SUMMER DO OR DONT?
I know this has been brought up every year around this time but I am still confused. Is it necessary cut a full coat for the summer. I realize that you must use common sense when the temperature gets up there but by not shaving maggie am I then making the choice to limit her summer activities even further to reduce heat stress? I realize that a shaved sheepie is a "CLEANER" sheepie particularily on beach days but is it cruel to leave the full coat or is it true that it acts as an insulator and a coolant? ........The objective is to have her enjoy activities that she would do in the cooler months in the summer also (later in the day when the heat has setteled of course). Am I asking for trouble keeping an active dog in full coat or am I a bad mom???? I shaved her last June due to heat and she looked like an overgrown greyhound poodle lol and I just love the full Sheep Dog Coat and hate to take it off unless I need too to protect her health. |
|
|
| The coat does indeed act as an insulator, but not in the way you are suggesting. Until the temperature outside gets hooter than a dog's temperature (over 101 degrees farenheit) it keeps the dog's heat IN.
In the summer, this can be a very dangerous situation, so having a full coat must reduce the amount of activity you can allow your dog. In the following thread, please read the posts from Carl Lindon and me carefully -- there's a ton of info in them. If you have any questions about them, PLEASE ASK! http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?p=20654 |
| It's not an insulator from the heat for sure. It might keep them warm in the winter but they do get hot in the summer just like wearing fur coat. I've kept Clyde long and our summers get hot in Michigan. Since I like to keep him shaggy too, I just strip out all his undercoat to take out all the bulk so he doesn't get so warm. It never seems to slow him down. Actually, I started stripping him all the time with a Mars rake to make him easier to groom-- it helps tons with matts.
I'm sure shaving would be cooler, but it isn't torture to keep them long either! |
| Sheepish,
Ron has already referenced the thread I started in an attempt to counter the "old wives tale" that the OES coat protects them from the heat. In short you most certainly can leave your OES in full coat during the summer, both of our boys have now had 3 summers in full coat and Dawn will get her first this year. There are however two things that you MUST do if you keep your OES in full coat in hot weather: 1. ensure that they have a cool area with an adequate water supply for refuge when they do get hot. To date we have used 3 window air conditioners to keep the house cool enough to be a refuge for them and give them frequent small drinks that are cool. (Drinking water should be cooler than room temperature, but not chilled or cold.) Our new house will have central air conditioning and insulation that meets current code standards so it should be a lot less expensive for us to keep the house cool, plus it will be the whole house not just selected areas, and 2. manage their heat exposure and exercise. When taking/letting them out for their business in hot weather get them back in as soon as they are done. Also make sure that your dogs' exercise is done in the relative cool of the early morning or late evening and even then keep a close eye on their behaviour and reaction to the heat. If there is any indication of heat prostration get them into a cool area immediately and cool them with towels that have been wetted in cold water to help bring the body temperature down quickly. IF all symptoms are not completely cleared up in 30 minutes - then seek veterinary help. As ButtersStotch has mentioned if you don't need to keep them in show coat stripping out the undercoat goes a long way to help keeping them cool. Beyond that ensure tht they are well groomed so that their hair parts in any breeze so the "wind-chill" can help cool them from the skin as one more tool in your arsenal to help them stay comfortable. Thanks and Cheers Carl |
| thank you so much for your responses. I want to make sure Maggie has a healthy and funfiled summer and your comments have allowed me to better understand the limitations of the full coat. |
| Hate to hijac the thread, but I wonder if someone could point me to
some instructions on stripping the undercoat. ButtersStotch, you have talked about this before, and I guess it should be self explanitory, but I have never personally done it. It seems like one of those things there might be a trick to it that I don't know about. Could you explain it, or point me to it if you already have? I searched, but for some reason I am not getting and search results. 
Shellie |
| It'll definitely make more sense if you do it. My groomer actually showed me how to do it and the first couple times I was worried I was pulling the wrong parts but the beauty part is, if you aren't showing, you can't really mess it up too much!
When I strip Clyde out, I flip up the top layer of hair to reveal the downier or more grizzle looking part. Using a Mars stripping rake, I pull it through until most of it is gone (really just a brushing motion but with more caution since the blades are sharp). I don't do the white parts because the hair is different. I pay closest attention to stripping the areas that matt the most because that tells me that there's more undercoat there. I also use it to kind of finish off the top coat too, just to smooth things out a little. I think it might be a bit trickier without a Mars rake but I think you can do it by brushing it out too. I've never done it that way but I think Lisa has so maybe she could chime in. This is the one we have: Mars Coat King Multi-Stripping-Curry-Comb Jill |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|