WHY ALL THE UP ROAR OF CLIPPING THE DOUBLE COATED BREEDS?

 

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Well here is why… Dogs unlike humans do not sweat to cool their bodies.  Although, they have sweat glands in their nose and paw pads, they rely on panting and their coat for ventilation to cool their bodies.  Just as in the winter when their coats provide insulation to keep their bodies warm, in the summer, their coat provides the necessary ventilation to cool them down. When you clip the coat short, it takes the pets ability to ventilate and cool himself especially in the summer months when they need it the most.  Pet owners however, have a variety of reasons to wanting their pets clipped or altered in some way, no matter what the coat type.

According to their breed standards, double coated breeds such as Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Chow Chow, Rough Collies, Pomeranians, etc. do not get clipped, other than utilitarian clipping such as pads, paws, and private areas for sanitation purposes.  Therefore, technically there is no such thing as a breed clip for any of the double coated breeds.  Many people feel it is cruel and wrong to ever clip their beautiful coats, but don’t ever tell that to the infamous “Boo” the Pomeranian. The term breed clip is a term used to describe where the coat is altered or clipped, in the breeds primarily found in the Sporting and Terrier Group, and Poodles.  Which according to the breed standard have a specific pattern area.  In pet grooming, this term is also used where the pet groomer is clipping the pet’s pattern of a specific breed into a pet trim reflective of their specific breed clip.

What’s interesting, is that breeds that are long coated or long haired breeds such as Lhasa Apso, Bearded Collies, Maltese, Shih Tzu, etc., according to their breed standards, should never be clipped either, other than the pads, private areas, and corners of the eyes. Therefore technically, there is no such thing as a breed clip for any of these breeds.  However, most of these long coated breeds belong to pet owners that prefer having their pet styled into various pet trims or short summer clips which are easier to maintain and therefore more practical for the lifestyle of the pet owner and environment of the pet.  In fact, this makes up a good portion of the pets clipped and styled annually by most pet groomers.  Their coat acts as ventilation and insulation just as with all pets, dog or cat, but for the most part, folks do not have a second thought on the matter of when those pets’ coats getting clipped or altered!

At John Paul PetSchool, we believe in educating our clients on the best possible care and grooming for their pets.  That’s why with double coated breeds, and short coated breeds, we always recommend not to clip the coat down. Instead, we encourage daily brushing, regular professional bathing and grooming, which includes shed treatments when necessary, to maintain their natural beautiful coats and reduce shedding hair around the house.  We educate and carefully explain to our clients how the coat provides insulation as well as ventilation.  We also screen carefully to insure that pet owners understands that when we take away a pets ventilation system, that they will need to provide a climatically controlled environment at all times, making the pet basically, an indoor pet.  In addition, we also review with them that, with double coated breeds that are overweight, have thyroid issues, as well as other serious health issues; once clipped short, they may not have the ability to grow the coat back normally, ever again.  It is only after we have fully educated and screen the client on the impact of clipping the double coat that we will proceed with the client’s desire of wanting their pets coat clipped. Wouldn’t any responsible pet Stylist go through all that before clipping? When the pet parents still insist on clipping the coat, we prefer doing a much longer puppy clip style.

Caring and Education are keys to success…