What are the risks of shaving a German Shepherd dog?
I have two beautiful German Shepherds, both 12 years old now, which I brush daily. I enjoy the brushing and love my dogs.
A friend of mine wants to buy a Shepherd and shave him to control shedding. I am really upset with her. Told her that she should not buy a Shepherd if she is going to shave him and that she should consider another breed. She insists that shaving is not only OK but recommended by Vets.
Am I wrong or is she?
You are absolutely right.
Long haired, double coated dogs do not need to be shaved…..ever. Unless the dog has passed the point of no return in the matting department, the best type of grooming for these dogs is a vigorous undercoat raking with a special tool that helps remove the undercoat, a bath, and a blow dry to help separate the hair.
The guard hairs on the top that do not shed out provide protection against the rays of the sun, and actually insulate the dog from the heat. Dogs left with just the undercoat WILL shed. It may shed shorter hair, but it will still shed.
Sometimes the hair will NOT grow back. The older the dog, the less likely the guard hairs will regrow. The undercoat will regrow, but the upper hair sometimes does not.
Skin that is damaged by UV rays that they would not otherwise be exposed to, can take a long time to heal, and the dog may have scaling and dandruff for quite some time after the hair has regrown.
Unless she wants to shave the dog for medical reasons she should consider another breed. GSDs shed. That’s something that needs to be considered and accepted. In my opinion the cons far outnumber the pros.
No risk. It just makes the dog weird looking and you know how beautiful a German Shepherd’s coat is!
These people that posted below that it will make a dog sick to save it is totally WRONG. It will not make a dog sick and plenty of people shave their dog in the summer time to make them cooler but only once a year not all of the time.
Personally I wouldn’t shave my White German Shepherd because it would look ridiculous
She is defiantly wrong, they have those coats for a reason. Tell her to get a weimaraner or something because German Shepard’s could get sick and more prone to diseases if shaven.
SHE IS WRONG!!!!YOU ARE SOOOO RIGHT!!!!!!
haha, poor dog. i also have a german shepherd. im getting a funny mental image of him furless!! as long as she lives in a warm climate, it wont hurt him any…other than maybe his pride and dignity. my aunt shaved her dog and cat. he definetly will not look very pretty and she should get a poodle. a german shepherd is a gorgeous dog and should not be shaved, but thats an opinion
I would have to say your friend is a total moron when it comes to dogs. SHe knows nothing about them and should never get a dog unless it is born hairless. She would no longer be a friend of mine if she did something like that.
She’s dead wrong – hair protects a dog’s skin and also insulate against heat and cold.
If your friend is that spooked about shedding, she should go to Toys R;us and buy a stuffed dog.
No vet would recommend shaving a dog – she’s ridiculous – and making that up.
Shes wrong!
No vet would recommend that!
Shes lying bout that cause shes set on shaving the poor dog!
Suggest a breed like a Lab or even Doberman or Rottie cause they’re coats are shorter and although, they do shed… its not as bad as a Shepherds dreaded "Thigh Hair" that seems to cover every rug in the house!
I had Sheps growing up… trust me… I know all about GSD shedding!
Keep trying to talk her outta this, sweetheart.
It just isnt right to do to a dog.
Plus, there’s a good chance that the dogs coat may come in THICKER each time she shaves it.
That would become a hassle and it just isnt right.
If any vet I went to said it’s recommended shaving a german shepherd, I’d be changing vets in a hurry! A vet should at the very least have enough brain cells to know that dogs can and do get sun burn. Heat stroke with no coat for protection. I don’t believe that idiotic statement for a minute.
And you’re so right – she needs another breed, if she insists on getting a dog at all. The only shepherd she’d get is one from a backyard breeder anyway. Reputable breeders ask lots of questions of potential puppy owners, and no good breeder would sell her a puppy.
I cant imagine why it would hurt the dog, other then if its a close shave watching out for sunburn. But any breed could burn.
I had to shave a border collie, she was really funny looking, but it didnt hurt her at all. She got into stickers, and they were so bad there was no brushing them out. I gave up and just shaved it all off! Her hair has grown back, and she is just fine. They arent a breed that you would traditionally shave either, but no harm done.
Your friend is SOOOOOOOOOOO wrong and you are right. You can trim the fur but to shave it???? YUK!! Tell her to get a GOLDFISH! She would be safer with that!
She should get a Labradoodle – they don’t shed
I THINK SHE IS WRONG BECAUSE THERES DOGS THAT DON’T HAVE HAIR
GERMAN SHEPERDS HAIR GROW BACK FAST ANYWAYS
IF YOUR FRIENDS WORRIED ABOUYT SHEDING SHE SHULD GET A SHITZU
I have a German Shepherd and I would never shave her coat. It would look really tacky.
There’s honestly nothing wrong with shaving if it’s not done too close. Plenty of dogs, such as collies, shelties, and goldens typically get shaved and it causes the dogs no harm. You simply just don’t normally shave a dog with a shorter coat, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, it just might look strange.
If she really wants a German Shepherd and wants to control the shedding, I can suggest that she brushes the dog a lot and bathes it a lot. That alone, rather than shaving the dog, would cut down significantly on shedding because both activities remove dead hair from the dog. However, bathing often does have it’s own adverse effects because it can dry out the dog’s coat. However, once a week certainly won’t hurt the dog because I’ve, personally, bathed both my Whippet and my Brittany that often and both have nicely hydrated coats.
Stripping or using a mat breaker or rake and brushing through or raking the hair would be another way to remove dead hair and decrease shedding.
Honestly, if a German Shepherd fits her lifestyle except for the shedding, I would not tell her to get a different breed of dog. There are ways to handle the shedding, I would just not consider shaving the dog a usual way to handle it.
I think she is wrong. The dog has a coat for a reason. Changing his coat could make him sick. Shedding is a natural way for the dog to adjust to the climate it’s in. But if the vet said that it’s ok to shave him, then it should be fine. The vet would know stuff like that.