Should your dog's haircut be longer for a Central Texas winter? For a clipped dog, yes: I leave it a little longer, because a short clip is the only insulation that dog has. For a double-coated dog, the question does not apply, because that coat should not be clipped down in any season. The American Kennel Club says that clipped breeds, like all three sizes of Poodle, and any dog whose coat has been shaved or clipped lose the natural insulation a longer coat provides and can get cold quickly outside.
Which dogs does a winter haircut change?
A winter haircut matters most for the coats I cut on a schedule: Poodles, doodles, Shih Tzus and the other dogs whose hair keeps growing. These are mostly single-coated dogs. The AKC describes a single coat as even hair with no soft undercoat underneath, which means the length I leave on is all the cover the dog gets.
The AKC's floor for a single-coated dog is to keep at least one inch of hair for warmth and protection, and never to shave it to the skin. In summer I sometimes go close to that floor on a dog who swims every day. In winter I move away from it.
The AKC also says small breeds, young puppies and senior dogs feel the cold more than healthy adult dogs. Those are the dogs where I am most careful not to take the coat short in December.
What about double-coated dogs?
A double-coated dog already has a winter coat built in, and clipping it short works against the dog in every season. The AKC describes the soft undercoat as an insulating layer that helps keep a double-coated dog warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather, and says shaving damages the undercoat that insulates the dog in winter.
The damage can outlast the haircut. The AKC warns that when a double coat is shaved to the skin, the undercoat can grow back faster and crowd out the slower guard hairs, leaving the coat patchy and changing its texture and color. For a Lab, a shepherd or a Corgi, a good winter groom is a bath, a thorough blow-out and a brush-through that clears the dead undercoat, not a shorter cut. I wrote about that coat change in why your dog sheds more in the fall.
How cold does a Central Texas winter actually get?
Central Texas winters are mild by day and cold enough at night to matter. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for Austin's Camp Mabry station put the average January high at 62.5 degrees and the average January low at 41.8 degrees. December averages a 63.9 degree high and a 43.4 degree low, and February a 66.5 degree high and a 45.8 degree low.
Freezing nights are few but real. The same NOAA normals count an average of 3.4 nights in December, 4.7 nights in January and 2.3 nights in February with a low at or below 32 degrees. That adds up to about 10.4 freezing nights across the three winter months.
So I do not cut for snow, because we rarely get any. I cut for the early walk and the late potty break, which are exactly when a dog with a short clip is out in the coldest part of the day.
Does a longer winter coat mean more mats?
Yes, a longer winter coat mats faster, and that is the trade-off every owner should know before asking for one. More length means more hair to tangle, and winter here brings wet grass, muddy yards and a dog who comes in damp and lies down before anyone dries them. The AKC says most dogs only need a few brushing sessions a week, and that long-coated breeds often do best with daily brushing.
A longer winter cut only works if someone brushes it. If nobody at home will brush a doodle three or four times a week, a slightly shorter, tidy clip with a jacket for cold mornings is kinder to the dog than a long coat that I have to take down to the skin in February.
Do dog sweaters and jackets help?
A jacket is often the better answer for a dog that keeps a short clip, and the AKC lists clipped Poodles among the dogs that may need one in winter weather. The AKC also notes that a rain jacket keeps mud and dirty water off the coat, which cuts down on drying and grooming afterward.
- Fit matters. The AKC says a properly fitted jacket lets a dog walk, run and play comfortably, and is never so loose that the dog can get tangled in it.
- Wash it. The AKC quotes a veterinarian, Dr. Jolee Stegemoller, saying dog coats collect hair and dander and can harbor bacteria, especially if put away damp.
- Check under it. A sweater worn every day rubs the coat at the armpits and the chest, and that is where I find the winter mats on the table.
Whether your particular dog needs a coat at all is worth asking your vet, and the AKC gives the same advice.
What I do to the feet in winter
The feet are the one place I keep short all year. The AKC says hair on the feet of long-haired dogs can form ice balls between the pads and toes, and recommends trimming it even with the surface of the foot. The AKC also notes that hair between the toes mats easily and may need a careful trim from a professional.
If your dog does walk on treated sidewalks after an ice storm, the AKC's advice is to rinse the feet with warm water and reach between the toes and pads, because rock salt and calcium chloride can damage paw pads.
Why the dryer matters more in winter
A dog should never leave a winter groom damp, and that is the part of the appointment I do not rush. The AKC says to avoid bathing a dog outdoors in cool or cold weather because it can cause a dangerous drop in body temperature, and to dry with a towel and then a dryer suited to the coat. That is why the bath happens inside the van, never out on the driveway, and why the blow-dry goes all the way down to the skin.
The full-service groom covers the bath, the blow-dry and brush-out and the haircut in one appointment, one dog at a time, outside your house. Tell me when you book whether you want the winter length or the usual clip, and I will talk you through it at the van. I am in Cedar Park most weeks. Anything you notice on the skin underneath the coat is a question for your vet, and I will always tell you what I see.