[kernel843]

Hi Everyone,

I've had my gsd, Heidi, for two years now. She's a beautiful sable, but her coat has become rather long. When I spayed her a long time ago, my vet actually shaved her belly and part of her back. So now, the hair on her head/neck/shoulders is much longer (some maybe 4-5" long) than the back. I wanted to get her coat trimmed at my groomer, but I was told the only thing they could do is shave her down to 1/8"-1/4" (couldn't tell for sure, but said they'd leave it as long as possible).

Anyway, has anyone ever done this? Heidi is mostly an outside dog (we have an invisible fence on our 3 acres) and I want to make sure her coat is short so she can still stay somewhat comfortable during the summer.

Thanks,
kernel

 

[kernel843]

good to know...didn't realize the long hair could protect them against the heat. Since a lot of her hair has never shed and been regrown, I just thought that would help her.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[kernel843]

hmm...I've only been brushing on a weekly/semi-weekly basis. I guess I'll have to bump that up. As far as the undercoat, my groomer does an AWESOME job taking care of that (first time I had it done, I was amazed at what a huge difference it makes).

Anyway, I do think I'll shave or trim down her tail since its really bushy and looks rather bad but I guess I'll leave the rest of her hair to mother nature and hopefully she'll just shed it slowly as needed.

 

[kernel843]

Originally Posted By: KodeeGirlJust out of curiosity, why did the vet shave part of her back? I used to work for a vet, and saw tons of spays done, and never once did we shave any of a dog's back...

well he belly was completely shaved. The back half of her was basically just trimmed down to keep her clean I guess...her coat is very think and she sheds a lot. I never really asked, I assumed it's normal.

I may see if the groomer can at least do a little clipping w/ scissors to smoothen/even it own so its not as abrupt of a change. If they come back saying 1/4" is the best they can do, it's a no go for sure.