Quick question on shaving our ALD

[Doug and Beth]

Our Australian Labradoodle will be turning 1 next week and he is the best thing in the world!

 

He has the most amazing wave fleece coat which is exactly what we wanted!

 

However he is hot when outside and we feel bad for the little guy.  If we decide to shave him for the summer is there any risk that his wavy fleece coat will not grow back in the exact way it is now?

 

Thanks for all your help folks!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Tara is also an ALD with a fleece coat.  I had Tara scissor cut for quite a while and then finally had her shaved due to a mat problem :( but her coat has always grown back the same regardless. She is 3 1/2 years old now and has had many cuts using both scissors and/or a clipper. No problems.  He'll be fine! :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If his coat is not matted, why not just have him clipped shorter, rather than shaved?

I know many people here truly believe that their dogs are cooler with their coats shaved, but scientifically and biologically, that just doesn't make sense and according to every expert or authority in the field of dogs, it isn't true. Long haired dogs have temperature regulating systems that provide for their long hair, and in fact, if the coat is kept matte free, it actually keeps them cooler than having a shaved coat would. Dogs don't sweat through their skin, either. They do have more trouble staying cool in summer than we do, for that reason, but shaving their coats truly won't make a difference. All manner of wild dogs, wolves and other mammals live year round without having their coats shaved or ever cut, and they don't die of heatstroke, lol. Long haired sheepdogs work in the summer heat without haircuts. You can read about this on-line if you want to research it. I know this wasn't your question, but wanted to make the point that it really isn't necessary to shave a dog down in summer to keep them cooler. I had heavy coated poodles all my life, and I never shaved them down in summer, and all did just fine.  

However, a shorter coat is certainly a lot easier to manage, especially in the summer. Why not try just having him scissored down shorter?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A little info about the way a dog's body temperature is regulated and how the longer hair helps:

http://itsthedogslife.com/2011/05/shaving-your-dog-for-summer/

and this one:

http://housecallgroomer.weebly.com/1/post/2011/03/shaving-your-dog-...

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

I also wouldnt shave Cooper because id be concerned with her skin getting sun burned. I do cut her shorter though

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Some other tips for keeping dogs cooler in summer:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/14152427/ns/today-today_pets_and_anim...

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

We keep Peri at about 1" (not shaved, but very short) during the summer. Right now she is miserable - her coat is probably 3" and we are getting her clipped on Friday. I know Karen says scientifically it doesn't matter, but I can tell you that our Peri is 100000% happier with a shorter coat in the summer. 

 

Don't worry the hair grows back exactly the same :)

 

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

That's what everybody here says, their dogs are happier with shorter hair.

There were times over the years where I didn't keep up with a dog's coat and ended up having to have them shaved. They always rolled around and acted very frisky, regardless of the season; they acted the same way when it happened in winter as they did in summer. I am sure that was due to it feeling so different without their coats. But I can see where people would feel that the dog is happier. And I would never presume to tell someone they shouldn't keep their dog's coat however they want to (short of neglect, of course.) I hope nobody gets defensive and feels they have to justify shaving their dog, lol.

I just like to point out that there are other options.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I think Tara needs to talk to those scientists too! She sure behaves like she is cooler with a shorter coat. If it is long in the warm weather she doesn't want to be held or lay near you. Spends all her time on the cool floor. And she doesn't have as much endurance when chasing the ball etc. In the winter, even with a long coat, she is a snuggle puppy and a go getter during play time outdoors!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

So in the heat of summer, she does want to be held and snuggled when her coat is short? And has lots of endurance when chasing the ball on a hot day? And doesn't lie on the cool tile?

Because even dogs with short flat coats like Labs, where there really is nothing to shave or even cut, have less endurance, don't want to lie near you, and like to spend time on cool tile in the heat of summer. My friends who have Labs all talk about this, how the dog is so warm, doesn't want to walk as much, doesn't want to run as much, likes to lie in the kiddie pool, etc. In other words, their short coats don't seem to prevent them from being too warm. So why would it prevent a doodle from being too warm?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Yes, once she is cut down she will snuggle more and play more. Not as much running as in the cool weather but more than with a long coat in the warm weather.The first and only time she was cut very short (not shaved) was in the winter and she behaved like she was cold. Anytime DH or I sat down she would be on us and that was unusual for her. Also if I pulled out one of her sweaters she would come running for me to put it on her (don't tell Jack!) which was also out of character.

I don't understand how a coat such as Tara's can have the same insulating/cooling qualities as a wolf's or any dog with an undercoat or a thick coat like a poodle's. Tara's coat is fine and thin with no undercoat. I can literally blow it a part to the skin with my breath (no comments please about the amount of hot air involved! LOL)  So how could she have the same protection from the sun/heat or from the cold?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I wish I could answer these questions, but I don't know. I only know that very short haired dogs get just as warm in the summer as longhaired dogs do.

 It surprises me that Tara's coat is so thin, yet she doesn't shed. I could barely get down to the skin on my poodles with a comb, let alone just blowing at it. Jack's coat is very thin, too. It parts down to skin by itself when he moves or the wind blows it.  But he sheds big time.

I didn't mean to start a debate here, really and truly. In honesty, I don't like to see dogs shaved, any kind of dog, but especially dogs with luxurious longhaired coats. It seems unnatural to me. Trimming the coat to a manageable length is different. I always had longhaired nonshedding dogs and always kept them scissored to a reasonable length. But it confuses me how many people in my area shave down Shih Tzus and the like year round, because they don't want to maintain their coats. My neighbors keep their little Shih tzu shaved to the skin all year, and then they put coats on her in the winter. I feel like saying "Hey, she had her own coat, but you shaved it off. Why the heck did you get a dog with long hair if you wanted one with short hair?" LOL

It's absolutely none of my business how other people groom their dogs, as long as they groom them. But in this discussion, the owner really loves the dog's natural coat, "exactly the way it is now." I just wanted them to know that they don't have to shave it if they don't want to.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I'm not trying to debate either. I have many of the same questions you do! Every time I cut Tara for the summer that piece of information about dogs staying cooler if you don't mess with their coats runs through my mind!! But in the end I do it anyhow partly for the ease of care after summer outings too.

I may be confused about what constitutes a "shave".  At the time of Tara's short cut due to mats her coat was probably about 1/4 inch long. Is that a shave? Or at what point is it called a shave rather than a short cut?  When the original poster talked about getting their doodle shaved I thought she just meant a short cut. Not a shave such as doodles with really neglected coats have to have. Now I'm not sure.