[quote=“urodacus”]…
animals that do sweat: horses, cattle, some kinds of antelope, goats, and to a far lesser extent pigs, don’t tend to have thick fur.[/quote]
Do men with lot’s of body hair sweat?
i have fur about as thick as a pig…
i sweat buckets.
It’s humane to cut down the hair on a long-haired, heavy build dog in climates like Taiwan. When I see a shaved dog here, I finally begin to think the Chinese are begining to understand pets the way that Americans understand pets.
Maybe because of the differential in per captia income or maybe because of culture, I feel that most Chinese treat pets like a consumer electronic item – something that has fast planned obsolesence and is thrown away once it’s initial amusement/cuteness factor is exhausted.
I constantly see long-haired, huge dogs in Taipei. I feel that they’re bought mostly for status and to show off. Most are horribly disciplined. Most probably aren’t shaved because it would reduce the aesthetic appeal of the dog – and when your dog is a status symbol, it’s better to look good than to feel good. The lack of neutering and spaying here also bugs me.
The benefit of shaving down your dog/cat is that they get SOFT. You don’t shave them down to skin, you leave a centimeter or a little more of fur. This ends up being that super soft downy fur underneath the outer/guard hairs. They’re so soft to pet that it’s addictive!
Chinese pet: disposable consumer status good.
American pet: most favored child.
Shaved camel art in Egypt
I haven’t actually seen a shaved dog like what’s been described and I’m not looking forward to it when I arrive! 
However, just wanted to say that Sandman is right - I am a pet writer (among other things!) and I write for a lot of dog magazines around the world and one article I did recently was all about long-haired breeds in hot climates (not just Asia but eg. Australia, the north of which can get very humid too). There have been studies done and it seems - contrary to popular belief - keeping the coat intact does actually help because it provides an insulating layer (not just keeping heat in but also heat out) and helps the dog regulate its internal temperature. However, shaving does seem to help with preventing fungal skin infections and the development of “hot spots” and other similar problems. It’s the humidity rather than the heat that it’s helping with.
Overall, the consensus is that you shouldn’t really keep long-haired, double-coated breeds in very hot, humid climates as this is just not what the dog is physically designed to cope with - however, it CAN be done as long as owners are responsible and make a big effort to ensure the dog’s comfort and health, like only walking during the cool hours, no running games in the sun, providing water baths to soak in, always water to drink, shade/indoor AC to lie in, etc, etc. But sadly - how many people who get dogs like Huskies think like that? A few, sure, but a lot, I suspect, get them for aesthetic reasons and as an accessory…
By the way, one of the best ways to keep your dog cool in hot weather is to soak a big towel in water and lay it over him. In fact, they now make these special “suits” for dogs (especially big black ones, which suffer the most in the heat and sun) - which can be wetted and then put on the dogs and it really cools them down as the water evaporates. Technically, dogs DO sweat through their skin but the number of sweat pores they have (compared to us and other animals) is so low that it’s practically negligible and they mainly use panting to cool off.
Thank God my big girl only has a single coat!! And it’s nice and short and very easy to look after… 
That sounds very cooling, but perhaps also a sure invitation to fungal/skin problems from prolonged exposure to moisture?
I have a friend who shaves - not bald, just short- his golden retriever because of the skin problems related to humidity.
[quote=“kage”]
That sounds very cooling, but perhaps also a sure invitation to fungal/skin problems from prolonged exposure to moisture? [/quote]
Yeah, you’re right - I hadn’t thought of that! But I think this is usually just for when your dog is out in direct hot sun (eg, during a walk or camping or something, when you can’t get him to a cooler spot) - not for wearing around the house. It’s sort of like to prevent heatstroke…
dogs cool by licking their fur too, on their belly and their arms.
i can’t see how a coat insulates a dog (internal temp 37 degrees) when the outside weather is 30-35 degrees, and thus cooler.
perhaps i just remain to be educated.
i can see how that would work at temps above 40 degrees, which is one reason why Arabs crossing the desert on their camels rug up as much as they can.
It wasn’t intentional, per se. We rescued Shuki when she was a wee pup, hoping to find a home for her. She grew and grew and grew, and found a place in our hearts and already full house. She’s part Chow, and has a very thick, black coat that’s hellishly hot in summer. I know that in theory it’s supposed to insulate a dog, but after we shaved her, she seemed more comfortable (if only because there were no mirrors present). I used to think it was insane to shave dogs or cats, but in summer it makes sense. When she gets wet (we take them to the beach to run regularly), she dries off and cools off more easily and doesn’t have to sit through us brushing the mats and snarls and blackjacks and burrs that normally stick to her like velcro. I’ve been converted; I shave my dog. hangs head in shame
We used to regularly shave our Bichone to about 6mm in summer. That super curley hair was very quick to mat up, especially on his legs. Also, that kind of coat holds a lot of water. After a bath, he’d shake and spin, and dance and all that, then I’d pick him up and squeeze buckets of water out of his fur. The vet suggested keeping his hair short because it held so much water, and in the humid climate he was likely to mold. With the six mm lenghth, he was still okay for walks outside because he mostly just lived inside the house. Being white dog, however, a short shave could have left him vulnerable to sunburn if he’d been out a lot, especially durring the hottest hours.
Yep, the Belgin knows about more than just takin’ purty picutres.
Completely or evenly shaved I could understand.
What makes me facepalm is when I see a Husky or a large dog shaved with poofy legs and a poofy tail, like a poodle. Makes me want to grab the nearest heavy object and bash the owner over the head with it.
Lemme put it this way:
You wear a pink shirt = I ask you to turn in your mancard.
You have a German Shepherd/Husky/Akita/cool dog = I let you keep your mancard.
You give your dog a poodle haircut = Give me your mancard back.
You give your dog a poodle haircut AND you wear a pink shirt = head explodes