Clipping the Border collie

[herdcentral]

Hi, where I live in Australia we are having one of our hottest summers with yesterday going to 44.5 degrees C ( 112 degrees F) following several scorching days with more to come. I noticed that quite a few people who own BCS have had them clipped.

 

This is my first BC and she has quite a long coat. My vet suggested that it was a good idea to clip her as it will be much cooler for her.

 

Anyone got any comments or experience with this?

[So Fl Sunshine]

Wow! And I thought it got hot in South Florida. I imagine if I was there I would consider clipping too. I would ask those that have already clipped how they feel about it and then I would consider the sun and if it was an issue. Some pups get sunburnt esp on the nose around here, I would imagine thats a major issue there. I've heard that its not unusual to wear a long sleeve shirt to the beach in Australia due to the sun damage there as close as you are to the equator. Clipping is very common in South Florida, and not to worry, they grow that stuff right back...

[herdcentral]

: Some pups get sunburnt esp on the nose around here, I would imagine thats a major issue there. I've heard that its not unusual to wear a long sleeve shirt to the beach in Australia due to the sun damage there as close as you are to the equator. Clipping is very common in South Florida, and not to worry, they grow that stuff right back...

 

Yes I have started putting white zinc on her nose as several older dogs I know have had skin cancers cut out from this area. I always wear a long sleeve lycra rash vest to the beach. We also put suncreening sheets on grey horses to prevent them from getting melanomas!

 

I am glad they grow it back okay as that was my main concern. I think I will get her clipped but not short enough to expose the tender pink skin as she loves the beach!

[MaggieDog]

I might just clip the belly fur - I'd be worried about losing the sun protection benefits by shaving her whole body, even w/ a "long" clip. I know a professor of mine had Newfies and they only were shaved on the belly despite being out and about in high 90F heat. He provided pools to lay in and sprayed their bellies down regularly and swore by that method - Newfies would have more coat than a BC, so perhaps the conservative route may be the way to go?

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Many people here clip the underbelly, and thin the hair under the tail. It seems to help. When it gets really hot, I make sure the coat is brushed faithfully on all my long haired dogs. It's not the long guard hairs that hold in heat, it's the undercoat. You can also thin the undercoat with a shedding rake/blade like the Mars coat King or the Furminator. These will remove undercoat without cutting up the guard hairs too much.

 

I've seen lots of dogs that were shaved (shelters tend to shave even lightly matted dogs) and it may be just my imagination, but I swear they look different and weird when the coat grows back. I can pick shaved dogs out a mile away, even if they are in full coat again. It's sort of coarse and bushy looking.

[urge to herd]

One of my dogs is much more sensitive to heat than the other 2. I had her clipped to about an inch all over two summers in a row, and it made a big difference for her. Less panting, much less restlessness. Her coat grew back just fine. I'll continue to do it at the beginning of summers for her.

 

Ruth n the BC3

[jamesqf]

I clipped Niki's coat to about an inch from the shoulders back, and thinned it some around the ears. She seemed more comfortable with the result, though she hated having it done, and it seems to have grown back just fine.

[berocca]

The thing with BCs is that their coat is designed to regulate their body temperature. It keeps them warm in winter and cool in summer. Clipping a dog can severely affect their ability to keep themselves cool.

 

Not sure where you are but in Sydney we get those temperatures and my dogs have never had a problem. I just make sure that there is a kiddie pool in the backyard, we go to the beach or the river for a swim when its possible, and we dont exercise in the middle of the day.

 

I would never clip a border collie, it grows back all curly and yuck. One of the dogs at flyball is 10. He was clipped once when he was 12months old and his fur never looked normal again.

[ahoops]

Yes I saw the temp in Perth yesterday what a SCORCHER! I think we are in for it over the weekend not that hot though only 39-40 ha ha . Gypsy seems to be shedding her own coat especially around the butt and tail . I brushed her yesterday and got handfulls of hair her tail is not as pretty as it was boo hoo. I have seen borders clipped and they look silly and their coat is never the same again .I am with Berocca just keep a kids pool in the back yard and let them indoors in the air con if you can .

[herdcentral]

Yes I saw the temp in Perth yesterday what a SCORCHER! I think we are in for it over the weekend not that hot though only 39-40 ha ha .

 

 

Yes it was hot combined with power cuts - not fun!

 

I have clipped her underbelly and thinned out her skirt on her back legs. Nothing to radical She seems to have a super long coat so I shortened it just a touch with some haircutting scissors and trimmed the feathers on her legs. It actually doesnt look to bad. So I hope it wont permanently affect her coat.

[berocca]

Nah that will be fine, you have only cut the bits that have grown anyway (I think hair is technically dead after it has grown away from the body anyway, although I could be wrong)

 

I trimmed the back of Delta's legs too. I spent about 5 hours over a weekend with a furminator and coat king to remove 3 kitchen bins full of undercoat hair. She hates me touching the back of her legs so they looked really bushy compared to the newly thin coat on her body so I trimmed it with the scissors to make it fit in a little better with the rest of her body.

[Root Beer]

I don't know a lot about it because I've never done it, but I do know this - I have three with naturally short coats and one with a long coat. The long coat is the most heat tolerant! Personally, I would try just clipping the belly and providing a pool for the dog to lie in. I had to do that for Dean - my lightest colored short coated dog - this summer, although Speedy, the long coat, has never needed that.

[Michelle K]

It sounds like you did what I would have done....just trimming and thinning a little. I would be weary of shaving a BC down or clipping really short. I worked in 2 different grooming shops over the years and I will never forget a Golden Retriever and a Pomeranian that the owners had shaved down. Neither of those dogs ever looked the same. The poor Golden looked awful. After 4 months, the dog's hair was still only growing in patches. I live in Tennessee where it's pretty normal for us to have 90-100 F on summer days added with 90% humidity, so it gets horribly uncomfortable here. We have Shelties and Nykie (the BC). I don't clip any of them. I just keep them brushed good, and we have a kiddie pool outside for them to cool off in. I'll, also, give them ice to chew on at times or I'll boil some chicken or beef boullion and freeze that. They love it!

[Shetlander]

The thing with BCs is that their coat is designed to regulate their body temperature. It keeps them warm in winter and cool in summer. Clipping a dog can severely affect their ability to keep themselves cool.

 

I think it depends on the dog. There are BC's who just aren't heat tolerant for whatever reason. I've found my shelties with their much heavier coats did fine in hot weather while Quinn and a couple other BC's I know tend to wilt.

[JohnLloydJones]

The thing with BCs is that their coat is designed to regulate their body temperature. It keeps them warm in winter and cool in summer. Clipping a dog can severely affect their ability to keep themselves cool.

Yes, I also let nature work the way it is intended. Down our way (Arizona) we get temps up in the 45-47 C range in the summer and we just adjust our outdoor activities to the morning and evening as far as possible. I carry cooler filled ice-water and a let her have dip in the lake (or give her a hosing down) as required. I also groom her frequently to help thin the undercoat.

[jamesqf]

Yes, I also let nature work the way it is intended.

 

OK, but what did nature intend? Seems like "nature" - meaning the people who bred Border Collies - intended them to live in the middle of Britain, where it doesn't get all that hot. Or if you go back to the ancestral wolves, to live in the north & high mountains, and to have cool dens in which to lie up during the day.

 

Another point to consider is that if your dog - and you - are spending most of the day inside an air-conditioned building, your bodies aren't adapting to the heat.

[juliepoudrier]

I am of the school of thought that shaving isn't the best option. I personally think that the coat provides protection from extremes of heat and cold (not to mention from briars and other things like that). My dogs are acclimated to the heat (and humidity, which can be quite opressive), and this is the first year we used a/c and even then it was set at around 80, and we spend lots of time outdoors, and I still won't shave the rough coats. We deal with the heat by doing our chores early in the morning or late in the evening when it's cooler. If I'm trialing or have to do chores in the heat, I make sure my dog is well hydrated, has access to cool water (for drinking and dunking) and shade, and I watch closely for signs of distress. If I ever shave, I shave only the belly area, just so that the large veins there can more readily dissipate heat. It seems to me that black dogs absorb heat from the sun no matter whether the coat is long or short, and I agree with the folks who say that keeping the undercoat thinned is the practical way to go.

 

I think it just comes down to personal preference. If you want to shave your dog and think your dog feels better after being shaved, then there's no need to get defensive--just do it. But recognize that some of us would prefer not to shave, for whatever reason.

 

J.

[diane allen]

First I must say: my two "pure" BCs don't seem to need to be shaved. But my one mix (maybe Husky?) definitely prefers it. I let her suffer (well, relatively speaking) for 9 years, then finally gave in and got her shaved - down to about 1", so no danger of sunburn. She literally frolicked like a puppy! And the pool, shade, working (well, she doesn't....) in cooler temps, all help. I do it in March or early April, and by Sept/October, you can barely tell anything was done. Her coat has grown back in just fine, and looks totally normal. Possibly the undercoat is a bit fluffier, but I don't really think so. I don't especially like the LOOKS of her those first few months - but who cares about that? So, yes, I believe it is an individual and individual dog things.

diane

[Liz P]

I shave the hair on the bottom of their chest and stomach but not on the sides or back. I try to brush them a lot to keep the undercoat thin. I make sure they drink before exercise, have a dish of water available during exercise and I wet down their chest and tummy on hot days. I like to acclimate my dogs as best as I can, which means no AC unless it is a brutally hot day. A fit dog will tolerate the heat better so I make sure they are in good shape and I avoid any carbohydrates in their diets.

 

I've seen BCs who were shaved and their hair never did grow back in right, even their tails and feathering looked all wrong. That is just a cosmetic thing though. I have heard of shepherds getting their BC "sheared" along with the sheep in the spring.

 

I wish I had all smooth coats...

[setsail]

Jackson is a rough coat (mixed with collie) and he was shaved at about 1.5yrs old. He had horrible mats and some really bad sores from foxtails when he was rescued. He seemed to do fine with either coat in the heat. I just keep him brushed out in the summer and work him in the mornings/late evenings. He does fine. His coat grew back in fine, he's got a super silky long coat with denser undercoat around his hips and tail. He wasn't shaved on the tail or the neck and his coat grew in to match those areas. But it took almost 2 years for him to grow back.

[1sheepdoggal]

I have kinda come into this thread a bit late, and Im not sure Id have more to offer than everyone else has already, but rule of thumb is, that a dogs coat protects it in the winter, and in the summer. Hence blowing coat in the spring, and growing a thicker undercoat in winter. With proper brushing a dogs coat should protect it from the sun, and keep it cool in hotter climates. Though I do shave a great number of dogs during the summer months, (and some breeds, I might add that shouldnt require shaving, ) it seems to bioil down to personal preference. Though I do warn, that a dogs coat does allow them to regulate thier body temp, and shaving it off leaves them unprotected from heat stroke, and sunburn. I dont, nor have I ever shaved any of my collies, though I have to admit, that my collies have little in the way of a massive thick coat as I have seen in some collies. Some when shaved dont grow back right, or do grow back thicker, and some grow back just fine. But its been my experience, that all that get shaved, especially those that get shaved yearly, do grow back thicker and thicker every time. When I lived in Az. where the temps got upwards of 112 to 118 degrees, i simply limited thier time out doors, and always made sure they had water to lay in and cool off. It was nothing out there to have to wait till midnight for the pavement and sidewalks and sand to cool off enough for the dogs to even walk on it, else it burned thier feet. Here in NC where it is soooo humid, I find it difficult to find anytime of the day or evening where my dogs can stay cool, its just muggy all summer. Yuck! But, my advise would be to get out a brush, and have a little bonding one on one time, and brush them at least twice a week. It also gives you the opportunity to check feet, ears, over all condition of the dog as well. If they must be out doors during the heat, make sure they have acsess to cool spots, shade, and perhaps a kiddie pool to lay in if need be. But I would consider shaving as a last resort. It really mucks with thier system, and can set them up to have to endure further stress related/heat related problems in the long run.

[1sheepdoggal]

I will never forget a Golden Retriever and a Pomeranian that the owners had shaved down. Neither of those dogs ever looked the same. The poor Golden looked awful. After 4 months, the dog's hair was still only growing in patches.

 

This usually occures because of few things. First, a thyroid problem, and second, because a blade has gotten to hot, and burned the hair folicles. (it doesnt take long when shaving a large dog for blades to heat up fast) Also, diet has a lot to do with how the coat grows back. Usually, if the coat doesnt grow back in a timely and proper manner, its a sign of bigger problems, or just bad grooming practices.

[DeltaBluez Tess]

I clipped Scotty in the middle of summer and after he just ran around like a puppy and you could tell he was feeling much better. People thought that I had a yearling dog when I was running him at trials. His coat has grwon back just fine

 

For the last 5 yrs, we clipped out older Border Collie (Shiro) and she loves it too. Her fur is super thick and she just get miserable in the summer. Her fur grows back and looks fine

 

Those are the only two dogs we clip. The others get the furminator treatment (Thanks to Kristi for turning me on to that)

 

 

Diane

[borderlicious]

I shave bellies, chests, the insides of their rear legs, and the hairs beneath their tails. It helps keep them cool during the summer and also helps them cool off faster if they lay on a damp towel or cool bed.

 

I wouldn't shave their backs or sides, personally. Not only does it look bad (IMO) but the fur grows back coarser and thicker, and even more of a pain for the dog to deal with in the heat. Once you shave, you probably always will need to shave.

 

Try the "furminator". It'll take out a lot of the excess undercoat and leave your dog with a lot lighter coat. Making sure her coat is brushed and clean will also improve air flow to the skin and help her stay cool.