mudpuppy
Posted : 3/19/2008 9:01:47 AM
it still makes no sense- if the dog's internal body temp is 102, then there is thick fur, then there is 95 degree air, where does this mysterious cooler air come from to be trapped in the fur? stick your hand down in there it sure doesn't feel cooler. I agree the dog shouldn't be shaved to the skin, but my experience is dogs experience considerable heat relief if shaved down. We shave both of our double-coated mutts bellies every summer and they get so much perkier afterwards, can press that skin against cool surfaces or cool water and release body heat. The Danes naturally come with little fur, and while they do heat up faster than the double-coated dogs during activity due simply to their size they recover much faster because they have no fur trapping that body heat next to their skin. Plus you can cold-hose them, scrape, and cold-hose, just like a body-clipped horse, and really help them dump body heat. Can't do that with a shaggy dog, the water just rapidly heats up and now you have a dog with hot water trapped next to his skin.
Anyway, I actually think labs are one of the least heat tolerant dogs. Much worse than huskies. Not only do they have that thick double coat, they have that insulating blubber layer under the skin and a thick blocky structure with little surface area for heat radiation.