Dog Shedding

[gray42]

I currently live in California but will be relocating to Thailand in September. When the seasons start to change here in California, my dog stars to shed his current coat to make way for his summer or winter coat. He's part chow and he sheds a LOT. My question is, when we move to Thailand, will the constant heat keep him from shedding much?

[meatboy]

we have an alskan marmalute he is just finnishing shedding his winter coat,enough to fill a couple of cushions,the heat is the bigest problem through the day so he comes indoors in the shade with a fan on,heavy coated dogs are not rearly suited to hot climates.

[harsu]

Here are my observations based on our dogs.

If you are moving to the North of Thailand where we have a 'winter/cooler season', you may find that your dog continues to develop a winter/seasonal coat which is then shed in Feb./March followed by the normal coat shedding throughout the year.

Elsewhere -as a heavily coated dog - that will probably spend a lot of time in the shade/by a fan etc- you may find that he/she will eventually adjust to the lack of major changes in temp./weather and just shed constantly throughout the year to maintain a healthy coat, hopefully without a thick winter coat build-up.

We have greyhounds and they shed more noticeably here than in the UK - this is probably because their hair is more obvious on tiled floors - but they don't get as much soft 'downy' undercoat in the winter (Chiang Rai) as they used to. My family's other dogs are white Alsations - have acclimatised fully and have no winter coat build- up, and a Doberman who spends a lot of time outside, and he hardly seems to shed at all.

A lot of the local heavily coated pet dogs are routinely clipped as soon as it starts to get hotter here.(And, up here in the cold North, most local Thais put winter coats on their dogs ,irrespective of breed, when the temperature drops below a scary 24.C)

In other words, I think it''s going to depend on where you're moving to, the lifestyle the dog is going to have, and the individual dog and how long it takes to acclimatise. Unfortunately, the coat brush may still need to be in daily use. Good luck with your move.

[meatboy]

harsu your the first person that has greyhounds in los that i have heard of i had them for 29years in uk [racing] dont they make fantstic pets,as you have great knowledge of coat shredding i was wondering could we have our alskan marmalute clipped,we do every thing to make his life bearable ect.in doors durring the day,fan on all night outside we are going to have our car port roof extened he is the most lovable dog i have owned,as he was a rescued dog he gives back all his loyalty to me and the wife,so would it be ok for him to be clipped,it does get very hot down here in issan.

[harsu]

harsu your the first person that has greyhounds in los that i have heard of i had them for 29years in uk [racing] dont they make fantstic pets,as you have great knowledge of coat shredding i was wondering could we have our alskan marmalute clipped,we do every thing to make his life bearable ect.in doors durring the day,fan on all night outside we are going to have our car port roof extened he is the most lovable dog i have owned,as he was a rescued dog he gives back all his loyalty to me and the wife,so would it be ok for him to be clipped,it does get very hot down here in issan.

My two greyhounds are rehomed racers from the UK- and, yes, they make the best pets. The boy is nearly 12 years old and his racing name was Harsu Prince and he had quite a few wins. Our girl ( Cohan Velvet) never made the grade - hasn't a working brain cell in her head - and still thinks she's a puppy at nearly 11. Wonderful with people but care needed with both of them near small animals even now.

Your malamute sounds lovely. I've never kept a proper winter weather proof 'double coated dog' but I know that you aren't supposed to clip them out fully (shave) as the double coat also acts as an insulation against the heat and sunburn as well as the cold, and (again, only what I've been told by a friend who used to have a very hairy Spitz) when the coat grows back in it may not do so properly.

You can trim the coat so it's not so long over the belly/legs etc and use those special combs for stripping out the undercoat quickly - which you probably already do. Shade, fan, air-con, access to a paddling pool to lie in, exercise early am or late pm - you're doing it all already.

Saying all that, I used to shave my lab./Collie cross in Scotland in the summer - not because of the shedding (though he had a very thick coat) but because he used to spend his days rummaging around outside with us, and his coat used to be constantly caked in mud, gorse bits, burdock seed heads, teasels and anything else he could search out and roll in. I'd leave about an inch on his body, and a bit longer on his legs, for protection, and leave his head untouched. When Autumn came his coat had already grown back in ready for winter. He looked a bit strange but it saved a good hour s grooming a day and a bath - both of which he really didn't enjoy. A five minute brush surficed. Dog purists would have been appalled, but it worked for him and us.

I'd try looking on the internet and see if anyone can offer you some first- hand advice about living in the sub-tropics with a hairy beastie. Do they have a breed club for Malamutes in USA or somewhere that has hot summers?

[meatboy]

thanks harsu for the info i had some good dogs in the 60s/70s most came over from ireland and raced in london and i raced a lot in yorks,there is a breeder of huskys down here in korat and he recomends a kiddies pool to lay in,so as the world did not end last night we will be off to get one,i bet you dont get cats shitting in your garden with them two on guard.

[AmericaninBKK]

We just moved to Bangkok from Central US and our golden retrievers are shedding like crazy, significantly more than in the US. They are really having a tough time with the heat and heavily pant each time we walk outside. While they get acclimated trying to only exercise before sun up or after sunset.

[bina]

there's an aussie ex veterinarian (retired) who shows his whippets he posts on and off here, u might ask him in a personal message. personally, i think that humid heat is harder on furry dogs than our israeli dry heat. i clip my lhasas but not a close shave, but have to do so several times a season as their fur (hair, actually) grows so quickly. i do the clip more for the tick and burr /wheat seed problem then the heat problem. have seen many chows here, people do a sort of lion clip, leaving the head, tail, paws furry, and the back and stomach, and chest, clipped back. rather like a horse show clip...

shaving the stomach and balls area allows the dog to lay on a tile floor and cool off his body, leaving the fur a bit longer on the back etc keeps the sun off him (rather like wearing thermal clothes in the desert to prevent sunstroke from direct sun on the skin)... and then again, dogs are individuals too. our lilee suffers from heat and becomes rather lethargic-- she forgets to drink water i think, her face is squishier, and she doesnt manage to have her tongue out of her mouth enough to cool off and in winter is more sensitive to cold regardless of her fur and clip; foofoo is the same in all weathers(he was raised with goats as a pup, tough little lhasa).

remember that the amount of sports activity for the chow wont be the same in thai humid heat. and some dogs just dont realize that they are too hot and will continue to lie in the sun and heat until they suffer heat stroke. more common in old dogs that like the heat.

bina

israel

[meatboy]

We just moved to Bangkok from Central US and our golden retrievers are shedding like crazy, significantly more than in the US. They are really having a tough time with the heat and heavily pant each time we walk outside. While they get acclimated trying to only exercise before sun up or after sunset.

they will find it hard to cope with the heat/humidity our husky is an outdoor dog but he comes inside during the day because the tiled floor is cool and down stairs is open plan so we get a good breeze coming in,we change his drinking water regular[cold out of the fridge] and he does like icecream helps to keep him cool.i am not a lover of heavy coated dogs in this heat,as ours is more at home in temps.of -20 but we make him happy,i wish ours would sleep inside during the night when the air-con is on but he wont have any of it.

[dotx]

I have three dogs. One of them sheds like crazy. Weird, because I adopted him in Vietnam, so you would think he's the best suited for this weather. The other two shed but less. They don't shed year around, though. It's been worse the last couple of months.

[meatboy]

ours is shredding every day,but we shower him once a week so if we do get a bit of hair in our food at least its clean.

[dotx]

<br />ours is shredding every day,but we shower him once a week so if we do get a bit of hair in our food at least its clean.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

lol