Any and all home owners with furry friends know shedding can make a mess and one of the most asked questions we get before a home owner wants to sell is, how to stop shedding disasters? To shave or not to shave: that is the question that plagues many dog owners who are sick of cleaning up after their pets when they leave furry trails on everything they touch. Can I shave my dog to stop shedding? It might seem obvious that shaving will immediately solve your dog hair problem, but few realize just how much they endanger their pets’ lives when they brutally take away the only form of protection they have against the elements. To better understand why shaving your dog can sometimes cause them a lot of harm, it is important to learn the physiological differences between them and us.

Skin and Coats

Dogs have very thin skin, much thinner than ours, and are therefore more susceptible to a wide range of threats. Wound Wear knows they need their coats, not just to keep warm, but also to deflect harsh sun rays and to protect their delicate skin from injury. If you think shaving your dog in the summer to keep him/her cool is a good idea, you’ll be shocked to find out that leaving them that exposed in the heat actually worsens everything as they become more prone to sunburns and insect bites. Remember, dog skin is very delicate so everything that can damage it will.

Still, many wonder why it’s not okay to shave their dog’s coat even when they’re leaving hair all over the place. The reason why dogs shed hair in the first place is that every single follicle on their skin has more than one hair and all of them are perpetually in different stages of maturity. Dog fur grows through a repetitive and overlapping cycle where a follicle can have young, mature, and old hair at the same time, and this old hair is what is left on your carpets and couches when it is shed.

There are ten types of dog coats, and it is only acceptable to shave one: the hard or wire coats common on Scottish Terriers. Although they lose their hard, spiky coats for good when shaved, they remain perfectly safe and grow back a smoother coat which appears slightly faded. The most commonly shaved species—and the one that suffers the most from these brutal grooming routines—are double-coated breeds; the likes of Labradors and German Shepherds.

There are many reasons why you shouldn’t shave your dog, but shaving a double-coated dog is especially risky because it will never grow back the same. If you look at your dog’s fur, you’ll notice that it is sleek and shiny. That’s known as the outer coat, and the reason why it is smooth and shiny is to waterproof the dog’s skin as well as to provide a thick layer of protection from the sun and things that may damage it. Underneath this coat is another one, and this one facilitates aeration while locking in body heat to keep them warm in cold weather. Clippers don’t discriminate so when you shave your dog you take off both coats and leave the animal exposed.

Furthermore

Your shedding problem won’t be solved. Can I shave my dog to stop shedding? Even shaved dogs still shed their fur. The only difference is that you’ll be dealing with shorter, spikier hair trails, which are harder and more annoying to clean. If your dog is double-coated, its fur will grow back spiky and coarse, so cleaning up after it will not be a pleasant task whatsoever.

There are plenty of proper ways to de-shed your dog. Brushing it, combing it, washing it, and regular conditioning makes the coat healthier and also helps to remove old hairs that are ready to fall off. If you find this too tedious a task, send it to the groomers; they’ll do an even better job grooming them using high-powered blowers and other pet-friendly de-shedding tools. Professionals are your best bet if you really want the best for your dog.

In Conclusion

So. Can I shave my dog to stop shedding? It is never okay to shave your dog, especially if it’s a double-coated breed unless it is for a medical emergency. Use pet-friendly de-shedding methods like brushing their coats instead to give your pet the confidence they need as well as the comfort. Dogs with long hair (hair, not fur) such as collies, and the coarse-coated terriers are some of the few exceptions, but even then it is best to leave pet grooming to pet care professionals.