# Shaving coaties



## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

I heard that your not supposed o shave German shepherd EVER is this true?

Is it okay to gie a coated German shepherds a shave for the summer?


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

I would not.... unless it is for health reasons for the dog or for example, someone in the house has asthma and just cannot deal with the floating hair.


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## KayElle (Mar 1, 2010)

OMG!!! Please, for the health of your dog, DO NOT shave it!! The coat acts as an insulator against the cold AND the heat!!! Shaving your coatie would just make them hotter because you would remove the dog's insulation!!!! I have a long stock coat and a stock coat. In the summer, they both do fine.


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## wilbanks17 (Feb 11, 2011)

No, only for a health reason when instructed to do so by a Vet!


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## Heagler870 (Jun 27, 2009)

When I worked at petco someone brought in a shepherd and had it shaved. The groomer strongly advised for the owner to not shave it but they insisted. Poor thing looked horrid when it was finished


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

NEVER shave a GSD! As the above posters say, you would only consider it for medical reasons, or if the coat is so intensely matted there is no way to get a grooming tool through it. I had a long coated shepherd once, and when he went to the groomer I had her trim off some of the excess hair behind his ears, legs and from under his belly. (Note: I said trim, not shave.) That kept him looking neat, and eliminated the problem of him picking up burrs, dirt, and in the winter "snowballs", which would adhere to the longer hair. 
________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD 
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel:


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## krystyne73 (Oct 13, 2010)

No! Don't! We had a groomer at our store and she refused to shave any GSD as well as other breeds. It can cause skin problems. It's like sticking the sun right on their back.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

Yikes I met someone who shaved their German Shepherd who lived near by me when I had my apartment. The dog ended up getting sunburn on its body... BAD idea to shave the dog


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

I think you have your answer, but just to add one more...NO, its not ok to shave a GSD.


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## TheNamesNelson (Apr 4, 2011)

GSDs are not supposed to be shaved. It won't help them any, it may harm them actually. 

Also, they would look so incredibly stupid.


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## CLARKE-DUNCAN (Apr 8, 2011)

I often joke around saying that Nero could do with a shearing as his coat is so thick and long! But would I ever do it Absolutely not! How silly would he look! I agree with Willbanks, the only time a shepherd should be shaved is when it's for medical purposes! Nero does suffer in the summer with the heat, We freeze a tray of ice-cubes in the freezer and let him chomp on these to cool him down a little!


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## GSD MOM (Apr 21, 2010)

OK, now that you see that shaving is not something you should do, may I ask why you were considering it?? Maybe we can help you with other options..


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## My2Furkids (Sep 21, 2010)

Question regarding shaving... My little man had a spinal tap back in January, so the vet had to shave a rather large patch of his lumbar region. His coat has STILL not grown back! Any thoughts or experiences as to how long it will take his fur to grow back in?


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

To keep our dogs cool in the summer, I soak them with the hose in front of the house before we go out on our walks. 
I too wonder if they were shaved completely, how long it would take for their fur to grow back...


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

My2Furkids said:


> Any thoughts or experiences as to how long it will take his fur to grow back in?


IME, it depends on the dog. Just like with human hair, their fur grows at different rates. Is it growing some or not at all?


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## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

Jax's Mom said:


> To keep our dogs cool in the summer, I soak them with the hose in front of the house before we go out on our walks.
> I too wonder if they were shaved completely, how long it would take for their fur to grow back...


Before I knew not to shave GSDs, I shaved mine as instructed by a groomer... it took MONTHS for her fur to grow back, and the fur of her saddle never grew back right, the undercoat did, but the top coat didn't..


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## My2Furkids (Sep 21, 2010)

gsdraven said:


> IME, it depends on the dog. Just like with human hair, their fur grows at different rates. Is it growing some or not at all?


It has been four months, and we have MAYBE a half inch of growth? I knew it would be slow, but this seems a little strange


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## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

Thank you everyone. I would NEVER have him! I LOVE his long coat!! I actually asked out of cureosity a to if it was the same rule for long coats as it is with short coats after someone said "wow he is hairy your gonna have to shave him for the summer," I laughed and said " umm NO," I figured you couldnt shave a coatie but I wanted to ask..... The only shaving I would concider is a sanatairy clip but I would be worried about doing that


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

APBTLove said:


> Before I knew not to shave GSDs, I shaved mine as instructed by a groomer... it took MONTHS for her fur to grow back, and the fur of her saddle never grew back right, the undercoat did, but the top coat didn't..


Double coated breeds like the GSD don't shed the top coat the same way as the undercoat, or the way breeds that ARE shaved shed and grow hair. So this is a definite danger when shaving a GSD, there are some dogs that the guard hairs never grow back normally.


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## CHawkins (Jul 12, 2010)

The only shaving I'd have done on a shepherd is a hygiene cut when needed.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Shaving can make them hotter, and it removes the outer coat/guard hairs which protects them from sun, wind and debris. The outer coat is harsher than the undercoat and protective, and double coated breeds shed a lot of undercoat for the summer which creates an insulating layer, while allowing air flow between the dog's skin and the outer coat. 

If you want to help your dog keep cooler, it is better to leave the outer coat intact (no shaving) and remove as much of the undercoat as possible by brushing or using an undercoat rake or other tool. The Furminator is another option but be careful with that as it can break the hairs off and if you overdo it you can hurt the dog's skin or end up taking too much fur out. 
Taking them to the groomer for a bath (NOT a shave!) can also help because bathing helps to loosen the undercoat, and if they use a forced-air dryer it also removes a lot of undercoat. Some groomers will do a "de- shedding treatment" such as Furminator Shed-Less treatment which helps get out a lot of the loose undercoat.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

My2Furkids said:


> Question regarding shaving... My little man had a spinal tap back in January, so the vet had to shave a rather large patch of his lumbar region. His coat has STILL not grown back! Any thoughts or experiences as to how long it will take his fur to grow back in?


Yes, that is normal for a GSD. Might take six months or more for the coat to grow back - just one more reason why shaving a GSD is not a good idea.

Hope your little man is doing okay!


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

I find this incredibly interesting. We had a golden for many years and shaved him every summer; he really seemed like he felt a lot cooler (though the first time we did this he acted very sheepish, as if he was embarrassed about being naked. Though some of that could also have to do with the cone he was wearing because he'd also recently had an ear surgery and had been neutered recently). I recently asked my mother (who has owned a GSD before) if she thought I should get Sasha shaved this summer and her response was a resounding no! lol I would have never thought about the difference between her coat and his coat making a difference, but apparently my mom was right.


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## 4TheDawgies (Apr 2, 2011)

My shortest coat German Shepherd female had to get shaved on her belly for her spay. It has taken 2 months now and its barely even half way grown back.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Goldens should not be shaved either. They have a double coat too.


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## PupperLove (Apr 10, 2010)

The only type of dog IMO, and maybe this is true, that should be shaved is a dog who's hair is 'wire type,' non-shedding, or keeps growing at a steady pace. I believe that the non-shedding breeds hair tends to keep on growing, but most shedding breeds like labs, GSD, Goldens, etc. grow their coat to it's genetic length and it stops where it's supposed to.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

No such thing as non shedding... Even humans shed


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## AutismDogGirl (Oct 7, 2010)

Lin said:


> No such thing as non shedding... Even humans shed


Loot at is so true


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## Ron Short (Mar 25, 2011)

I used to keep Chows and we would shave their belly in the summer to help them out... They loved to lay on the cool ceramic tile after that...


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

Wire haired dogs should not be shaved either, it ruins the texture of the coat and makes it very difficult to get the 'correct' wirey coat later. Wire-haired breeds usually have a harsh outer coat and softer inner coat, and if they're shaved they end up sometimes with cottony/soft coats because the wirey outer coat does not grow back properly. Wire-coated dogs are generally 'stripped' which involves removing the soft hairs so the coat is properly harsh.
IMO Single-coated breeds are the only ones where shaving is generally okay. They do not have an undercoat, so it's not as much of an issue but even with them I would not shave too short because the hair still protects their skin from the sun/wind... They also often have very long hair so they need to be shaved or trimmed unless you want to care for a floor-length coat of hair.


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## My2Furkids (Sep 21, 2010)

Castlemaid said:


> Yes, that is normal for a GSD. Might take six months or more for the coat to grow back - just one more reason why shaving a GSD is not a good idea.
> 
> Hope your little man is doing okay!


He's doing OK... Now I'm just mad at the vet for shaving such a large area!  They shaved easily 1/3 of his back when he was only 3 months old - I'm gonna be really upset if he has a messed up coat for his whole life!


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

I'm late to this one, but I've always considered the basic grooming/shedding as part of the dog ownership. If the dog has long hair then it's going to haved to be brushed. Sometimes frequently.

I've seen samoyeds, goldens, huskies, and yes...even a smooth coated border collie shaved; and usually think...there's another dog in a home done without research on the breed.

Medical reasons aside of course.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

There's a family in my neighborhood who had two rough Collies who were ALWAYS shaved. I hated to see that, Collies have such beautiful full coats but these dogs were never allowed to grow their coats out. They looked awful, the fur was all dull, beige and cottony (undercoat) looking rather than the pretty shiny bright colors it would have been in full coat.
I never understood why get ROUGH Collies and shave them when there are SMOOTH Collies which already have short fur!


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## VegasResident (Oct 4, 2006)

Never ever ever shave a coatie. Mine does fine where I live. The vet once had to shave his whole tummy and nethers...omgosh it can take forever to grown back.


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