As summer quickly approaches and the temperature rises I don’t think there is one person out there who owns a dog and doesn’t feel bad for them during the summer. I mean we as humans can shed layers, wear shorts, take a cold shower. But our dogs can only pant and hope their family owns A/C or lots of fans. Yes, some dogs love to swim and can take a dip in their owner’s pool or possibly go down to the pond but unfortunately allot of dogs don’t have that luxury.
When it comes to the question should I shave my dog for summer it really depends on the type of coat your dog has? If your dog is double coated the answer is a firm NO! Yes, unfortunately, those are the dogs who we feel most sorry for because they don’t just have one layer of fur they have two. But in reality, we shouldn’t feel bad for them because those layers work as a cooling system to deflect the heat and it actually helps to keep them from overheating. Yes I know, allot of you reading this probably don’t believe me and just look at your sad dog wondering how hot they must be. But TRUST me, if you shave your double-coated dog they will overheat so much faster then if you just left the hair.
If you want to check out some easy ways to help keep your dog cool this summer then check out my blog post 5 Ways To Keep Your Hot Dog Cool This Summer in my blog there is a free list I send you of all the things you can buy or have around the house for your dog. So that way you don’t feel so bad for them.
Allot of people think that if they shave their dog then the shedding will be a lot less…FALSE! Dogs will shed no matter what, its just part of their genetics unless of course, you have a non-shedding breed. The best way to help tone down your dog’s shedding is either take them to the groomer for a good bath and blow out. Groomers use high powered blow dryers that get under all the layers of the coat and blow free all the loose hair. Or the second option would be purchase a high powered blow dryer and do it yourself. Twice a year sometimes three times your dog will blow their coat. Blowing their coat is when you start seeing large tuffs of hair all over their body and you can pretty much just pluck them right out in big chunks. When you see that, that’s when you know they need a good blow out.
The reason behind dogs blowing out their coat is because they have a winter coat and a summer coat. When the seasons start to change in the Fall and Spring that’s usually when you will notice them blowing their coat and growing their new one.
But how do you know if your dog has a double coat? Trust me you will know but a few examples of double coated dogs are Husky, Akita, Malamute, Chow, Iceland Sheep Dog, Pom, Shiba Inu, Corgis, Australian Shepherd, Belgian Sheepdog, German Shepherd, Old English Sheepdog, Bearded Collie, Sweetish Vallhund, Bernese Mountain Dog, Komondor, Newfoundland, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever.
I am going to give you a FREE full list of all the dogs with double coats because even if your dog is a mutt, they may have one of these breeds in them and it may not be a good idea to shave them. I am also going to give you a list of brushes, blow dryers, combes, and other helpful tools that will help tone down the shedding all year long. All you need to do is sign up for the freebie. And bonus if you sign up for one freebie you actually have access to ALL of my freebies so you only have to sign up once and we will send you the password to check out all the amazing freebies I have for you guys.
So bottom line do your dog a favor, research their breed or breeds and put their health first before deciding to shave off their built-in A/C unit.
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