# Not sure about shaving GSD???



## Flynn (Jan 15, 2013)

Good morning GSD Friends,
We have 3 GSD's. My 3yr old and 2yr old never seem to be bothered by the heat. My 4 1/2 month old puppy is a different story. He is a longer haired shepherd but has not reached that point yet. He is constantly panting and whimpering when he gets to hot.....It does not take much for him to get to hot...lol! I really don't want to shave him because 1) I want to see how his colors come in 2)I don't want it to mess up how his fur grows in and 3) I don't want him to be "embarrassed".....What are your thoughts on shaving a GSD?


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## girardid (Aug 13, 2015)

you most definitely do not want to shave a gsd especially if he has an undercoat.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I would never do it or suggest it.


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## Flynn (Jan 15, 2013)

Gotcha! Thank you, that's all I needed to hear!


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## girardid (Aug 13, 2015)

Flynn said:


> He is constantly panting and whimpering when he gets to hot.....It does not take much for him to get to hot...lol!


younger dogs are not as used to their environments as adult dogs.
I got my pup in late summer early fall and all was well. he really started to grow in the winter and we spent between at least 1 and sometimes up to 3 hours a day outside walking playing ball or running even in single digits and below 0 degree weather. he was always fine. then when it warmed up to the 30s i noticed him tiring out quicker. so we simply adjusted out exercise to be shorter. he eventually got used to it and we were back to a never enough mentality then the same thing happened in the 50s and he adjusted it was a tad slower but he did it. now he has slowed down again with the weather consistently in the 60s or 70s but is starting to adjust. 

what you have to do is make sure to not over work him and keep hydrated. When you see him slow down go back inside for a nice cool nap.

dogs dont regulate body temp like we do. We sweat and when that sweat evaporates its takes energy with it and we feel this as a cooling sensation like when wind blows over wet skin. Since dogs dont sweat there is no reason to shave them. Theyre body works hard to cool iself through panting. Think of an AC unit in your car. Will you have to crank it higher to stay cool if your windows are open or if they are close and your car is well insulated. 
If he is shaved he will have to work harder to cool down as his body is not insulated to keep the heat out.


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## brandydan (May 7, 2015)

Flynn said:


> Good morning GSD Friends,
> We have 3 GSD's. My 3yr old and 2yr old never seem to be bothered by the heat. My 4 1/2 month old puppy is a different story. He is a longer haired shepherd but has not reached that point yet. He is constantly panting and whimpering when he gets to hot.....It does not take much for him to get to hot...lol! I really don't want to shave him because 1) I want to see how his colors come in 2)I don't want it to mess up how his fur grows in and 3) I don't want him to be "embarrassed".....What are your thoughts on shaving a GSD?



We live in southernmost TX (many here call it northern MX). Anyway...always hot. Easily reaches over 90 before March. 

My three dogs hate the heat, and all have heavy coats. My scotty is lucky enough that I clip him, but the other two (shiloh and sheltie) actually NEED their coats to protect from the sun and BUGS (mosquitoes here are vectors for lots of nasty things).

My shiloh's trainer suggested keeping their pads clear. Shaving the dog won't really help since they only really 'sweat from their feet. I get rid of all the fuzzy stuff between their toes. It's not much, but it's something. 

Like others here mentioned, keep water out at all times. My guys seem to like the chunks of ice I place in their bowls during the day. For some reason, my shiloh would go out of his way to wade through any puddle he could access, so we added a small kiddie pool and keep it in the shade. Even just getting their feet wet helps cool them down.

And brush that coat. It'll help ease out the puppy fur (take pictures; that lovely fuzzy puppy doesn't last long)


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## Jiffylush (Apr 19, 2016)

brandydan said:


> We live in southernmost TX (many here call it northern MX). Anyway...always hot. Easily reaches over 90 before March.
> 
> My three dogs hate the heat, and all have heavy coats. My scotty is lucky enough that I clip him, but the other two (shiloh and sheltie) actually NEED their coats to protect from the sun and BUGS (mosquitoes here are vectors for lots of nasty things).
> 
> ...


The kiddie pool is a great idea, and if you dig a bit of a hole for it they are less likely to flip it over and/or drag it around the yard.

Might be a good idea to make sure they have some access to shade, even if it's just under some patio furniture.


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## Coleen (Sep 18, 2015)

Pet Grooming: The Good, The Bad, & The Furry: Shaving a Shepard

Here's a link to shaving a gsd. I also gave pic.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

https://albertnorthvetclinic.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/shaving-your-dogs-coat-should-you-or-shouldnt-you/

Here is an interesting infograph that helps explain how the double coat and the sun work together,


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## HappyGoLucky (Apr 7, 2016)

Coleen said:


> Pet Grooming: The Good, The Bad, & The Furry: Shaving a Shepard
> 
> Here's a link to shaving a gsd. I also gave pic.


It better be photoshop otherwise these people are mean! lol

Shaved he looks like a cross between shepherd (of some sort), boxer, poodle and something else


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

Last year my vet shaved Nitro's coat off in search of a tick (he is on Nexgard, no ticks were found). Ok, it was a vet shaving him, not a groomer, and he looked terrible. It took 4 months for his coat to grow back in and initially he had to wear a teeshirt to avoid sunburn. Apart from a valid medical reason, I wouldn't shave a german shepherd.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Yeah I could not shave a German shepherd. We had a King Charles who had a ridiculous amount of hair we always shaved her in the warmer weather and she was so much more comfortable. My mom once shaved our collie who had a very heavy coat when she was a very old gal. She looked hideous as the shaving job was awful but she was much more comfortable that summer and it grew back. I would shave an older really heavy long coated shepherd who was really uncomfortable in the summer. Shaving a stock coated German shepherd I can't see a reason for it.


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