To Shave or Not to Shave

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Lately my dog looks like a stray. Dirty white with mats. He is not a show dog, he is my dog, who likes to play, get dirty, and romp with the black labs.

Spud is 11 months and is going through the puppy coat changes. He mats and we don't mind working with grooming--well I should say, we don't mind, but he gets irritated at times with the grooming.

We live in the snow belt of N. E. Ohio. It is not uncommon to get a foot of snow with 10 degree temperatures. Just think Canada and you will get the picture of the amount of freezing temperatures and snow we have for the next 6 months.

My question--Should I shave him down or let this phase progress normally?

[Brenda F]

Thank you so much for bringing this up! Pepsi is just 6 months old and his coat is getting really long. I love it. My groomer does not. I took him there for a trim and tidy and she suggested that we shave him to an inch long next time. I am reluctant because our winters here (in Canada) are sooo cold and I feel like we would be stripping him of his protection! She said we do a great job of keeping him combed out so matting isn't an issue so far; but when we get snow his underbelly does get quite crusted up with snow and frost. So I have been struggling with what to do, what to do!? In the summer we did get him shaved to an inch because he is black and it was hot, but I can't imagine shaving him for winter. I will mention the hand-scissoring to her next time and see what she says. I guess if she is reluctant then we will have to find a new groomer.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

UPDATE:
Per the advice above, THANK YOU, we did do hand-scissoring today and a good brushing. WONDERFUL :) I have not done the legs as my hand is not that steady with a flip floppy puppy but I will try later. He feels better to pet, but like I said above he is a patchwork right out of a preschool.

Sure he has a few mats still, and always a dirty chin, but it is better. By tomorrow, I am sure he will feel like a bowl of marbles, but tonight Ahhhh what a handsome boy.

[Pat & "Tucker"]

I just had Tucker hand scissored. Seems groomers love those shavers- quicker and easier. I did have them shave ( not real short) around the neck / collar area and under the ears.- that is where he gets most of the mats I love this- it is much easier and you can't even notice with all the fluff around it. I trim him quite a bit myself but it is a challenge with no grooming table. A bath and grooming and trimming can take me hours- most of the day. The groomer charges $75.- I thnk that is pretty high but sometimes worth saving my energy- and he does look much better than when I do it. Go for the scissors!

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

I think that is a fun stage for the dog too. I really enjoyed watching Timbow's coat change. I know that the grooming is sometimes 'annoying' (mine thinks the brush is a chew toy), but it's worth it. I wouldn't shave him!

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

I would shave him. We boarded Dex & Kirby in Sept and Dex came back to us horribly matted. We shaved him down everywhere (including a very short muzzle) and he immediately became a ton more energetic and just seemed extra happy. I think the matts really bother them.

I am in the minority - I like both the short and long doodle look, but in the end his comfort is more important to me than how he looks. For Dex, it would have been torture if we tried to cut the matts all out. It's a month later and his hair has grown in so much already.

[F, Calla & Luca]

BTW, cutting the mats out carefully does not hurt. Sometimes I do it when Luca sleeping on the bed next to me and it doesn't even wake him at times.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Hi there - Just to give you a view of the other side - I keep my two doodles shaved pretty close from May to Oct, the swimming season in So Ca. This is so they dry fast and can come in the house and their skin isn't wet all the time. The rest of the year I keep them about two inches long. MyDH and I like that look the best and it really cuts down on grooming time. I would rather romp or walk or play clicker with them than groom them, anyway. Roo is very curly wool and Tigger is curly to very curly fleece. Hair is hair and shaving them does not really affect how the hair continues to grow ( unless it is shaved completely off and you get an ingrown hair or two). The hair has no way of telling if it has been shaved or cut with scissors. It is all about time, ability, and personal preference. I grew up in Michigan so I know what you mean about snow -brrrrr. Two inches of hair should be plenty of protection. I had two pointers ( among other things) growing up and they were fine in the snow. They followed me on trail rides of an hour or more with no ill effects. Their hair only grows about 1-1/4 inches long before it sheds.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The clippers do fray the ends more than a pair of scissors, though, which causes it to "poof" out. I agree that shaving doesn't permanently affect the hair or how it grows, but it does affect the way it looks. I know one of the most common complaints people seem to have is that their dogs look too much like poodles, with a big poof on top of their heads, and the method of cutting the hair does affect the way the hair lays.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Spud's hair has looked exactly like my 84 year-old mother. They could win a Dog/Owner look-alike contest. Visualize. Others here have mentioned their dogs look like Giant Mutated Bichons.

I know it has only been one day, but the hair that was scissor cut yesterday actually looks like a nice wave/curl, and not like my mom's hair.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LOL- "Attack of the Giant Bichon Mutants" Coming soon to a theater near you!
Yep- that's why my poodles got hand-scissored, too. The hair keeps a looser curl & shine and doesn't just look like a giant frizz-ball!

[Kyoko]

You know you are sooo funny!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Maybe you should cut your mom's hair. I actually did cut my mom's after she no longer was able to go to get it cut. And now that I think about it the curl and texture was a lot like Luca's. Who knew the practice would come in handy?