I have to agree 100% with Duncan.
There are alternatives to shaving down a full double coated breed like a retriever and GSD. It is true that a double coated breed will be hot in the summer time. The average dog owner does not have the equipment to fully remove that undercoat and leave the guard hairs. Even with the furminator some of the undercoat is going to remain. What I recommend to clients opposed to a shave down is allowing me to remove their undercoat, which a heavy brushing, good bath, and HIGH VELOCITY DRYER again followed by an intensive brushing, will help me remove the undercoat. The dryer is the key, and the average owner does not have a professional strength dryer that blasts the water off and removes the loose hairs. Start to finish a dog the size of a golden will take me 2 hours to fully remove that warm undercoat. And this does mean that I shave (for this I use a 10 blade or 1mm, not a 40 which would be like a surgical blade removing the fur right down to the skin) the belly so that when they are lying down they have the cool ground on their belly.
However there are always exceptions to the rule. I find that almost all terriers either coated or wire haired typically do not suffer from a nice summer cut. The photos Dekka showed are what I would typically do to a Jack or other terrier type dog. BUT the photo of the shaved Saint Bernard made me cringe. I would refuse to shave a Saint down with a 10 blade. Yes, I would lose a client, and they most likely would go to another groomer who saw the dollar signs, but it wouldn't be me. That dog would have done nicely with an undercoat grooming, trimming of the longer furs with shears, not CLIPPERS. On a heavily undercoated breed like a Saint the undercoat DOES grow back faster than the guard hairs. You are left with a fluffier looking dog when the cut starts to grow out because of this. The guard hairs will help keep the sun off of the dog and reflect the heat away from the skin.
Yes, hot spots are more common in the summer time, and people will see a difference when there dog is shaved down. There are several reasons for this. 1. FLEAS! The number one reason hot spots occur are because of fleas. When a dog is shaved down it is easier to tell that they have fleas and the problem is taken care of before the fleas have irritated the skin to the point that hot spots will occur. 2. Like I have said earlier the average owner thinks that their own grooming regime has removed all of the loose undercoat and the matted undercoat, but infact some still remains. Sure, you are brushing and no more is coming out, but let me dry that dog with my HV dryer and I guarentee you that you will be amazed at how much more fur I can remove. That undercoat can get wet and help retain the moisture next to the dogs skin and this can cause a hotspot. Or the matted undercoat can cause pulling and be itchy and the dog chewing and licking at the fur can irritate the skin and cause a hot spot. A healthy immune system on a well groomed dog will not have hot spots---but of course there will always be one or two that will be the exception to the rule.
One of my dearest friends has a golden who she does prefer shaved down in the summer time. We have discussed the issues around this and have come to an agreement. She lives on a lake and during the summer her dog is in the water for hours on end. So in and out of the house with long wet golden fur was becoming a problem. So we clip her down with a #4, and everyone is happy. The fur does dry faster and there is no more wet dog trying to cuddle in at night!
I see many many MANY dogs a day year round. Whether they be the dogs that come for daycare, boarding, shoping for retail with their owners, or on my grooming table. A properly groomed heavily double coated breed typically shows no more suffering from the heat than a shaved down version of the same breed. Interestingly enough people always say that there dog enjoys being shaved down. But how many people have the privledge of having several of the same breed living in their home half shaved down and half professionally groomed to see the difference between the 2?
And Dekka, no I don't get the chance to go and watch sporting events. But like I already have said wire coated breeds typically do not have the same results as a border collie for example, when they are clipped. If a BC had their undercoat removed, clean the fur from the belly and trim with shears the longer 'pants', etc, I do believe that they would be as comfortable as their shaved down counterparts.
Oh, and on a final note. If people still believe that there dog is happier being shaved, than by all means. Maybe they are happier shaved, and we all know our own dogs better than others. But when you go to you take your dog to be groomed remember that a groomer does not have to shave your dog down with a 10 blade. We have several options for shaving down at many different lengths. A #5 is still very short, but still leaves a little length (approx. 5 mm) to protect from the elements when they are expossed to them. I find that often too many groomers will grabe that 10 blade because it cuts throught the fur like butter avoiding any matting making the job so much easier---but completely unnecessary. A good groomer will discuss the pros and cons and help you give the best treatment to your dog, no matter how long the job takes to get done. And if any of you have a groomer who doesn't have all of the typical grooming blades, then find another groomer!!! A professional groomer will be able to offer you any length and style that you want.
Well, I thought I was finished, but thought of a few more things that I wanted to add.
I have the privledge of grooming with one of Canada's top mini schnauzer breeder. Of course I had been taught that a wire coated breed who is consistently clipped vs. hand stripped will experience coat changes. The coat will grow in softer over time and will change color. She has seen this happen time and time again with schnauzers over the decades that she has been working with her dogs and others.
And this has already been pointed out, a coated breed like a poodle or shih tzu have very different fur than a GSD or husky. Regular grooming and clipping of this fur does not ruin the top guard furs over an undercoat like the husky. And personally, I do not see a problem with owners keeping these dogs trimmed when they are typically a coated breed. And by trimmed I mean a #4 or #5 and maybe even a #7. You can almost watch these breeds mat up. Poodles can be a very appealing dog to different owners and just because they choose to have their dog groomed every 4-8 weeks keeping the coat at a easily maintained level does not bother me in the least (even aside from the $ I make from grooming them). Any day I would rather see a well groomed dog than a dog suffering from a horrible coat condition. Should they have considered that regualr brushing when they decided to bring their coated breed home? Yes, they should have, and maybe the conclusion was having regular standing apts. with the groomer. I see nothing wrong with this.
At the end of the day whether a dog has been shaved down that I don't believe should have been does not rock my world. There are so many more things like neglect, mistreatment, poor diets, etc that bother me more than someone choosing to shve down their collie. While I think there are other ways to address the problem, what I like to see the most is a dog who is well understood, loved and part of the family.
