to shave or not to shave that is the question

hi again,

i hope your not all getting fed up off me always writting and asking questions.

my big man (lobbes), because we are having a real good summer so far and there have been days where they havent got out into their run till after 5 because it was too warm for them.there have been days where they havent been out. the big man has i think you would say rough coat(long). he doesnt seem to like getting wet. would it be an idea to shave him down with my dog clippers or should i leave him the way he is??

the run is under construction, it is being made bigger and it getting slabs down iin it and also a half roof for shelter and shadeand when thats done they gettin a big house in it for them.

so what do you reckon to shave oe not to shave?

The main problems with shaving is that the coat will not grow back the same as before. It may grow rough and wirey or very curly. To be honest the shaved "look" is not a good look in a Saint . Have you thought about maybe stripping the coat back or maybe trying to get a large cooling fan that he can lay near. Living in Ireland we are sure of one thing , we will not have hot weather for long

I agree, not only do they look ridiculous, but it can mess up their coat. I always thought that their double coats acted to keep them cooler during the summer anyway.

Ben's favorite place is in front of our window air conditioner unit that has a fan in front of it. The window is low in our bedroom, so the a/c is only about 2 feet off of the floor, perfect for him. he stretches out in front of it as if it's the greatest place on earth!

Not to step on any toes here, but in SA it is WAY hotter then in europe.
It's the 'norm' here for Saint owners (as pets) is to shave the dogs. Just the tail and ears are left, and the finished 'product' look pretty much like a smooth Saint.

I was also told not to shave due to it ruining the coat if we are talking show dogs. So show dogs usually are not shaved.

However When I retired my two older bitches at 6 and 7 years, I had them shaved (due to the heat), and I cannot say that there was any differance once the coat grew back for winter time. Not at first, and not after 3 years with a seasonal shave once a year.