Why You Might Be Over-Grooming Your Dog
July 19, 2019
When the hot weather hits, everyone rushes to the groomers to get their hairy dogs clipped ready for the searing summer heat. But a dog’s coat, particularly double-coated dogs, is designed to protect your dog from the elements.
You might be surprised to learn that some dogs actually get embarrassed when their coat has been shaved down, particularly those breeds who were never meant for the clippers. Double-coated breeds like huskies, retrievers, mountain dogs, and shepherds look pretty silly when they’re shaved down for the summer, but worse yet, you could be ruining their coats.
Double-coated breeds’ needs
Double-coated breeds have just that, two coats: a fuzzy undercoat to keep them warm in the winter and a coarser, outer coat to protect them from snow, ice, and water. When the weather starts to get warmer, dogs shed their fluffy undercoat leaving only the top coat of guard hairs. Without the insulation of an undercoat, air can breeze through the guard hairs and cool your dog down in hot weather.
Sun protection factor
The top coat also provides a sunscreen against the harmful rays of the sun. But when you shave a double-coated dog down in the summer, not only do you increase their chances of sunburn and skin cancer, you interfere with the natural shedding cycle. When the dog’s coat grows back, the undercoat will come in first but the texture will be different. It will be more prone to tangles and matts, making grooming difficult and painful, which can leave your dog susceptible to skin infections.
It’ll never be the same again
As the outer coat starts to grow in, it does so in tufts and clumps, creating a very sorry-looking dog. As the dog has both undercoat and outer coat at this stage, he will not be able to cool himself down as he would naturally had he shed his coat in the spring. So shaving confuses the natural shedding cycle, leaving your dog with a winter coat in the midst of summer.
The temptation is to run to the groomers again and get them shaved pronto, but this will only result in a stickier, clumpier coat and a dog full of matts and burrs and ridicule. While dogs like poodles and Shih Tzus who have coats that continue to grow and require regular grooming, double-coated breeds benefit from a good brushing instead. After a shampoo and blow-dry, brushing out their coats will help in the hot summer months to keep them cool.