Re: [PyrNet-L] CHAT: Summer clip

[Michaelene Sullivan <innerpuppie@barkavenue.com>]

JGray37000@aol.com wrote:

> Kathy Hubbell wrote..>>Speaking of heat, do any of you trim or clip your Pyr
> during the summer? ?Panda just loves a crewcut!<<
>
> We clip Pete, too. He seems SO much more comfortable. He doesn't dig up the
> yard all over, looking for cool earth to lie in.  We leave a tuft on the end
> of his tail, like a Lion!

Speaking as someone who grooms dogs and has been asked to shear a Pyr...the
clipping was done only because the dog was so matted almost nothing could be done
to help it. Those of you who keep shearing your dogs will eventually end up with
a dog that has literally no guard hairs and all soft undercoat. The coat is not
meant to be sheared off and does not grow back correctly for the breed standard.
The particular dog that I am speaking about has also "not grown" some of its coat
back in a few spots...leaving those areas bald. Now, I'm not saying that this
would happen to your dog...but I certainly wouldn't, and won't, take the chance
with mine. If you go to the GPCA web site it will explain that the coat is to
remain long and that it provides insulation from both the heat and the cold...In
very hot weather the coat will become very light (thin) if the animal is groomed
and brushed regularly to accommodate the heat...I could never understand why
someone would buy a particular breed of dog and then alter it's appearance
through cutting the coat. We have many customers who come in with dogs that
should have luxurious hair but have the animal's coat cut to about 1" (maltese,
lhasa's, shih-tzu's, cockers, etc). If a person does not want to deal with the
coat and grooming then a dog without lots of coat and undercoat should be the
animal of choice...(Flame suit on...)

--
Michaelene & Savannah Leigh, neighborhood busy body,
Tony III, my companion, my protector, and
Willow, my gentle Pyrenees girl.
Sault Ste. Marie, MI, USA