To shave a chow or not?

[ehlobaby]

I've seen that a lot of dog owners during the summer months shave their dog's coat. I was wondering if anyone has done this with their chow and if it is a good or bad thing. I'm concerned that if I shave my little Ehlo's coat that it won't grow back. Can someone please tell me if this would be appropriate for chows.

[Judy Fox]

Hello there - take a look at "The General Discussions about Chows" and you will see a posting about a chow suffering from sunburn after being shaved.
I have no experience of this, have never shaved my girls but, having said that, I live in the U.K. and up to now it has never been hot enough for them to be severely bothered with the weather. If it is very hot, they have places in the garden where they shade.

[Shan&Kayla]

I would never shave Kayla. I have heard that the undercoat actually helps them stay cool But I know She gets pretty hot, so I gave her a "field cut" instead of shaving. That just means I gave her an all over trim. She looked like a smooth coat chow with a full lion head lol. She was a lot more comfortable, but still had plenty of fur to protect her from sunburns

[Juniper]

From some first hand experience I acquired a chow who's back had been shaven after it was run over by a car as a puppy. Sheena is almost 3.5 years old now. The hair that grew back in is very very coarse and there is no undercoat whatsoever. Last November 04, she barely survived her spay surgery, there were problems and they shaved her entire belly. The hair has barely grown back and there is also no undercoat. As a result, Sheena probably overheats a bit more now than other chows do.

I've spoken with vets and chow groomers and they have told me to NeVeR shave a chow's coat. They will overheat in the hot weather, the undercoat actually insulates them from the heat; the hair never grows back smooth no matter how much you condition it and the undercoat doesn't return. Sheena's hair is so coarse I don't enyoy petting her on her back I feel like I'm petting a porcupine.

So, I suggest you don't shave your Chow. Sheena handled the heat OK before. She was stray for 1 1/4 years in 104F temperature when I saw her walking in the sun. I rescued her two days later and she didn't have heat stroke...and had to stay in my backyard during that heat for another two weeks approximately before she would allow me to approach her. Her chow hair must have protected her or she wouldn't have survived...and I'm so happy she did, porcupine back and all!

[MybabyBear]

We shaved our Chow when he was younger....he loved it! I would've too.....a thick black coat in Wisconsin during the late 90's wasn't a good thing. He never got sunburned....his favorite thing was to hide under the deck or shade and be lazy. Now we don't shave him because he has severia (high form of mange) and has been on pills since 99, I think. I really see no harm in shaving your Chow, but it does depend on where you live. Also, don't shave too much off...we did it on accident a couple of times, and Bear didn't like it too well. Stephanie and Bear

[sandyk]

Charco is shave appx. every 4 mths - not by choice but due to some skin condition that we are still trying to resolve. He doesn't seem to have any problem dealing with the heat or the cold - in Quebec both seasons can offer extreme temperatures. As the coat grows bach there is a period that the hair is extremely coarse, but it does eventually return to a soft shiny coat - unfortunately by that time I have to have him shaved again. It has been a while since I have seen Charco look lie a real Chow. He now more resemble a lab with a lion's face.

[alienangel75]

Hello there! even tough this post is quite old, I wanted to share my experience (with the summer comming, it might help some owner to make a decision to shave their dog or not).
I was against shaving dogs for many years but, one day, a skunk sprayed my dog. I tried everything but the smell stayed for almost 6 months with all that fur. At age 5, another skunk sprayed her again (she just loved chasing those smelly thing lol) Anyway, before it went into her coat, I just shaved everything this time. I had never seen her so happy and so energetic. The coat grew back fantastic and I dit it every summer after that, wich she was very gratefull for. Instead of laying down all day being miserable, she was running everywhere and became very playfull. The important thing is not to shave too close to the skin (a quarter inch or half inch is great)

the picture with her fur was taken after , like you see, it grew back perfectly

[chris]

I have heard the same thing about the undercoat/fur protecting the chows from the heat. I have never shaved any of my chows. They seem fine. Of course they really don't like being outside in the summer. As a matter of fact... they like to HOG the air vents in the floor when the air conditioning is on.

[tekendall]

I got Zoey last July, so, this will be our 2nd summer. We haven't ever shaved her. We got her a kiddie pool that we fill up with cold water for her when it gets hot outside. She loves it!

[ciaobella]

Ditto, Chris!
Sophie will sack out on the floor vent when we're visiting my mom, fluff up her coat with plenty of cold air, and then go directly outside and pass out on the blazing hot asphalt to warm up again. Repeat process until nightfall.
Pampered little princess....

[Blondie]

WHOA! Shaving a chow chow? Never heard of that over here. Of course we trim the dogs a bit before shows but never by shaving. Yet another example of different ways to keep chow chows around the world.

and oh yeah, it gets hot over here too, even though Finland is a nordic country. We get over+30 Celsious during summer time.

[ngraham]

I too have always heard that a chow's undercoat keeps them insulated, both in winter and in the summer. For that reason, I would never shave my chows. I know the heat is uncomfortable for them.... my 2 sit in front of their own box fan sitting on the floor the entire time they are inside. We are putting in the air conditioners this weekend as it has been in the low 90's here the last 3 or 4 days and is starting to get uncomfortable for not only Koda and Molly, but also for us. I am sure we will all enjoy the air conditioning. But I just don't feel that shaving a chow is the right thing to do. I am sure in Ancient China when there was no air conditioning, the chows adapted. Our chows these days are spoiled and pampered.
I use an undercoat rake on Koda when I groom him. It will get all of the loose undercoat and I am sure that helps aleviate some of Koda being uncomfortable.

[alienangel75]

Hi!
I hope you understood that shaving up to 1/2 inch KEEPS the undercoat, wich is their protection and that I was aware of it when I've decided to do it ?
But I respect your opinions on the matter, everybody are doing their best to offer the best life possible to their beloved ones
About air conditionning, I think it isn't that great because from my point of view, it makes it harder to go outside because of the huge gap between the temperature. At my office, we all get sinusitis and sore throat in july. My dog just loved being outside and she would be so depressed to be kept inside. But, we decide to move out of the big city to get more fresh air...Summer shouldn't be has hot as they use to with the trees instead of the streets

[ngraham]

I agree, we all (at least all of us here on the site) do what we feel is the best thing to do for our chows. I don't know how it is in Canada, but here in Illinois we have terrible humidity. So usually it isn't the temp that's the problem, but the humidity (which is at 65% right now) and will make anything living uncomfortable. I never thought about it, but you're probably right, alot of the underoat would still be there if you left that much height in the fur. I've just heard way too many horror stories about shaving chows down to do it to my furkids. But if it works for you, then that's great! I suffer with sinus and allergy problems all year round (I am one of the Singulair's and Flonaise companies best customers LOL), but more so during the summer, and I am positive alot of it has to do with the fact that I work in AC and also have AC in the house, so when I am outside, it just makes the condition worse for me. But I'd muh rather deal with allergies and sinus problems then deal with heat and humidity.

[bbmtngirl1]

I own 2 chows...Cloud is a cream/white and I never shave him because of his white skin underneath, however, I own a black girl named Storm. Her hair is very thick and I live in a very hot State. So, every summer we shave her and she looooovvveessss it. She dives all over the place and loves to be scratched all over. It also helps to cool her down. It grows back nice and full for the winter months and even looks healthier. I have done this since she was around 2yrs of age. She has never sunburned or anything. But, I guess that depends on the Chow. Good luck

[Taz]

I Shaved my Chow. Only the back area tho, but he loved it.
He still does, even tho his fur is growing back pretty fast now.