Is it okay if you shave your husky? The short answer is absolutely not. They are beautiful the way nature made them. Siberian huskies are double coated dogs which means you’ll be around enormous amounts of pet hair. If you are allergic to fur or bothered by it, Siberian huskies are not the right breed for you to get. Here are some tips on why not to shave your Siberian Husky.
Why Can’t I Shave My Husky?
Both, Huskies and Malamutes are double coated breed, meaning they’re protected by two layers of fur. The first one is close to skin and we call it undercoat. It’s made up of fine, fluffy, and short hairs. This is the fur that sheds. This layer responsible insulating the dog by trapping air. You should never shave a husky.
The second layer is what we call the topcoat. It’s made up of courser also tougher guard hairs. True to their name they do just that, they guard your dog from the UV rays and insects. Huskies coat is capable of keeping the breed both, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Shaving your snow dog’s coat does much more harm than good. Owners shaving their dogs coat is a major cause of heat stroke. The only time your dogs coat should be shaved, is for medical reasons.
Shaving Your Husky Will Not Help It Cool Down
To my dismay, almost daily in the warmer months I see people posting pictures of their newly shaved huskies. I appreciate that it’s a bit of a strange concept to grasp, but unlike humans, dogs do not sweat and release heat from their skin. Dogs cool themselves primarily from panting and secondly from the pads of their paws, which are the only part of a dogs body that sweats.
Huskies have low to no pigmentation on their skin, which means if you shave them, they’ll be exposed directly to sun without protection. This can cause skin diseases for your dog up to skin cancer.
Not all owners shave their snow dogs because they believe it’s best for their dog, some actually do it because they’re tired of the shedding, which is especially bad when they “blow”. Typically huskies will blow their coats twice per year, once in the Spring and again in the fall. The entire process can take up to 6 weeks and it isn’t pretty. During this time, your going to be dealing with a lot of shedding, but please don’t be tempted to shave your dog.
If you shave your husky their skin looses protection from insects and parasites. If You remove it your dog will be exposed to even more problems than he would have had if he had been allowed to keep is protective coat.
Furthermore, if you clip or shave a Siberian husky it will eventually ruin the coat and disturb the proper shedding process.
The final reason I see people shaving their huskies, is for fashion. This is utterly despicable, huskies are not fashion accessories.
Source: SnowDog
