Clipping

Oh my, I REALLY didnt want to do this but it is so hot here and poor Bentley just gets so miserable even for the short times he is outside to go to the bathroom. Also, his long hair is a magnet for leaves, sticks, twigs and he drags all that back into the house. Plus we have those little burs that imbed themselves into his hair and matt, a mess. So lastnight we got out the clippers and started in. He did OK until we got close to his head so we stopped and will finish the job tonight.

He still looks like a Cavvy, still will have the gorgeous tail and long floppy ears but leg feathers will be gone and his belly hair wont drag the ground. Also will not have any residue on his hair when he "does his business" as so happens sometimes. When he was sick in June and had a diarehha problem that was so nasty. His whole backside covered in feces. That part glad to clip.

I am sure some purists will be appalled clipping a Cavalier but sometimes you have to do what you have to do to manage life with your dog. After we got most of the hair off he ran around the yard like we had just removed a tremendous weight off his shoulders and looking at the pile of hair on the patio I guess we did. I still feel bad though since the long silky coat is one of the attributes of this breed. It will grow back.

Don't beat yourself up - Bentley is happy and cooler and that is what matters.

i got Bosco clipped short once per year right before the hot! humid, NY summer. He is absolutely more comfortable and looks sweet. His hair is back and looking good by September. I keep the ears and tail and legs longer, but his body,belly and chest all all cut short.

Joan

I do understand why people get their Cavaliers clipped, but please be careful because the hair is there to protect the skin, it acts as a physical barrier to the sun's rays. Once they are clipped, they are very prone to overheating when outside (and easy get chilled if it's raining, or cold)

Cavaliers have sadly been bred to have more and more coat, it looks glamorous in the show ring but is not so easy to manage on a daily basis.

If they are spayed or neutered, the coat can become very heavy and thick, BUT this can be managed with the use of thinning scissors, and tools to remove dead coat eg Mars Coat King and a furminator.

Since I am new to the breed, I was wondering if clipping Cavaliers causes their fur to grow back thicker? Someone told me that if you clipped them once, you would be stuck doing it again and again because their fur grows back very thick and unmanageable. So for those of you that have had your Cavaliers clipped, did you notice a change in their coat afterwards? My little guy is still pretty young and hasn't come into his adult coat yet, but its something I wonder about for the future.