I did the unspeakable....

Nudibranch

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And belly clipped my rough collie this morning ?

I know many people argue the double coat insulates, but I really do think the showing contingent have gone too far breeding rough collie coats for volume. They are not at all like the dogs of the 50s/60s and imo there is potentially a health risk.

Mine has just suffered a seizure, triggered by the heat but not BCC or heatstroke itself. She's starting tests but I am not prepared to stand by and let it happen again. She is already groomed within an inch of her life to strip out as much undercoat as I can. She has access to cool shade all the time, is walked early and late, and is sprayed down regularly in hot weather but it still wasn't enough. It's a shame, because they should be a fit, healthy breed. The modern coat is far too heavy. She is from a very successful showing line, which makes me even more cross tbh! Their coats are not at all what nature gave them.

Fwiw she really enjoyed the clip and was much more sprightly afterwards. I used to clip my elderly longhaired dachshund and he was like a new dog afterwards.
 

FinnBobs

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Oh no poor thing! My three Roughs are not doing too bad in the heat but they all have quite different thickness of coat. Jerry has a much flatter and not so poofy coat and is his usual super active self albeit inside! Twinkle is spayed so her coat is very fine like candy floss. Lettie has the thickest coat and being tricolour I am being particularly careful with her. None have ever had a seizure though, that doesn't sound good :( I really hope she's ok. You're right they should be fit and healthy x
 
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My border/corgi old lad is really suffering in the heat. he has a thick double coat. They dont lend themselves to clipping do they
and he would probably have a coniption fit anyway!
 

CorvusCorax

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Mine probably won't be walked at all today, their heads won't fall off, if they do it'll be after 9pm, they had pee and a poo in the garden today and not out of the kennel since, nice and cool and dark in there.
 

P3LH

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I also clip the underbelly and bottom of my eldest sable rough collie. He doesn’t like being groomed there as he’s gotten older so it makes life easier for us both.
 

P3LH

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My other rough boy, blue and a throwback in a litter of smooths, has the cost of the old dogs and doesn’t have any of the problems.
 

P3LH

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That's the kind of collie I would be looking for next time!
Sadly he’s seven and was born before the KC revised their rulings and allowed for any rough born into a litter of smooths to be registered as a rough. So he was registered as a smooth and endorsed, despite being of great type and being CEA free at 6 weeks eye check. Red tape! I won’t have roughs when these two have gone because of him, he’s so great (albeit sensitive) in temperament and looks that I know I won’t have another like him so won’t.
 

Slightlyconfused

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My big collie is struggling today, he is long haired and as he hasn't been to the groomers since before lock down he hasn't had the blaster on his under coat to help get rid of it. There is only so much brushing I can do.


Sister wants to take the lot off, he is 15 but I'm worried about how it will grow back.
 

Nudibranch

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When I totally clipped the dachsie it always grew back ok. The texture felt different because the ends were blunt, but if you left him through a moult it came back normal and soft.
 

Slightlyconfused

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When I totally clipped the dachsie it always grew back ok. The texture felt different because the ends were blunt, but if you left him through a moult it came back normal and soft.


He is going for a socially distant groom on Saturday so will ask them as well.

He normally has the belly shaved off or shaved short and then a bloody good strip of his undercoat.

Not sure if we are going to get another heat wave this year as well so it's a conundrum ?
 

Blazingsaddles

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He is going for a socially distant groom on Saturday so will ask them as well.

He normally has the belly shaved off or shaved short and then a bloody good strip of his undercoat.

Not sure if we are going to get another heat wave this year as well so it's a conundrum ?

personally, I’d clip. If we have an unseasonable cold snap you can always stick a coat on him?
 

Moobli

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Rough collie coats are enormous these days, and totally unfunctional.

I had a longcoated GSD who got very hot in summer so I clipped his belly and inner back legs and he definitely benefited from it.
 
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