# To clip or not to clip?



## Greg (Jun 23, 2010)

Been in the mid 90's here in Virginia for awhile now. Was thinking about trimming my 9 yr. old female down to about an inch overall of hair. She spends the hot part of the day in the a/c but clearly get's warm when we are out walking always late in the day. Any thoughts?


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

Not to clip!! A double coated dog (such as the GSD) should NEVER be shaved or trimmed down! If you shave her down you'll actually make her MORE hot because you're taking away her outer coat which protects her from the heat beating down on her as bad.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

The GSD coat is there to protect from sun as well as cold. Generally no clipping should be done. They can get every skin problem under the sun without their coat. And, being nine, it may never grow back properly. 

Instead brush her daily, give her plenty of water. Keep the coat clean, and brushed. Keep her in the house in the AC.


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

Greg said:


> Been in the mid 90's here in Virginia for awhile now. Was thinking about trimming my 9 yr. old female down to about an inch overall of hair. She spends the hot part of the day in the a/c but clearly get's warm when we are out walking always late in the day. Any thoughts?


 
NO, do not cut the hair at all.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Definitely NO! Stosh is long coated and people have asked why I don't clip him but selzer and the others are right!


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## Uniballer (Mar 12, 2002)

I agree about not clipping. You may want to change your routine when it is too hot for your dog to go for your normal walk. I currently have a 13 yo GSD who looks and probably feels terrible when it gets hot. I feed him ice cubes to lower his body core temperature and he is very happy with that. My young dog likes eating them too, but it is not so important for his health.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Is she a longhair or a shorthair?

I have clipped longhair GSDs before, upon owner request. But I don't particularly like doing it. I wouldn't want to clip a regular stock coat GSD, there's really no point in it.

There's an age-old argument against shaving double-coated dogs, but having been a groomer for about 20 years, I can honestly say that of the thousands of times I've clipped down double coats (Aussies, Border Collies, Goldens, coated mixed breeds, etc etc etc) none have suffered the ill effects people talk about (heat exhaustion, sunburn, hair not growing back, etc.). In fact, their owners report that the dogs seem cooler, happier, more energy, and generally feels better. Of course, I don't just scalp the dogs; I leave them with an appropriate amount of hair to protect them from sunburn, etc.

But it only makes a difference if there is a lot of long, thick hair to begin with. If the dog already has short hair, there's no need to clip. If someone asked me to clip a short stock coat GSD, I don't know if I would have the heart to do it unless it was something the vet recommended for a skin condition. I did that for a Lab once. Shaving a Lab--can you imagine? He had a skin condition and the vet had recommended it, but I didn't like doing it. It was one of the hardest shavedowns I have ever done.

Long story short (so to speak), a shorthaired dog does NOT need to be clipped. Just removing the undercoat with brushing/furminating will be sufficient to keep excess hair off so that the dog can cool down.


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## Greg (Jun 23, 2010)

Thanks, she is not long hair. She gets very hot on walks and just wanted to cool her down a bit. Seems it is very much what not to do. Thanks again.


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## Greg (Jun 23, 2010)

Thanks! Will not clip, shorten the walks and keep her in


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## Greg (Jun 23, 2010)

Thanks all, will not clip. Was just a thought but not a good one at that.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

walk her early in the morning and late in the evening.
a short midday walk. short walks and bring water for her.



Greg said:


> Thanks, she is not long hair. She gets very hot on walks and just wanted to cool her down a bit. Seems it is very much what not to do. Thanks again.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Greg said:


> Thanks all, will not clip. Was just a thought but not a good one at that.


Just shows you care about your pup and are thinking about ways to keep her cool; so it's a good question to ask! 

You could also get a kiddie pool for her to romp in after her walks.


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## fkeeley (Aug 31, 2006)

Freestep said:


> Just shows you care about your pup and are thinking about ways to keep her cool; so it's a good question to ask!
> 
> You could also get a kiddie pool for her to romp in after her walks.


My gsd loves the sprinkler! We have a kiddie pool for her if we can't make it to the lake but she actually rather jump the sprinkler. Gets her soak and wet, cool and she loves it. And yes walk early am and late pm.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I wouldn't clip her down either if she is a shorter coat,,a long coat, I 'may' thin them out some, but wouldn't clip down.

My saucy aussie, has hair like a wooly mammoth,,she is 11 years old, and this is the first summer I decided to clip her some,,she is soooo much happier with a shorter cut, not bald by any means, just really thinned out and 'shorter'..


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## dogless (Jan 7, 2005)

What about clipping just the tummy hair? I have heard this and actually thought of doing it once. Both my GSD's have been long coats, and it seems like it gets especially hot and moist on their belly in the heat, kind of between their hind legs, and I'm afraid of a skin infection. It seems like it takes that hair a long time to try after swimming or playing in water. 

Plus it would enable them to feel the cool floors better if their tummy was trimmed.

Whats the opinion on trimming the belly hair only?


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I would trim belly hair,,my aussie as I said, has ALOT of long hanging belly coat, I just put her on a table, and cut it short.. 

So yes, if I had a long haired gsd, who had long belly hair, I would probably trim it in the summer if I felt it would cool her down some..

For the "pants", you can get a thinning rake, and thin some of that out vs cutting it..


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

dogless said:


> Plus it would enable them to feel the cool floors better if their tummy was trimmed.
> 
> Whats the opinion on trimming the belly hair only?


Yes, I have done a lot of that also. Especially on thin, older dogs that really need their hair for protection, a belly shave (armpits-chest-belly-groin) helps them soak up coolness from the floor, without taking away their protection from the elements. It's a really nice alternative to clipping the whole dog, especially when they have a lot of long feathering underneath that tends to mat.

I like to trim up the britches of such dogs as well. Some dogs like Goldens, Aussies, etc. grow a ton of hair on the back of the rear legs, which does nothing but cause trouble. Trimming this hair up closer to the body will do wonders for keeping the dog clean and free of burrs, tangles, poop, etc. I have one Aussie client who gets a "grizzy bear butt" every time she comes in--I don't clip her body hair, but trim the butt hair drastically, and it ends up looking like a grizzly's butt.  Really cute.


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

ChancetheGSD said:


> Not to clip!! A double coated dog (such as the GSD) should NEVER be shaved or trimmed down! If you shave her down you'll actually make her MORE hot because you're taking away her outer coat which protects her from the heat beating down on her as bad.


 
:thumbup: This is correct!!! Do NOT clip!


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