I keep Gracie Doodle clipped to about 3/4 to 1" during the summer. She loves the water and is always wet and she dries quickly when she is short. I hand clip her face/head and we never cut her tail because it is so beautiful! I do my own grooming so it is easy to keep her short in the summer. She is always hot regardless but I can tell she has more energy with less hair!
mine is much happier in all this Florida heat much shorter in the summer too. I have learned (the hard way) that to take him all the way down to about 3/4 of an inch....I had better do it myself, because to look at him so different all of a sudden, I'm not going to happy with whatever groomer does it. It takes me several days to get it looking like I want it, and I am never quite satisfied that the cut is actually finished, but the overall look is greatly improved, and he is clearly much more comfortable. I finally got a great scissors, came along with an electric clipper that was not great, but the smallish long tined black rubber handled scissors was! This one, combined with the nose-hair scissors with the safety balls on the ends, makes it relatively easy to give him a good scissor haircut. I would like to make myself comfortable with a clippers, but have not mastered that art yet.
I just gave Buddy a haircut this weekend. I did 1/4" and it looks good, probably do a 3/8" cut next time. Here is a picture I took after his cut this weekend. It seems to grow so fast as it is.
Oh Gavin, you poor Dood! You need to put your paw down right now. Your Mom needs to clearly understand that you are no "girlie girl" and you will simply not stand for this. She probably told you it was "manly", right. Yea, that's what all the Moms say. Our best advice to you is as follows: (1) "flip out", (2) cry and whine, (3) roll around and try to get the thing off, (4) bark very loudly, (5) refuse to even look at your Mom...oh, how they hate that. Put a stop to this RIGHT NOW, before bandannas become a "way of life". Good luck! Your friends Guinness and Murph.