Clipping dogs to keep cool

[Identityincrisis]

I have a 12yr old Lurcher who really struggles with the heat, in previous summers i have had to take him outside at midnight to hose him down. He’s reasonably fit and well, just arthritis which is medicated and regular physio. Does anyone clip their dog’s tummies to aid cooling? He hates cooling mats etc

 

[Goldenstar]

A friend had an extremely thick coated Labrador that she clipped in summer .
She looked a bit odd ( the dog ) but was much happier .

 

[Prancerpoos]

My understanding was that a dog’s coat helps regulate its temperature by trapping air. As they cool down by panting rather than sweating that would make sense. Clipping its coat may make things worse?

 

[planete]

I did clip my old lurcher bitch' s belly for the first time last year and she was much happier. She could lie on the tiles in the kitchen and really cool off quickly.

 

[skinnydipper]

I have a 12yr old Lurcher who really struggles with the heat, in previous summers i have had to take him outside at midnight to hose him down. He’s reasonably fit and well, just arthritis which is medicated and regular physio. Does anyone clip their dog’s tummies to aid cooling? He hates cooling mats etc

Have you tried a fan? The big girl doesn't like cool mats but she will lie in front a fan. I have big one downstairs for her and a quieter one in the bedroom.

 

[Jenko109]

My late BC x Lab was clipped out regularly.

When she was about 2 years old, it was summer and she refused to come out of the cool barn and was really struggling with the heat.

So I clipped her. Completely short all over. She was immediately more comfortable and i kept her clipped out for the rest of her days.

 

[Jenko109]

Before and after

 

[CorvusCorax]

My dog has a very heavy double coat and is black. Out of all the dogs I've had, he's coped best in the heat, I'd never heard of the concept of clipping a coated dog because of the heat until I read it on this forum!!

 

[JoannaC]

Just don't let me loose with the clippers, many years ago i decided my retriever x was too hot and thought i'd clip her tummy and then I kept going Whilst she looked ridiculous she was much happier after but I never did it again!

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Just don't let me loose with the clippers, many years ago i decided my retriever x was too hot and thought i'd clip her tummy and then I kept going Whilst she looked ridiculous she was much happier after but I never did it again!

But why not?!

I thought some coats keep them cooler despite being longer hair because it keeps the heat away from their skin. No idea if that's true or not.

Just now remembering the stress of keeping a black Greyhound cool on hot days. At least our new car has air con that actually works so that's helping a lot. Plus last year she branched out and decided to give shallow water paddling a go!

 

[JoannaC]

My yellow Lab always feels cool to the touch but the black is boiling, my old lurcher who was brown/black struggled in the heat as well.

 

[skinnydipper]

Groomed daily but never clipped. He coped better in the heat than the 2 black long dogs and the little ones who were close to the ground.

The breeze is ruffling his coat.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Grooming is more important than clipping IMO. I see so many dogs waddling around in the heat that need a really good brush out.

 

[Teaselmeg]

From Dr David Marlin re double coated breeds

CLIPPING DOUBLE-COATED BREEDS IN THE HEAT
Clipping Double-Coated breeds is contentious. That’s a massive understatement. As I have said repeatedly, although many people choose not to read that part, the decision to clip a DC breed in hot weather should be based on risk factors for heatstroke, for example being old, being overweight, being a large breed, being dark coated, being brachycephalic, having existing health conditions such as heart disease. I’d probably also add “being miserable in the heat”.
And yes, I’ve heard all the arguments “coat funk” (abnormal re growth) and “sunburn” being the most common ones.
Re abnormal regrowth, I’d suggest reading Mia Overnas The Educated Groomers page. https://theeducatedgroomer.com/shaving-double-coated-breeds/
Re sunburn - keep your dog out of the sun. You should be doing this anyway.

 

[poiuytrewq]

We have a bit of a disagreement with daughters dog. Mr p says I need to clip him out to keep him cool.
I think he’d be a nightmare to clip. He tolorates being brushed really well now. Didn’t at first but I think if I tried clippers on him they would catch and pull his strange little coat.
He’s also not really bothered by the heat, he seems to quite like it. If anyone is lying in the sun it’s him!
I could trim with scissors but can’t imagine that would make a huge difference

 

[scats]

Clipping double coated breeds can cause coat funk. It’s rare, but when it happens, it’s a nightmare and the coat never returns to normal and never clips normally again.
I have groomed a dog with coat funk before and we just had to keep cutting him short but even on a 7 blade, it didn’t clip well at all.

 

[malwhit]

My black long coated dogs - Cockapoo & Labradoodle - are more active in the heat this weekend than my Whippet. But Lola is a bit strange, even for a Whippet

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I am really surprised to read that long dogs struggle with the heat (I have litter to no experience with them) - I would have thought the short coats, long faces and low fat % would have helped to keep them cool much easier.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I am really surprised to read that long dogs struggle with the heat (I have litter to no experience with them) - I would have thought the short coats, long faces and low fat % would have helped to keep them cool much easier.

The opposite I think, lack of fluff and fat to insulate against the heat as well as cold.

 

[Miggy99]

Double coated dogs shouldn’t be body clipped. As long as dogs are groomed thoroughly to make sure there’s no matting or moulted coat holding heat against the skin dogs self-regulate their temperature by panting and sweating through their pads. Double coated dogs can have their pads clipped like any other breed, but the risk of coat funk and taking away the coat that actually protects them from extremes of temperature isn’t the way to cool them down. A fan in the room, access to fresh cool water, or wetting a towel wringing out and placing it between the back legs will help with cooling.

 

[I'm Dun]

I am really surprised to read that long dogs struggle with the heat (I have litter to no experience with them) - I would have thought the short coats, long faces and low fat % would have helped to keep them cool much easier.

2 mainly white, slim and fit whippets, the younger 1 is super fit, yet he struggles. The older one copes much better. Its partly because the older one is sensible and regulates himself, and the younger one insists on running around like a loon and doesn't seem to mind getting hot. He tends to fling himself in mud/water/long grass and rolls around in it to cool down. But even inside, in the same room, side by side, the older one is happy and the younger is hot and panting

 

[FinnishLapphund]

My understanding was that a dog’s coat helps regulate its temperature by trapping air. As they cool down by panting rather than sweating that would make sense. Clipping its coat may make things worse?

Clipping double coated breeds can cause coat funk. It’s rare, but when it happens, it’s a nightmare and the coat never returns to normal and never clips normally again.
I have groomed a dog with coat funk before and we just had to keep cutting him short but even on a 7 blade, it didn’t clip well at all.

In total 5 out of the 7 dogs I've owned was Spitzes, and as a Spitz owner I used to always live by that you must not clip/trim a double coat, unless for veterinary related reasons, and similar. And the adult/mature coat on my 3 Finnish Lapphunds didn't cause them problems during hot Summer days, until Jonna, and Blomma got older. Beata still didn't have any problem with hot temperatures when she died at 14 years old in 2022.

But Jonna's body's ability to heat regulate didn't work as well as it had used to during her last 2 Summers, before she died almost 17 years old. When I noticed that the heat was affecting her more than before, I decided that at her age, she might not even live long enough for me to know if her coat grew back normal or not, so I might as well clip her, and see if that helped her. But when it was time to do it, I still chickened out, and only did her belly. But for every clip, I increased the clipped area a tiny bit further. When it got colder, I stopped clipping her, and her coat grew back normal. But I still didn't dare to go full lion cut when it was time to start clipping her again the year after.
When Jonna died she was clipped with a wide strip of hair going down her back with enough hair hanging down her sides covering how far up her sides her "belly" clip actually went, and from the front the hair hanging down from her neck area helped disguising that a lot of her chest was also clipped. Had she lived long enough to need to get clipped again 2022, I maybe would've dared to give her a full lion cut.

However, when Blomma in the Spring of 2023 (a few months before she became 15) showed that her body now also didn't heat regulate as well as before, I didn't hesitate

I last clipped her at some point during Autumn because the days were still quite warm. Her coat hadn't 100% fully grown back when she died on Christmas Day 2023, but before she died, I had just put a fleece dog coat on her on windy Winter days if/when I worried that she might feel cold during a dog walk due to her coat not yet having fully grown back.

I wouldn't want to do it with a younger dog due to the risk for the coat quality going wonky when growing back, and as long as their body's own heat regulation works the way it should, and their coat quality is good, there's also no reason for it. But especially when they're getting old, and might not have many years left anyway, I think you might as well do what can help your dog be comfortable here and now.
If it leads to his coat quality growing back wonky, deal with that when that day comes.

On Blomma I didn't shave her clean down to the skin, and the short about ½ to 1 cm stubble of hair I left on the clipped areas, turned out to be enough to protect her against sunburn, but if I'd had to rub her in with a bit of sunscreen daily, I would've gladly done so.

 

[Identityincrisis]

Thanks for everyone’s opinions, just to be clear he doesn’t have a double coat, but even though it is short it’s quite dense. I’m going to give it a go, he’s not the most cooperative but fingers crossed!

 

[scats]

In total 5 out of the 7 dogs I've owned was Spitzes, and as a Spitz owner I used to always live by that you must not clip/trim a double coat, unless for veterinary related reasons, and similar. And the adult/mature coat on my 3 Finnish Lapphunds didn't cause them problems during hot Summer days, until Jonna, and Blomma got older. Beata still didn't have any problem with hot temperatures when she died at 14 years old in 2022.

But Jonna's body's ability to heat regulate didn't work as well as it had used to during her last 2 Summers, before she died almost 17 years old. When I noticed that the heat was affecting her more than before, I decided that at her age, she might not even live long enough for me to know if her coat grew back normal or not, so I might as well clip her, and see if that helped her. But when it was time to do it, I still chickened out, and only did her belly. But for every clip, I increased the clipped area a tiny bit further. When it got colder, I stopped clipping her, and her coat grew back normal. But I still didn't dare to go full lion cut when it was time to start clipping her again the year after.
When Jonna died she was clipped with a wide strip of hair going down her back with enough hair hanging down her sides covering how far up her sides her "belly" clip actually went, and from the front the hair hanging down from her neck area helped disguising that a lot of her chest was also clipped. Had she lived long enough to need to get clipped again 2022, I maybe would've dared to give her a full lion cut.

However, when Blomma in the Spring of 2023 (a few months before she became 15) showed that her body now also didn't heat regulate as well as before, I didn't hesitate

I last clipped her at some point during Autumn because the days were still quite warm. Her coat hadn't 100% fully grown back when she died on Christmas Day 2023, but before she died, I had just put a fleece dog coat on her on windy Winter days if/when I worried that she might feel cold during a dog walk due to her coat not yet having fully grown back.

I wouldn't want to do it with a younger dog due to the risk for the coat quality going wonky when growing back, and as long as their body's own heat regulation works the way it should, and their coat quality is good, there's also no reason for it. But especially when they're getting old, and might not have many years left anyway, I think you might as well do what can help your dog be comfortable here and now.
If it leads to his coat quality growing back wonky, deal with that when that day comes.

On Blomma I didn't shave her clean down to the skin, and the short about ½ to 1 cm stubble of hair I left on the clipped areas, turned out to be enough to protect her against sunburn, but if I'd had to rub her in with a bit of sunscreen daily, I would've gladly done so.

I do actually clip a Spitz x, the owner was adamant she wanted it doing regardless and it’s always been fine.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I groom and scissor cut Mavis all year round she gets a bit hot but will lay in the shade and cools down pretty quick.

Winnie JRT is a sun worshiper and rarely gets too hot.

 

[Aru]

I plan to clip the undercarraige off my lapphunds when they are older if they show any signs of heat intolerance. The currently do fine so it hasn't been nessecary yet but as my older girl now has more of a spey coat(a more profuse undercoat isn't uncommon after desexing)so it's a potential for the future. Up until now a well stripped out undercoat in summer and being sensible has been enough management to keep them comfortable.

Imo large dense double coats are a modification for the cold. In hot climates wearing a coat in the heat doesn't insulate you and make you feel cool. It makes you hot. It makes you be more slow to exercise as you will overheat quickly in a coat in a sun if you run around like a loon. You can still do time in the heat ...but it's not as easy as if you were not wearing a coat..
It doesn't affect you as badly as being brachycephalic does for heat management if your a dog...but it does affect the dogs in hot climates.
I live in QLD, Australia. Our "cold" weather is 16 to 20 degrees. Hot is 30 plus. We usually sit mid 20s where I live. My dogs are double coated and more active when it's cooler. They cope better then I do in the summer heat but we absolutely are more careful with the lappies v my other dogs to avoid heat stroke.

There's a hugh variation in the amount of coat the lapphunds who grow up in Oz v those who are in the artic climates. Here they are much smaller in coat ime. (barring those with neuter coats which is a whole different issue) even the imports adapted their coats quite quickly for the heat.

I'd clip without hesitation here if they were consistently struggling. Vanity/ a potential for cosmetic issues isn't a good enough reason to keep them uncomfortable if they are struggling in the heat.
Sunburn in dogs post clips is very uncommon. we have a lot of breeds that get clipped here ive never seen an actual sunburn in a clipped dog,only sunburn I've seen is on those without good pigment, not related to coats.
Heat stroke in the dog whos been exercised at a bad time of day or in high humidity is much more common...(And of course regularly in the smush faced breeds)
Some of the skin issues failure of hair to regrow post clip is due to hormonal disturbances. In some breeds alopecia x is seen even in the unclipped dogs. Its not always a ruined coat was caused by a clip. It's usually mutlifacorial. We do a lot of tick clips. that means- all off, all over with a near surgical blade on double coated dogs to try and find a paralysis before it kills the dog.. Poor regrowth is rarely an issue...unless the dog has other health issues. I've seen a lot of clipped double coats. It's pretty rare after a year that the coat hasn't returned to normal if lwft to regrow. I know several lappies who returned to full show coats and showing once the hair had grown back after tick clips. They looks rediculous midgrowth but they usually get there.. similar to b@itches having their coat recover post whelping.

The more beneficial clip for most dogs imo, is one to help them cool down quicker is the of the undercarriage, especially short over the major arteries under the legs so they they can lie over cooler surfaces-tiles cool matts to try and cool themselves as well as panting.

A fan and cooling the air they are intaking also would help.

 

[ihatework]

I am really surprised to read that long dogs struggle with the heat (I have litter to no experience with them) - I would have thought the short coats, long faces and low fat % would have helped to keep them cool much easier.

My black single coated slim pointy nosed terrier - utter heat seeker. Very tolerant and actively seeks the hottest spot.

Black spaniel, polar opposite. Exceptionally intolerant. Better clipped but still have to manage it. She feels the cold too though, so regrows coat during winter.

 

[Belmont]

I tried to resist the urge to comment on this topic but I feel so strongly about it and can't bear the misinformation out there.

It's a myth that double coated breeds cope well in the heat. A dog's coat is insulation and slows the movement of heat, it keeps them warm in the cold and even more warm in the heat!!
There's a small chance with double coated breeds that the coat may grown back abnormally, but I know I'd much prefer to have a dog with an abnormal coat, that may need to wear a fleece in the cold weather, than potentially put him at risk of heat stroke. Bottom line is, you won't cause your dog any harm by clipping, but you could cause harm by NOT clipping.

Although I'm not always his biggest fan, Dr David Marlin has done a lot of posts on this, here's just an example but there's plenty more

https://www.facebook.com/DrDavidMarlin/posts/pfbid04tYjnCLH7KYvHgryUhdhBRw7S6BR2PQtoe4UUSTuW1rjdgZ27FX5og62tMoiLE9Wl

 

[CorvusCorax]

I have clearly owned some unicorns, then.

 

[Gloi]

The opposite I think, lack of fluff and fat to insulate against the heat as well as cold.

That doesn't seem to work with ponies.