With the arrival of summer and rising temperatures, many guardians are concerned that their furry ones are getting hot and decide to take them to the dog groomer or cut their hair themselves at home. But be careful with this! Because, even if it is done with the best of intentions, in some cases cutting a dog's hair can be a tremendous mistake, especially if we shave it completely.
In this article on our site we tell you which dogs don't get their hair cut so that you can find out in more detail what are the dog breeds that should never have their hair cut and why. Keep reading!
Can all dogs get a haircut?
The answer to this question is a resounding "no", because for some dogs a haircut can cause more harm than good. Benefits. The hair of dogs is called the mantle and is very different from the hair that grows on us humans.
One of the main differences lies in its density since, while people grow one hair for each hair follicle, dogs grow several, which alsocan create layers.
The characteristics of the coat that a dog exhibits are determined by its genetic information, so they will depend on its breed or the crossbreeding of the different breeds from which it descends, in the case of mestizos.
In this way, in addition to the enormous variety of colors that we can find in the canine world, we have a variety of dogs:
- With and without undercoat.
- With short or long hair.
- With hard, coarse or soft hair.
- With curly hair.
- Even dogs that, apparently, do not have a hair on their bodies.
Faced with this enormous variety, no it can be claimed that all dogs require the same careso it is important to learn when it is appropriate to cut our dog's hair and when it is not.
Why are some dogs not allowed to have their hair cut?
Guardians, especially those who have very furry dogs, tend to think that this amount of fur will be extremely annoying to the animal during the warmer months of the year, but what many of them don't know is that the dog's coat not only protects them from the cold, but also from the heat!
The dog's coat is its main protection barrier against:
- External agents: dirt, allergens, parasites, elements of nature.
- High and low temperatures.
This protection is especially notable in dogs that have a double coat of hair, that is, they have a longer external coat that defines the color of the animal and an internal coat, below the previous one, which is shorter and woolier. Air pockets are created between both layers that keep the dog's body temperature constant, protecting it from the cold in winter and the heat in summer.
If these dogs are cut, their natural protection is destroyed and the hair is prevented from being able to breathe properly, which causes the animal to pass even more heat. In addition, after the cut, the undercoat grows faster than the outer layer and with greater density, which is an aesthetic problem, since the dog's visible hair will become coarser and will fall more.
Last but not least, we should know that the hair acts as a barrier so that the sun's rays do not reach directly the dog's skin and, in this way, there are no burns or injuries that could lead to serious he alth problems. When a dog is shaved, its skin is very exposed, which can be very dangerous, especially in dogs with white hair and pink skin.
Dog breeds that do not cut their hair
All dog breeds and mongrels with medium hair and double coats, as well as Nordic, primitive and short-haired dogs, should never have their coats cut. As an example, we expose the following breeds and the crosses of the same that present similarities with respect to the type of coat:
- German shepherd
- Siberian Husky
- Alaskan malamute
- Belgian Shepherd
- Border Collie
- Golden retriever
- Labrador
- Mastiff
- Hound
- Dachshund
- Water dog
- Pomeranian
- Chow-chow
Other types of dogs, especially those with long, fine hair and little or no undercoat may require a outer trimwith certain frequency to maintain the hygiene of the hair. This is the case of dogs like:
- M altese
- Yorkshire terrier
- Lhasa apso
- Shih Tzu
In the case of these breeds or mongrel dogs that have similar coats, it is important to know that a cut is not the same as a complete shave. The cut should be superficial, to sanitize the hair and improving the comfort of the animal and, although we find it more comfortable or aesthetic, the dog should never be shaved because, as we have mentioned before, it would be very exposed to solar radiation and this is dangerous and irresponsible.
A good dog groomer knows what each animal needs depending on its type of hair and should never perform or recommend a haircut to a dog that should not have this done, nor will he accept requests from a client if you feel that what is requested is not appropriate for your animal.
Haircut Alternatives
That the hair of certain types of dog should not be cut does not mean that it should not be cared for. For the protective and insulating effect of the coat to be really effective, we must brush it with some frequency using specific products for each type of hair and occasionally bathe the animal with a quality shampoo suitable for dogs.
In double-coated dogs with medium or long hair, a shearing process is performed as an alternative to a haircut. Shedding consists of removing all the dead hair that accumulates between both layers to reduce the volume of the coat, clean it and help it breathe better. This task is done with special brushes and can be done by a dog grooming specialist or done by yourself at home. Of course, some patience is needed because the amount of dead hair that these dogs can accumulate is truly surprising, especially during times of shedding.
On the other hand, in dogs with short and hard hair, such as dachshunds or fox terriers, a technique called stripping is often used. Stripping is, in essence, the same as shedding, as it consists of removing old and dead hair to clean it up but, in this case, a special tool is used to manually pull out the hair little by little. Stripping is usually more laborious than normal shearing, which is why, in these cases, guardians often prefer to take their dogs to a dog groomer.
After reading this article about which breeds of dog should not have their hair cut, we leave you this post on our site about the Types of hair in dogs and how to take care of each of them to that you have more information on the subject.
