Would it be really wrong to clip my dog?

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lilly1

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I know this weather is not likely to last long however my old boy really suffers in the heat. He is 13 and a lab x collie so while not long haired has masses of it. Honestly he seems to have got more hairy with age and has it sprouting all over the place! My house isn’t particularly warm either but he's panting away right now and was all last night. I'm really tempted to get the horse clippers on him so apart from looking ridiculous is there any valid reasons why I shouldn’t?
 
If there was then there wouldn't be many dog groomers about :D
If you can get your hands on some smaller 'dog' clippers, it would be much quieter for him and less bulky/big for you, but otherwise just make sure you get all the knots out first (especially under elbows, behind ears etc) so you don't pull him and you get an even clip :)
 
My two where clipped for the first time ever today,eldest is 12. He has been poorly recently but when I brought him home he went literally barking mad and buried himself in the cold grass before going mad again.

So glad I did it
 
We clip our oldie every year - he's 15 now - it's not the prettiest clip mind but it helps him keep cool. We do use dog trimmers though as opposed to horse clippers, they would clip far too close and bald him I think!!!
 
It really depends on the coat, a Border Collies coat is double coated and is there to protect against both the cold and the heat, It helps to keep the sun off the skin and prevent sunburn. I would never cut any of my Border Collies coats, my oldest is 14 years old now and has a really big coat, he's actually happy in hot weather. What I do is brush out the dead undercoat with an undercoat rake, this helps keep them a bit cooler, it's the top coat that protects against the sun and heat and this is what you would cut if you clip your dog.
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I clip my bordrre collie with horse clippers - cordless and very quiet and he doesnt mind it at all - did it mainly due to all the rain and muddy fields as he would have never dried out before getting wet again !. He doesnt have a long or thick coat but has feathery legs etc - I take off back of legs and belly and then thin out the rest - basically removing all the hanging hair that gets dirty and wet and I also just go lightly over his coat - just taking off the excess but leaving the undercoat - he looks like a puppy afterwards - he is 12.
 
My mals and samoyed should never be clipped despite having heavy double coats. If they are clipped it affects their temperature control, and they could over heat. I think its the same with yours (the collie bit).

So even in this heat, it's a no from me.

Try giving him a paddling pool to play/wallow in, ice cubes, frozen fruit, frozen yoghurt, a fan etc.
 
He is an old dog, if panting is a new thing for him, maybe you should take him to the vet for a checkup ?

Sometime ago one of my dogs acted like this and she wasn't very well. It was nothing to do with the hot weather.
 
I'm tempted to clip Jack out if the weather is set to stay. He's always been a sun worshiper but this year he's really struggling. He's panting, hiding in the coldest spot in the house etc and VERY grumpy with the other two.
 
See ours is a collie x (terrier possibly??) but his coat is very thick and he visibly changes when it's hot - he gets lethargic and wants to get in the water on any walk. Once he's clipped he changes demeanour and is much livelier. He also suffers in the wet as well as he doesn't really shake anymore so he takes hours and hours to dry out. In the winter this can cause issues as he gets cold then. In the summer, if he's clipped it means when and if he does got for a dip he dries out a lot quicker.
 
Well I tried to day and failed. My heavy duty horse clippers couldn’t do the business. I think I’m going to take him to the dog groomers and see if they give him a short back and sides! I don’t think he’s unwell; he just doesn’t cope well in the heat and seems to get slightly worse every year. He will take himself in to the shade though thankfully. I will give ice pops a go as he loves his grub.
 
well i had a border x rough collie and he had an enormous coat -i used to shave him right down every summer -he looked rediculous but stayed nice and cool and his coat grew back perfectly:D
 
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