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?

[Stella]

I love the long shaggy look, but we ended up getting our 10 month old puppy shaved. He didn't have any matts, but I couldn't keep up with the two hours required every two days to keep him matt free while hegoes through his coat change . It was just taking too long. We live in Canada and we are a little concerned that he is going to be cold when the snow gets here. But, I also didn't want to think about how much brushing was going to be needed once he began running around in the snow. I think, once it grows out a bit we will try and keep him around 1- 1 1/2 inches, so we can still see his curls but without the grooming marathons!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Grooming Marathon--LOL if we are going to start calling it a sport ( i.e. Marathon ) Ours can be a cage-fight or WWF er I mean, WWG

[Barbara Burrows]

Molly is going through her coat change, her groomer scissor cut her her even with the new growth. Her coat is about 2 inches long, it is nice, she doesn't look like she is having a bad hair day everyday.

I keep my other doodle cut between 2 & 3 inches. I don't think I would want them any shorter in the winter.

This will be their first winter in Western Pennsylvania. We had one snow in Virginia last winter.

[Julie B.]

I have to agree with the "shavers" because I think it is necessary. I too have a doodle that swims every day in the summer and she has to be shaved in order for the coat to dry and to keep her clean and managable. Her idea of drying off after a swim is a roll in the sand! Imagine what that would do to a longer coat! I have found a great groomer who gives her a "puppy cut" every 3-4 months. I am sure she shaves as well as scissors but the end result is a coat that I can keep up with on a weekly basis to prevent matting and skin issues. I really don't think a dog gets colder if their coat is cut, as long as there is an inch or so of fur. Think of all of the animals out there that have shorter fur than our doodles... (deer, horses, squirrels etc. and they seem to do fine in the cold). Also, since we live in an area that gets snow, the shorter coat helps those snowballs melt quicker. I remember the first time I took my doodle out in the snow and saw how the snow balled up on her legs and belly. The longer the coat the worse this condition is and you really can't get them out... they just have to melt! Anyway... my take on it for what its worth.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think there are two separate issues here...short vs long, and shaving vs cutting. You can keep a dog short and still use a scissors instead of a clippers...I did for years. Granted, I used a groomer, so there was no time issue involved. But keeping a dog's coat short doesn't mean it has to be shaved.
Close shaving can also irritate the skin, which scissoring doesn't do.

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

Hey Joanne, I have been thinking about this shave v not shave thing. Have you thought about cording Spud’s coat? Go for the Bob Marley look? =)

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

RastaDoodman :)

Then I will get mine done to match.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Egads, is this a poodle? I've seen this on other breeds but wow!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Corded coats on poodles are actually permissible in the show ring. It was once the standard for poodles, especially in Europe.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Personally I like poodles with longish puppy cuts. That little face, above, sticking out or all that hair looks funny to me.

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

Because of mats, I shaved Abby down short - week before last. I did scissor her head tho and she doesn't look like a poodle at all. I managed to keep the doodle look on her head and face - tho it is short. Abby loves the new do! She hasn't been cold at all yet and I live in Minnesota - soon to be below freezing temps and lots of snow. I'm not worried about her when it gets cold. She isn't ever "put" outside, we always go with her, and I'm sure as the weather gets colder, her coat will come in faster. I was not going to put her through the pain of trying to get her mat free. She isn't particularly fond of brushing to begin with...She has been losing her puppy coat and matted up really bad. Now she feels like crushed velvet and she is so much happier. And so am I. Maybe we can stay mat free now!

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

I have a blog of her new down towards the bottom of my page... called "baldy"