Shaved all 3 Collies today
I don't normally shave them but last year they were hot and would develope hot spots. This year I went ahead and shaved them. You can tell they feel better but sure look strange. I will have to keep t...
Forum Discussion
corgi-traveler wrote:
Single-coated breeds (poodles, yorkies, wheaten terriers, etc) can be shaved with no ill effects. When you shave a double-coated dog, you are doing much more harm than good. The answer is to keep the dense undercoat combed out. Yes, it is time consuming. It's part of the "cost of doing business" of owning a double-coated dog, though.
Why you should not shave a double-coated dog.
I gently disagree with this article. Maybe there are breeds where the coat grows out "funky" - but in the case of my Aussies, their coats grew out normally. In a few months, their coats were back to normal. And when the dogs were BEGGING to be shaved down (then acted like crazy puppies afterward) - it tells me that they felt better and were definitely cooler. It also allowed me to towel-dry the dogs after their daily swims.
Granted, a dog who lives outdoors; or leads a hard working life in rough conditions; OR is being shown competitively - then I might reconsider shaving. But for the vast majority of us, those parameters don't apply.
