Your Dog’s Coat Insulates from Heat AND Cold
Your dog’s coat acts like the insulation in the walls of your house. Closest to your dog’s skin is a soft, downy undercoat that helps to keep your four-legged friend comfortable when the mercury rises or falls. The outer hairs, or guard hairs, are stiffer and protect your dog from elements like wind, water, sun, and debris.
Your dog’s outer guard hairs grow much slower than the soft undercoat. After shaving your dog, their hair will grow unevenly, and your pup will feel pretty uncomfortable. And if they scratch to relieve the itch, then they could damage their hair follicles and cause hair loss.
Just like humans, dogs can get sunburned. And like humans, dogs with lighter hair tend to have light or pink skin that’s more susceptible to sunburn. However, a dog’s fur protects them from the sun, and this is another reason not to shave your pup.
Any groomer knows that praising a dog with a new haircut is mandatory, and some dogs even seem to feel embarrassed in front of their dog buddies in some situations. Telltale signs that your dog is embarrassed are a tucked tail, flattened ears, and hiding.
Situations Where Shaving Your Dog’s Coat Can Be Beneficial
Though keeping your dog’s fur unshaved helps them be protected, there are cases where shaving your dog’s coat may be more beneficial to their health. However, most of these situations are temporary and shaving may only be indicated as part of a treatment for certain health conditions.
Dog’s that have a severe fungal or bacterial infection may benefit from having their coat shaved or trimmed short. Having a short or shaved coat in cases of severe infection can make the application of topical medications such as spray and shampoos easier and more effective. This also helps keep air circulate better, controlling the build-up of moisture from the infection.
Breeds with an undetermined length of hair will have continuous hair growth that needs to be cut or trimmed every so often. If not cut regularly, matted hair may eventually develop and can cause a multitude of skin problems. Dogs with matted fur will need to be shaved down to remove severely tangled hair and address any secondary skin problems caused by it.
However, despite these situations, shaving your dog down to the skin is not recommended as it leaves the skin too exposed to injuries and other problems. If your dog gets into a situation or condition where shaving may be needed, it’s best to leave at least one inch of hair or fur to retain some degree of protection. Shaving down to the skin may be needed in cases of severe localized infection, but should never be done for the dog’s whole body.
Shaving a Dog with a Double Coat Can Lead to Permanent Hair Damage
Most dogs have double coats. Dogs like the Newfoundland and Australian shepherd have pretty thick coats, but even smooth- and short-haired breeds like the basset hound and the whippet sport a double coat.
When you shave a double-coated dog, you run the risk of causing alopecia. This can present as patchy or widespread hair loss. Alopecia is often congenital, but damage to hair follicles can also trigger hair loss.
To shave, or not to shave your dog?
During hot, summer days when the ambient temperature is barely tolerable for us humans, we often imagine that our dogs, with all their thick hair, are probably feeling even worse. The tendency is for pet parents to bring their dogs to a groomer and have their fur shaved, thinking that this will help make them feel cooler during hot weather. But does shaving your dog actually help them cool off? Are there health repercussions in shaving off a dog’s fur? There has been a long-standing debate among dog owners regarding the benefits and health risks of shaving dogs. Let’s discuss in detail the function of a dog’s coat and what happens when you shave it off.
Unlike in humans where we have one hair per follicle, dogs usually have around 5 to 20 hairs per follicle, depending on the breed. The hair is constantly being replaced by newer ones, with the older one falling off on its own through different growth stages.
Different coat types in dogs depend on the breed, but they can generally be classified into 2 types: single-coated breeds and double-coated breeds. Single-coated breeds have a single layer of hair on their skin, which can appear smooth, flat, wired, hard, or a combination of these properties. Double-coated breeds, on the other hand, have a soft undercoat and a sturdier and longer outer coat.
Additionally, dog coats are divided into two major categories – those with undetermined lengths and those with predetermined lengths. Breeds with coats that have undetermined lengths, often called hair, will grow continuously unless cut. Breeds with coats that have determined lengths, commonly termed as fur, will grow to a specific length, then stop growing altogether.