Clipping to prevent overheating

[JudyN]

I know that husky types shouldn't be clipped in hot weather because their coats can insulate them from the heat as well as the cold. Someone on a lurcher forum has just had their long coated (rough collie x?) lurcher clipped close as she was struggling in the heat, and she's now much happier.

So what is the difference in their coats/heat management here? If you have a dog with a long/thick coat, how do you know whether clipping it will help keep the dog cool?

I'm not considering clipping Jasper BTW, his coat is thin enough already - just curious (again).

[mansbestfriend]

Hi. Sunburn? From memory I don't think our Rough Collie had a double coat, like a Husky.

[Nettle]

Nothing's impossible but the dog is highly unlikely to be a rough collie cross and much more likely to be a Beardie cross (especially if bred by Hancock).

In which case the coat is supposed to insulate, and clipping messes up the arrangement. What's done is done, and double coats never come back properly from clipping so she might as well continue. But she would have been far better to have groomed the dog with appropriate brushes.

[JudyN]

She's quite unusual looking, Nettle. You can see her on the cover of Dogs Today if you scroll down this page: http://www.greyhounds4me.co.uk/2012/04/ ... ril-issue/

[Nettle]

Ah yes - I can see what you mean. Deffo could be rough collie in that case. Certainly not Beardie

[mum24dog]

Why not to shave -

http://groomblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03 ... -this.html

[JudyN]

That's really interesting - thanks mum24dog

[gwd]

What's done is done, and double coats never come back properly from clipping so she might as well continue.

Double coats will eventually come back.......... but it takes a really long time. The outer coat (what we leave when we strip out a dog) is very slow growing and slow to turn over. That's why a shaved dog looks fluffy and, usually a weird color......... all you've got for a long time after clipping is soft, wooly undercoat. the guard hairs will eventually regrow but it can take 2 years or so in some cases. I don't ever recommend clipping.