Many times, pet parents don’t want to shave down their dog. Here are some tips to help you know how to tell if your dog needs a shave down. Watch our work in action! Be sure and contact us the next time you are looking for Phoenix Grooming.
Click here to watch video of our Bichon Shave Down
When to Shave Down a Bichon
- Squeeze your dog’s coat through your fingers. If you feel any clumps of hair that feel balled up like cotton, these are matts. Check to see how close to the skin the matt starts. The clippers will have to go UNDER the start of the matt. This might leave a matted dog with very little hair.
- Run your fingers through your dog’s hair. If your fingers get stuck in tangles or the hair is too thick, your dog might require a shave down.
- If you have a child or other family member with allergies, your doctor might recommend getting your pets shaved down to eliminate excess hair in your home.
- If your dog wears lots of clothing or sweaters, she might be prone to matting and tangling.
- If you have an elderly or disabled dog, a shave-down might be a good choice for you.
- Recent rescued dogs with neglectful pasts sometimes benefit from shavedowns to their coats off fresh.
- Dogs with fleas and ticks benefit from shavedowns by giving pests less to grab a hold of.
Reasons NOT to shave down a dog
- Shaving down your dog to keep him “cool” is not always the right choice. Your dog’s coat is designed to fan his skin, and provide a protective sleeve from sun exposure. By removing his sun protection, you might expose your dog to harmful rays and sunburn.
- Neglectful care. Your dog needs to be groomed more than once every six months. Your busy schedule or lack of money is not an excuse to allow your dog to be neglected. We offer affordable rates to fit anyone’s budget. Please let us know how we can help your dog get the care he needs.
- Do not shave down your dog if he has a history of allergic reactions to clippers.
- Puppies should not be shaved down, and should be introduced to clippers slowly.
- Aggressive dogs should not be shaved down.
- Fearful dogs should be introduced to clippers slowly, so shave downs are not recommended. A light trim every couple of weeks until your dog is comfortable with me.
