German Shepherds are generally medium to large breed dogs with double coats of varying lengths. Some German Shepherds have medium length hair while others have a little longer hair. Not only this, but the color of the hair can also differ from one dog to another. Despite all these, German Shepherd owners often ask experts do German Shepherds need haircuts or not.
If you want to get an appropriate answer to the above-mentioned question, keep reading the blog to know all the details relating to the requirement of haircuts for German Shepherds.
Is haircut a necessity for German Shepherds?
According to Wendy Wilson of St. Ledgers Shepherds, the simple answer to the question is, NO. German Shepherds, in general, do not need a haircut as they do not cause any health or visibility issues in their day to day lives. There are some dog breeds, whose fur has to either cut to clipped to make their lives easier, but this is not the case with German Shepherds.
There are various reasons why German Shepherds are very important for keeping up with good health, some of them are as follows:
- Their coat/ hair acts as a protective barrier to all types of environmental conditions. In winters, the double coat helps keep them warm and cutting the hair very short might not fulfil the feature anymore.
- Contrarily, in the summers, the long coat helps them survive the scorching heat and protects them from the sun. If their hair is cut short, they might not be able to regulate their body temperature and would be prone to several health problems.
- Yet another reason why the German Shepherds’ hair should not be cut is that it acts as a shield from all the injuries and scratches. The thick layer of hair saves the dog’s skin from injuries.
The above-stated reasons might have answered your question ‘do German Shepherds need haircuts?’ very clearly.
Do German Shepherds Need Haircuts Sometimes?
As already mentioned, German Shepherds’ hair should not be cut short unless an absolute necessity. It cannot be said that their hair cannot be cut even when the situation demands so. There might some times when it would become a necessity to cut the hair of the German Shepherd. But this should be done only after consulting with an expert veterinarian. In case of the following reasons, a haircut might be necessary:
- If your German Shepherd is severely infected with external parasites and the situation is uncontrollable even after medicines and ointments, cutting the hair can be the only option. This will not allow the parasite to stick to the roots of the hair of your dog and will eventually clear up.
- Another situation when your German Shepherd might need a haircut is at the time of any surgery. German Shepherds often face bone and hip issues and may need surgery for its cure; in such situations removal of the hair from the area of the surgery or an incision to be made during surgery, is required.
The question ‘do German Shepherds need haircuts?’ can only get a positive response in case of extreme and serious situations and not situations where you just want to style your dog. Your pleasure can turn out to be harmful to your pet.
Does no haircut mean no grooming?
No haircut for German Shepherds does not mean no grooming for them. New owners often get confused when they are told to not cut German Shepherds’ hair at any cost. Every type of GSD, be it long-haired or short-haired need a certain amount of grooming, which includes regular brushing, at least thrice a week.
- Trimming the German Shepherd’s coat is a part of grooming and is a necessity from time to time. You need to trim a very small length of fur near the ears which have overgrown and are capturing a lot of dirt and debris. If not trimmed, this can lead to ear infections.
- Owners should also trim some amount of fur under the paws as excess growth of fur in those areas can lead to matting and can eventually cause them pain and discomfort. One of the main reasons why trimming fur under the paw is necessary as this part is often forgotten to be brushed by dog owners.
- Also, this may sound very contradictory to the whole blog, trimming off the whole coat but at an extreme less length, can also be done to maintain an even looking coat.
Conclusion
It is always recommended to cut or trim your German Shepherds very short as this can cause several kinds of harm to them. The longer the hair, the healthiest your GSD. Never make a lot of alterations to your dog’s hair length as they are designed to regulate the body temperature according to environmental conditions.
Only trim the areas where fur isn’t of any help, as already mentioned in the blog. You need not take your dog to a groomer every time you decide to trim GSD’s under-paw fur as it can be easily done at home with a little precaution.