The Bernese Mountain Dog is a double coated breed.
Double coated breeds SHOULD NOT BE SHAVED OR CLIPPED SHORT! I's not an opinion it is a fact.
Let me explain why.
People are stubborn and do what they want anyway, but in all honesty, a shaved Berner should simply not be happening.
If your worried about the hair, bring your dog to the groomer regularly (every month or so) for a bath and a brush. It greatly diminishes hair in your home and the dogs coat will look luxurious and simply gorgeous.
Better yet, brush and comb your dog weekly to achieve this results with the appropriate tools. It makes for great bonding time.
Sure a clipped coat comes back supersoft, this is the undercoat, it sheds way more than the topcoat. The topcoat takes a while to grow and does not shed all the time but the top coat of an older dog may not come back at all. The undercoat being fuzzy and more prone to matting due to lack of topcoat also grows back in different lengths giving an uneven look.
A Berner's stunning looks is achieved by it's coat, the fringing on the front legs, the feathering on the back legs, the somewhat lion mane. Just stunning.
Sure it's a little work, but didn't your breeder tell you that? Didn't they go over the care of the coat with you. They should have! It should be nothing new, the berner sheds, and has a medium length coat with long feathering.
Why is it recommended not to shave?: The topcoat is made up of tougher guard hairs that don’t shed as much as the undercoat. It protects your pet from the sun’s harmful rays and bug bites and it actually insulates them from the heat. It’s a mistake to think you’re helping your animal stay cool, especially in summer, when mother nature has provided them exactly with what they need to survive. By stripping them of their natural ability to heat and cool themselves, you could be doing more harm than good. Dogs cannot cool themselves through their skin. They cool themselves through panting and they only sweat through their pads.
The below picture of the coat shows how this is achieved.
Double coated breeds SHOULD NOT BE SHAVED OR CLIPPED SHORT! I's not an opinion it is a fact.
Let me explain why.
People are stubborn and do what they want anyway, but in all honesty, a shaved Berner should simply not be happening.
If your worried about the hair, bring your dog to the groomer regularly (every month or so) for a bath and a brush. It greatly diminishes hair in your home and the dogs coat will look luxurious and simply gorgeous.
Better yet, brush and comb your dog weekly to achieve this results with the appropriate tools. It makes for great bonding time.
Sure a clipped coat comes back supersoft, this is the undercoat, it sheds way more than the topcoat. The topcoat takes a while to grow and does not shed all the time but the top coat of an older dog may not come back at all. The undercoat being fuzzy and more prone to matting due to lack of topcoat also grows back in different lengths giving an uneven look.
A Berner's stunning looks is achieved by it's coat, the fringing on the front legs, the feathering on the back legs, the somewhat lion mane. Just stunning.
Sure it's a little work, but didn't your breeder tell you that? Didn't they go over the care of the coat with you. They should have! It should be nothing new, the berner sheds, and has a medium length coat with long feathering.
Why is it recommended not to shave?: The topcoat is made up of tougher guard hairs that don’t shed as much as the undercoat. It protects your pet from the sun’s harmful rays and bug bites and it actually insulates them from the heat. It’s a mistake to think you’re helping your animal stay cool, especially in summer, when mother nature has provided them exactly with what they need to survive. By stripping them of their natural ability to heat and cool themselves, you could be doing more harm than good. Dogs cannot cool themselves through their skin. They cool themselves through panting and they only sweat through their pads.
The below picture of the coat shows how this is achieved.
Structure of the coat on a double coated dog (Image created by Brook Wilkins)
I often hear, " my dog is so happy when he is shaved, he runs around and is so happy".
I have to say that I achieve that same feeling in my dogs when they get a good brushing and the undercoat is out for the summer.
I have to say that I achieve that same feeling in my dogs when they get a good brushing and the undercoat is out for the summer.
This thermal image tells us exactly what the heat does on the dogs body! You cannot deny this.
The Unshaved chest and shoulders reads a temp of 24C (75F)
The shaved body shows us a temp of 30.8C (87.44F). This clearly shows us the coat works as an insulator.
The shaving of the coat will give more risk to over exposure of the sun and overheating, it also makes the dog more prone to insects bites, making them potentially more vulnerable for lymes and heartworm disease. A coat clipped to short may cause all kinds of coat problems.
I had a bad experience with my Maremma who needed a leg amputation.
The hair did not grow back for a year, It was very thin and patchy. After this the undercoat started to go ramped and the stump was constantly matted.
Finally after 1.5 years the top coat came back in.
The Unshaved chest and shoulders reads a temp of 24C (75F)
The shaved body shows us a temp of 30.8C (87.44F). This clearly shows us the coat works as an insulator.
The shaving of the coat will give more risk to over exposure of the sun and overheating, it also makes the dog more prone to insects bites, making them potentially more vulnerable for lymes and heartworm disease. A coat clipped to short may cause all kinds of coat problems.
I had a bad experience with my Maremma who needed a leg amputation.
The hair did not grow back for a year, It was very thin and patchy. After this the undercoat started to go ramped and the stump was constantly matted.
Finally after 1.5 years the top coat came back in.
A Year and 5 months after her operation, still no guard hair.
In conclusion:
Double coated breeds SHOULD NOT BE SHAVED OR CLIPPED SHORT
Double coated breeds SHOULD NOT BE SHAVED OR CLIPPED SHORT
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