I'm contemplating shaving my black lab to help him cope with the heat. this is a popular practice with long haired and cold weathered dogs. but has anyone had an experience with a lab? my concern is that if I trim off the longer "top coat", the undercoat will be more exposed and my dog will be flinging that fine hair everywhere.
if anyone has done this, does it cut down the number of times your dog takes a dip to cool himself off? the problem that I have is that mine sneaks off to go swiming in the bayou to cool himself off, and he comes back filthy. would anyone recommend this, or would benefits of having a top coat be better for an active dog such as: keep thorns and branches from scratching his skin, and more importantly help him retain skin oils to keep his skin from drying out.
if anyone has done this, does it cut down the number of times your dog takes a dip to cool himself off? the problem that I have is that mine sneaks off to go swiming in the bayou to cool himself off, and he comes back filthy. would anyone recommend this, or would benefits of having a top coat be better for an active dog such as: keep thorns and branches from scratching his skin, and more importantly help him retain skin oils to keep his skin from drying out.