Friday, March 20, 2009

Ever seen a shaved German Shepherd?

Here's your chance...



LOL! Kouma got a hair cut today from the brave folks at PetSmart. The Hubs thought we should shave him down for the warm Spring and Summer months in the High Desert.

I think he looks a little silly and much thinner then he appeared with a body full or fur. But it makes bathing, brushing and just managing him all together so much easier. I wonder if he would be embarrased if we hooked him up with some other GSD's?

You can't tell in the photo's but now his head looks way too big for his body. LOL! And he still has his fluffy tail of course. He kind of reminds me of a Sphinx in the second photo.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

OMG!!!! What a difference a day makes!

Anonymous said...

We shave our long haired black GH every spring and mid summer, too. We had NO idea when got her as pup that her hair would be 12 inches long in some places. Her brother and sisters all turned out short haired. Some people tell us it is wrong to shave her, so I am glad to see someone else does it, too. I have to say, the first few days after she is shaved she acts like a puppy again. Like a huge weight is off her shoulders. Thanks for showing us your adorable shaved pup :-)

K.L. said...

I shaved my gs for the first time. It looks like he has a crew cut, except for his head and tail. I didn't expose his skin since he's in the woods a lot, figured he needed a little hair on him. One groomer told me I had made a terrible mistake and his coat would never be beautiful again. Another groomer said she had been in the business for 22 years and her experiences with shaving gs had all been positive. I've been really troubled, thinking I made a bad decision in shaving him but I feel better since reading the comments. Oh yea, by gs, seems to be in agreement with his 'new do'.

BigFurryPawz said...

Hello. I shave my gs all of the time, but so many people tell me not to because her hair is an insulator and keeps her cool. Well I don't agree. My gs is so much cooler after I shave her. I live in FL and when it is 100F I put my hair up and shave my gs. Glad someone else agrees with shaving. :-)

Anonymous said...

You people are idiots. GSDs should not be shaved, similar to any other double coated dog. The hair follicles in the undercoat can be damaged, and the undercoat is incredibly important to your dog's health. Do you also let your 100 pound dog sleep on a velvet pillow? How ridiculous.

Sarah said...

Oh...my..goodness! We have seen the light. Now that a complete stranger who has nothing to do with our household what-so-ever has informed us of our ignorance, we may now count ourselves among those in the know. How could we ever live with ourselves if we hadn't been shown the err of our ways. So many sleepless nights have now been avoided thanks to "Anonymous, comment #5" giving their unsolicited, un-needed and frivolous opinion.

We will take this sage advice and store it carefully with the rest of our used toilet paper.

Anonymous said...

Hi All - I know you posted over a year ago but if anyone is still around I would love to know how the shaving of GS turned out? Did their hair grow back without any problems? I recently moved in with my fiance who has a beautiful GS. Well now that spring has hit it is like fur city in the house. I can't keep up and it drives me insane. I would love to get her shaved or at least trimmed super short but have read all the bad press on shaving a GS. Just wondering how the other shave GS turned out.

Thanks,

Rachel

Sarah said...

Hi Rachel! I can only tell you my experience with Kouma but maybe someone else will chime in as well.

Shaving him did not cut down on the shedding or the duration of time he shed. The only thing that was different was that instead of long hair all over the place, it was short. His hair grew back perfectly fine and we haven't shaved him since.

Kyle Wickstrom said...

I have a 2 year old male GSD. He is an amazing animal with a high intellect. He is an inside dog and is also a shedding machine. I spend 10-15 minutes per day brushing him. When done, it looks like a small papillon was sucked up in the vacuum cleaner. Even after this maintenance dog hair is still scattered throughout the house. He receives compliments on his appearance all of the time and I think shaving him would make him a contestant for the circus. I am reaching out for recommendations on what else I could do to assist in slowing down the shedding process. I brush him with a FURminator and also rake. He hits the tub once a week and I also add Omega supplements to his food.

Sarah said...

Kouma has been outdoors for a good year and a half now because of the hair. But I've reached the point where I just can't let him stay out there anymore. He's inside now and even with constant brushing, he is still a shedding machine. I think that's just the way it is going to be. We have not shaved him again since the time this post was written and his coat has come back completely; it has not affected the growth or anything else.

To the person above, it sounds like you're doing all the right things. You just love a breed that sheds constantly. I do know that the highest shedding time for the GSD is in the Spring so get ready. Also, you bathe him once a week? Does he have any skin issues? I've read that with constant grooming/brushing, your dog can go up to 3 months without a bath. Once a week seems like too much to me but I'm no expert. :)

Good luck with the shedding! It sucks but I'm sure it's worth it.

Anonymous said...

I live in FL and own 4 white GS dogs. 3 short haired and 1 long haired. All of them get shaved 4 to 5 times a year. I use a number 4 in the winter and a number 7 in the summer. My home would be covered in a white haze!! Their coats grow out very fast! I've always owned at least one dog at a time and never shaved them! I'm sorry I didn't. Shaving was the best thing I could have done!

Anonymous said...

Hi all I have 2 wolf/shep cross a male and a female. I shave them both every 2 or so months. They love it and so does my carpet. I have never had a problem with the hair not growing back and it always is the same color and look beautiful. We go to the ocean allot and the short cut makes it easy to rinse the salt water and sand off. I don't shave the tail or face just up to the collar.