since it's now summer in the northern hemisphere and i am the owner of two dogs with long, thick double coats, i want to take a sec and address an extremely prevalent, often repeated phrase i see float around the internet (and IRL) in dog circles:
"double coats keep dogs warm in the winter and cool in the summer!"
the part about winter is true. the part about summer is not. this website does an excellent job discussing why this is the case and has plenty of sources cited. if you're interested in the topic, please give it a read. or, if you want the basic summary, here's mine:
Fact #1- a double coat is comprised of two layers - a topcoat, which is longer, sleeker "guard" hairs that act as a sort of shield against exposure to the elements. and an undercoat, which is shorter, softer, denser hairs that act as insulation. double coats are found on breeds of dogs such as collies, huskies, and labs. conversely a single coat, which lacks the thick undercoat layer, would be the type found on a dog like a pitbull or greyhound.
(this collie is shedding its undercoat - note the lighter, softer hair pulling away from the longer darker hair. source.)
Fact #2 - dogs are mammals which obey the laws of thermodynamics, meaning they are constantly producing body heat. a dog's average body temperature is normally right around100f (38c), and they are constantly radiating heat. this is important.
in the winter, a double coat works fabulously for keeping a dog warm: the topcoat repels moisture, while the undercoat traps body heat and holds it close to the skin. when the coat is very dense, wind can't penetrate, so the body heat doesn't get wicked away (this is important!). there's a reason why arctic animals like wolves and foxes and bison all have these kind of thick double coats - they work great at trapping body heat!
but then, the summer. part of the myth that is often cited is "the undercoat traps cool air and keeps the dog cooler." to which we have to ask - what cool air? if it's 90f outside and my dog' is radiating 100f heat,'s body temperature is 100f, there’s no cool air to be trapped. and even if there were, air trapped in the undercoat would be absorbing the body heat from the dog's skin and quickly turning into hot air, which then further heats the dog. this is basic heat exchange physics - hotter temps will transfer to cooler temps until the temps have equalized. the phrasing of "traps warmth in winter and traps cold in summer" sounds nice and neat, but it's ignoring the fact that your dog is constantly producing body heat. this theory works fine on non-living objects, like a thermos full of cold water. it does not work on an animal that is radiating 100f heat.
IF double coats truly kept dogs cooler in hot temperatures, then we would expect to see scientific studies backing this up, right? studies that show dogs with double coats have no problems keeping cool in hot weather? well, the studies we've done say the opposite. studies show that dogs with thick double coats are MORE likely to overheat than dogs with short single coats.
here's a list of sources saying exactly this, from the blog post i linked earlier:
"Contrary to cold environments, increased insulation of fur is not beneficial to maintaining heat balance in warm environments." - Seasonal Changes in Heat Balance of Dogs Acclimatized to Outdoor Climate, Yasuyuki Sugano
“Predisposing factors for heatstroke -thick haircoat" - Short technical Report on Thermoregulation in Dogs and the Pathophysiology of Hyperthermia, Jerilee A. Zezula, DVM
“Predisposing Factors for Heatstroke – thick haircoat" - Heatstroke – thermoregulation, pathophysiology and predisposing factors, Carey Hemmelgarn DVM ChristI Gannon DVM DacVecc
“Factors that inhibit heat dissipation: Thick, dense coat – increased insulating effect” - Hyperthermia and Heatstroke in the Canine, Lori E. Gordon, DVM
“Well-insulated breeds with thick fur and fat may struggle to maintain a normal body temperature,especially during hot summer days and in a warm ambient environment.“ - Hyperthermia during anaesthesia, Author : Clara Rigotti, Marieke De Vries 2010
“Well-insulated breeds, such as Chow Chows and St. Bernards, may struggle to maintain normal core body temperature, making them more prone to hyperthermia, especially in a warm, stressful environment” - Hypothermia in a chow chow under general anaesthetic, H.Jones, K.Robson ,2022
“Predisposing factors that decrease heat dissipation: Hair coat – Thicker coats decrease radiation and convection” - Heatstroke in small animal medicine: a clinical practice review, Scott I. Johnson, DVM, Maureen McMichael, DVM, DACVECC and George White, DVM
”a thick insulating pelage is a disadvantage in situations where energy supply is unlimited and expenditure is constrained by the capacity to dissipate body heat.This is because the pelage insulation becomes the primary constraint on heat loss. “ - Maximal heat dissipation capacity and hyperthermia risk: Neglected key factors in the ecology of endotherms, Journal of Animal Ecology 79(4):726-46 J. Speakman, E. Krol
ALL of these studies are saying the same thing - dogs with thick coats cannot dispel heat easily, and are at a higher risk for overheating and heat stroke.
so now here's tumblr's favorite part: nuance. does this mean that every dog with a double coat is completely intolerant of heat, and you should just shave them all bald instead?
no.
the double coat DOES offer some advantages in hot weather - primarily relating to the topcoat. it blocks UV radiation from reaching the dogs skin, and keeps the heat of the sun off of direct contact with the skin. this is extremely useful! my old dog was a greyhound, who had a short, black single coat. he was miserably intolerant of heat because even mild sunshine would rapidly heat his surface temperature - even petting him in the sun you could feel how hot he became. dogs can also get sunburn (and skin cancer). direct sunlight on skin is bad, and the topcoat is VERY useful for preventing this. shaving a dog is ridding them of this natural barrier.
however, the undercoat is almost entirely detrimental in hot weather. again: its entire purpose is trapping heat, and your dog is constantly radiating 100f heat.
look to nature - what happens when those arctic fluffy, thick-furred wolves and foxes and bison hit summer? they shed out almost their entire undercoat. they get downright nakey.
(ex: arctic foxes shed dramatically - all that white fluff is the winter coat. if it kept them cooler in the summer, they would have evolved to keep it. source.)
the ideal way for a double-coated dog to deal with heat is not to shave off the whole coat, but instead to groom and bathe and brush the absolute crap out of their coat, and remove as much undercoat as possible. when the undercoat is thinned, it becomes looser, and allows air to flow over the skin. that FLOWING air is the key to staying cool! when the air is able to CIRCULATE through the coat, it wicks away the dog's body heat - hot stagnant air is moved away, and is replaced by cooler flowing air. THAT is the action that keeps them cool - not “trapping cold air” (because trapped air will always absorb body heat). it’s got to MOVE. instead of acting like a snug winter sweater, the brushed-out double coat can now act like a loose, flowing shirt.
but! if that undercoat is not thoroughly and continuously groomed and bathed and brushed, and allowed to stay heavy and thick and block airflow, then you're right back to having a dog that's broiling itself with its own body heat.
(you gotta get that undercoat out if you want any chance of not overheating. source.)
so, in conclusion: double coats are great for keeping warm in cold weather. they are NOT great for keeping cool in warm weather, and in fact can be actively harmful UNLESS you take great care to groom thoroughly to remove undercoat and allow for airflow. IF that is done, then a double-coated dog should be either just as good as, or only slightly worse off, than a dog with less hair. however, the blanket statement of "double coats trap cool air and keep dogs cooler in summer" is factually untrue because the entire point is to NOT trap any air. in fact, the thing that keeps a double-coated dog the coolest is removing as much undercoat as possible.
again, i recommend reading this blog post for more in-depth discussion and more sources.
(if you do shave your double coated dog, the myth of "the fur will never grow back the same/be ruined forever" is untrue 99% of the time. dogs get shaved every day for medical procedures, it grows back fine unless there's a pre-existing medical condition. it can just take ages. for more info, i recommend reading the latter part of this post).
RIP Anthony Stewart Head, an incredible actor, musician, singer, LGBTQ+ ally and activist, devoted girl dad, and father figure to many of us as we grew up.
underrated tumblr feature is being able to catch up to yourself on your dash. so there is an END POINT. and you can say “ah, I have reached where I left off, there is no more to see! I’ll take my leave now and come back later when there are new posts.” instead of being stuck forever in a bottomless algorithm pit digging deeper and deeper till you have to summon monumental strength to climb out
happy 20 year anniversary of Neil banging out the tunes!
though every rat is special, it's a wonderful and unusual thing for their accomplishments to be remembered and cherished by so many people so many years later. we're all so fortunate to know about the rat who banged out the tunes!
thank you to all the people who sent me reference photos of their beloved rats for this piece!!! credits under the cut!
@joe-spookyy Ben and Socrates
@gooseontheinternet Chamomile and Beefy
@runawayy-rat Bartholomäus and Emo
@theunholystromboli Macrogryphosaurus, Xenoceratops, and Graciliraptor
@techlecticwtch Solas and Dorian
@merlyn-bane Roslyn and Rizzoli
@logictoinsanity Luna and Buttercup
@hagsthehag Orphie, Psyche, Calypso, Ariadne, and Eury
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