My lab (or husky, or border collie, or any double coated breed) is hot, should I get it shaved in the summer?

No! Dogs with a double coat have two layers “specially formulated” for keeping cool and keeping warm, depending on the season.

You might be thinking, “Melissa! He has so much hair, how could he possibly be keeping cool?”

If his undercoat is not removed with brushing he isn’t… but if you remove his top coat (which shaving does) he won’t. The top coat allows air to circulate throughout the coat and reach the skin to help the dog cool itself. You know they don’t sweat (which is why they pant) so air circulation is very important.

Here is a great, easy to read blog post about the mechanics of a double coat..

Double coated breeds are a lot of work, but once you get their coat to a maintained level it will start to be a nice experience. If your dog has a lot of packed coat it’d be a good idea to get a professional deshedding bath so that you can start maintaining with proper brushing 3-4 times per week. This is a great chore for kids! It’s only about 10 minutes or so a day (depending on how large your dog is) to keep it under control.

Here are some tools that will help you keep your double coated dog cool and their coat maintained:

Slicker Brush - A slicker brush is excellent for removing undercoat and will work best on the thicker parts of your dog’s coat (ie tail, ruff, hindquarters). A great technique for this brush is called “line-brushing”. You can find tutorials for this brushing technique on my Tik Tok. A combination of line-brushing and just normal brushing with a slicker brush will do a wonderful job at maintaining your dog’s coat.

Product - Firm Slicker (for double coats)

Metal Comb - Sometimes referred to as a “greyhound comb”. A comb is an amazing tool for helping you find areas that may need more attention. After brushing with a slicker brush run a comb over the area you brushed, it should go through the coat with little to no resistance. That means you got most if not all of the undercoat out. It also works well as a deshedding tool, but can add some time to your brushing session. In short, brush with a slicker first and check your work with the comb.

Product - This comb is great… and pretty.

Undercoat rake - Undercoat rakes are a wonderful alternative to the furminator. It bypasses the topcoat and targets the undercoat directly, which is what you want to remove.

Product - I like this one by ConAir. It has a super comfy grip!

As always if you have any questions email me!