Shaving your shorkie

[Mai Tai]

So we shaved Mai Tai for the summer, and he looks adorable, though I do miss his long hair.  He looks like a completely different puppy.  I read that shaving a Shih-tzu does not actually make them cooler in the summer.  It says that the long hair actually insulates them from the cold in the winter, (which makes sense) and from the heat in the summer (which makes no sense to me.)  I didn't shave him for the heat but because of ticks.  He has frontline on him and I pulled ticks off of him anyway.  I find it very, very hard to look for ticks in all that long hair.  The only reason I found the ones that I did is because they became engored and got big, so they must have been on him for a while.  I brush him every night for 45 minutes and check for ticks, but I did not find these when they were small.  Has anyone else shaved their Shorkie for the summer.  What do you think?  Is it a mistake to shave them?  He is not completely shaved, they used a number 7 on him and left his face and ears longer.  I am going to post a picture as soon as I have one.  It just feels weird, like he is not himself.  He seems much more bouncy and chipper though.  Before the heat was making him just lay around.

[Ann]

Hi Karen,
I shave Toby in the summer. He has his tummy completely shaved so that he can get the cool off the floor when he lays down.

Please be careful of ticks as they can be very deadly with our little dogs. I'm not sure what type of ticks you have over there but the ticks here are really bad in fact what you described has happen to your Mai Tai over here he would have had to of been taken to the vets and would be given intravinus treatment and be kept there for a few days if he pulled through. I always check Toby even in winter over here I use a lice comb which helps find the small ones. I have to check around his eyes his mouth in his ears and between his toes. They will go mainly for warm moist places. I find Advantage is better than frontline.

[Mai Tai]

Thanks Ann, thank God ticks over here are not as bad as they sound over there.  We have to worry about getting Lymes disease from deer ticks, but that is about it in my area.  Out west they have to worry about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  I took the ticks that I pulled off of Mai Tai to the vet for identification and she said they were wood or dog ticks, not deer ticks, so he is fine.  I just had to put antibiotic ointment on the bite wound so he would not get an infection. I check him every night for ticks, but deer ticks are smaller than a sesame seed, so they are very very hard to see.  I never thought to check between his toes, so thanks for that info.  I will try the lice comb too.  I love this site, Ann, so much great info.  Take Care,
Karen

[Cash]

I've been keeping Cash pretty short, though I prefer the "puppy cut" look over the longer coat.  Between my other dog, the neighbor's dog and the kids, he'd be one large knotted mat i'm sure if I didn't.  I don't have #'s on my clipper, but I have been using the 1/2 inch  and in some spots the 1/4 inch to cut him with.. you can see from his picture he's still fluffy at that length.  I do cut him with the grain though, and not against as I'm sure that would wind up shorter.  I was wondering when you got Mai Tai cut did they clip his whiskers when they did his face.  I have been as I don't see any other way to clip the face and not get them, though my neighbor was told that she should not clip the whiskers.

[Bailey]

I took Bailey to have her hair cut last week...they did cut her whiskers when they groomed her.....her hair is not that long since she's 4 months old and her hair is very fine.....they did tell me the same thing about her hair keeping her cooler in the summer....seemed odd to me as well since she felt like a big sweat ball the too few days it has been hot here

[Mai Tai]

I don't buy that stuff about the hair insulating them from the heat in the summer.  Why aren't we all walking around in winter coats then?  I know, dogs don't sweat through their skin and we do, so that probably makes a big difference, but all I know is that Mai Tai is much happier shaved than when he had all that hair in the heat.  He is bouncier and runs around all over.  Maybe just a coincidence, but I think shaved is best for the heat.

[Bailey]

I don't get it either....Bailey was sooo sweaty with her hair longer....they did cut it shorter but didn't shave her

[Lisa]

I took Zoe in to the groomer this week, and they said she was too matted to just have a haircut, so I had to approve a shave.  They left her tail and head with some longer hair.  I have also been worrying about ticks this spring, so it was a good idea for that reason, too.  I have been walking the dogs through a large hayfield, and that will have to stop as soon as tick season hits.  Zoe has gone from teddy bear to seal-smooth.  I call it her "field cut". 

[Ann]

I can asure you you won't regret it. Zoe's hair will grow back and it will be better too.

[LBBUGS13]

I just took mine in for a puppy bath, they give you a break on the price if they are under 5 months at PetSmart ... $10.99, plus I asked the groomer to trim around his eyes, and do a "sanitary area" clip, which was $6. He looks so cute, you can actually see his eyes.  I think I will opt for the puppy cut when he actually needs trimming.  One of these days I will figure out how to get my pictures on here, LOL.

Lisa

[Bailey]

I just took mine in for a puppy bath, they give you a break on the price if they are under 5 months at PetSmart ... $10.99, plus I asked the groomer to trim around his eyes, and do a "sanitary area" clip, which was $6. He looks so cute, you can actually see his eyes.  I think I will opt for the puppy cut when he actually needs trimming.  One of these days I will figure out how to get my pictures on here, LOL.

Lisa

would love to see a photo....they are all soo cute !!!

[Mai Tai]

The fur or hair grows back so quickly, you won't believe it.  I have to take Mai Tai in for a shave in a few weeks.  The heat is already beginning to bother him and it has only been warm for a few days.  It has only hit 70, but he wants to lay in the grass rather than run around.  Mo on the other hand is so small, I think he can keep his hair.  It is so thin and he gets cold easily.

[charliesangel]

well i havent been around in a while, but... i do keep charlie's hair pretty short - like the puppy cut. i will let it grow out and then cut it all off again when i tell him he is getting too furry! i think he looks so much cuter with it short. His undercoat hair is a lot lighter than when it grows in which is very dark. so, when its shaved short it looks like he has tiger stripes. this last time at petsmart, they left his tail longer which i thought was weird at first but it grew on me...i believed they used #7 for most of him and #4 for the rest. also, like mai tai, he seems to be more bouncy and playful after a fur-cut too.

[shorkiejem]

This is only my opinion but I think they get bouncy only because it is a new feeling for them.  Something different.  Dog fur does protect dogs in the heat.  This is mostly for dogs that are outside.  Their skin does burn and fleas and other biting bugs like flys can bite more easily.  And flys love dogs, especially their ears and nose.  So be careful on our shaved babies when we take them out in the sun.  Experts state that we should leave at least one inch of hair on the dog for protection.  Makes some sense.  I didn't leave a inch on Jemmas back or tummy though.  I will now.
Dogs cool themselves off by panting, they don't sweat.  They do know what to do to get cooler.  Some outside dogs like to dig and then lay in the cooler soil.

[raleysmom]

I realize this is a VERY old thread but just read it!  Speaking of blade number, the number 7 blade is my absolute favorite for shaving a dog!  It is not too short and not too long!  My Raley didn't get the thick shih tzu hair but rather thin yorkie hair.  If I cut him too short he looks awful.  I am actually working on letting him grow a skirt and keep his legs and beard long.  I think I would cry if I cut his beard!!