Should I give my German Shepherd a hair cut?

Question

I have a 3 year old German Shepherd. She is almost completely black and it is like 100 degrees here. Should I take her to get a haircut?

Answer 1

No. German shepherds and other double-coated breeds have an insulating undercoat. This undercoat obviously keeps them warmer in the winter, but it also helps to insulate them against the heat as well. If you shave her, she will loose this protection and most likely feel even hotter. A black coat is going to absorb heat from the sunlight regardless of whether it is short or long. Aside from removing the insulating layer of her coat, shaving her may cause her coat to grow back in poorly (too rough, too thin, or even too short). It may or may not happen with the first cut, but repeated shaving will eventually ruin her coat. Also, if it is cut too short, cutting her short could expose her skin to sun and cause her to burn (just imagine how uncomfortable that must be, a sunburn on top of having prickly short fur!) Plus she will continue to shed the shorter hair...which will mean tiny prickly uncomfortable hair all over your house or your body (when you pet her).

Your best bet is to leave her fur alone and keep her cool. Bring her inside and don't ask her to do a lot of exercise during the hottest part of the day. Make sure she has plenty of water available. You can hose her down or provide her with a kiddie wading pool full of water to help keep her cool when she is outside. Try to avoid spending a lot of time in the sunlight, especially when it is strongest during the middle of the day (from about 9am to 6pm in my area, yours may differ depending on latitude).

Answer 2

I shave all the hair off my german shepherd twice each summer. He loves it and believe me he is MUCH cooler and far more energetic after being shaved. His coat has always grown back beautifully and we get comments all the time about how nice looking he is about 3-4 weeks after being shaved (I ll admit he doesn t look good for the first few weeks). I know everyone says that the coat keeps them cooler but I think that is an old wives tale--no one here has posted a scientific reason.... My dog acts way cooler after the shave. I do put sunscreen on him for about a week after shaving him or keep him in the shade when he s not out running.

Answer 3

I shave my white German Shepard twice a year. She is 17 and loves when i get the hair off her. She still pants when hot and gets along just fine. There is no problem with her hair growing in ever year. She loves the cold also. Considering her age she is good. Very little hip problems either. This is the oldest German Shepard i ever had. I am simply amazed at her good health.

Answer 4

My family raised German Shepherds when I was growing up. We never shaved them...it ruins how they look. We did how ever make sure we brushed them every week to get their fur as thin as possible. Let them swim at the river and make sure they had plenty of water to drink at all times. Make sure they have a lot of shade to lay in. You could also give them a kiddy pool of water they could wade in to cool off. If you cut their fur off and not keep them out of the sun, they could get sun burned.

Answer 5

Absolutely not--make sure she's thoroughly brushed, though. If she gets too hot, try hosing her down to keep her comfortable, or just bring her inside. Shepherds have an undercoat that acts as insulation, so cutting her fur would expose that and give her a blotchy look.

Answer 6

I agree with the first answer. I also have a 6mos old German Shepard. I brush her usually 1nce or twice a week. I dont think a haircut would be the answer in this case.

Answer 7

No, they have a natural isolation built into the layers of their coats, sort of like the waffle blankets, cool in the summer warm in the winter and no, I don't understand why either works. If you cut it thinking it will make her more comfortable you will actually make her more vulnerable. Don't pet her as much outside, make sure she has shade and lots of water available (my dogs like ice cubes in the hot summer months) don't make her play in the heat of the day.
Remember, she's a dog, she's smarter than we are about taking care of herself. Just make sure she gets what she needs to do it!

Answer 8

Well if you do, she most likely wont grow her hair back and wont look like a german shepherd at all and she would probably get quite cold in the winter.

Answer 9

Shaved German Shepherd

Answer 10

I wouldn't but make sure she is brushed often and all her winter coat is off of her. Also be sure that if she is outside alot of the time she has a shaded place to hide out and plenty of water.