Our Corgi (8mths.) is feeling the heat and is pretty miserable.
Does anyone have experience having clipped these guys? Just wonder if it’s a big “no no” in the world of Corgidom! Also did their coats come back in nicely?
Thanks for any opinions.
It wrecks the coat…what you end up doing is taking off the top coat and leaving all the undercoat and in addition you alter the texture of the top coat permanently. What you can do is get her a professional bath and brush out to remove all the packed in hair that needs to go. This also fluffs the coat back up so it can insulate your dog properly. If you feel you must clip something, have the groomer clip out the bellly so when your dog lays in the cool grass or on tile it will help keep her cool. Dogs do not sweat so removing the coat and exposing the skin to more of the suns rays actually makes them hotter. Also, if it is 98 degrees out you, I, horses, dogs etc are going to be hot. Make sure she has plenty of fresh cool water available at all times.
The Tribble gets her chest and tummy shaved up really short because she goes swimming every day, but I never get her back clipped. I’ve heard that the guard hairs never grow back right.
The coat will never be the same. Try to find a groomer that has the hydro-surge system. That gets out a lot of coat.
Corgis are double-coated. As with any double-coated dog, you always run the risk that the coat will not come back after shaving. There’s no way to know if and when it’ll happen - you could shave the dog every year for years and then suddenly one year, it doesn’t come back.
Keep the dog well-brushed out, don’t let the undercoat build up and mat, don’t exercise the dog during the hot part of the day, etc.
Try to find a groomer that has the hydro-surge system. That gets out a lot of coat.
I have a hydro-surge system at work. It’s not that hot. I hand-wash all the big hairy beasts.
People always think clipping double coated dogs will make them cooler… no. Dogs have their double coats to keep them warm AND to cool them. You clip that off, dogs can actually get hotter. Here’s a little write up about clipping double coated dogs:
http://www.thoughtfulpawsgrooming.com/should_i_clip_my___.htm
A “furminator” will help keep a corgi’s coat thin.
Comb comb comb. Tucker has clumps of hair come out when I do that, but she eventually loses most of her undercoat for the summer. I just have to keep on it.
I have a little “rake” that does a good job of getting out the fluffy undercoat, but leaves the guard hairs alone.
rather than clip the corgi down, do the belly clips and bathe, then find a groomer who has a high velocity dryer and blow out all the loose under coat.
I know, this corgi (a fluffy, going on 10 years of regular clipping) is just not to be looked at (and he would most defnitely disagree with you about the “feeling cooler” issue).
month or two after clipping
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5226/5677291045_280aab4a6b_b.jpg
freshly clipped
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2604/4080541202_2f792ee88f_z.jpg
hair growing back
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3529/3275828436_31cf86932b_b.jpg
Just wanted to say…that Casey is so durn cute!!!
I know lots of people who clip their corgis and the hair always grows back and the dogs do seem quite happy.
Well… thanks to my little bruiser getting under something she shouldn’t have and coming out with a two inch long slice in her side… she now has a nice big bald spot shaved into her side… She looks extremely goofy right now, so I sure hope everything grows back regularly!
Corgi pattern baldness… lol!
I didn’t like the furminator too much. It broke off guard hairs and really did a job on one of my dogs.
I really, really like a simple rake. It gets the job done and doesn’t damage the guard hairs at all.
It is my understanding that the only breeds that should be clipped are those that grow coat constantly (like human hair). Poodles come to mind immediately. Double coated breeds, like Corgis, should never be clipped.
Sheilah
Furminators cut the hair, which is why it always seems like you get so much. A coat king or rake does a much better job of getting rid of undercoat.
I clip my corgis bellies, the coats come back fine. My farrier gives his corgi a full body clip and her coat came back like normal. I say, if you think your dog will be more comfortable, go ahead and clip…unless you are going to Westminster or something.
My mom took her corgi to a groomer a few years ago with specific instructions not to clip her coat. When she picked her up she was completely shaved, and we found out she had fallen off the groomers table. Because of that her coat has never been the same, and she hates even to be brushed now. I will never take my corgi to a groomer, I bathe and brush him myself.
I will add that if someone insists that I shave a corgi, sheltie, aussie etc, they must sign a release stating that it has been explained to them that the coat may be permanently damaged and may never grow back in properly or at all. A fluffy corgi has a faulty coat to begin with, so clipping them does not neccessarily do the same damage to them. It also pays to check out the groomer before you drop the dog off. Just like in any profession some people know what they are doing, some do not. Some take pet safety seriously, some do not. Grooming is much more than shaving a dog, although alot of the population still does not seem to realize that.
