# Clipping a Pyr ?



## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

Since we live down here in the deep south I was wondering if we should clip our pyr for the summer. She has such a heavy coat and looks so miserable in our heat and humidity. What do ya'll recommend?


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## TenBusyBees (Jun 15, 2011)

We're in Tx and have two pyrs, we don't clip ours. From my understanding clipping them leaves them vunerable to sunburn and heatstroke. Last year was record breaking heat and drought and they did fine though they spent a lot of time IN the pond or under the porches.


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## Chaty (Apr 4, 2008)

I have 4 and dont clip them either, mine spend alot of time in the ponds and shade. The hair protects them from the mosquitos also and the flys. Only thing the get to is the ears and nose. If mine get mats I clip them out but dont clip them with shears.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

I clipped mine and have done others with no ill effects. I haven't seen any problems with bugs bothering her or sunburn(I don't clip shorter than 1/4 inch) . Less hair does make it easier to see wounds and fly strike. It also makes them less likely to hold burrs and weeds in their hair. I make sure the dogs have plenty of access to shade and water too.


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## CJBegins (Nov 20, 2009)

I am glad you asked this question. My Vivian, is so hot.  I have brushed and brushed for days and her coat is still super thick. My human clippers won't make it thru that hair. I still feel like I need to do something for her. When it's really hot she always goes and lays in the valley. I haven't ever seen her get in water. I need sheep shears or other ideas also.
Carla


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## heavyrebel (Oct 6, 2010)

We shave a the few we have as clients, and they always seem much happier. we shave our lab and and Sheltie, but not our collie mix or our multiimix mutt. Look better, feel better, dry faster, no shedding and less over all grime in their coats. 

I would, as stated, not go too short for fear of sunburn on a white coated dog, but certainly some of the hair could come off.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Have you tried a Furminator? They are expensive, but much less so than dog shears or a groomer. It will pull out the loose fur so there is still fur, but much less of it.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

Your best bet would be to take your Pyr to a professional groomer, if you can. Doing a big, heavy, double-coated dog yourself if you don't have experience with it, can make for an unpleasant experience for both you and the dog.

If you really want to do it yourself, you'll need a GOOD pair of clippers--not the wal-mart kind--for this kind of coat you need professional clippers like the Andis AG. You'll need a few different blades--if the dog's coat is heavy with mats and dead undercoat (I can almost guarantee it will be), you'll probably need a #7F blade, along with the #10 blade that usually comes with the clippers. A #10 for the body is too short. You will also need a can of Kool-Lube or other spray coolant, as the blades will get dirty and hot and need to sprayed down frequently. Clip the hair in the direction that it grows--if you clip the opposite direction, it will be too short.

As long as the dog has access to shade and water, he will not get heatstroke or sunburn from being clipped. This time of year I clip dogs all day long with a #7F blade, and in my 20+ years of grooming, I have yet to hear of any of my clients getting heatstroke or sunburn.

Having said that, if you shave a dog (especially a white dog) TOO short and leave him out in the sun, he WILL get sunburn. A friend of mine shaved her Golden Retriever down to the skin and then wanted to take her for a walk in the park--I insisted she spray the dog down with a spray-on sunscreen first!


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

Maura said:


> Have you tried a Furminator? They are expensive, but much less so than dog shears or a groomer. It will pull out the loose fur so there is still fur, but much less of it.


The Furminator is a great tool, but I'm afraid it won't help much for a Pyr. It's really meant more for short to medium haired dogs, to get rid of loose, dead undercoat. With a longhaired dog like a Pyr, the ultrashort tines of the Furminator just won't penetrate deep enough to remove the undercoat deep down next to the skin. For that, you need more firepower--a firm slicker brush, a rake, a mat splitter, LOTS of elbow grease, and patience.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

We have groomed a few, listen to Wolf Flower it takes some skill and decent tools. Not that you can't learn or equip yourself but its a heavy enough job to get done!


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## noeskimo (Mar 17, 2011)

They DO look hot, but it helps to remember that a dog doe not swet through their skin.The only place the "heat exchange/cooling takes place is the pads of their feet and their tongue (hence panting)The coat is a sunshade and protection from brush and predators. The only reason I would clip my dogs would be if they were so matted that the matts were pulling at the skin. A Furmin-what-you-m-call-it is a better way to remedy the matts.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

Here's a picture of my 7 month old clipped for summer, in case anybody is wondering how they look. A bit goofy looking at first, but you get used to it. She sure got friskier afterwards too. In this picture she is happy to see me and heading my way, hard to get a good shot .


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## Batt (Sep 8, 2006)

I never clip Batt, but he always seems to find a shady post or dig a hole in the nice cool earth. I probably could clip him if I so desired...All except the tail. That is his pride and joy, and I'd probably lose a hand if I tried.


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## lexa (Mar 30, 2012)

Furminator would not work for a Pyr, believe me! Their coats are so dense that by running the furminator over the coat you will only scrape top coat.

But she would feel better if something is done to the coat. the thick packed undercoat does make her feel miserable. 

If you brought your dog to me I would have blown out out its dead undercoat with High velocity dryer and clipped out his chest and tummy shorter, so she could cool off easyer. 
I do shave dogs upon request of owner and sometimes because of nessecaty but I think that in long run it creates more problems with matting and packing of undercoat. 
If you can find a groomer who knows how to "wet shave" or willing to learn it, your dog should be safe from sunburn. It is a technique that allows groomers to leave slightly longer coats(1/4-1" longer than otherwise possible) even on matted dogs That would leave more hair to protect her from the sun. I know couple groomers in Birmingham area who could do it.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I most certainly shave Max! He is a cold weather dog all the way, including sleeping outside in blizzards. By the first of May, he is panting and miserable. I have a pair of Oster clippers for cattle. I put him on the milk stand like a goat and shave him completely. Then I re shave every couple of months through Halloween usually. Boy oh boy is he happy when its done. We just keep him out of direct sun for a few days and he is fine. He is 8 years old now. We do this every year and have had relatively no trouble.


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

Our two will be 5 months old next week.
We are in South texas, they have a wading pool, that they love. Also do alot of lying about under a huge 50 year old fig tree in the back.
I'm another against clipping, as when our old Pyr/ Retreiver was 2 we had him clipped, thinking we where doing him a favor. His fur never did grow back "right" and he was just not a happy dog as far as we could tell.

I do have several good slicker brushes, and simply take the time to really work that under coat off several times a month now.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

lexa said:


> I do shave dogs upon request of owner and sometimes because of nessecaty but I think that in long run it creates more problems with matting and packing of undercoat.


I find that to be true only if a once-a-year shave is the only grooming the dog ever gets. The coat still needs to be brushed after it is shaved, while it is growing out, and frequently once the coat comes back in. It's just that most people aren't willing to do any coat care at all with their dogs, and figure that paying a groomer to do it once a year is sufficient.  That's when you have trouble with matting.



> If you can find a groomer who knows how to "wet shave" or willing to learn it, your dog should be safe from sunburn. It is a technique that allows groomers to leave slightly longer coats(1/4-1" longer than otherwise possible) even on matted dogs That would leave more hair to protect her from the sun. I know couple groomers in Birmingham area who could do it.


Wet shave is a good technique for heavily coated or matted dogs, but not the only one. You can also bathe the dog and use a force dryer to blow the dead hair and mats away from the skin, which allows a longer length of coat to be kept. I do wet shaves on dogs that are matted to the skin, but it really mucks up my clipper blades, so I tend to reserve it for the worst case scenarios.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

Or you can bathe and then clip while force drying if the dog sits still well enough, very messy though. This way you can blow the hair out of the blade when it gets gummed up and the force air dryer helps split the matting and undercoat. 
The clipping short does not cause more matting , not brushing does.


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## anita_fc (May 24, 2008)

I never used to clip my double coated dogs (Samoyeds) until I got that one dog that did not shed the dead undercoat. Even then, it was several years before I broke down and clipped. Oh! My! GOSH! What a difference. The old girl frisked around like a puppy. That's when I modified my beliefs about clipping to this: If the dog sheds normally and I can brush and comb it out, I won't clip. But if the brushing and combing yields very little dead undercoat (which is also very uncomfortable for the dog), then I will clip.

I prefer to leave the coat longer. I usually use a #4 blade, but it's more work to do so. I have to brush the clip area as I go in order for the blade to get through it. A #7 is easier,but a little shorter than I like.

I've never heard of wet clipping! How wet should the dog's coat be? Towel-dry?

People will lay guilt on you for clipping, saying the dog's coat protects from heat as well as cold. That is ONLY true if the dog has a correct coat that completely sheds its undercoat for summer. The guard hairs lying flat to the skin is what allows heat to escape (or not be trapped). Undercoat does its job of providing extra warmth by trapping air which becomes heated by the skin.


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## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

Thanks everyone. I am taking everyone's recommendations and chewing on them for a bit to decide what I will do. She isn't matted, just hot. She get brushed everyday (even though she HATES it). I wonder if being hot might be affecting her guarding abilities because she is tucked up tight on the front porch of the house while the livestock is mostly in the back of the house. She can only see them when they come through to the front pasture. I know I am miserable and was just wondering how miserable she was. Wendle, that is a great pic. I didn't even realize it was a pyr at first, they look soooo different! Again, thanks everyone!


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

anita_fc said:


> I've never heard of wet clipping! How wet should the dog's coat be? Towel-dry?


It works best, actually, if the dog is WET, thoroughly soaking wet down to the skin. I shampoo the dog, rinse, put a towel down on my table, plop the dripping beast up there, and get to clipping immediately. It's messy, but it works really well for dogs that are matted to the skin. It's a lot safer, too, because you can easily see where the mats end and the skin begins. I use this technique on matted cats as well.

To the OP: I think you will find your dog will become much more active once shaved. My clients tell me that after their big hairy dogs are shaved for the summer, they act like puppies again! If she's spending most of her time wallowing in the dirt, trying to cool off and find comfort, she's obviously in need of some help. 

Summer temps in my area often exceed 100 degrees, and when I see Pyrs, Newfs, and other big hairy dogs panting and lolling about in the heat, I feel so sorry for them...but there are people who still believe that clipping the coat will hurt them somehow. Those are people who have never seen a dog before and after their summer clip, and how happy and joyful the dog becomes when its winter coat is taken off!


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Wolf Flower said:


> It works best, actually, if the dog is WET, thoroughly soaking wet down to the skin. I shampoo the dog, rinse, put a towel down on my table, plop the dripping beast up there, and get to clipping immediately. It's messy, but it works really well for dogs that are matted to the skin. It's a lot safer, too, because you can easily see where the mats end and the skin begins. I use this technique on matted cats as well.


 Do you find the blades dull faster or do they last longer clipping wet?


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

You can use a 10 blade and shave the dog's entire underside from armpits to genitals and down the insides of the rear legs. I shell out a lot of double coated breeds like this in the summer and it allows max airflow under 1/2 of the dog where the sun doesn't hit it.

The belly really cools dogs off - you see a lot of dogs sprawling out like frogs pressing their bellies on tile or other hard flooring in the hot weather.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

Ross said:


> Do you find the blades dull faster or do they last longer clipping wet?


It definitely gums up and dulls the blades--that's why I reserve the procedure for extreme cases. When I'm done clipping I have to thoroughly clean, dry, and oil my blades.


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