Shedding

[Chip's Mom]

My daughter has her chow clipped every summer and she is funny looking to say the least but she is oh so happy without all that hair. It gets hot in TN also. Yesterday it was 90 degrees. I would think sunburn would be a concern if they are clipped short.

[gailkate]

Yes, indeed! Our neighbors had their Goldendoodle clipped shorter than I'd have done, but she has time to grow a bit more before the worst of the summer. They face serious tick problems at their cabin, another reason for a coat they can watch closely. I'll bet the Chow isn't concerned at all about her appearance.

[corgimom]

gailKate

If there is one thing that bothers me, it is like you said, when people in
hot weather are riding their bikes and their poor dogs are on a leash right
beside them looking like they are about to drop dead. The dog has no say
in the matter - most times I want to yell to the person that they should in
no way be the owners of animals.

I am in Wisconsin so we had a very hot weekend also, but it is going to be
in the 70's this week. This weekend I was at a local strip mall and saw
a Golden Retriever in a car mid afternoon when it was 90 degrees outside.
2 windows were only cracked down 2 inches at most and the poor thing
was panting furiously. I waited for 20 minutes to see if anyone was coming
out, but no one did. I did write down the persons license plate number and
let the Humane Society know about it - I am not sure if they can really
do anything about it, but I am hoping that they will at least send her a letter
telling her this is terrible to do to a dog on a hot sunny day. Obviously this
owner thinks it is okay and will continue to do this all summer long.

Linda

[Chip's Mom]

I was at Petsmart the other day when it was hot and a police officer came in and paged a lady. They had received a complaint that her dogs had been in the car for over an hour in the heat. She assured him it was only 10 minutes and no tickets were issued but it is good to know they do follow up on it in TN.

[Michael Romanos]

When you get extreme weather conditions, I don't believe any dog - hairless or long coated - should be forced out into the elements. There is a time and a place for everything. Mad dogs and Englishmen go out into the mid-day sun!!

[corgimom]

That is true, when it is that hot out, just like us, our Dogs appreciate an
air conditioned house or someplace cool for them.

Linda

[gailkate]

I think we can all agree on that. Our "heat index" yesterday was something like 103. The dewpoint was 70, so you can imagine the discomfort. (Whenever I get too cranky, though, I think of 108 or more in Baghdad, in full uniform.)

I've put notes on people's cars when I see an animal left with a barely cracked window. I would definitely call the humane society and the police if I thought a dog was in danger. Cruelty to animals is against the law in most US states, and charges of negligence can be brought at the very least. Just getting warned by a cop should be enough for most people. What possesses them to bring the poor dog along is beyond me.

[fido]

For hot weather during the summer, we purchased an "Outward Hound" bandana style cooler that is soaked in water and then is wrapped around our corgi's neck with velcro. It really works, keeping our little guy cool and comfortable.

[Jespah]

Dogs that have hair - that sheds, unlike the hypoallergenic breeds like poodles, should never be clipped or shaved. The coat protects them from heat and cold. Clipping and shaving can be dangerous for them and can also cause them to get sunburnt.
The Canadian Corgi site says that Corgis can have two shedding seasons - January to June and July to December. ; )
Mine just shed on a regular basis and don't seem to have a time when they get really bad, exept Riley who got wooly butt in the spring and it was just her hind quarters that came out in clumps. Our temperatures from summer to winter are extreme and it hasn't affected the coats of either of mine much.

[tandemgal]

Emma is my heavy coat and sheds all the time but when she blows her coat in late spring it's a love fest for the birds! Night b4 Chloe went to the Vet I was brushing them - Emma had her usually Kroger bag full and if I looked really close there was a tablespoon full of black Chloe hair on top! Hubby says there is an up side to Chloe's hounddog genes LOL

[Fluffypants]

When I use the 'shed-ender' (which, by the way, does not actually END shedding, just decreases the puffs that come out on their own . . . but it's still really cool) on Jackie, I can make a whole new corgi out of all the fluff that comes out! It's amazing how much fur she has on that little body! And it's so soft, I'm thinking about taking up knitting & making it into blankets or sweaters!

[corgimom]

Fluffypants,

You can make a pillow and use it for stuffing - just kidding

linda

[Fluffypants]

hmmmm . . . possible side-business taking shape here!

[ChloeLouise]

I am a handspinner and everytime I demonstrate spinning, people always ask if I've ever spun dog hair...up until now I have pooh-poohed the idea - but since ChloeLouise has been SHEDDING LIKE CRAZY, I have been saving her brushings!! I am REALLY going to spin her fur - I will mix it with some wool for stability - and probably knit some mittens!! SERIOUSLY!!! Chloe is a Fluffy, and since she has shed most of that puffy undercoat she looks quite silky but her rump fur looks almost ridiculously long (need to trim THAT!!)

[Shelly]

Reba has a very heavy undercoat and sheds all year long, some seasons doing what is called blowing her coat which means it comes off by the handfulls, even when I comb her out regularly. And after a bath she sheds even more. My puppy sheds a little but doesn't have an undercoat yet. But I'm in California where it's really hot right now. All I can say with a corgi is to have a working vacuum. If corgis only fault is shedding, then I'm all for having only corgis.