People who own a poodle for the first time wonder if long hair makes their poodle hot as poodles have a single, dense layer of curled hair that grows like human hair.
Do Poodles Get Hot With Long Hair? No, the poodle’s long hair helps to trap a layer of cool air near the skin, and that cool air controls the poodle’s body temperature most of the time. But it only works perfectly when the poodle’s long hair is well-groomed, which means when the hair is free from any set of debris and stickiness, which allows air circulation.
But this isn’t all; there are some other things to look into as well.
Here are some important facts that every poodle-owner should know.
Keeping your poodle’s hair short or long depends on two conditions ‘seasons and the place where you live.’ For example, if the place where you live has scorching and humid summers, then keeping poodle’s hair short and airy is a great idea. While in colder regions, it’s good to keep a poodle’s mane long and dry.
Whether your poodle’s requirement is short hair or long hair, but one thing to keep in mind, always keep their hair clean as it is the essential thing in a poodle’s life because this makes their hair light and fluffy.
Otherwise, the poodle’s hair will get matt and tangled, which means the oils and dust will be stuck in their hair, causing the coat to feel denser, heavier, and less porous to air.
On the other hand, 77% of poodle-owners prefer keeping their poodle’s hair short all year, as it much less works and looks great on them.
Plus, after every bath, short hairs make it pretty comfortable for owners to dry off their four-legged friend rather than with long hair.
And short hair also provides more playtime in any weather without getting heat exhaustion, which is good for a healthy dog.
However, being outside in hot weather with a long tangled coat makes the poodle very hot that they start panting within a few minutes.
Can You Cut A Poodle’s Hair Too Short?
It depends on the situation, where you want to cut a poodle’s hair, form Feet, Muzzle Area, Tail, etc. These areas can be cut short or too short as per the need. But if you’re thinking of cutting full body hair too small and your doggo had no irritation with that, then there’s no problem.
That skin irritation often occurs when owners do not start cutting their poodle hair at a young age.
That’s why it’s always better to start grooming your puppy at a young age so that they get used to it because younger puppies are quite easier to train for grooming than older dogs.
My cousin has a standard poodle, and he always keeps his poodle’s hair short (not too close to the poodle’s skin) all year.
Veterinarians say if you cut dog hair closer to the skin in the summer season, it will increase the chances of sunburn by almost 99.9%, which can be fatal for the poodle.
Well, in most cases, a new poodle-owner finds themselves stuck to understand what is a perfect short haircut for poodles and what will be the too-short hair.
In that situation, it is good to take professional groomers help, as it’s better to be safe than sorry!
How Short Should A Summer Coat Be?
Poodles don’t have a double coat; they only have a single coat that couldn’t protect them from sunburns if cut too short.
Make it short enough to keep it cool and long enough to keep it safe from sunburns. This means that if you want to make the ‘all over’ clip, keep it at least somewhere between 2-3 inches for summer.
However, it doesn’t always work the same for every poodle, so make sure you always keep their hair medium size, not very small or long.
Nevertheless, if your region has a high temperature (like 95s in spring, 100s in summer) and you’re not sure about their hair cut, take reliable groomers’ help.
Should Poodles Be Shaved In The Summer?
No, there is no need to shave down a poodle in summers or at any season. But the majority of people do shave their poodle because they think that poodle looks cuter in that.
Although some owners do that for a reason, to maintain their poodle’s clip shape so that they can show them in dog shows.
However, shaving poodle hair on the muzzle is a good idea because it helps keep the hair out of his eyes, which is crucial if the poodle has pretty long hair.
Plus, its shaved muzzle eases the owner to clean the poodle face after having a meal, as some dogs are messy eaters most of the time.
So if the food gets stuck in their muzzle hair and you aren’t able to clean the face properly, it will cause irritation and then infection.
Well, it depends on your personal choice whether you want to shave your poodle or not. My own opinion would be the ‘short hair’ rather than a clean shaved body except for the muzzle area and feet.
Does Shaving A Poodle Keep It Cooler?
Yes, it keeps the poodle cooler (but not always). Plus, shaving down the poodle is not even recommended by Veterinarians. Because rather than cooling, a shaved body harms the most, such as sunburn, mosquito bites, injuries during playtime, overheating, irritation, and more.
And the most fatal would be mosquito bites and sunburns!
Mosquito bites can cause hives, swelling, and redness, but the most dangerous is heartworm disease which can easily damage your dog’s heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys.
And in the end, it will eventually cause death if left untreated.
However, sunburn can cause skin cancer, and the most common ones are Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and Hemangiosarcoma if the dog is left in the direct sunlight for too long.
Usually, sunburn makes the dog’s skin red, dry, cracked, and more painful if touched.
So think twice before you shave down your poodle’s coat. Because poodles can efficiently cool themselves, even with long hair, as mentioned in the first paragraph of the article.
Can Poodles Handle Hot Weather?
It depends on how hot the outside temperature is, as, like most other long-nosed breeds, poodles can also tolerate hot weather around 70° to 75° easily as well as 80° sometimes. But temperature more than that plus humidity can cause problems.
If a poodle is kept outside in hot temperatures for too long, it will be a life-threatening condition for them, as the intense warmth can cause seizure, brain damage, heatstroke, and even sudden death.
Moreover, hair color matters too; a poodle with a darker color is prone to heat exhaustion than a brighter color poodle.
Simply because a darker color like ‘black’ does not reflect the sun rays but absorbs it faster and makes the outer layer of the coat hotter which turns the whole poodle’s body hot, while lighter color reflects the sun rays very effectively.
However, that doesn’t mean that poodles don’t like being out on a sunny day; they love sunbathing like most other dogs.
Whenever they play outside in hot weather, just do keep a close eye on them.
Quick Tip
If you have a dark-colored poodle or any other breed with a dark coat, make sure you constantly pour water on them to keep their body temperature low whenever you’re outside for a walk in the summer season. Of course, you can also use some good quality ‘Cooling Vests and Cooling Collar.’
Are Poodles Inside Or Outside Dogs?
Poodles are Hypoallergenic, Highly Intelligent, Playful, and Loving breeds that make them the best both as inside and outside dogs.
But that doesn’t mean you can keep them outside or inside all the time! They need balance in their life, which means enough time to play outside and much time to do exciting things inside with their human family.
If you keep them indoors all the time, it can cause a change in personality such as aggressiveness toward strangers, growling if ignored by their human, and even depression.
And, keeping them outdoors all the time is also not good for them, as they can develop health-related issues, which can be fatal in most cases, especially if the poodle had short hair.
However, many farm owners use poodles as full-time outdoor farm dogs in all seasons, but of course, owners do take precautions to keep their beloved four-legged friend safe and healthy.
I know many of you must think “poodles as a farm dog ‘really’!”
Even though poodles aren’t registered as a sporting breed by American Kennel Club (AKC). But poodles still can be good farm dogs because of their intelligence and quick learning abilities.
