To shave or not to shave

I was just speaking with someone who told me that OES should not be shaved down, that it can damage their guard hairs and make their hair not grow back in properly. Now, I've never heard this before. We shaved our previous OES down each spring and left it longer in the winter (weather in Alberta can range from +35 celcius in the summer to -40 celcius in the winter). Murphy just got shaved down at the beginning of March to probably about a 1/4 inch in length. My plan was to continue with shaving down in the spring so he's cool in the summer, but is he really cooler then or is his body working overtime as he doesn't have the insulation to keep him cool...

Does anyone have any insight into this? Help!

Lisa
Respond to this topic here on forum.oes.org  
Totally untrue. The person that told you that was wrong. You can shave or not shave all you want. The only changes that will occur in the coat are changes that would have happened anyway due to your dog maturing, not from the shave.
Oscar has been shaved every 6 - 8 weeks since he was 8 months old (he just turned 6), unless he was ill, and his coat is thick, thick, thick. Same with our first sheepdog, Quincy.

Laurie and Oscar
the guard hairs come back. I feared Glacier being a complete cotton ball after a shaving, nope eventually the longer hair and guard hairs came back......since they are longer, it takes time to fully develop.
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