We have an older not so healthy collie that does'nt do well in the summer heat, spends alot of time in the cellar. Just wondering if anyone clips there dog for summer months, any problems doing this? How close can we clip him? We brush like mad but it seems an endless task as his coat is thick and long from being outside in winter. Thanks, Stoney

-- stoney (rwrong@yahoo.com), March 24, 2002

Answers

It is not healthy to clip a dog that is made to have long hair. I would contact a vet or groomer to ask what they think. Also, there could be another reason the dog is hot besides its hair (health reasons?). Just my 2 cents! ;)

-- heather (h.m.metheny@att.net), March 24, 2002.

My wife and I were groomers for 20 years. Using an oster blade go with a #10 or even #15. Really short. They will sunburn, so keep that in mind. It looks funny at first, but you get use to it. They look really great when they havegrwn out some. The dogs love it, and are much more comfortable. We keep our Shepherd, Border Collie cross, Pyrenees Cross and Pyrenees cut. My wife clipped our Border Collie cross today. The rest will follow soon. We live on the Clinch River in upper East Tn., and they swim daily. With long coats it would be terrible. We time the cuts so they are getting a good coat back by Nov. By the way, we charged $20 to $30 for a large breed, depending on condition. Ear cleaning, nail trim and bath should be included.

-- Paul Moore (boawoman@boastore.com), March 24, 2002.

We clip our Border Collie every summer, and he really appreciates the relief from the summer heat. His long, thick coat grows out by the time cold weather hits.

-- Liz Rhein (merhein@shentel.net), March 24, 2002.

could you trim a siberian husky like that too? My poor dog lives indoors in the summer, she gets too hot. We have to watch her close as she will swimm in the kids pool , LOL

-- Kristean Thompson (pigalena_babe@yahoo.com), March 24, 2002.

I tried to clip my Aussie last spring with a Wahl stable pro clipper for horses. The #10 blade just stuck in the fur, so I got a #8 and that still had such a hard time that I gave up. What am I doing wrong? It does my horses just fine. What would I on my Maine Coon cat?

-- Debbie in MO (risingwind@socket.net), March 25, 2002.

I'm moving to TN, $20 for a haircut! Anyone around here wants $100 to shave down a Great Pyreneese. With two of them out with our goats I broke down and bought a clipmaster (wanted them to body clip the goats anyhow). The GP get clipped in May when I clip the goats for show. By winter their hair has grown out long enough. You do need to watch as they can get sunburn, ours have plenty of shade available. They just get too matted staying outside constantly.

-- Leslie in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), March 25, 2002.

I clip my Kerry Blue Terrier all year round - they don't moult so I give her a clip every 6-8 weeks. Shorter in summer @1cm long. My parents had a Golden Retriever that really suffered with the heat in summer. I gave her a buzz cut every year - she loved it and would race around doing the "body wiggles" to show how pleased she was. My father made the mistake of laughing at her once - she got so embarassed and hid from him!!!!! After that everyone was under strict instructions not to laugh at her haircut as she was very sensitive about it!!

-- Cowvet (cowvet_nz@hotmail.com), March 25, 2002.

Heather, most breeds that have long hair are because that is what they needed at the time they were bred for the climate they lived in. If you take a husky and put him in a warm climate he is going to be hot with all that fur and it has nothing to do with health problems! Same principle as us wearing a coat in the winter, but shorts in the summer.

-- Karen (mountains_mama2@hotmail.com), March 25, 2002.

The dogs have their coats for a reason, protection. Protection from sun stroke, protection from sunburn, and to keep them cooler. You do the dog a disservice by clipping off his natural protection. Don't be surprised if you wind up with a vet bill.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), March 25, 2002.

Groom them (or cats, for that matter) thoroughly before you make any decisions, then observe for a week (say weekend to weekend). Use one of those two-sided brushes - steel teeth on one side, and bristle on the other: use both. You will collect A LOT of shed hair that's still hanging in the coat. In fact, groom them several times - it's amazing how much you miss the first few days, no matter how conscientiously you do it. No fault of yours - just the way it works.

Then, when you know there's no significant amount of shed hair left in the coat, you can decide about clipping. Probably a good idea for long-haired dogs in warm climates, particularly for an older one who may just have to lie in the shade most of the time anyway. Also, if you've got access to a source of water they can swim in (a pond, a stream) they would probably benefit from that just after midday as well. The water will evaporate and cool them for the rest of the (hottest part of) the day

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), March 25, 2002.

We shave our dogs every summer, be they husky/collie/golden, whatever. Have never had any bad results at all. I can't imagine NOT shaving the poor things...they'd be so miserable! I've never found a clipper that worked for me. I just pay the groomer, and get 'em done nice.

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), March 25, 2002.

We clip our border collie in the summer. Have never had any problems with him and he appreciates it. We don't shave him because we want him to have some protection from the misquitoes.

-- Lynelle SOwestVA (X2ldp@aol.com), March 25, 2002.

I clipped my cocker every year, usually three times a year, spring, summer and fall. She loved it. If you clip before it is too hot, they will have some time to adjust their body. Dogs were bred to have their coat types, by people. That's why there are one, two or three different coat types for the same breed. Just thinking out loud.

-- tricia (never-enough-pets@excite.com), March 25, 2002.

At least 2 of our 3 dogs are "hair" dogs (that's just what we call them, because they do need haircuts, because they don't shed like your typical short-haired-smooth-coated dog will) get their hair cut quite short for the summer, a bit longer for autumn and early winter, and then not all again until spring. That goes for our mini-schnauzer, too, and I can tell you that by now he looks like a miniature wooly mammoth! He's old and needs the extra thick, long coat for warmth here in snow land (they're indoor dogs year 'round, but do like to frolic in the snow). We also have a lhasa/poodle cross and a beagle/springer spanial cross -- she's new, and doesn't seem to shed, but shedding season isn't here yet.

The only trimming I do during the winter is faces, feet and rear ends. The rest of the year, everyone's in a puppy clip (they stay cleaner that way -- we take them everywhere).

Just my 2000 lire, Andrea

-- Andrea Gauland (andreagee@aol.com), March 25, 2002.

We have an old golden retriever with hair like sheep's wool. Clippers won't cut his hair, so I take the scissors to him several times in the spring and summer. If I don't cut his hair, we can't see the ticks on him. They get buried and the powder we put on doesn't even reach them. He looks kind of silly with my clip job, but we don't mind and he seems to prefer it.

It's funny to hear folks who don't know him try to guess what breed he is with his hair cut.

-- Mona in OK (modoc@ipa.net), March 25, 2002.

Shaving to the bare skin is not a good idea. No protection, sunburn, etc. You may also clipper burn your dog if you are not very experienced using a clipper. (Possible big vet bill) If the dog is NOT matted, try using an oster size five blade and follow the lay of the hair. This will leave enough hair to prevent the problems associated with shaving. (This is also a popular length with hunting dogs in the fall) Most of the time removing the undercoat by brushing will give the dog relief but occasionally aged dogs will have heat tolerance problems.

-- Scotsirish (notreal@anywhere.net), March 25, 2002.

For those having problems with dog clippers I have a suggestion. My wife and I groomed dogs for 20 years, and found clippers with the motors isolated from the cutting head the only way to go. Regular clippers are fine for some work, but for large dogs and thick hair and matts they just don't have enough power. Find one where the motor is hung and connects via a flexible drive shaft to the cutter head. The head is much lighter and the motor can be much larger. The shaft can be from about 6' to 10' in length. The one we have uses Oster A-5 blades. Also the blades must be properly sharpened. This can be a real problem. The blades must be sharpened on a large rotating disc, or sharpening wheel. Not all blade sharpeners do it right. Our blade sharpener left our blades sharper than when new. Also, the blade used must be able to cut under the matts and under-coat that is stacking up in guard hair. The longest blade still only leaves a fraction of an inch in length. Snap on guards used to leave a longer cut work only on dogs with thinner and well combed coats. You simply cannot cut through the matting, you must cut under it. We have almost always cut our own dogs hair in the summer. We groomed several thousand dogs(most repeat clients),and see no reason to believe cutting the hair of the dog in any way affects the way it grows back out. Some one might explain to me how I'm wrong, but my experience and common sense says cutting hair can not affect the hair roots or folicles. Yes they will sunburn, and some dogs will act different for a while after a cut. Most will love it and your reaction is certainly noticed by the dog. Many Vets have groomers in their clinic that clip long-coated dogs. A well groomed long-hair breed does not need to be clipped. But the under coat must be combed out in warm weather, and this means year round combing. Brushes will not do the job. They are useful, but only combing will complete the job. And when done properly, the coat will part to the skin when blown on. Double coated dogs "blow" their under coat in the summer. Wolves and coyotes do this. You may have seen pictures of them when the under-coat is coming out. Clipping our dogs makes sense for us. We live on the Clinch river in upper East Tn.(I'm looking at the river as I type), and they swim with us daily in warm weather. All our 4 dogs are large and long- coated, and the time to keep them combed out isn't there. After all the comb outs I did at our shop my hands are numb after just a short time combing. Some people came to us once a year to get their dog clipped short for the summer and did no grooming themselves. Often such a dog was in terrible condition. We always tried to get these people to understand the wrongness of this, but it wasn't easy. So PLEASE, keep your dog well combed or cut their hair when necessary.

-- Paul Moore (boawoman@boastore.com), March 25, 2002.

We have a collie and he gets so hot in the summer that i shave his belly and around his testicles. I don't take any hair off anywhere else tho, and it seems to help him being able to put his stomach on the cool ground.

-- Susan (dsowen@tds.net), March 25, 2002.

PAUL, this question is for you and your wife. I have an ANDIS AG2 set of clippers and a 4FC-9mm blade and a 10-1 1/2mm blade. I have four Maltese so you know what I'm up against. These blades just don't want to go through their hair. Is there another blade that will work better? I usually end up cutting them with the scissors which is timely and tedious. Only one will let me brush her and then I practically have to sit on her to keep her from escaping. The other three cry and scratch me like I'm killing them. They really spazz out. I like to keep the coats short so they won't matt. CAN YOU HELP ME?

-- Sheila in NC (nannie@intrstar.net), March 25, 2002.

Sheila, I'm not familiar with Andis clippers, but i believe the blades interchange with Oster A-5's. Our clipper is a Double K model 401. We've been retired from grooming for 10 years, so we only do about 8-10 cuts a year now. Go to http://www.countrysidepet.com/groomedpowcl.html and you can read about the model we use. Purchased ours several years ago through a discount pet catalog for less than the price at the website. I really feel you can beat that price.

The scissor cut is a real pain, and it is easy to cut your dog. The key points are sharp blades. Our blade man is a friend, but retiring due to severe arthritis in his neck. So we are going to be looking for someone else. Not all sharpeners know what they are doing. They must be using a large diameter grinding wheel. They look like large record turn tables, only real heavy duty. These wheels are cast and turned on occasion on a special lathe to true them up. I hope this helps in finding a good sharpener.

Also you must use a blade short enough to get under any matting. Start at the neck and cut with the lay of the hair whenever possible. This reduces "razor burns". Cutting against the lay will cut much closer and does irritate more.

Use Kool Lube spray often. It lubricates the blades and cools them quickly. The blades get hot so be careful. In our shop I used freeze packs to cool blades in rotation.

If the blade refuses to cut, or seems to quickly stop cutting, slide the cutter bar almost off the base and spray the blade with kool Lube. Then slide the bar the other way and spray again. The bar can be removed completely, but the tension is strong, and it can be a little difficult to replace. If hair becomes caught between the bar and base the blade will not cut. You can hear the difference in the way the blade sounds when this happens after you get use to it.

I hope this helps. If you do intend on doing your grooming a clipper like we use would be a great investment. Just consider what professonal grooming cost. The difference between one and an Oster clipper is big. If your Andis is similar to a regular Oster clipper (or any motor in the hand clipper) you will be really like something like the Double K 401. Night and Day. Good luck.

-- Paul Moore (boawoman@boastore.com), March 26, 2002.

What you're saying about sharpening shears (well, really grinding them) applies to sheep shears as well. If you have sheep around, it's a good chance that they'll either have a grinding disk for shears, or at the least when contract shearers come through they'll have one with them. They aren't really sharpening the shears - they're squaring them up - the cutting is done when the squared edges slide past each other - like scissors.

-- Don Armstrong (from Australia) (darmst@yahoo.com.au), March 26, 2002.

We used to have our Aussie clipped every year, but you do have to watch out for sunburn. She was always so embarassed at first but she got over it. The coat grew back by winter.

-- Hank (hsnrs@att.net), March 26, 2002.

Stoney, clipping a heavy-coated dog in the summer is a real service to the dog. Be sure you get a clip, and not a shave. We leave a good one to one and a half inch on our dog, so there is protection from bugs and sun and thorns. His fur is so thick it takes forever to dry if he takes a dip, and by June he smells like a very dirty dog. With a clip he dries quickly, doesn't acquire as many oders, and wads and gobs of fur don't pile up in rugs.

-- Roma Milner (rmiln@aol.com), March 26, 2002.

Wow Shannon.......I'd hate to be your groomer!! ;o) "Hey guys that Shannon woman is coming with her dog "herd".....lock the doors!"

-- lisa - MI (formyacds@aol.com), March 26, 2002.

Thanks for the info. These were $200 dollar clippers. I have tried cutting in both directions. With the lay of the hair it seems to be uneven in length, against the lay and I have naked pink dogs if they don't have any matts. I don't know how you stood grooming for a living. I can't stand all that hair going up my nose and sticking to my clothes. I'll try again soon.

-- Sheila in NC (nannie@intrstar.net), March 26, 2002.

Thanks all, looks like he's getting clipped.

-- Stoney (rwrong@yahoo.com), March 27, 2002.