Clipping a long haired GS

gettingready

OK, this time of the year again and Zara seem to be really uncomfortable from the heat - inside and outside.

So booked for for the groomers for a bath etc and also spoke about clipping her.

Not completely to the skin but - quite a lot.

Has anyone done this with a German Shepherd?

Though I decided, then cam across this:

http://petgroomingthegoodthebadthefurry.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/shaving-shepard.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225790/A-close-shave-German-Shepherd-Simba-left-shivering-grooming-salon-staff-shave-coat-permission.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Oh dear... terrible, isn't t?

I do not think I can do it to Zara...


With all good intentions (she is too hot_ - to make her look like this????


Any thoughts?

Sukey

I have a long and double coated breed and I wouldn't clip them off. They are designed to be that way. Have a look at this link http://www.examiner.com/article/why-you-shouldn-t-shave-your-double-coated-dog

gettingready

Thanks - I read that (and other similar articles) before and will not shave my girl....

I know some people that do but .. she is so gorgeous as she is, can not imagine her with short fur...

Fosterdog

As Sukey said and the links you posted, GS coats shouldn't be clipped unless it's for medical reasons.

I do understand that they get very hot, mine are standard haired and my girl doesn't cope well in the heat so I can't imagine how bad your girl gets with a long coat. But they do manage to live in much hotter climates than anywhere in the UK so.

With mine in warm weather we make sure there are always shaded areas for them to go, indoors and out, my girl likes to sleep on the cold tile kitchen floor with no bed when it's hot. We keep fans on and running in the main rooms of the house. We have a kiddie paddling pool in the garden they can get into if or when they want and the hosepipe ready if they need cooling. We have a second water bowl that we put ice cubes in with the water so they have room temperature or cold water to drink. Frozen kongs also help cool them.

Other than that we just generally keep an eye on them for signs of heatstroke, keep towels on hand in case we need to soak them in cold water and put them over a hot dog. Keep them indoors or in a very shaded area through the hottest part of the days and only walk them in cooler hours.

gettingready

I do not have a garden so when I am at work Zara stays inside the flat.

Her walk with a dog walker is now down to one hour (since last Monday) so she is picked up 10:30ish, walks 11-12 and then dropped off around 12:30 at home.

They walk near water so she always cools down there.

I have just been out with her now, at 19:00 and she is lying down on the cold floor breathing really heavy...all that fur

Fosterdog

Aww poor girl.

How about making some meat lollies for her? Mince or blend some meat, mix with water and freeze into ice lollies. Same could be done with veg.

MrsAtobe

How about a bandana around her neck, soaked with water and rung out? It seems to help our Welsh Springer last summer, even though he has far less coat than Zara.

krlyr

It's like household insulation - which keeps the house warm in winter but cool in summer. If you put your hand on the surface of a dog laying in the sun, it will be warm (especially a black dog!) but if you move it underneath the fur it will be cooler. If you clip the fur short, that direct heat will be on her skin and not on her coat.

Mine do seem to feel the heat, but wouldn't have been struggling in today's weather. I know she's often at the vet for her hips, but I would maybe consider having her checked out - heart, lungs, etc. as I'm not sure it's really warm enough for her to be breathing heavy, unless your flat is exceptionally hot!

One thing I would maybe consider is her fitness level - she doesn't get a lot of off-lead time from what I recall. Maybe she is just unfit from the kind of exercise she has, and therefore in warmer weather she is feeling the effects of exercise a bit more? I don't mean that as anything against you or your care of her, I understand what it's like to have dogs that are confined to leads/longlines, I just wonder if maybe speaking to a dog physio or a vet about an exercise plan to build her fitness levels might benefit (providing she's given a clean bill of health) more than shaving her coat?

gettingready

Not sure what you mean by not getting much off lead exercise? I think about 2.5 - 4 (with more light now)hours per day off lead is about right for Zara, no? Scratching head....

She does not see anyone about her hips either, both were done and seem to be fine so no need to keep on seeing a vet.

But she had all blood tests done (the usual set) before her last Onsior prescription and all was fine.

I guess with Zara heading for 8 years (August) she is getting on a bit....

My flat is at steady 22 degrees so perhaps... scratching head again, hmmmm

elsien

The Daily Mail article made me laugh, although that wasn't the intention.


Yes the dog looked funny, due to the shaved bod and the hairy head.
But him getting "depressed" because he's a sensitive soul and people are laughing at him? What a load of cobblers.


(Bit of a side track to your question, but really!)

krlyr

The last post I recall reading about her exercise said about the hour with the dog walker and that you were walking her on lead a few times a day, I guess it has changed since then obviously. Again with the hips, maybe I'm thinking of older posts.