About Me:

I am a professional Pet Groomer. I have been grooming for 28 years. This Blog is a kind of diary of my work. I wish I had started years ago, writing some of the experiences I have had while grooming. Most days are fun, some can be sad, some can be just down right crazy. If you are a pet owner and come across this blog, I hope it helps you understand how your pet is groomed. If you are a Pet Groomer, I hope you can relate to some of the stories. Maybe even learn a grooming tip or can leave a friendly grooming tip for me. There is always something to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Shaving a Shepherd

 There is a reason why German Shepherds were not meant to be clipped.

There are just some coats that are a pain to clip and look really awful when clipped.


This Shepherd has been coming to our Self-Serve.

We have not professionally groomed him before.

His owner had come in a week earlier asking about having him shaved down.

Apparently we were not the only people warning him about messing up his dogs coat if he shaved it off.

He had also had other people (who had Shepherds) tell him that it was okay to shave them, and that their hair always grows back.

I didn't hold back when talking to him.
I said everything that I could think of to talk him out of shaving his dog.


He talked about having a baby and a very young toddler at home, and that the dog was shedding so much that it was really bothering his wife.

I told him that his dog would still shed, just shorter hair.

He left his number for us to call him if a Saturday appointment opened up.
We called him when the lady with the three Yorkies hung up on my husband.
We gave him their appointment.

He is a very nice German Shepherd, but like so many Shepherds, he was nervous and scared to death.
He is 5 years old and had never been clipped before.
He was loaded with undercoat.

I was not about to spend an hour or more trying to fight a blade through that thick, dirty coat.



So he went straight into the tub.

He immediately plastered himself to the front edge of the tub.
I could not get him to move or stand up to save my life.

So I started bathing him while still smashed up against the side of the tub.

Needless to say, my floor was flooded in no time.


He eventually started to relax the more that I rubbed him and talked to him.




Sometimes he would stand for me sometimes he would sit.

The one thing thing that he was doing consistently, was destroying the tub.

You had to move him very slowly or he would panic, pushing my tub mats all over the place.






 Then we were back to the edge of the tub, with all of the water and shampoo dripping onto the floor.

As you can see, I gave up on trying to keep the tub mats under his feet.






He was really good about being blow dried.

It took 45 minutes, but he was completely dry, (except for the edges of his ears) and all of his undercoat was gone.



I was able to easily glide a comb through his entire coat.

Look at all of that cream colored coat under the black top coat.

I told the owner that all of the beautiful black and tan of this dogs coat was going to be clipped off.

I told him that the hair underneath would look ugly.


I didn't hold back.

I didn't want this owner to be shocked when he saw his dog.

Are you ready to see him?

Let me say first, before you look at him shaved.

The cut is not as smooth as I would have liked.

I tried to clip him with a 3/4 inch clip comb.
It didn't take him short enough.
The owner would have thought that I left him too long.

I tried a #3 3/4F blade, but it just laughed at that coat.
It would cut in some places and just glide over the hair in other places.
So I used the Yellow 5/8 inch clip comb.

I did think about using the clip comb in reverse on the coat, but I have seen some coats really damaged by clipping against the grain, and I didn't want to do anything more to hurt this coat.
I also could have just taken a #7F blade and shave to get a nice smooth finish, but I didn't want to take him that short.









I still can't believe I took him from looking like this.....









....to this!







I am so sorry buddy.

If you where my dog I would never do this to you.

I hope your owner never wants this cut again.


Yes, the owner was shocked.







If I ever have another Shepherd or Golden owner ask me to shave their dog, I am going to pull out this picture.

Happy Grooming, MFF

57 comments:

  1. he looks embarrassed. Poor guy..

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  2. Hi Deb,
    He does, doesn't he? :(
    Lisa, MFF

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    Replies
    1. Think this is bad my neighbor is going to shave their shepherd so it is bald, because they can't deal with the shedding, She is sooo cute they call her Gretel but I call her baby and she responds better to baby than Gretel. It is killing me to know that she is going to be clipped this Friday, the owners allow me to walk her and I am thinking on taking her for a walk and hiding her at a friends until they agree on not shaving her. Wife and I have owned three shepherds and they are a lot of work. You either accept the fact or give them a good home if you can't deal with it not shave them to oblivion!

      Delete
  3. As a groomer & a proud owner of a German Shepherd I can agree with you. I think he looks sad.. He was soooo gorgeous once he was bathed, did you show the owner the after bath/before shaved pic?

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  4. I Love your blog.. i think you are a really awesome groomer and it is so reassuring to know that all of us go through the same problems .. I wanted to compliment you on this shepherd because i would have told the owners the only thing i could do to eliminate his shedding would be to cut him really short and then he would still shed just shorter hairs , and if they were ok with that and still wanted to go ahead i would have shaved him on a 7f backwards or a 10 .. so my hat is off to you.. I think he looks awesome !

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  5. Hi Kali,
    No, I didn't show him the pictures. I think that he felt bad enough. I am sure that it was really his wife that wanted the dog shaved. If he comes in asking for that clip again I just may pull the pictures out and show him how nice his dog can look with a good bath and brushout.
    Lisa


    Hi k9,
    Thank you very much! I used to do the same thing,(telling the customer that I could only use one blade) because that was what I was taught. I would tell Cocker owners that you could only get a nice clip with a #7 blade. I didn't know any better at the time. Once I started bathing all of my dogs before doing any clipping, I realized that I could cut just about any coat to any length that the owner wanted, if I was cutting clean hair. Some coats do look better clipped shorter, but if the owner wants it longer and a little choppy looking...their the paying customer, and the one living with the dog, not me. :)
    Thanks again, and thanks for reading my blog!
    Lisa, MFF

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  6. Oh poor doggie! He looks smiling still, but his eyes look sad. I wish his beautiful coat would grow back soon..

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  7. LOVE your blog, I am putting this in my favorites. I am a groomer, fairly new, two years and I have never shaved a Shepard, I don't think I would dare too... you are brave. I love your information and photos.... thanks so much
    Marcie

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  8. Hi Marcie,
    Thanks for reading the blog. I couldn't imagine shaving this Shepard after I had only been grooming two years either. :) I am glad you like the blog.
    Lisa, MFF

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  9. Thank you for not saying that it was detrimental to the dog in any way. We have always shaved our long haired aussie shepard. She loves it. Due to his age, and the temperature lately, we started shaving our lab/ shepard mix two years ago. Though he looks sad shortly after grooming, he is much more active afterwards.
    Many sites will tell you that you will harm the dog or make their hair grow back wrong. Thanks for not perpetuating that myth.

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  10. How is the dog doing now - is the hair growing back? I had my dog "trimmed" about two months ago, and when I went to pick her up I was shocked to see they had shaved her to the skin ! Her hair is coming back - but it is slow. I am worried it will not be as it used to be, however. She looks now almost exactly like the second picture ( two months after shaving) How long will it take to grow back ? I thought it would take 2 -3 months at the longest- but I am having serious doubts now. Can you shed any light on what you expect is a realisitic grow-back time? She is going to be five years old in November.

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    Replies
    1. Hi rjpcbean,
      I am sorry that your groomer did not clarify with you what you really wanted done to your dog. Unfortunately, some groomers only know one way to 'trim' and that is to shave.
      From your comment, it sounds like your Shepard was possibly clipped with a #10 blade. The blade of choice for a lot of groomers for your dogs type of coat.
      The Shepard above has not been in again for another grooming. I am sure that he is what I call a 'once a year groom'. The owner gets him shaved at the beginning of the summer and lets him grow back out the rest of the year.
      I am afraid that it could take an entire year for your dogs coat to grow back to what it was. Every dog is different. I have seen young dogs grow their coats back quickly, and older dogs take a lot longer. Unfortunately, in some cases, a coat that is not meant to be shaved never grows back the same as it was before.
      I am sorry that this answer could not be more exact for you.
      Please don't be scared to take your dog to another groomer again. Talk to them and make it very, very clear that you do not want a blade used on your dog. If they do a bath and dry correctly, they can remove all of your dogs shedding coat without cutting it. Most Shepard owners ask me to trim up the rear feathering and chest. Depending on the coat, I do this only with scissors, or thinning shears.
      Give your dogs coat some time. Hopefully, by this time next year the coat will be back and this will just be a back memory.
      Lisa, MFF

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    2. Hi I have a german shepherd took him to the groomer for a bath and they asked to trim him...i said um maybe a little bit I picked him up and he was shaved down to the skin his beautiful coat is gone...I hope it grows back fast

      Delete
    3. Hi,

      I am so sorry that that happened to your dog. It may take a while for his coat to grow back. Just love him up and tell him that he still looks beautiful in your eyes. :)

      Lisa

      Delete
  11. Hi,
    I must reply to your blog. I alsso believe that German Shepherds should not be shaved. I wish you were our groomer. We took our white Alsatian to a dog groomers and asked to be clipped under hiss belly and around his legs, when my mum came back to pick him up our white Alsatian had been shaved to the skin and its November now, from the pictures that the dog groomer put up on her Facebook page to justify you can plainly see that the dog groomer didn't even bath him or condition him, she didn't even try to clip she just went ahead and shaved him to the skin without informing my mum. The dog groomer is only 19 years old and she already owns the salon, surely to be a dog groomer you must have more experience?Please look at the link, this is what was left of our White Alsatian, he has to wear a coat now as he is to cold,also worried if it will grow up to its former glory?http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225790/A-close-shave-German-Shepherd-Simba-left-shivering-grooming-salon-staff-shave-coat-permission.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      I am so sorry that your Shepard was shaved so short.

      I must begin by saying, that even though I personally don't believe in shaving double coated dogs, I have seen cases where it HAD to be done.

      Was this the case with your dog?
      I can not say. I did not see him before he was groomed. It is too hard to tell from the picture in the link that I read. It did look like it would take a lot of work to save the coat. He is a big guy with a lot of thick fur.

      As a groomer, if at all possible, I would have tried to save the coat. I also would not have shaved your dog without notifying you and getting your permission.
      As for the groomer being 19 years old...my daughter is 21, and she has been grooming for 11 years. I started training her at age ten with our dogs. I would put her up against any groomer even though she never went to grooming school. She is a very skilled groomer for her age. I still have a problem with my customers thinking she doesn't know anything because of her age.
      I opened my shop when I was 21.
      Unfortunately, Grooming Schools teach grooming different ways. Many groomers do not believe in dematting dogs. They feel that if a dog is matted, and the owner is not taking care of the coat, it is in the best interest of the dog to clip the coat. Depending on how tight the mats are, the groomer has no choice in the blade length that they use. They MUST use a blade that will clip safely between the mat and the dogs skin.
      I have many tricks that I use to try and save a coat, but I do not always succeed no matter how hard I try. I would have loved to TRY to save your dogs coat, and then educate you on how to take care of it between groomings. Especially since he is a swimmer. Unfortunately, a lot of groomers are not taught how to save coats when they are in grooming school. Many of the tricks that I use, I learned on my own. That is one reason why I write this blog. I want to show other groomers out there that there are different ways to groom.
      Simba's coat should grow back. It will take some time. Every dogs hair grows at different speeds. It may be summer before his coat is back.
      One of the most important things that you need to do right now is make your dog happy. Right now he is feeding off of the families feelings. He knows that something is wrong, because he knows that all of you are very upset. In his mind he thinks that you are upset AT him, not about his hair cut. Play with him as normal. Tell him how handsome he is. DO NOT allow anyone to laugh at him. Do not look at him differently, or sadly. He CAN tell.
      I wrote about this very thing on my other blog if you would like to check it out.

      http://groomingyourfurryfriend.blogspot.com/2012_01_01_archive.html

      Good luck with Simba. I think he is STILL a very handsome dog. :) Please don't give up on grooming. His coat NEEDS regular grooming. Find a groomer who will work with you and teach you how to care for his coat between groomings, so that it does not get matted from swimming.

      Lisa, MFF

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  12. My wife me to shave our shepherd. Well guess what, I'm not doing it!!! My puppy was in my life for three years before she ever showed up so she knew what she was getting into.

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  13. I shaved my shepherd mix many years ago, at first i think she felt embarressed but she got sooooo much more love without her hair being on everything, clothes, beds, furniture....she seemed to not mind anymore, and people would actually stop thier cars asking what type of beautiful dog she was. We lost her to cancer at the young age of 9 after many treatments, and surgeries. We loved our dog very much, spending approximately $8,000 to save her from cancer of her upper snout. Guess my point is looks aren't as important if you love your dog. I now have a full blood AKC shephard and the hair is making me crazy, my son worked at a pet store and a woman came in with her 4 month old puppy with her papers and handed it to my son and walked out (at least that's the story he's sticking too lol) and she is still with us almost 2 years old now...My son is now a groomer and will not shave her...but it's not for lack of me trying :)When he worked close to our home (company allows one free groom per month) he did the bath and de-shed blow dry and it did help a little but now he works too far away..I am trying to deal with the hair everywhere ...

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      I am sorry that your son no longer lives close enough to give your Shepard regular de-sheddings for you. I understand the having to deal with the hair. My Lab shed more than my Collie ever did. We had to vacuum everyday to stay ahead of my Labs black hair.
      Lisa, MFF

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  14. Hello!

    I have to admit this guy looks so sad :( BUT...I have a German Shepard. I shave him twice a year; once in the spring and once mid-summer. I am a first time dog owner and never shaved a dog before, but I have to admit he looks and feels absolutely WONDERFULLLL afterwards. He is beyond happy and runs around loving the feel of wind on his skin!

    Here's what I do: I shave his back and belly super short (shortest blade I have). I dont dare touch the head. I do the chest and neck with scissors, leaving it a little longer, tapering it in to the short length (it also keeps some of the color and covers the white chest). I also leave his tail nice and bushy...just a minor trim there. I also leave the hair high on his legs so they dont come out white. Also use scissors for his behind area.

    He honestly looks great when done. He also FEELS great. He loves it and all the attention he gets because of the cut. It gives him a very cute, somewhat bobble head look...but it's just too cute! Anyway...ust saying it can be done, just needs alot of tailoring and patience!

    Cheers!

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      I am very glad that your German Shepard enjoys his haircut.
      For all I know, the Shepard in my post went home and was happy too. I hope so. My biggest worry about shaving Shepard's is that I want the owners to understand exactly what they are asking for. I want them to know ahead of time that that beautiful top coat and color will be gone. I also want them to understand that there is definitely a chance that the coat will not grow back, even though it that may not happen right away. The most important thing is that the dog is happy. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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  15. Hello.

    Our dog is a German Sheperd/Chow mix, he looks just like a shepherd with orange, fluffy, beautiful hair. We will be traveling in our motorhome this summer so we wanted him to get a trim before we leave. I took him yesterday.

    When I picked him up he was shaved! To the skin. I am completely devastated. What makes it worse is that the girl thought the "lion" tail was cute. Yes, she even shaved his tail! He looks ridiculous.

    From your blog I can tell that you really know what you're doing concerning grooming. Should I just shave the rest of his tail?

    I've already tried to blend in his head and neck area with clippers. She said he was getting aggressive and couldn't finish some spots: his chest, neck and front legs! He's a mess!!

    I will NEVER take him to another groomer again. Ever.

    Thanks for listening!

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      I am so sorry that your beautiful Shepard/ Chow was shaved. If he were mine I would probably just scissor the end of the tail shorter, trying to blend it into the part that she shaved.

      I am sorry that she misunderstood your instructions. Unfortunately, some groomers are never taught the different ways that a double coated breed can be trimmed, and they think that they only have one choice to shorten up the coat and that is to shave it. It is sad.

      Please don't think badly of all groomers because of this experience. There are a lot of good groomers out there that would have done a great job on your dog.

      Keep telling him that he looks handsome, while he is growing out, even if you don't think so. When a dog sees an owner upset over a haircut, they don't understand and they think that you are mad at them.

      Again, I am very sorry that you had a bad experience.

      Lisa,MFF

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  16. Poor Fellow. I have a shepherd and I've never clipped his coat. I do however wonder about clipping around his stomach area in the summer time to help keep him a little cooler. What would you recommend for shaving the tummy area a little?

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      Yes a tummy shave would help with the heat. I have shaved out bellies of many different breeds to help with the heat.
      I use a #7F blade to shave out between the back of the front legs down to the belly. It really helps the dog feel the cool floor when they lay down without clipping the dogs whole coat. You would only be able to see the clipped area when your dog is laying on its side or back.
      If you are taking your dog to a groomer you must stress that the tummy and the belly are the ONLY areas you want clipped close. Make sure you talk to the groomer who will be working on your dog so that there will be no misunderstandings.
      Lisa, MFF

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  17. GSDs should NOT be shaved. Not only will they still shed, they now lack the protection needed for their skin, which creates a new set of problems (dandruff, scaling, infection, sunburn, and even skin cancer). The owner is obviously not an experienced GSD parent and frankly I'm disgusted that the groomer would agree to this. I guess money talks :(

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    Replies
    1. I started to write a comment to defend myself from your 'money talks' comment, but half way through I decided it wasn't worth it. I am sure from your comment that you couldn't care less what my reasons were for grooming this dog the way the owner wanted.
      It is a shame that people judge other people without knowing them, or knowing the whole story.
      Lisa, MFF

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  18. We have two GSD's who are shedding horrible. I found this googling about shaving them and I have been laughing so hard! I think we are just going to have to put up with it. We have a 21 month old daughter too who gets a healthy dose of dog hair daily. Lol

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  19. I have a gs/blue heeler mix,,,and while i brush him out 2-4x a week, he sheds like crazy,,,he's on Taste of the Wild food so that's not an issue. He had an injury some time ago that required his head to be shaved to the skin,,,it's grown back in with no problem,,, I have been wanting to shave him down for the last few years,,,but there are so many different schools of thought on it,,,where he's a mixed breed, and does have the double coat,,but seemingly it's grown back normally,, think I can go ahead and shave him and if so, what size blade. I don't want to go to the skin,,I'd like to leave maybe 1/2 inch lenth,,,,your opinion?

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      It is really hard to say without seeing your dog, how his coat may react to being clipped. Most likely the hair on your dogs head is a little different then the hair on the body. Most of the time the hair on the head is not double coated. That being said, you could have your dog clipped and the hair may grow back fine for a while. I had a black Pomeranian that we had been clipping. The coat grew back beautifully every time, for about 5 years. Then, suddenly, after one of the clippings the coat just stopped growing back in totally. The coat was now growing back patchy. So you just never know for sure, especially with a mix breed.
      If you wish to try out clipping the coat, again it hard to say exactly what blade should be used without actually seeing and feeling the coat. The texture of the coat depends on how smooth the cut will be. The shorter the cut, the smoother it is. If it were me, I would not go any shorter than a #5F blade, and that may be shorter than you would want.
      Have you used a Furminator tool on your dogs coat? It is a great tool for combing out a ton of shedding coat. Google Furminator and check it out before you clip.
      I hope this helps a little.
      Lisa, MFF

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  20. I did the very same thing a few summers ago to our german shepherd, deuce, and was, to say the least, very shocked....as the groomer gave me no ' heads-up ' or insight as to how ugly he would look. his tremendous shedding this year had almost enticed me to do a repeat until i read this article....guess ill keep on bathing , brushing, and vacuuming!! ( however, his coat did grow back just fine) i still would consider trimming down with a long guard. thank you, and deuce thanks you!

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  21. Hi,
    I have 2 GSDs & both were having mites. we tried a lot of treatment but nothing seemed to work. Both started loosing weight & were scratching all the time. At the end, their vet suggested to shave them off.

    So with a heavy heart, I got both of them shaved & to my horror they look really bad. Their treatment is still on as they have lot of red patches on the skin. But they have stopped scratching completely.

    I have noticed both of them shivering a lot these days, so I put them out in the sun after which they are fine. I read that exposing them to sun in such a situation is harmful. Please suggest what should I do. Also will their hair grow back. I am extremely worried :( :(

    Thx,
    Ritu

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    Replies
    1. Hi Ritu,
      I am sorry that your dogs are having such a tough time with their skin. Ask your Vet about Fish oil in their diet to help with the skin and coat. As for them shivering...T-shirts. Go out and get them some cool kids T-shirts to wear. Then they could still sit in the sun but their skin would be protected a little. As for their hair growing back...it is a little hard to say, mainly because of the skin condition. The coat may grow back with a little different texture. You did not mention how old your dogs are. I have noticed that if the dog is on the younger side the hair seems to grow back nicely as opposed to an elderly dog. It just may take some time.
      Good Luck,
      Lisa, MFF

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  22. What about clipping a white german shepherd?? Last spring our 1 year old white shepherd shed so much (and we took her in for a professional furminator groom...helped for one week) and I bathed her every 2 weeks and brushed and used my own furminator brush a couple times a week...the hair just kept coming and was flying all over the house!! After 6 weeks it seemed to significantly decrease, but at that time she had lost so much hair people actually thought we had shaved her!! As the summer went by a new undercoat grew in...now she has started all over again with flying hair!! It seems the more I try to rid her of the hair the more comes out!! My good girl even tolerates me using a brush that attaches to our vacuum.
    We are in florida, so super hot this time of year...and she does not spend much time outside b/c she can not stand the heat and our walks are pretty short b/c she wants to go back inside!!
    Since she is all white there would not be a difference in color...but I worry about the texture of her hair changing...
    Natalie

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    Replies
    1. Hi Natalie,
      If she really suffers from the heat, clipping her may really help her feel better. You are right, because she is all white there won't be a drastic change. As for the texture of her hair changing....every dog is different. I have had some dogs shaved over and over again and the hair always grows back the same, for years, and then suddenly it no longer grows back right. I wish that I could help more.
      Lisa, MFF

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  23. Thanks for this. We adopted a Shepard mix and I've just about had it with her hair. A friend of mine said to shave her but I knew instinctively that her kind of coat is not good for shaving. My husband just needs to brush her and probably bath her more frequently. Again, I really appreciate these pics, they totally reinforce what I thought would happen.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hi,

    On the third picture of the dog you are doing something to the dog's front paw, what kind of a machine is that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mark,
      In the third picture it does look like I am holding his paw, but I am actually rinsing off the shampoo with a garden hose nozzle.
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  25. My parents shaved their full blooded german shepherd 2 times a year. April and July. Was he pretty.... after his haircut? No. But to be outside all summer long and it got hot. And he loved to swim in their pond and creek and he smelled like a swamp when he would come back up to the house. It made his post-swim wash downs so much easier with a super short coat. His beautiful coat would be looking nice by october for when the temp turned cool. He kept his big coat all thru winter until april when the water would start calling his name again...

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  26. Wow.. im really glad I looked this up first. My buddy has a lab/long hairs heppard mix and the hair was to long to manage and sheds way to much. So he shaved it down but left him with a 3inch mohawk on his neck tappered down to a 1 1/2 inch lower back. And it looks great and titan (the dog) loves he he acts like a puppy again. So I was goon do the same... but not after seeing this. Hes just gonna get bathed more often. Maybe a slight trim.

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  27. Hi i have a 11 y/o gsd who i have owned for 6 years now and have known his entire life. I have shaved a few times now. He loves it and acts like a totaly different dog after i do it and so far his coat has grown back no problem. The reason i first shaved him was that his whole life he had severe skin problems getting hot spots mostly on his butt that he would chew and chew at the worst almost his entire hind end was one giant hotspot. His owner wouldn't let his dogs inside and luke (his name) would have flies crawling his sores and biting them.

    I felt so bad for him that i told his owner who i knew but didn't know who i was even though we were practally neighbors that he could either give me luke or oneday he would "run away" and i was given the dog. I tried a hot spot treatment and trimmed the hair away with scissors to keep the hair from irritating it imanaged to get those cleared up but he had horribly dry skin so bad that no hair would grow on his butt. And every summer he would chew and if i didn't keep a close eye he would make some hotspots. One summer i was gone for a few weeks and when i came back he had alot of hotspots all over so i went ahead and shaved him. He looked like a sheep afterwards but i could tell he felt sooo much better.

    I didn't shave him for a few years after that. But the amazing part about that shave though is that his dry skin went away and his bald butt actually grew hair again and he has not had a hotspot again.

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      There are times when shaving of a double coated dog is necessary. Health and medical conditions are a couple reasons. Because the dog had been neglected before you 'rescued' him. His coat and health were suffering. Removing the bad coat, exposing sores, feeding a good diet most likely helped to repair the coat and skin. Thankfully you were there to be his angel. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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  28. I am so so thankful for your post! I literally just googled "shaving german shepherds" and it came up with yours. I take my dogs to the groomers because I am extremely allergic. (I take my benedryl and am trying to get onto allergy shots but it is all worth it to have my 4 legged babies.) Anyhow, this groomer thought I was absolutely crazy and advised that I shave my German Shepherd and my Golden Retriever. She said that would stop the shedding and would help my allergies enormously. She told me this just before winter and I absolutely refused to do it when cold was coming. I also questioned about whether their skin would burn in the summer because we go to parks and the beach, etc! She said no because of the oils in their skin. Reading this, it really makes me wonder about her as a groomer. She groomed three dogs of mine in an hour and they all felt dry and didn't look any different. :/ Just like she sprayed deodorizer spray. Hmm, anyway. Thanks so much for this, I'll just continue to do my daily outdoor brushings and hoping for my allergy shot request to be approved. I will never ever ever ask for my dog to be shaved!

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  29. Poor guy he is so sad now that he is shaved

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  30. I have 3 white GSDs. I shave my 9 yo male, he likes it after and it actually makes him look much younger. I have shaved my 2 females, 1 3 yo and 1 1yo, I don't continue to shave them as the 3 yo is on the thin side and I don't like the way she looks also it did nothing for the 1 yo so no more shaving for the ladies. So I guess it depends on the dog. Since my GSDs are white the finished project isn't so shocking. Also my male is not shaved down to the skin. When I say I shaved I do mean the groomer. But since the grooming service got new groomers obviously not as experienced I may change my mind as I don't like the way he was groomed the last 2 times. BTW I live in Florida so it does make it cooler for him in summer.

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  31. Hi, I was wondering if there is a way to do a partial clip of a German shepherd that would help with overheating but would not be damaging to the coat (for example under his belly jp to his sides?). My gsd is 11 and we live in Florida. With age he is not tolerating the heat as well as he used to. We do use the furminator at least once a month, which keeps his coat beautiful and significantly reduces shedding. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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  32. Hi,
    You can have a groomer shave out the belly from between the front legs on back. This does help the dog to feel cooler when they lay down on the cool floor. Some grooming call it 'shelling out' or 'hollowing out' There are several terms for it.
    Even though you are using the furminator on your Shepard, a really good de-shed bath and HV dry could really help to get out a lot of the dead coat and thin out the coat at the same time.
    Hope this helps.
    Lisa, MFF

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    Replies
    1. Thank you very much Lisa, I appreciate your help. Thank you for the great blog!

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  33. So glad I read this and saw the pictures! My 10 year old German Shepard Roo, is roasting at the moment with the good weather we're having so I was trying to think of other ways to help cool him down. Someone suggested clipping, so I googled it and the first page I read was from another dog groomer, who said they'd done loads and that it wasn't a problem, so I was going to phone round for some prices this afternoon and get him booked in. I just thought I'd best check another and the second page I read was this one, and after seeing those pics there is no way I'd put him through that! Thank you so much for putting this up and stopping me from making a huge mistake.

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  34. I'm a happy camper now. After trying to convince my wife and son that clipping a german sheppers not only was a bad idea but it can bring healthy issues to our dog. I then found your blog and show them the pictures of that poor dog, that did it!. They finally agree just to have her bath and brush.
    Thank you for taking the time to write this blog.

    -Dog Lover

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  35. I don't think he looks bad at all! As the loving owner of a German Shepard and the loving owner of a CLEAN house, let me tell you how much better it is to clip the dog. I do mine, myself, yearly in March. A bit grows back by May and that keeps the flies from biting him, but no shedding whatsoever that I can find. By fall he has a good coat back and is warm all winter. Then its March again... I can bath him so much easier all summer and he seems proud of his new buzz cut each year. I would never have a shepard if I didn't shave him - the shedding is impossible!

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  36. Hey I'm looking to get a German Shepherd, my mum however hates long hair and would prefer me to get a shorter coated one but i love the fluffyness of their coat. I was wondering if you can shave a long coated fluffy german shepherd? I don't want to damage my dogs coat and want what is best for him so can you let me know if long coated ones can be trimmed shorter? Or will I have to keep his fur long?

    Will appreciate any nice replies! I love dogs and deffo don't want to do what this owner did, just want to know if the same applies for long coated ones!

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  37. My Shepard loves being clipped. He is like a puppy in the summer when he is no longer SO HOT.

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  38. My Shepard loves being near naked like that in the summer. He is 8 and he plays like a puppy 🐶 when not so overheated

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  39. This picture looks exactly like my dog. This is the second groomer we have gone to and i specifically said Do Not Shave my dog but please trim her. I showed pics of previous grooming sessions and she stillended uo like the above picture. I am so sad so very sad that people just have no idea how to groom GSD!!!!

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  40. The dog looks embarrassed?? Haha how would the dogs face change if he wasn't embarrassed?

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  41. Im a little shocked that you're a groomer and don't know how to spell 'Shepherd'...

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