Summer Cut-downs ~ Do they work?

[shelly]

I know I'm probably the odd-man (well, woman) out on this, but was just wondering....  I love to keep Tori's hair long... that is her 'trade-mark' (plus I like to keep the poodle under cover (LOL- sorry poodles). However with the recent heat wave here over over 95 - 100 degree temperatures (today it was a cooler 90), do you think doodles really feel cooler with their hair shorter? I know I feel better with my hair off my neck in the heat, but my body temperature doesn't necessarily feel cooler.  Am I just being vane and making my poor puppy-girl suffer?  After all she knows no difference in her looks (I think)....

[Melissa]

I just gave Buddy a haircut yesterday. It had been getting long, well what we consider long. Both my hubby and I prefer a short cut for our dood. I think he feels better when it is shorter. He doesn't seem to pant as much and he seems to run around happier...just may be what I see anyway. :) I know there are plenty of doods out there with long hair during the summer though. Just my two cents.

[Holly St Pierre]

My husband feels the same way you do, however we had to cut Gunner's hair becasue of mats & I could tell a difference. He slept in different places & didn't pant near as much. It may have just been a coincidence,but I don't think so. It grows back fast, so if you aren't happy with it, it will grow back, but for summer, I think it helps them. It also helped big time with his shedding, which he does ALOT

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I know that many people believe their dogs are cooler when they're cut shorter, but this has never made sense to me, because dogs don't lose body heat through their skin the way we do. They don't sweat. For things like swimming & other summer outdoor activities, I can see it helping with things like mats, tangles, burrs, and general grooming to keep them shorter. But it doesn't help lower their body temperatures to clip them shorter; they can only do that through panting, no matter how short their fur is.

[ClarkP]

I'm pretty sure shorter hair = cooler dog. And I know dogs don't sweat, but that's not the only type of heat loss/gain. So for example, houses don't sweat either but we still put insulation around them to guard against the other three forms of heat loss/gain.

Besides evaporation (sweating) there are conduction, convection, and radiation. Longer hair = more insulation. More insulation (longer hair) does lower heat loss by all three methods. Longer hair keeps the air circulation from reaching and cooling your dog's skin as well as short hair (convection). Longer hair also is a physical barrier between the dog and other objects. This keeps heat from being conducted to other objects like the cool floor. Think about dog hair like the blanket you put on the cold metal bleacher seat. The thicker the blanket (to a point), the less cold is conducted to your bum. Same with fur. The longer the hair, the less easily dogs are able to conduct heat away from their bodies.

Does that make sense?

Trust me, if it was up to me, I would never cut Roscoe's long scruffy fur. It's beautiful! But shorter hair does make a difference in how cool he stays all summer. So I reluctantly let Adina trim him down. :-)
-Clark

[F, Calla & Luca]

We've had this discussion manys the time. Here is one past discussion and what one breeder has to say on why a long coat keeps them cooler. Clearly the no matts is a big factor though.
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/australianlabradoodles/forum/topi...

[shelly]

Hmmm..Just read the thread... very interesting, "F"... I actually read a lot from Noble Vestal breeder too...now I'm really confused...What do you do? Tori only goes out to play on our grassy area to play frisbee, ball, etc... never to swim or walk thru' wooded areas... maybe I'll just get her trimmed.. Her hair is long and hangs off her body now. The groomer did mention cutting under her bely and 'armpits'.. maybe we'll just do that... Oh soo much to think about. I'll tell you I NEVER thought so much about a "dog's life" before "Little Miss Spoiled Girl"! LOL All of our other dogs were just that - D.O.G.S!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I really don't know the answer. Belly and underarms short seems good to me, I keep my 2 that way. Then when they do lie on a cool surface they can cool off a bit. Whenever I walk barefoot on tile, indoors, they've just been lying on the tile is quite warm.

[shelly]

Boy, Clark... what a scientific answer... Bill Nye the Science Guy would be very proud of you! (do you know who he is?? - lol) That all makes perfect sense! Thanks! Think I will go a bit shorter than she is now... I had originally asked for the groomer to go shorter when I brought her 2 weeks ago, but she didn't have time, and she told me to bring her back for a shorter cut... now I lost my nerve again...But she does seek out the cooler slate and where the air seems to blow from windows, doors, etc... so maybe I'll get my "noirve" up again... but NO clippers - only short scissor cut!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Doesn't insulation work to keep the house both warmer in winter and cooler in summer?
I'm not sure that physiologically, heat can be lost from the body in the same way that it's lost from a home. I really have no idea, though.
In nature, animals develop summer and winter coats, but that has more to do with the thickness of the coat than the length. I would think a dense coat would be just as warm if it were short as it is when it long.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Insulation does work that way.Certainly bodies can radiate and absorb heat. I think density would certainly keep a dog warm but that length would add to the warmth by adding even more insulation. But how well this insulating factor works to keep dogs cool is more difficult to say. Unless it's over 100 degrees the dog's body is warmer than the ambient temperature. But the dog produces heat as it runs etc. The difference between normal body temperature and dangerous temperatures is only a few degrees for dogs. So factor all that in and the answer still is --go know.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I've heard this, and it makes sense. Yet when we cut Darwin, (we do it to keep mats and burrs away during swim season) he DOES seem cooler. He pants less, can play for longer, and spends more time on the couch and bed. With long fur, he rarely lays on furniture, as they make him too hot. So I am confused! It doesn't seem like it would help, but it absolutely does. At least for Darwin.

[Kelly]

Skeet gets a summer cut often-It really changes his attitude. He is more playful, can walk longer and doesn't pant as much. It makes sense
to me that he is cooler. I think the hair keeps his core body temperature hotter almost like putting a sweater or coat on him.