01/11/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/19Vv8sY2AS/
To shave or not to shave… that is the question.
And yes believe it or not there are a lot of groomers out here who do not believe that shaving a double coated dog damages the coat and permanently changes the texture and in some severe cases never regrows. But I’ve seen first hand that it does, some argue it’s underlying health issues, some argue if you allow the coat to fully regrow it magically erases the damage, some argue that they are hot and need to be shaved because of overheating… but none of that changes that these dogs require their undercoat to regulate their body temperature, preventing overheating, and there are too many cases of perfectly healthy dogs coats being damaged forever due to the negligence of a groomer or an uninformed owner. I’ve provided some more information below!
How the Double Coat Works
Dense Undercoat: A soft, fine layer that traps air close to the skin. In the winter, it traps body heat to keep the dog warm. In the summer, this same trapped air layer acts as insulation against outside heat.
Coarser Topcoat (Guard Hairs): The outer layer repels moisture, dirt, and water, and reflects direct sunlight and UV radiation away from the skin.
Why Shaving Does Not Keep Them Cool:
Loss of Insulation: Shaving removes the built-in temperature-regulation system, exposing the skin directly to heat, hot air, and burning UV rays.
Risk of Overheating and Sunburn: According to the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, removing this fur makes the dog less tolerant of high temperatures and raises the risk of heatstroke and sunburn.
Damaged Regrowth: Shaving a double coat can disrupt the normal shedding and growth cycle, often causing the undercoat to grow back faster and thicker than the guard hairs, permanently altering the coat texture.
So why do we shave Shihtzu’s but not a Husky?
The fundamental difference lies in their growth cycles, texture, and how they shed. Here is a direct breakdown of how these coats compare:
Schnauzer & Shihtzu: can be shaved
Single Coat, continuously grows (like human hair) low-shedding, requires regular grooming, haircuts, and daily brushing. Schnauzers are wiry and Shihtzu are silky/soft
Vs
Husky & Aussies: cannot be shaved
Double coat (dense undercoat & coarse guard hairs)
Grows to a set length, stops, and sheds. High-shedding; blows undercoat seasonally or with heat cycles. Thick plush and weather resistant. Requires frequent brushing and deshedding and should never be shaved. Exceptions should only be made for medical/surgical purposes or a case of severe matting.
Below is an Aussie that was previously shaved multiple times. The owners didn’t know and were never educated about the damage it would do. They have since stopped having her shaved and switched to having her regularly Deshed as they should. You can see the uneven hair regrowth, patches longer than others where the gaurd hair is fighting to regrow through the thick undercoat that is compacted do to the texture change from the damage overtime.
With consistent deshedding and not shaving the coat it will go through a full cycle of regrowth and it won’t continue to get worse but it will never be the same.
