shaving my husky mix for summer?

No!! Please, NEVER shave a double coated breed. Their coat acts like a thermos, and thus assists them with keeping cooler too. Shaving will ruin this function, take ages (over a year) to grow back to what it was and will also make the chances of sunburn very high.

Please don’t shave your dog. Just keep her comfortble. Provide lots of clean fresh water, give her lots of shade, and just let her choose where she wants to go.

I hae a Samoyed, and a groomer shaved him when we sent him there to be bathed and brushed. We were furious, and it took 18 months to grow back to full coat. Forunately, it all grew back okay, but some coats will not. When it was shaved, we were actually told it was better it happened in winter as opposed to summer because the sunburn risk is huge on shaved, double-coated breeds.

It gets hot here in summer too, but instead we give him lots of water, keep doors and windows open and let him choose where he wants to stay and keep cool.

Shaving Husky For Summer

When shaving a double coated dog you take the risk of it not growing back right. Some dogs do grow back the coat perfect but other dont. Ive seen dogs where the undercoat grows back thicker or the outer coat grows back alot thinner. Some dogs only have patches that grow back right. Talk to a groomer about your possibilities. They might shave it at a length that doesnt effect the undercoat, still pretty long but helpful a bit. Or you could get a scissor finish that just neatens up your dog. Shave the belly and hind area would work and help the dog in the heat. Provide a pool and a place in the shade for your dog in the summer. Make sure you know the signs of heat strake for dogs too. Good Luck

The coat is a natural sunblock. If you shave the dog, he’ll probably get burnt.

Keep the dog inside and turn up the AC. My dogs have long coats and they don’t get shaved in the summer.

Why NOT to Shave Your Husky

The Siberian Husky should never be clipped / shaved except in medical emergencies. Yes, there are “professional” groomers out there who will tell you to shave your Husky. They will even do it without asking your consent! There are vets who will tell you to shave your Husky. These vets are uninformed about the breed.

Dogs do not sweat like humans. Their cooling process is done via panting from the mouth, sweating at the paws and cooling the blood in their ears. Shaving the dog does nothing to keep the dog cool. It just makes the human feel better when looking at the coated dog.

The Siberian Husky has little to no pigmentation in its skin. If you shave the Husky, you expose it to the sun without protection. Now you have a dog that can come up with a variety of skin problems including skin cancer.

Fur acts as a protection against insects and parasites. You remove that protection the dog is exposed to even more insect problems than he would have had if he had been allowed to keep is protective coat.

Furthermore, if you clip or shave a Husky it will eventually ruin the coat and disturb the proper shedding process.

Shaving/clipping makes Huskies more susceptible to skin allergies, sun burn and parasite infestation. The treatments for these problems can then lead to more serious conditions.

The husky “color-coat” also known as the top coat works as the reflective barrier. Shaving this coat exposes the undercoat and when the two coats grow they no longer “blend” properly to allow the maximum protection necessary or maintain the look in which the husky is known for.

I hope that this will prevent people from shaving their poor Husky’s beautiful, protective coat, and I hope it will also educate people so that they won’t go telling Husky owners to shave their dogs!

Ways to Keep Your Husky Cool In the Heat

For dogs that like to wade, lie or play in water, a plastic kiddie pool is AWESOME!

If your Huskies like to play in water, let them run through the sprinkler with the kids!

Make a “sand box” in your yard where your Huskies are allowed to dig. Many Huskies will dig ditches and lay in them to keep cool.

ALWAYS make sure that your Husky has plenty of fresh, cool water!

NEVER leave your Husky out in the heat for long periods of time without checking on them and giving them the option to come in and cool off!

A cooling mat – You get it wet in the bath tub, wring it out, and then put it in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. Then put it in your dog’s crate and they can lay on a nice icy cold mat!

Yeah dog’s fur act as a sunblock for their skin. If your worried I would suggest getting it done professionally by a groomer. My mom tried to shave our golden retriever mix and she looked like a sheared sheep for a month lol. Groomers know how to shave different types of dog fur and maybe you can do it after the first time. Good Luck!

You could, but you are putting your dog more at risk for sunburn..

My father shaved my Golden Retriever / Husky mix last summer.. man I was shocked when he came home with half of my dog. He he.

He seemed to be more comfortable, but again you are at risk for sunburned skin.

Best to NOT shave your dog, and keep him inside more often with the AC on.