Why you should never shave a double-coated dog/Här är anledningen värför man aldrig borde raka en dubbelpälsad hund
To begin, there are “generally” two types of dog fur: 1. Single coated, and 2. Double-coated.
1. A single coated dog has the same type of fur that grows all over the body with NO undercoat (ingen underpäls).
2. A double coated (dubbelpälsad) dog has a top coat which usually consists of guard hairs, and an under coat which is softer and a bit thicker (tät).
Double-coated dogs need to be brushed throughout the year, and ESPECIALLY in the springtime when the dog starts to shed (när hunden fäller sin päls). When the weather warms up, this thick undercoat (tät underpäls) needs to be brushed out, or else it will become impacted. If the dogs coat is not brushed and becomes impacted and matted (tovigt) the air will not be able to flow between the top coat and the skin, causing the dog to overheat.
IF the undercoat (underpäls) is brushed regularly, it will then allow the air to circulate between the guard hairs and the skin. This is important because the guard hairs help to protect the dog’s skin from the sun. This means that SHAVING A DOUBLE-COATED DOG ACTUALLY HINDERS THEIR NATURAL ABILITY TO KEEP COOL. In addition to this, I would caution (varna) anyone who thinks about shaving or cutting a dog’s topcoat because it actually grows in slower than the undercoat. Not to mention, shaving or cutting the topcoat breaks the hair’s structure and it might also cause it to become tangled/matted with the undercoat as it grows back in. This is not an ideal situation.
Summary:
Brushing your dog’s hair regularly will prevent:
Overheating (överhettning)
Matts (tovor)
Sun burn (solbränna)
Bug bites (biter)
Shaving your dog will actually:
Cause any cool air to just float on past above the skin (orsaker den kalla luften att gå förbi huden VILKET INTE SVALNAR HUNDEN)
Increase risk of sunburn (ökar risken för solbränna)
Increase the risk of overheating (ökar risken för överhettning)
The below image perfectly exemplifies what I am trying to say:
-Image created by Brook Wilkins
So if you don’t understand what I’m saying by now, or if you just need a TL;DR: Shaving a double coated dog does not actually keep them cool. Because science. And logic.
