[lionchow]

I'm one to preserve what the good Lord has created as much as possible. Nature gave your dog its coat, and had a reason for it. Cutting a dogs coat short for summer months makes the hair lay closer to the skin. Now your dog is wearing a glove. Common sense tells me that a dog is cooler with a coat that is cooled by passing breezes as it moves through the air. Remember that animals have a much keener sensitivity to things than we do. I advise my clients that shaving a double coated dog means that the hair you need to pick up with a vacuum is so tiny it will embed into the carpet quickly, and not be vacuumed up easily. I advise doing a deshed on double coated breeds, and clip (for the most part) only the breeds whose hair grows continuously. That being said, I also believe that it's your dog, and your choice to make. I just want happy, informed clients. That was my soapbox; I hope my 30 year old ideas are shared by others.