Overheating Indogs

[johnny37]

I meet many people who have their dog clipped to keep them cool. I have tried searching the net on this and clipping does not appear high up the list. Our human perception is that it must be like wearing an overcoat. Is it correct to clip or not?

[woofgang]

what breed of dog?

[wolf63]

Sometimes the coat can actually keep the dogs cool

[rockyracoon]

No idea, but my hound who has very thick fur would probably love to be bald at the moment, he's struggling in this heat.

[rsvp]

IMO, dogs' coats are determined by their area of origin - if they have been bred to be in a hot country their coat reflects this as does animals bred to be in a cold country. We want 'breeds' not for their usage ,rather because we like the look of them.

[johnny37]

Woofgang my dog is a working springer. She doesnt work, just a family pet. Coat is medium length not thick.

[kvalidir]

I have a 'wooly' Malamute and I've never clipped him on the advice of my vet who said despite his coat being long and very thick it would actually likely insulate him against heat. He ha a large kids paddling pool to cool in which he does, but he's never clipped, and he doesn't overheat. These were my two Malamutes who never overheated, sadly I only have the red dog left of them as his 'wife' died last year, but not of overheating :(
http://i62.tinypic.com/ok0md4.jpg

[woofgang]

I wouldn't clip a spaniel as it can make their coat grow through badly. Does she suffer with the heat then?

[jomifl]

Many thick coated dogs cool off by lying in shallow water, my gsd used do do this when he was indulging his favourite hobby of pursuing rabbits.

[islasmum]

Isla has a fairly thick coat, despite her being the short-haired type of Belgian Shepherd - at present she finds lying on the sofa with the overhead fan switched on to a fairly low setting quite comfortable. I gave her some ice cubes, thicking that she might like those, but she chewed them up and left the remains on the floor. She is good at finding the cool spots to lay in - the tiled kitchen floor is a favourite too. I won't clip her - I hear that it doesn't do the coat any good, and let's face it - how much longer is this weather goingto last?!

[rockyracoon]

My wooly bully loves ice cubes, everytime you go to the freezer he's by your side.

[tamborine]

Dogs moult to suit the seasons

[lankeela]

Some dogs have non moulting coats and have to be clipped regularly (poodles, some terriers etc). However dogs which do moult and often have a double coat with an outer coat and an undercoat should be brushed regularly to remove any dead coat, but they do not ever need clipping as the layers between the outer/under coat and the skin act like a vacuum, keeping the dog warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather. I saw a Cavalier that was shaved the other day, poor thing was far too hot as it had no coat to keep the sun off it - and to be honest, if you can't cope with brushing a short coated breed like a Cavalier you should not have a dog. Even breeds like Samoyeds or Siberian Huskies which were bred to survive in a cold climate and have a thick coat do not need clipping.