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Dogs and heat. To clip or not to clip.


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Well, now, clipping in the summer is a topic that generates a lot of heat and sometimes not much light. A quick check on Google of the following word string: dog heavy coat insulation against heat yields 227,000 hits.

 

All I can do is share our adventure and tell you of our follow-up experience:

 

Our Travis weighs 42 lbs (weight has never varied more than two pounds up or down his whole life; wish I could say the same). He is sort of rangy. He's also very black -- patent-leather black.

 

One hot summer day when he was two years old, he became extremely overheated to the point that he collapsed (and this was on a simple five-minute walk). His coat was hot to the touch.

 

We immediately drenched him with water to cool him down and rushed him to our vet, where we were firmly taken to task for permitting our dog to have such a heavy coat in the summer.

 

In a meek little voice I said, "But we heard that a dog's coat insulates him from the heat."

 

Our vet rolled his eyes and asked, "Do you have any idea how many dogs I see with heat stroke? How many do not survive?" He then proceeded to give us what he called his Dog-Physics 101 Heat Lecture, step-by-step. He also gave us this handout which states:

 

Dogs and Heat -- To Clip or Not to Clip?

 

Modern breeding aside, dogs that originated in hot climates did not develop heavy coats. Northern dogs did. Think Chihuahuas vs. Huskies; and Greyhounds (originated in Egypt) vs. St. Bernards, and so forth.

 

Insulating something not living from the heat works just fine with a thermos bottle, where the contents are introduced at a certain temperature and the contents remain at that temperature because the insulation keeps the heat in. The contents of a thermos bottle do not heat up by themselves; the contents remain hot because of the insulation. Think soup.

 

A dog is not soup in a thermos; a dog is a living creature that produces internal heat as a byproduct of his metabolism. The dog has a little furnace in his body (in each cell, actually, called mitochondria). The heavy coat of fur/hair wrapped over the dog's heat-producing body keeps the dog's constantly produced heat in and allows it to build to sometimes very high temperatures. The heat wants to dissipate (get out), but the dog's insulating coat keeps the heat in.

 

A dog's normal temperature is in the area of 101 degrees F.

 

On a hot day, especially in the sun, a heavy-coated dog can experience a catastrophic rise in temperature because of his inner-furnace metabolism. Think heat stroke.

 

From years of experience with overheated dogs, this office, in the strongest possible terms, recommends that you comb out your dog's undercoat and clip him to about 1" to protect his skin from sunburn.

 

As we left, our vet said to me, "Mrs. Huber, when's the last time you put on a fur coat in 90-degree heat to cool off? Do you think that fur would "insulate" you from the heat of a 90-degree day? Think about it."

 

Needless to say, we clipped Travis that afternoon and have clipped him every summer for the past 13 years. His behavior is frisky on hot days, and he does not overheat (and it can get very hot where we live). He appears to be very comfortable, as opposed to his sluggishness on the first hot days of June. Then we know that clipping day has arrived. Sometimes we clip him again in mid-August. His coat always comes back in full glory for the winter.

 

I just ordered the Mars Coat King, which I think will make the clipping go much faster, or maybe even eliminate the need to clip? We'll see how much heavy black undercoat it strips.

 

The funniest thing about all this is that, after Travis is clipped, he struts outside, and if there's a breeze, he whips around and stares at his behind. "Who's laying a cool hand on my butt?" he asks.

 

Mary Huber and Travis the Trickless WonderDog

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As an instructor in desert craft and survival heat stress is a subject I've not only written about but had to contend with in people as well as my own dogs. Fortunately the dogs themselves are smart enough to take shelter in the heat of the day which can top out over 120F/50C. It is well known that some cold weather breeds of dogs cannot survive here at all. It amazes me that people bring them to the desert where even a warm winters day would be too hot for them.

 

The two problems we have with summer is heat of course and sunburn especially on the white area of a face around the nose where it turns pinkish. I use a little zinc oxide on that part of a BCs face. Clipping the coat too short can allow UV rays through the fur burning sensitive skin. How short you can cut it is a a judgement call but certainly not below any under coat a dog might have.

 

The problem with summer is not just overheating it's also dehydration which is a bigger factor than just than overheating. Dogs use a lot of water and a if they are anything like people the loss of water also means the loss of electrolytes. That means making sure your dogs not only have plenty of water but electrolyte replacement as well. Basically you want to sport drink your dog.

 

If your dog does go into heat stress or you want to cool them down as soon as possible. The best way is a cool, not cold, wet cloth on the belly around the groin where the arteries are closest to the surface. A cloth applied to the muzzle is also a good place to cool down. More important is to teach your dog to drink whenever given water from any source. That's one thing I've never been able to do with Mookie. She has to drink from a bowl. Jin is learning to drink from a bottle. Next I'm gonna try a straw. :rolleyes: One gal on a BC forum said she put a bullion cube in her bottle of water to get her dog to drink. Smarter than she knows since the bullion cube has many of the electrolytes needed as long as it's not too salty. There are also electrolyte tabs that can be put on a dogs tongue or fed to them. The best come from Zee Medical supply. The other thing is to have your dog and yourself start out well hydrated. For people I say drink enough but not so much you overflow. Too bad you can't do that with the dogs.

 

John knows this one. Water is the leading cause of death by stupidity in the desert. We are not stupid people we see to the needs of our dogs.

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I clipped my malamute mix last summer for the first time and I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. He was sooo much more comfortable. He's a solid house dog so I was able to put sunscreen on him for walks. This summer I'm going to clip him again, but not so close. He was able to go for our long hikes again, was able to recover more quickly and just seemed perkier.

 

Cash, the naked malamute/chinese crested mix:

nakedcashsquinting.jpg

 

Full Coat:

Cashsurveyshisdominion.jpg

 

ETA: Notice his cute tipped ears. No tape necessary! :rolleyes:

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As an instructor in desert craft and survival heat stress is a subject I've not only written about but had to contend with in people as well as my own dogs. Fortunately the dogs themselves are smart enough to take shelter in the heat of the day which can top out over 120F/50C. It is well known that some cold weather breeds of dogs cannot survive here at all. It amazes me that people bring them to the desert where even a warm winters day would be too hot for them.

 

The two problems we have with summer is heat of course and sunburn especially on the white area of a face around the nose where it turns pinkish. I use a little zinc oxide on that part of a BCs face. Clipping the coat too short can allow UV rays through the fur burning sensitive skin. How short you can cut it is a a judgement call but certainly not below any under coat a dog might have.

 

The problem with summer is not just overheating it's also dehydration which is a bigger factor than just than overheating. Dogs use a lot of water and a if they are anything like people the loss of water also means the loss of electrolytes. That means making sure your dogs not only have plenty of water but electrolyte replacement as well. Basically you want to sport drink your dog.

 

If your dog does go into heat stress or you want to cool them down as soon as possible. The best way is a cool, not cold, wet cloth on the belly around the groin where the arteries are closest to the surface. A cloth applied to the muzzle is also a good place to cool down. More important is to teach your dog to drink whenever given water from any source. That's one thing I've never been able to do with Mookie. She has to drink from a bowl. Jin is learning to drink from a bottle. Next I'm gonna try a straw. :rolleyes: One gal on a BC forum said she put a bullion cube in her bottle of water to get her dog to drink. Smarter than she knows since the bullion cube has many of the electrolytes needed as long as it's not too salty. There are also electrolyte tabs that can be put on a dogs tongue or fed to them. The best come from Zee Medical supply. The other thing is to have your dog and yourself start out well hydrated. For people I say drink enough but not so much you overflow. Too bad you can't do that with the dogs.

 

John knows this one. Water is the leading cause of death by stupidity in the desert. We are not stupid people we see to the needs of our dogs.

 

----------------------------------------------------------

 

Good points, Ranger, especially about the water. Travis will drink from a mud puddle if we don't catch him doing it and stop him. Yet, in the house, he will stare alternately from his clean water bowl (that had been filled with fresh water only an hour ago) to me, and back. Back and forth. Bowl to Mary. Stare, stare, stare. I then take his bowl, dump it, rinse it, and fill it with fresh water. He then laps it up like a dehydrated maniac. I wonder who's trained whom, heh, heh.

 

What is your opinion on giving city water that's been treated with chlorine to dogs? We have chlorine filters on our faucets and shower heads, so it's not an issue with us, but is it a problem for some, do you think?

 

And last, but certainly not least, how is Jin doing?

 

Mary and Travis the Trickless WonderDog

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I clipped my malamute mix last summer for the first time and I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner. He was sooo much more comfortable. He's a solid house dog so I was able to put sunscreen on him for walks. This summer I'm going to clip him again, but not so close. He was able to go for our long hikes again, was able to recover more quickly and just seemed perkier.

 

Cash, the naked malamute/chinese crested mix:

nakedcashsquinting.jpg

 

Full Coat:

Cashsurveyshisdominion.jpg

 

ETA: Notice his cute tipped ears. No tape necessary! :rolleyes:

 

-----------------------------------

 

Oh, gosh, Soda-Pop, your dog looks just like one of my daughter's rescued Malamute mixes! She and her husband live on a farm in NJ and, over many years, have rescued endless Mals, Keeshonds, and Huskies, both purebred and mixes. (They are not a formal rescue group; they do it by themselves.) The most dogs they've had at any one point is five.

 

Betsy has always clipped these heavy-coated dogs in the summer, and her clipped Ajax looks just like your Cash, but Ajax's coat is just a wee a bit longer. She always leaves the dogs' heads lion-like, and the tails puffy. When he's clipped, we call Ajax "Mr. Lion-Head." I can't get over the resemblance of Cash and Ajax.

 

Their dogs have always perked up in the heat as soon as they're clipped. One Malamute lady became quite angry at Betsy and told her that a Mal would be greatly embarrassed and shamed and hide if he were clipped, as they just love their heavy coats and are quite vain about their appearance. Give me a break! Betsy's Mals zoom around on the hottest days and love the feeling of freedom from overheating.

 

Another advantage of clipping is that ticks (of which we have a gazillion) are much easier to spot on a clipped dog. Finding ticks in thick coats is difficult, and sometimes impossible until the ticks are swollen from the dog's blood and you can "feel" them.

 

Your Cash is adorable with his cute tipped ears.

 

Mary and Travis the Trickless WonderDog

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A dog is not soup in a thermos

^my favorite part!

 

Cash is one adorable naked dog! LOL

 

Thanks for these tips --- I have never had my dogs clipped, but am not opposed to it either. This explains why they love the air-conditioned house over the backyard in the heat of summer! :rolleyes:

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Coats do insulate; they keep heat from transferring to and away from the body via radiation and convection. The big questions are: what cooling mechanisms are utilized by the canine body and how does the coat impact the efficiencies of these mechanisms? The main cooling mechanism is evaporative cooling via the respiratory system (panting). Evaporation of sweat from the pads provides some cooling (canines do not have a wide distribution of sweat glands). Some cooling occurs via radiation from dilated blood vessels near the skin; this mostly occurs on the belly and under the legs. Coat (except for on the feet and belly) will not impact these cooling mechanisms. Physical fitness and acclimation to conditions will dramatically impact a dog's ability to deal with heat. Don't expect a dog that lives in A/C to cope well with physical activity in the summer heat. Since evaporative cooling (panting) is the major mechanism for canine cooling the rate of evaporation (absolute humidity) will have the greatest impact on keeping a dog cool.

 

BTW Humans cool mostly via evaporation of sweat across the entire body, adding a fur coat will impact our ability to keep cool. Human and canine physiologies are different.

 

Here is another interesting tidbit: coat color has no impact on coat and skin heating by light (black = white):

The microclimate of the canine coat: the effects of heating on coat and skin temperature and relative humidity

 

Mark

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What is your opinion on giving city water that's been treated with chlorine to dogs? We have chlorine filters on our faucets and shower heads, so it's not an issue with us, but is it a problem for some, do you think?

 

If you leave the water stand over night all the chemicals that have been added by the city will evaporate. We always keep a pitcher of water in the fridge instead of buying bottled water or filters. As for dogs, well, it wouldn't matter if it was filtered or not, Daisy would still either go to the dirtiest puddle or the toilet first, the water bowl is always her last option. (don't worry I use baking soda and vinegar for the majority of my cleaning)

 

I don't live in an incredibly hot climate, so we don't really worry about clipping Daisy...she has a fairly light coat, but it is all black. I don't think clipping it would make much of a difference. Besides, I am soooo sensitive to heat that I will over heat before any dog does, this keeps them safe...If I'm too hot, then it's time to go in.

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When I work long days in the desert heat I find it *much* cooler to cover my entire body as much as possible. This is relative of course - it never feels cool by any stretch of the imagination when it's 100 degrees F in the shade. It is even better to have a dark-colored long sleeve shirt than a white tank top, and that doesn't matter if I baste my skin in SPF 70, it's not just the potential sunburn. Sometimes when a breeze passes I feel like I'd be cooler if I got the fabric off, but it is never actually true in terms of my stamina to resist the heat long-term over the entire work day. And I do sweat, so I'm even inhibiting something that dogs can't do to cool themselves off. The protection a covering like clothes or a fur coat provide from radiant heat are a much bigger deal than you'd think, especially in full sun.

 

Also true from Mark B's post is the acclimation part of it being HUGE. Each year I've worked in the desert the first 5 days to a week or so are much harder to deal with than later days - even if later days are actually hotter.

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Coats do insulate; they keep heat from transferring to and away from the body via radiation and convection. The big questions are: what cooling mechanisms are utilized by the canine body and how does the coat impact the efficiencies of these mechanisms? The main cooling mechanism is evaporative cooling via the respiratory system (panting). Evaporation of sweat from the pads provides some cooling (canines do not have a wide distribution of sweat glands). Some cooling occurs via radiation from dilated blood vessels near the skin; this mostly occurs on the belly and under the legs. Coat (except for on the feet and belly) will not impact these cooling mechanisms. Physical fitness and acclimation to conditions will dramatically impact a dog's ability to deal with heat. Don't expect a dog that lives in A/C to cope well with physical activity in the summer heat. Since evaporative cooling (panting) is the major mechanism for canine cooling the rate of evaporation (absolute humidity) will have the greatest impact on keeping a dog cool.

 

BTW Humans cool mostly via evaporation of sweat across the entire body, adding a fur coat will impact our ability to keep cool. Human and canine physiologies are different.

 

Here is another interesting tidbit: coat color has no impact on coat and skin heating by light (black = white):

The microclimate of the canine coat: the effects of heating on coat and skin temperature and relative humidity

 

Mark

==========================

 

Hmmm, your post is interesting; I don't agree with everything you said, but it is interesting, nevertheless.

 

You said "Coats do insulate; they keep heat from transferring to and away from the body via radiation and convection."

 

Well, that made my point; coats keep the heat from transferring away from the body via radiation and convection! Precisely what I said.

 

You say that coat color has no impact on skin heating. Then why are the black areas of my dog much hotter down to the skin (hot to the touch, even) than the white areas?

 

Why is my dog much more comfortable and active on hot days when clipped than he is when not clipped and carrying that load of heavy black coat?

 

Why (in the summer) is his internal body temperature lower when clipped than when not clipped? And, yes, we do take his temperature.

 

Why do dogs that are native to hot climates have shorter, finer coats than dogs that are native to northern climes?

 

I have to rely on my own experience and years of observation that convince me that my dogs (and the dogs of family members and friends) have always been more comfortable and active without that blanket of black hair/fur in the heat of summer.

 

Mary Huber

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You said "Coats do insulate; they keep heat from transferring to and away from the body via radiation and convection."

 

Well, that made my point; coats keep the heat from transferring away from the body via radiation and convection! Precisely what I said.

If you read further you'll find that I state cooling via radiative and convection (from the body) is NOT the main cooling mechanism for canines, in other words not very effective.

 

Why is my dog much more comfortable and active on hot days when clipped than he is when not clipped and carrying that load of heavy black coat

 

Why (in the summer) is his internal body temperature lower when clipped than when not clipped? And, yes, we do take his temperature.?

Does your dog carry a heavy coat on the belly and under the legs that you removed; thereby improving the cooling mechanism invloving the dilated blood vessels on these parts of the body.

 

Why do dogs that are native to hot climates have shorter, finer coats than dogs that are native to northern climes?
Because the developers of these breeds chose that coat length.

 

Also note that I did not say to not clip; I implied that clipping particular body parts (those where most of the cooling occurs) would be just as effective (or possible better) as clipping the entire body.

 

Mark

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If you read further you'll find that I state cooling via radiative and convection (from the body) is NOT the main cooling mechanism for canines, in other words not very effective.

 

Does your dog carry a heavy coat on the belly and under the legs that you removed; thereby improving the cooling mechanism invloving the dilated blood vessels on these parts of the body.

 

Because the developers of these breeds chose that coat length.

 

Also note that I did not say to not clip; I implied that clipping particular body parts (those where most of the cooling occurs) would be just as effective (or possible better) as clipping the entire body.

 

Mark

=================================

 

Mark,

 

To answer your questions, Travis's belly and under his legs is white, lightly haired (we can see his skin through the hair) and it has has no undercoat. We have never clipped his belly and between his legs. There was no need to do so.

 

It's reasonable to conclude that dogs native to hot areas were bred to have short/fine coats precisely because they do better in the heat than a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog would do, for instance.

 

We used to live in southern Florida and it would always astonish us that some people would buy black Newfoundlands. To see those dogs suffer in the heat was painful to us, and I can only imagine how the dogs felt!

 

What do you think about what I stated how Travis's black areas are always hotter to the touch down to the skin on hot sunny days than his white areas, and his internal temperature is always elevated on hot days when he's not clipped. His internal temperature is always lower on hot days when he is clipped. (As I said, we do take his temp.) That's the scientific standard we go by, and the advice of our vet, of course. He's seen plenty of unclipped dogs that suffered heat stroke, and some died.

 

Mary Huber

 

P.S. Your link wouldn't open.

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The microclimate of the canine coat: the effects of heating on coat and skin temperature and relative humidity

 

C. J. Chesney Veterinary Dermatology Volume 8 Issue 3, Pages 183 - 190

 

ABSTRACT

The coat of seven 'Landseer' Newfoundland dogs was irradiated using an infra-red source for 25 min. In each dog, at a site of each colour (black and white), skin and coat temperatures were monitored, and coat air humidity measured with a specially designed instrument. Almost no differences were noted at sites with differing coat colour. Skin temperature rose from 35 °C to a plateau at 39 °C, whilst coat temperature rose from 30 °C to 41 °C. Relative humidity of coat air initially rose, then fell significantly (P < 0.001). The absolute humidity initially almost doubled (P < 0.001), but then fell, although remaining significantly higher than that of ambient air. It was concluded that an initial burst of sweating was followed by lower but continuing secretion. This was not, however, of great importance in cooling. In a separate study the skin temperature of black coated dogs exposed to bright sunshine was explored. The mean temperature was almost identical to that of the plateau skin temperature noted in Newfoundland dogs.

 

It's reasonable to conclude that dogs native to hot areas were bred to have short/fine coats precisely because they do better in the heat than a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog would do, for instance.
So how do you explain short coated Border Collies, a breed developed in colder climates?
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Coat length

and density are overplayed in their

ability to fight hyperthermia. Clipping

a dog's coat in the summer

probably makes the ownerfeel better

than the dog, especially if the

dog is kept outside where the longer

coat may actually keep the dog

cooler by insulating against the

sun's rays.

 

Source: Heat Stress in Dogs

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Well, that made my point; coats keep the heat from transferring away from the body via radiation and convection! Precisely what I said.

 

You say that coat color has no impact on skin heating. Then why are the black areas of my dog much hotter down to the skin (hot to the touch, even) than the white areas?

 

Why is my dog much more comfortable and active on hot days when clipped than he is when not clipped and carrying that load of heavy black coat?

 

Just from my own observation - My mostly black rough coated dog handles the heat in the summertime much better than my smooth coated dog with more white. Sometimes I clip Missy's belly in the summer, but not usually. If the weather hot I don't work her as hard and let her take frequent water breaks (both drinking and laying in)

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The microclimate of the canine coat: the effects of heating on coat and skin temperature and relative humidity

 

C. J. Chesney Veterinary Dermatology Volume 8 Issue 3, Pages 183 - 190

 

ABSTRACT

The coat of seven 'Landseer' Newfoundland dogs was irradiated using an infra-red source for 25 min. In each dog, at a site of each colour (black and white), skin and coat temperatures were monitored, and coat air humidity measured with a specially designed instrument. Almost no differences were noted at sites with differing coat colour. Skin temperature rose from 35 °C to a plateau at 39 °C, whilst coat temperature rose from 30 °C to 41 °C. Relative humidity of coat air initially rose, then fell significantly (P < 0.001). The absolute humidity initially almost doubled (P < 0.001), but then fell, although remaining significantly higher than that of ambient air. It was concluded that an initial burst of sweating was followed by lower but continuing secretion. This was not, however, of great importance in cooling. In a separate study the skin temperature of black coated dogs exposed to bright sunshine was explored. The mean temperature was almost identical to that of the plateau skin temperature noted in Newfoundland dogs.

 

So how do you explain short coated Border Collies, a breed developed in colder climates?

 

Mark, you asked, "So how do you explain short coated Border Collies, a breed developed in colder climates?

 

Genetic variability.

 

I think we're beating a dead horse here. I guess we'll have to respectfully agree to disagree.

 

Our long experience and history of observing, via thermometer, our dog's lower internal temperature on a hot day when clipped vs. his elevated temperature on hot days when he has the heavy black coat, and our vet's advice on the subject are the only guides that we can, in conscience, observe when it comes to clipping our heavy-coated black dog in the heat of summer.

 

"nuff said on the subject, as far as I'm concerned.

 

As I said, respectfully,

 

Mary Huber

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"nuff said on the subject, as far as I'm concerned.

 

Well, you invited discourse on the subject, right? I've often wondered about this issue. Both of my dogs who work in the heat/sun have short hair, but one has an undercoat and the other is very slick, with almost no hair on his belly and inner legs. I think the one with the undercoat actually seems to tolerate heat better, but this summer will tell more, since last year Alex didn't do any stock work in the sun and heat.

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Just from my own observation - My mostly black rough coated dog handles the heat in the summertime much better than my smooth coated dog with more white.

 

Same here. I'm not saying anything about anyone else's dogs, but of my dogs, Speedy - the one with the long black fur, tends to tolerate the heat the best. Dean, the smooth coat with a lot of white, has a lot of trouble in the heat. I have to keep a sprinkler running for him when he plays outside in the summer and he is able to cool himself (and drink) as needed.

 

My two mostly-black smooth coats tolerate the heat pretty well. Both of them adore lying in the sunshine on hot days. It must feel really good. Both will move to the shade after a bit, though.

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Well, you invited discourse on the subject, right? I've often wondered about this issue. Both of my dogs who work in the heat/sun have short hair, but one has an undercoat and the other is very slick, with almost no hair on his belly and inner legs. I think the one with the undercoat actually seems to tolerate heat better, but this summer will tell more, since last year Alex didn't do any stock work in the sun and heat.

 

-----------------------------------

 

Hmm, I probably wasn't clear with my "'nuff said" comment, for which I apologize. I meant enough said by me on the subject, as I think I said plenty about our own experiences and what our vet advised.

 

I certainly would never suggest that enough has been said by other people; that would be rude, and I am sorry my comment gave that impression.

 

Mary Huber

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John knows this one. Water is the leading cause of death by stupidity in the desert. We are not stupid people we see to the needs of our dogs.

Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun.

— Rudyard Kipling

 

Senneca is not mad and I am not English (I'm Welsh), so we avoid the hottest part of the day in the summer. We do make sure we have water:

water-cooler-p2010150.jpg

(Senneca's cooler jug filled ice water is standard equipment in the summer)

 

I have never been in favour of clipping dogs; the fur is there for their protection. Clipped, a dog may benefit from convective cooling, but as others have mentioned the body parts that can assist cooling best are typically devoid of fur (or at least minimally covered) anyway.

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One summer, many moons ago, I was having a horrible flea problem with my first BC. He was miserably and so was I. This was before there were effective flea control products other than dips and smelly, nasty sprays. He hated being sprayed and I hated smelling them. I tried daily grooming, which helped, but his coat was so long and dense I couldn’t get the flea comb down to his skin. The poor boy was allergic and one bite sent him into an itching hell.

 

At my wits end to help my sweet Willie, I had no other alternative but to clip his coat very close. I was a little concerned that he would be “embarrassed” to lose his coat. On the contrary, he felt so much better he pranced around like a little ballerina. For us at the time, it was the right choice.

 

Thank goodness we now have much more effective pest control for our pets.

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I can only go by what works in our household but here it depends on the dog.

 

Jake has a beautiful silky overcoat in both winter and summer. In the winter, he has enough undercoat to keep him warm. In our hot, humid summer days, he has little to no undercoat. Jake can spend as much time as he wants outside in the summertime. He acts as if the weather doesn't affect him. And because Jake came from an older gentleman who was training him to herd before going into a nursing home or assisted living, I feel Jake might have come from a working line. JJ, OTOH, is a whole 'nother story.

 

JJ has this horrible double undercoat. Because both dogs were adopted thru a BC rescue, we will never know their lineage but I've often think JJ comes from AKC lines. As stated, he has a double undercoat (with hardly any overcoat). We all know the AKC likes them fluffy and there is no way you can get that much fluff from a silky, straight overcoat. And like Jake, JJ is long in the body. The difference is JJ's snout is shorter even though he outweighs Jake by 14-15 lbs. To me, his snout isn't in balance with his body length where Jake's is. Often when I see JJ's profile, I think of those AKC dogs. And JJ can not take the heat. His undercoat in the summertime is still thicker than Jake's and Josie's winter undercoats combined. Where Jake only needs the occasional brushing and bath to keep his teflon coat nice, JJ's velcro coat is going to get a good going thru with the furminator and the feathering on his back legs are going to get cut off. And the kiddie pool is coming out. JJ loves to belly down in the kiddie pool when he's hot whereas Jake will only walk up to it to drink out of it though that probably has nothing to do with how hot Jake is. He just hates getting wet.

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I can only go by what works in our household but here it depends on the dog.

 

Jake has a beautiful silky overcoat in both winter and summer. In the winter, he has enough undercoat to keep him warm. In our hot, humid summer days, he has little to no undercoat. Jake can spend as much time as he wants outside in the summertime. He acts as if the weather doesn't affect him. And because Jake came from an older gentleman who was training him to herd before going into a nursing home or assisted living, I feel Jake might have come from a working line. JJ, OTOH, is a whole 'nother story.

 

JJ has this horrible double undercoat. Because both dogs were adopted thru a BC rescue, we will never know their lineage but I've often think JJ comes from AKC lines. As stated, he has a double undercoat (with hardly any overcoat). We all know the AKC likes them fluffy and there is no way you can get that much fluff from a silky, straight overcoat. And like Jake, JJ is long in the body. The difference is JJ's snout is shorter even though he outweighs Jake by 14-15 lbs. To me, his snout isn't in balance with his body length where Jake's is. Often when I see JJ's profile, I think of those AKC dogs. And JJ can not take the heat. His undercoat in the summertime is still thicker than Jake's and Josie's winter undercoats combined. Where Jake only needs the occasional brushing and bath to keep his teflon coat nice, JJ's velcro coat is going to get a good going thru with the furminator and the feathering on his back legs are going to get cut off. And the kiddie pool is coming out. JJ loves to belly down in the kiddie pool when he's hot whereas Jake will only walk up to it to drink out of it though that probably has nothing to do with how hot Jake is. He just hates getting wet.

 

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Hi, Brenda,

 

I enjoyed reading your post. Our Mars Coat King (non-electric grooming tool) arrived about an hour ago. It was recommended by several Border Collie owners as the best. I have no other basis for comparison, other than to say that it's made in Germany, and appears to be of very high quality (which makes my German-descent husband very happy).

 

I had written to the company describing our dog's coat type and they recommended the 20-Blade Coat King. I took a few long strokes along Travis's back and it stripped out a lot of dead wooly undercoat and left his silky topcoat intact. Travis loved it; he thought he was being massaged. I think we're going to be very happy with this tool!

 

Mary and Travis the Trickless WonderDog

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Good points, Ranger, especially about the water. Travis will drink from a mud puddle if we don't catch him doing it and stop him. Yet, in the house, he will stare alternately from his clean water bowl (that had been filled with fresh water only an hour ago) to me, and back. Back and forth. Bowl to Mary. Stare, stare, stare. I then take his bowl, dump it, rinse it, and fill it with fresh water. He then laps it up like a dehydrated maniac. I wonder who's trained whom, heh, heh.

 

What is your opinion on giving city water that's been treated with chlorine to dogs? We have chlorine filters on our faucets and shower heads, so it's not an issue with us, but is it a problem for some, do you think?

 

And last, but certainly not least, how is Jin doing?

 

Mary and Travis the Trickless WonderDog

 

 

One thing dogs in the desert do is drink from the pool which can be fairly heavily chlorinated on the day the pool is cleaned. Strong sunlight and UV rays like we have in the desert can completely neutralize a gallon of chlorine from a pool in a day or so. With that in mind I've never really seen any effects from drinking pool water. However there are definite effexts from sitting in the pool to stay cool for long hours. Light colored fur can tun a light green and they develop a plimsol line where they sit in the water. A plimsol line is the one painted on a boat or a ship that marks where the waterline should be. A few friends have changed out there pools to the saltwater type. As for city water. Well we drink it. I don't believe in bottled water, waste of resources and makes too much trash and while I do carry a case of bottled water in the car for emergencies I use a Gott cooler like John does and refill the water bottles.

 

Regards clipping your coats. I've never had to do it with my desert dogs with the exception of Mookie who has the worlds densest coat.

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