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Cav Haircut?

Rosewoodsteel

Rosewoodsteel

Well-known member
So,
How many of you clip your Cav's when the Summer heat set's in?
Is it unhealthy for our little guys to carry their full coat when the temperature hits 90+ degrees?
I carry water for Charlie when we do our walk and (of course) he stays inside with us, but I am still concerned about the effects of excessive heat and humidity on our little guy.
On a similar note, will a Cav's fur totally grow back in if you clip him?
(This was asked on another thread, but I wanted a few more responses from our group.) :paw:
 
I did it for the first time this spring. I had my 3 dogs with full thick coats shaved. Jolly doesn't have much hair yet at 2 years old, so I felt he didn't need a trim.

I had the groomer leave their ears and tails alone. I just had their bodies shaved. Here is what they look like:
2462861414_ecdc0d8f46.jpg


I think they will be very comfortable this way for the summer heat, which started 3 days ago. I too leave water out all the time for them to drink.

I don't know how it will grow in, because I haven't tried this before.
 
I have heard that a dogs hair actually helps to keep them cool in the summer heat. Not sure if that is true or not but I have heard that from several sources. And, I have also heard that when you trim a Cavalier that their coat can come in a different texture---again not sure about that! Does anyone know whether these two things are correct??
 
Ok i didnt want to tell anyone but seen as you have bought the subject up,Alfs has had a shave,hubby didnt talk to me for a coupl of hrs but his mum thought is was a good idea as it is starting to heat up.It did take a while to get used to it but i think Alfs feels better for it,when the fall comes again i will grow it.
 
Justine said:
Ok i didnt want to tell anyone but seen as you have bought the subject up,Alfs has had a shave,hubby didnt talk to me for a coupl of hrs but his mum thought is was a good idea as it is starting to heat up.It did take a while to get used to it but i think Alfs feels better for it,when the fall comes again i will grow it.
Click to expand...

Like a tree falling in the woods, it just didn't happen without a pic. :)
 
Holly said:
I have heard that a dogs hair actually helps to keep them cool in the summer heat.
Click to expand...

That sounds so counter intuitive.
Is this true?
If I was wearing a fur coat in our current heat, it would kill me. :)
The question of a haircut is an important one, imo.
If it is not uncommon for Cavs to have heart problems, wouldn't it be wise to trim their fur when outside temps hit 90 and above?
 
I’ve been having problems with SiânE MVD at night time before the warm weather started. She wanted to lay on the cold step outside to cool down all the time or she be panting all night.

I tried a fan but it was no good in the end I decided to shave her and I’ve had no real problems since and it’s been very hot today but she been ok with it. I never shave the outside of the ears, just trim them down (they do grown back very fast) but I do try and shave inside her ears.
 
Hi
Last May(2007) Jasper went to the groomers and she tidied up his legs trimmed a tiny bit off his ears and shaved his slippers (I think you call the fur on his feet) and shaved His body, When I saw him I was a bit taken aback for a few seconds but then I was very happy. By the September he was back in for another, not so severe cut. He is going again this Thursday, I am dreading it in one way cause I'll hate leaving him there, but it will be worth it.
 
I shave mine every summer. He feels a lot more comfortable that way. I leave his ears, feet and tail alone though. No problems with the coat growing back differently, though I know some people have mentioned it. I usually shave him from May until August and his coat is in by Christmas.

Also wanted to mention that properly groomed fur (keywords - properly groomed) allows air to circulate around the dog, keeping it cooler. That being said, I do notice a big difference in Misha's comfort when he's shaved vs. fully coated.
 
Your Cavaliers are MAGNIFICENT!!!!

Charleen said:
I did it for the first time this spring. I had my 3 dogs with full thick coats shaved. Jolly doesn't have much hair yet at 2 years old, so I felt he didn't need a trim.

I had the groomer leave their ears and tails alone. I just had their bodies shaved. Here is what they look like:
2462861414_ecdc0d8f46.jpg


I think they will be very comfortable this way for the summer heat, which started 3 days ago. I too leave water out all the time for them to drink.

I don't know how it will grow in, because I haven't tried this before.
Click to expand...
 
I went for it!

I wrestled with the idea of shaving Avery for months and months.... then decided to go for it since Avery isn't a show dog. I think the groomer did a fantastic job!!

Avery is always a happy dog, so I'm not sure if she 'feels' better with the clip or not, but I'm happier!

Avery two weeks before the clip....
AveryFluffyMay2008.jpg


And.... after....
Averyshaved.jpg
 
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WOW- what a beautiful thick coat Avery has. I bet she loves the new short cut for summer...it has to feel much cooler.
 
yeah:) Jasper has had his cut, he looks lovely, will post a picture as soon as I figure out how to, :xfngr: I will be able to soon. He wasn't too impressed at the time but he is now back to normal, I think he feels a lot better.

Charleen, your dogs look lovely, you are lucky your Jolly don't need a trim yet, Jaspers 2 and he has such scruffy coat lol.

Avery is a stunner before and after her cut:)
 
hehehe when my old cav was around 5 Mum decided to have his haircut, Perth is really hot in summer. So off we went to the groomer, Mum told her "Nice and Short" (we had never had a dog clipped before). He was short alright!!!!!! And she had cut his ears too...it didnt help that he was overweight at the time... he looked like a big fat lamb! We all couldn't stop laughing at him it was so funny!!!
Now that i'm a groomer with cavalier i ALWAYS check (and try to convince them) to leave the ears and tails, they look really cute with that look.
I'm leaving Marleys hair until he's older and has his full coat before I think about clipping him. With our climate he'll need to be trimmed, they just get too hot!
Love that photo, your cavaliers are beautiful
 
We still have our flat puppy coat with just a bit of feathering (only 11 mos old). Still waiting for her big girl coat to come in. For future reference, those of you who do keep the coat short during the warm months, how long does it take to grow back, or do you just keep the coat short year round for easy maintenance?

After dealing with backside potty "klingons", I had the groomer take off her curly bloomers. She is clean as a whistle now, and it is so easy to keep. (Would also drag the curls in her urine :eek:)....I do miss "the look" though. and may let them grow back a bit.
 
Marianne - I also have my groomer do the same with Shelby. She drags those beautiful feathers through her pee pee...and then they aren't so beautiful anymore. If she only peed once a week I could handle it ;) I love the flowing coat and long gorgeous feathers....but am just not able to keep up with them. Both of mine get a minimal amount of trimming.

Charleen - the pups look gorgeous with their haircuts.

If I lived in a hot climate I'd be more likely to go with a shorter cut but our weather is usually pleasant year round so I don't find it necessary.

OMG....Avery is soooo hairy....I bet she feels a lot better.

Another thing you can do is thin the coat rather than cut it if the coat is super thick. I go through mine with a mars coat king and that really cuts down on the density of the coat.
 
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