Husky Fur?

Question:
 Thank you Wolf Q!!!
I had actually been contemplating shaving Koli, but something was nagging at me saying it was a bad idea and unnecessary. (Besides being a personal preference... I don't like the feel of shaved fur. Totally takes away the calming effect for me.)
I wasn't going to have it shaved down far, but i wondered about the insulating properties.
All i figured i would do would be shave the fur away from the pads for the summer? Is that bad since they are used to having that as a shield? I just figured that since besides panting dogs lose most of their body heat through their pads that trimming away the fur would help it escape faster.
Originally Posted by wolf_Q
I have two siberian huskies. They get a bath and good brushing once a month. I use a high quality shampoo and make sure they are rinsed thoroughly (this is important, husky coats are not easy to rinse out which can cause problems). I also blow out their coats when drying them with a high velocity dryer. I work at a grooming salon so I have all of that available to me, which helps of course. I've heard that huskies should not be bathed more than once or twice a year but my dogs have never had a problem...their coats are soft and they do not have dandruff. The bathing helps with the shedding (they are indoor dogs). I brush them when they get their baths and usually once or twice in between that, though I don't see how it would hurt to brush more often. They don't get the really thick coats since they are mostly indoors in the winter, but it does thicken some. They definitely shed badly, Nebo hasn't started blowing his coat for summer yet, but I'm sure he will soon.
Does Mika have indoor access? If so, she should be fine in the summer. Don't leave her outside in the hot sun for long periods and make sure she has plenty of water. Do NOT shave her. The coat insulates against the heat and cold, shaving will only make her more likely to get sunburned and possibly ruin her coat. Keep her undercoat brushed out, that's all she needs. If she likes water she may enjoy a kiddie pool for her to play in.
I'd love to see some pics of her, I LOVE siberian huskies as do many other members here!


Answer:
 Shaving/trimming the fur around the pads is fine. I keep Nebo and Keva's feet fur trimmed short year round. Some people say huskies need it for traction on the snow, but mine get around fine in snow...the fur just seems to collect snowballs between the pads. It also helps immensly with cleaning up muddy paws, they don't bring in as much dirt when there is less fur. Plus I just prefer a neat appearance to the feet. I've honestly never thought about it helping with cooling though, I did know that they sweat on their paws but I didn't think about trimming the fur helping with that.
Sydney (schnauzer) gets shaved and the huskies tolerate the heat much better than she does. Their top coat will be hot but near the skin it is kept cooler, with Sydney the sun is heating her skin directly. Nebo does get pretty hot in the summer but as long as he has access to water/shade/indoors he's fine. I've seen some huskies/malamutes/any breed with undercoat get shaved and grow back fine....but I've also seen many that grow back weird, like thinner, thicker, or bald in places.
I looked at your photos and Koli is very pretty. For what its worth, she looks like she could be purebred siberian to me.


Answer:
 Thanks
Originally Posted by wolf_Q
Shaving/trimming the fur around the pads is fine. I keep Nebo and Keva's feet fur trimmed short year round. Some people say huskies need it for traction on the snow, but mine get around fine in snow...the fur just seems to collect snowballs between the pads. It also helps immensly with cleaning up muddy paws, they don't bring in as much dirt when there is less fur. Plus I just prefer a neat appearance to the feet. I've honestly never thought about it helping with cooling though, I did know that they sweat on their paws but I didn't think about trimming the fur helping with that.
Sydney (schnauzer) gets shaved and the huskies tolerate the heat much better than she does. Their top coat will be hot but near the skin it is kept cooler, with Sydney the sun is heating her skin directly. Nebo does get pretty hot in the summer but as long as he has access to water/shade/indoors he's fine. I've seen some huskies/malamutes/any breed with undercoat get shaved and grow back fine....but I've also seen many that grow back weird, like thinner, thicker, or bald in places.
I looked at your photos and Koli is very pretty. For what its worth, she looks like she could be purebred siberian to me.
As for the paws, I prefer the shaggy look, but hey... if it helps them. And i AGREE, it really helps keep things cleaner!
I'm naturally attracted to the dogs with feathering... like on their tails, back of the legs, ears. English Setters, Papillions, etc. LOL. I love feathering. The one time we took King to be groomed (PetStore, middle of winter, realllllly needed a bath...) we asked about everything that was included in the package. We directly told them to leave the paws alone, they even wrote it down. We came back and i INSTANTLY noticed that his feet were trimmed. They argued and said they left his feet alone. I let it go... he was bathed, clean, dry, and ALIVE. I was happy. You could clearly tell though that his feet were trimmed. All the hair was the same length and you could see his nails.


Answer:
 Hey, she's finally loosing some fur... but i wouldn't call it "shedding." It was still quite stuck in there. I decided to try the comb on her again today... I was able to get a few clumps out... but it was pretty much still stuck in there.
The only thing really shedding on her is the top of her head. ???
Man, this stuff comes out so easily when it's ready to! It's all straight and silky. King's took weeks to all come out... and you could only get some out at a time, it was all woven together. Koli's is all neat and orderly. What ever's loose comes out with out hassle. Either it's in or it's out.
So yes... Koli is finally shedding (with my help.)