keep them cooler ------ doesn't live in Florida -------
For the record I've only ever shaved one of my own personal dogs, my old Flat-Coat Maguire. When he got older he had a very heavy BLACK coat and was always really hot -- I'd shave him down with a 10 in April and again in August -- he LOVED IT


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## jennretz

https://www.aspca.org/news/heat-wave-should-you-shave-your-pet


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## Hair

I have a hard time believing they are cooler with a full coat. I have had my Golden for 13 years and she much prefers shorter hair in the summer. Maybe each dog is different, but she acts like a puppy when she gets back from the groomer. We don't go as far as to expose her skin. And we definitely let it grow back for winter.


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## cubbysan

The summer my Brady had surgery for a blockage, his whole stomach was shaved from armpits to groin, but you could not tell if he was standing, still had all the rest of his coat. I noticed that summer he was not hot like usual, and he chose to spend more time outside. We have really hot and humid summers, usually 90 degrees plus.


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## aesthetic

Personally I don't like the way a shaved coat looks and I worry about the potential consequences of shaving, so I don't do it nor do I recommend it. I'd much prefer trimming the fur down some. But really, Kaizer and I don't go outside when it's really hot outside, neither of us can deal with the heat. So we either go out early in the morning or later at night when it's bearable outside.


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## Tahnee GR

I do not believe in shaving a Golden down but spay/neuter coats can be a real pain. My groomer used to trim down my old boy into what looked like a puppy cut. He looked adorable and it was much easier to deal with. She also shaved his belly, basically like what Annie described above. Kept him cool and comfortable.


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## Sweet Girl

Tahnee GR said:


> I do not believe in shaving a Golden down but spay/neuter coats can be a real pain. My groomer used to trim down my old boy into what looked like a puppy cut. He looked adorable and it was much easier to deal with. She also shaved his belly, basically like what Annie described above. Kept him cool and comfortable.


I found a great tool to deal with spay coat, if you're interested. It's called Equigroomer - there are distributors in the US and Canada. It is a wonder tool. Gets rid of all the fuzz, but doesn't break the top coat (in fact, makes it very shiny and healthy looking). Just for thr record, I have no connection to the product - I just love it!


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## 3181wly

When I first saw this topic, I thought it was about haircuts for us humans. I just got my first summer cut. I've always cut my own hair, but I recently bought a shaver and attachements, and last week performed my first haircut using them. My wife thinks it is too short, and I agree, but only a little too short. I'll fix it when the time comes for another cut. Well...about my Doc. Last year when I got him at two years of age, I had the groomer give him what I think is called a puppy cut. His hair isn't shaved, but it is cut much shorter than a normal adult coat. I think it looks better, and Doc seems to love it. I keep it this length throughout the year. His undercoat isn't really touched, and still has much of his overcoat. I'm happy, Doc is happy, and all is well with the word, except my wife thinks my hair is too short.


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## mylissyk

A trim can help the dog be more comfortable, but please don't shave a Golden. 

Be aware there is a condition called "clipper alopecia" that can occur if you shave a double coated dog repeatedly, where the top coat will not grow back and leaves either the fuzzy under coat all over, or sections of coat that does not grow back at all. 

_From Facebook
Friends of Golden Retrievers
June 20, 2014 · 
To shave or not to shave your Golden?? .. I share this excellent article each year and with the warmer weather upon us, this is a reminder on why not to be tempted to shave your Golden ..

Wait! By Nancy Bynes, NCMG of Nevada City

With warmer temperatures finally coming to Nevada County, many dog owners are exploring options to help their pets stay comfortable. Shaving off all that hair is probably the most popular option. Indeed, for some coat types, this is an ideal solution. Not for all. With the exception of hard-coated terriers, dogs come in one of two coat types: single coated and double coated.

Examples of single-coated breeds are poodles, shih-tzus, bichons, etc. This type of coat will continue to grow longer and longer, much like human hair, with genetics being the final determination in reference to length. Double-coated or fur-bearing breeds have coats that grow to a predetermined length. They can be further separated into open coats and closed coats. These breeds have a hard, protective outer coat (guard hairs) and a soft, dense undercoat. Examples of open, double-coated breeds are any of the spitz-type breeds, such as Siberian huskies, Pomeranians and chows.

This coat is designed to shed snow or ice and provide maximum protection against freezing weather. Closed, double-coated breeds have noticeably longer guard hairs, which lay down over the undercoat, sort of like a blanket. While the outer, or guard, hairs get wet, the undercoat works to keep the dog's skin dry. Examples include golden retrievers, Australian shepherds and Newfoundlands.

Single-coated breeds can be clipped down to the skin, and the coat will grow back pretty much as it was before. The same is not true for double-coated breeds. For this reason, shaving these dogs down is not a solution to summer heat.

Think of a healthy double coat as an old-growth forest. There is a balance with different parts providing different benefits. If you clear-cut an old growth forest, there will be immediate regrowth of a lot of young trees very soon. Unfortunately, they won't initially be the same kind as those you cut down. Instead, the forest has to start from scratch and spend decades, first growing ground cover and softwoods that provide an environment for slower growing hardwood varieties. It takes generations before the natural balance is restored. While on a much shorter timeline, it's the same thing with a double-coated dog. Guard hairs represent old growth, and undercoat represents ground covering vegetation.

The act of shaving a double coat removes the dog's natural insulation and causes his system to kick into high gear. He'll now produce coat to protect himself from extreme temperatures, sunburn and sharp objects. Since the top coat or guard hairs take a long time to grow, what the dog's body produces first is soft undercoat. That's why we hear people say, “I shaved my dog, and it grew back twice as thick and really fuzzy!” In reality, what happens is that the original coat isn't restored at all. What grows in instead is thick, prolific undercoat mixed with short new guard hairs. We call it false coat or coat funk.

So, why is this bad? Picture this scenario: It's 90 degrees outside. You're getting dressed to go work in your yard. Are you going to put on a light cotton T-shirt and sunblock or thermal underwear and a sweatshirt? A dog's shaved-down false coat is like that sweatshirt. It's dull, soft and soaks up water like a sponge. Burrs and foxtails stick like Velcro. Above all else, it's way too thick for hot weather. By the time that false coat grows out enough to protect the dog from sunburn, scrapes and bites (the usual job of the top coat), it is so thick that the poor dog might as well be wearing thermal underwear and a sweatshirt.

Remember, Mother Nature designed the undercoat to be extremely heat-retentive. Do you take your dog to a grooming salon? You can request a bath and blow-out. Virtually all modern professional grooming salons have high velocity blow dryers in their work areas. These powerhouses can literally blast the dead undercoat out of your dog's hair after a thorough bathing with minimal brushing and combing needed. The benefit to your dog is a healthy, balanced coat you can both live with. Sure, you could opt for the shave-down, but you'll more than likely be back in a month or so for another “shave-down” because your dog is cooking in its own hair.

Then, if you're like most owners who fall into this cycle, you'll intentionally let your dog's woolly false coat grow out all winter “for warmth,” only to have it shaved off again in the spring. In reality, all winter long while you're under the false notion that your dog is staying warm and dry under that thick layer of fuzz, his coat is matting, retaining water and mud and possibly even mildewing. It will stay cold and wet for hours. Do you see the vicious cycle that started?

In some cases, owners really don't have a choice. If there's an underlying skin condition, requiring removal of the hair, obviously shaving is the lesser of two evils. Same applies if the coat is so matted that shaving is truly the most humane option, affording the owner a chance to start over and improve their brushing skills. These are situations to thoroughly discuss with both your veterinarian and your groomer so you can make an informed decision.

However, if your sole motivation for shaving your dog in the spring is to “keep him cool,” you need to know that you're actually creating a far worse situation than you think. Aside from destroying coat integrity, shaved dogs are susceptible to a multitude of complications, including, but not limited to, alopecia, heat stroke and skin cancer, specifically Solar-induced Squamous Cell Carcinomas and Dermal Hemangiosarcomas. Sometimes, these complications are not reversible.

Nancy Bynes is a certified master groomer with more than 38 years of experience. She lives in Nevada City.

This article was originally published in the Nevada City Union, June, 2011._


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## mylissyk

Case of Clipper Alopeica in a Golden

Daytona


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## ArchersMom

A friends Pomeranian developed clipper alopecia. Poor thing had a big bald patch on her back for months. The skin was red and rashy for a while too. I think she's still missing undercoat on her back but the guard hair has grown long enough to cover it.


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## Goldens&Friesians

Agree with the above, do not shave your golden! I am a groomer and have personally seen the coat of a dog go from gorgeous to horrid because the owner insisted upon shaving it (plus countless others who had already been ruined before coming to me). Think of it this way: wolves, coyotes, foxes, etc. all have double coats (like your golden) and nobody shaves them or brings them inside to enjoy air-conditioning and they all survive just fine. They don't even get the benefit of a good bath and brush, and still they survive! Keeping a dog's coat clean, mat-free, and keeping up with your brushing so that there isn't a lot of dead undercoat packed in will do wonders to keeping it comfortable in the heat. Also, keeping your dog at a healthy, lean weight will be of tremendous benefit. My golden has a fairly long, thick coat and I never cut her, just bathe every 4 weeks or so and brush at least weekly. We live in Illinois where it can get so hot & humid, people from Arizona say its worse here then there! My dog goes running with me (1 mile) and goes with us when we ride our horses (usually 8-10 miles) and she does fine in the heat. Sure she's panting and ready to lie down and take a break, but 15-20 minutes later she wants to go again! I've also seen shaved dogs (about a month after the shave, when the undercoat started coming in thick again) come into the vet clinic where I groom from heat stroke. If you have to cut their hair, do a longer haircut, like K-9 Design suggested.


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## Lambeau0609

Lambeau gets a good trim before summer. I love the way he looks all trimmed up! I live in AZ and it's not so much the heat I worry about its the idea that Lambeau swims everyday and many times a day and just never seems to dry off completely without having his hair trimmed. I worry more about him getting hot spots if he doesn't keep his hair trimmed short.


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## Altairss

I have had to maintain dogs that developed Clipper Alopeica from constant shaving. Not my dogs originally and it is a nightmare and led to so many unpleasant side effects such as smell irritation, scabbing, red wrinkled skin and so on. I will never shave a double coated dog but that doesn't mean you can't strip out the undercoat trim up all the feathers or trim down the belly hair. Usually once you start shaving your almost stuck with it. I don't know a vet in my area who recommends it and most groomers I know will try and talk you out of it. Still a lot of people do it but the coat never really grows back quite the same even if they don't get the Clipper Alopeica it changes the texture and the fuzziness of the coat.


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## Cody'sMom

This is a good visual on why NOT to shave your dog.


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## Megora

Hair said:


> It certainly takes away from her Golden look.....


^^^ That's basically it. The dogs can look kinda mutty in some cases.

There's people out there who shave their dogs as a matter of course. Has nothing to do with how hot or cool the dogs are. Also caused by people not grooming their dogs or even common sense maintenance and their dogs have mats, tangles, hot spots, junk, etc... going on with their coats.

They take that to a groomer and it's really not fixable other than with clippers in many cases. 

The types of people who can't keep the dogs groomed with full coats still have problems (and more) with clipped coats. I avoid touching dogs with clipped coats because the ones that I have actually touched have coats caked with oils and crud. 

FWIW - it is 80 degrees at 9PM over here. Which is disgustingly hot. It was up closer to the 90's earlier today. We DID go outside and spent a good chunk of time out there. The dogs are fine as long as they have sources for water or cold dark dirt to dig in. 

I did not take them for a walk today and usually if it's that hot out, we wait until nightfall to take walks. Or I go somewhere where we are walking along a river or around a lake. Dunking in water keeps them cooler than shaving the coat off. 

Both my dogs have full coats. They are kept groomed (maybe a couple times a month is about right as far as getting them up on a table) - although I do NOT brush them every day. Heck some weeks I go without brushing them. Their coats just do not mat unless they get burrs caught in there. 

I've had people look at their coats and mumble about how I must be always grooming them, but no... no I don't. 

My Jacks has a "senior coat" - meaning he would normally have a long flowing and overly thick mane/ruff. But I thin it out with strippers and use thinning shears to keep it a smidge closer to his neck. <= This is done, because he might get yeasty stuff around that area. That's the only thing I'd do extra with him. You don't have to clip it off and make him look like he's wearing an inside out coat (which some of those puppy cut coats look like LOL).


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## Kalhayd

Pardon my ignorance- but what is a spay coat and when do they develop it?


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## Swampcollie

Do not shave a golden. You can trim up the furnishings if you wish but leave the main body of the coat alone. Simple brushing and combing is enough.


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## K9-Design

Goldens&Friesians said:


> Think of it this way: wolves, coyotes, foxes, etc. all have double coats (like your golden) and nobody shaves them or brings them inside to enjoy air-conditioning and they all survive just fine. They don't even get the benefit of a good bath and brush, and still they survive!


A golden retriever has a coat NOTHING like a wolf, fox or coyote. Maybe a German Shepherd or Husky has a coat like a wild dog. Yes, goldens have both undercoat and a top/guard layer of coat but it is wildly altered from their wild ancestors. No wolf has tail and butt feathers that reach to the ground or a mane like a lion OR SPAY COAT. The coats on old SHOW BRED - NEUTERED GOLDENS can be INSANE. Do the breeders not realize what a headache they've created for their owners and dogs?

Seriously I stopped believing all the "shaving your dog's coat is horrible!" myths when I shaved down my own dog. He LOVED IT, was much cooler, and guess what, the coat grew in JUST FINE. 

How many of our dogs are confined to a shadeless back yard 24/7 to face the risks of sunburn? Um, none.


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## Megora

K9-Design said:


> A golden retriever has a coat NOTHING like a wolf, fox or coyote. Maybe a German Shepherd or Husky has a coat like a wild dog. Yes, goldens have both undercoat and a top/guard layer of coat but it is wildly altered from their wild ancestors. No wolf has tail and butt feathers that reach to the ground or a mane like a lion OR SPAY COAT. The coats on old SHOW BRED - NEUTERED GOLDENS can be INSANE. Do the breeders not realize what a headache they've created for their owners and dogs?
> 
> Seriously I stopped believing all the "shaving your dog's coat is horrible!" myths when I shaved down my own dog. He LOVED IT, was much cooler, and guess what, the coat grew in JUST FINE.
> 
> How many of our dogs are confined to a shadeless back yard 24/7 to face the risks of sunburn? Um, none.


Anney - I can think of a couple breeders who I'd NEVER EVER want a puppy from because they are pretty open about what they deal with in old age coats or neuter coats. Like literally it's just too much coat to deal with.

I think those are cases where the dog does need some thinning out. Or constant grooming. And or they could be like my Danny was and God forbid you ever get them wet! <= Those were my pre dryer days. But even without a dryer, my current two boys can air dry quick and easy if when they get wet. Danny would take a couple days to dry completely. His coat was that thick and unreasonable when he was 12. I did not know how to thin out a dog's ruff/neck area, and I think he would have greatly benefited from me knowing how to do that. The worst part of a spay or old dog coat is the fur around the neck, on the butt, and on the belly (between the legs). I don't really understand cutting back the overall coat on a dog because the coat on the back dries differently than the coat on a dog's neck. Unless, again, the dog's body is like my Danny - he had a pretty huge lipoma on his side which made him dry oddly because he couldn't shake himself off very well.

But I swear there are people who have started going down the path where they think the "summer cut" is normal and what every dog should get in summer. It's less about fixing a cwappy coat and more about people treating these dogs like poodles who get special cuts at the groomers....  

We've had a mild spring going into summer.... a lot of rainy and drab temps. A lot of us stalled getting our gardens cleaned out because it just did not warm up until 2-3 weeks ago. 

But late April and early May - I was already seeing some people going around with their dogs' coats shaved. There's one guy around her esp with two golden retrievers who get poodle cuts. I'm not kidding. It looks terrible, but you have owners who don't realize that. Their opinion is their dogs are spoiled rotten because they get to go to a groomer to get their hair done....


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## Goldens&Friesians

K9-Design said:


> A golden retriever has a coat NOTHING like a wolf, fox or coyote. Maybe a German Shepherd or Husky has a coat like a wild dog. Yes, goldens have both undercoat and a top/guard layer of coat but it is wildly altered from their wild ancestors. No wolf has tail and butt feathers that reach to the ground or a mane like a lion OR SPAY COAT. The coats on old SHOW BRED - NEUTERED GOLDENS can be INSANE. Do the breeders not realize what a headache they've created for their owners and dogs?
> 
> Seriously I stopped believing all the "shaving your dog's coat is horrible!" myths when I shaved down my own dog. He LOVED IT, was much cooler, and guess what, the coat grew in JUST FINE.
> 
> How many of our dogs are confined to a shadeless back yard 24/7 to face the risks of sunburn? Um, none.


No a golden's coat is not exactly like a wolf, but they are both double coated. The point is, nobody is doing any shaving, brushing, etc. on a wolf and they are just fine in their coat because God made that coat to protect that wolf. Same thing with a double coated dog breed, whether its a Golden, German shepherd, Pomeranian, Husky or whatever. Shaving a dog actually lowers the dogs critical temperature by 10 degrees, meaning if something tragic happens it will go into shock sooner. I learned this from a certified pet aethetician. I don't have a problem with someone wanting to trim up excessive feathering or thin out excessive manes, but to me, shaving isn't worth the risk.


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## K9-Design

Goldens&Friesians said:


> No a golden's coat is not exactly like a wolf, but they are both double coated. The point is, nobody is doing any shaving, brushing, etc. on a wolf and they are just fine in their coat because God made that coat to protect that wolf. Same thing with a double coated dog breed, whether its a Golden, German shepherd, Pomeranian, Husky or whatever. Shaving a dog actually lowers the dogs critical temperature by 10 degrees, meaning if something tragic happens it will go into shock sooner. I learned this from a certified pet aethetician. I don't have a problem with someone wanting to trim up excessive feathering or thin out excessive manes, but to me, shaving isn't worth the risk.


I still maintain that the double coat of the Golden is nothing like the wolf. There's no difference between shaving a dog and a dog with naturally very little hair like a greyhound, doberman, pit bull, etc. Those dogs are at no more special risk than a shaved dog.
I personally think shaving a golden LOOKS SILLY and if someone buys a golden **assuming** they will shave the dog, I wonder why they just didn't get a Labrador in the first place. Not all goldens will benefit from being shaved. But I simply have not seen the "RISKS" of shaving EVER play out, beyond clipper burn and even then that is rare and usually in "tight spots" like the ears or feet and within a few days is gone.


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## Tahnee GR

My intact Goldens, even the heavily coated ones, do fine in the summer as long as they are kept brushed and blown out. The spayed/neutered ones are a different story. Most of them do require trimming, belly and feathering clipping, to make them more comfortable in the summer and humidity.


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## Jake Payne

Yes. I also shave my boy golden from early summer here in the tropics, mainly to expose any ticks that may have started to suck his life blood. His coat is so thick that mere brushing/grooming him does not expose the ticks. He suffers from adverse reaction to taking preventative tick medications, so I have settled on keeping the coat very short, although I love his long-haired look during the cooler months. This year was particularly harsh with a total of 8 ticks removed so far. He loves swimming at the beach, however the recent banning of dogs from our local beach has sadly put an end to local beach swimming for my boy. Next best thing is to keep his coat very short and let him loose with the hose.


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