As our temperatures climb, we as humans have to change what we wear. We can add clothes in the cooler months and remove clothes in the warmer ones. Dogs are different. They have evolved to deal with all sorts of temperatures with minimal work. Especially those with what is called a double coat.
Double coats, or dogs with an undercoat, have very fine, fluffy hairs closest to the skin. The hairs are short and crimped, which makes them highly efficient at trapping air and insulating the animal. This keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Some people will look at a double coated dog on a hot day, a golden retriever as an example, see it’s tongue out and the dog panting and think the dog is overheating. They would most likely be wrong. Hot? Probably. Overheating? Probably not. A rapid panting with the tongue partially out is the dogs way of cooling off. Air passing over the tongue evaporates the water and cools the tongue, cooling the dog. Dogs also sweat from the bottom of their paws. Look at a dog standing on a hard surface on a hot day. If he’s panting, he’s sweating. When he moves, most likely you’ll see paw prints. Amazing, huh?
What can we do to keep our dogs comfortable in the hot days of summer? First thing is find them some shade. Left to his own devices, a dog will naturally find shade but when walking with us, it may not be so easy. Next, water. A sweating dog can get dehydrated quickly. Always have some cool water for them. If you’re walking, carry a bottle or two and a collapsible bowl. Is there water nearby? Do you care if your dog gets wet? I’m sure, no matter what the breed, your dog would love to a least stand in or lie down in some cool water.
What about their coats? It would make sense to cut it short for the warmer months, wouldn’t it? In some cases yes. Certain breeds, like poodles, Maltese, Shih Tzu’s, and other dogs, which do not have an undercoat, require regular grooming and haircuts and would benefit from a shorter cut as their fur constantly grows.
The aforementioned doubled coated dogs, goldens, are joined by many others. The sporting group has the American Water Spaniel, the Boykin Spaniel, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the Labrador Retriever (not so puffy, but still double coated), the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. In the herding group, most are double coated. German Shepherd, the Australian Shepherd, the rough Collie, the Belgian Sheepdog, the Briard, the Beauceron, the Bouveier des Flanders, the Old English Sheepdog and the Border Collie to name a few. Large breeds such as the Tibetan Mastiff, the Leonberger, the Great Pyrenees, the Saint Bernard, the Newfoundland and the Bernese Mountain Dog have the double coats. The Shiba Inu, the Alaskan Malamute, the Chinook, the Siberian Husky, the Alaskan Husky, the Norweigian Elkhound, the Keeshond, the Samoyed, the American Eskimo, and the tiny Pomeranian also have them.
Believe it or not, even some terrier breeds have double coats. Terrier breeds with double coats tend to have a very wiry outer coat. They may not shed but need their coats stripped or pulled out in order to remove the dead hair. Terrier breeds with double coats include the Wirehaired Fox Terrier, the Wheaten Terrier, the Tibetan Terrier, the Norfolk Terrier, some Parson Russell Terriers, the Australian Terrier, the Irish Terrier, the Scottish Terrier, the Cairn Terrier, the Sealyham Terrier, the Miniature Schnauzer and the tiny Yorkshire Terrier.
What do all these dogs have in common? They have a coat designed to work year ’round. There’s no need to shave them in the summer. Doing so could actually do more harm than good. A lot of these breeds have very fair skin that is susceptible to sunburn. A sunburn is very painful and can take a very long time to heal. With the fur shaved, the sun, striking the skin, heats the dog up faster, and they can overheat quicker. The best thing to do for your double coated dogs is to brush them regularly or bring them to a groomer where their fur can be washed, brushed out and then blown dry, ensuring that the inner coat stays fluffy which will give them maximum protection from the sun.