GP in the Georgia heat?

[pudgiepup]

I recently adopted a GP puppy from the pound. I've been trying to learn as much about the breed as possible. I know that they thrive in cold climates.Well, it's definitely NOT cold here. The temps are currently in the 90's and summer hasn't really gotten here yet.
Any advice about how to keep her comfy in the hot weather
I know this breed has a sort of double coat, so I just brush her. Can she be trimmed with electric clippers?

[wcamp3rd]

we just adopted our male puppy from the pound as well, we are in Lawrenceville GA, near Mall of GA. His fur was so bad we had to have him shaved at the groomer. They said their fur acts like insulation in the summer and keeps them cool. Most websites i have found say not to shave them, cause they can get sunburn bad.

Out puppy has been very lethargic around the house since we brought him home 2 days ago, how about yours??

[Jewel]

Hi there pudgiepup,

We are in Texas, also a very hot climate. We live in the city and our pyrs don't do well in the heat and so we keep them indoors during the scorching summer days. Over the years we have met two pyr owners whose pyrs have died in the Texas heat when they were left outside in the summer. But my recollection is that both of those owners live in the city. There are a lot of working pyrs in Texas who are strictly outdoor dogs and they seem to survive okay in the country with open spaces.

If you are in the city, and if the dogs have to stay outside during the day, one suggestion is to leave a kiddie pool so that they can sit in and cool off. Though I should tell you that mine would sit in the water, come out and roll around in the dirt and go back into the water. So everyday the kiddie pool was filled with a nice layer of dirt. My pyr also got her coat all matted because of getting wet and rolling in dirt everyday. I soon abandoned that idea and left them in the house.

Also, pyrs are diggers. The digging is to make themselves a nice sleeping place or to cool off from the moist dirt. So, another option is that if you have areas on your property that the pyr is likely to dig, you can make sure that the area is regularly watered so that the earth is moist and your pyr can dig a pit to cool off.

As for coat clipping, a number of pyr owners here do clip their pyrs during the summer. But I am always leery of sunburn and mosquito bites (heartworm problems) so I don't clip my dogs. Youl will likely hear from other pyr owners to not clip them because the double coat is supposed to help them keep cool.

Hope this helps.

[risestar]

Definitely do not shave the coat as this will do more harm than good. Provide the dog with a shaded area, such as a enclosure or dog house and a water area where it can go to cool off. For best results, provide it with an area where it can dig, you will find they usually will excavate themselves a large hole in a shaded area and lie in it, as the dirt is much cooler. Some owners find that the dog has dug out the bottom of their dog houses and they go in there to cool off.

The pyr will be lethargic in the hot weather and will be more active at night when it cools down.

[FLTammiee]

I live in Florida and have a 6 month old that I adopted. When I got her, her coat was SO bad!!! I tried many different types of combs/brushes but nothing would get through them. I ended up taking her to the groomer who said she cuts MANY Pyr once a year and normally around March.

My dog is an inside dog, only goes out to use the bathroom in the day time. In the eve's when it cools down some and the Sun is down we take her out in the back yard to run off some of that energy.

I use Frontline on her once a month and with her shots I don't worry too much about her getting anything from an insect. Her coat is now starting to grow back in to the point I'm seeing that wonderful white fur on my hunter green carpet!!

My groomer told me that if your dog is going to be mostly a inside dog, and you never plan on showing it... it's okay to cut them down. Mya won't be cut again until next March (I want it to grow back out for the winter) so her groomer visits will be for teeth, ears and nails only.

[wcamp3rd]

Our Vet said it is fine to shave them down every few months as long as it is not down to the skin. we don't plan on showing out dog, or leaving him outside all day in 100 degree heat.

[dominoe#1]

I have owned my great pyrenees since 2006. I have a pure breed and a mixed breed(plus two cats). I too live in Georgia and can understand your plight. All of our pets live inside for this exact reason. I can't imagine just leaving them all outside at anytime of year. So our kids all get to enjoy the air conditioner during the summer. Not to say they don't spend a good deal of time outside either. There are many weekends, I shove the dogs outside all day.

I will say that it is typically not recommended to shave this breed because of their double coat and it acts as insulation as well. When our dogs are outside we make sure there is plenty of drinking water and we have a kiddie pool that we fill up with water for them to play in. I will note here, the first summer we tried this we learned our mixed loves the water(we take him to the lake) and our pure bread hates the water with a passion. LOL...

Just keep your puppy brushed so excess fur doesn't build up and keep plenty of water around when you have her outside...

[bigskyfarm]

I just adopted one of the GPs from GCAC as well. He is doing great. I have been brushing him nightly and he reallly enjoys it. The mats have been small and easy to get out and he likes the attention.

[pudgiepup]

I used a "furminator'' on her, it's sort of a comb with a razor in back of the teeth, a lot like a thinning comb a human hair dresser would use. It just took off most of the "fluff" -the fine hair that looks like dandelion fluff- so I think she'll be OK.
Strange thing happened though, tan spots started to show up all over her, and she used to be solid white. (We even joked that her rap star name was Lil' Whitey.)
She's an inside dog but she's not a bit lethargic.She makes a beeline for the door every time its open.She loves to romp around outside and chase frogs. We have a big pond in back of our house that she loves, but I have to keep her out of it because she can swim across it and go right thru the neighbors yard and out into the street. It's not a super-busy street, but still... Besides even with a name tag someone might see how cute she is and grab her.
I plan on keeping her in most of the time during summer. She'll have long since regrown her winter coat before it gets cold again.

[nick's spirit]

A couple of years ago we took our RV & traveled the country...it sure can get hot & humid in Georgia!!
We were traveling with 2 Pyrs (male & female) and an Australian Shepherd.
We found the best thing for our Alaska based Pyrs was to keep them brushed, and had a groomer trim the fur between their toes and then gave them a shaved "patch" down their tummies. That seemed to help keep them cool.
And even though it was messy, any time we were able to let them play in the water, they got to cool down that way too.

[jeanine]

i live in oklahoma, and my male(bubba) just came in the house when it got hot!! and now i can't get him to leave....he gets"cold" in the winter. and yeas he can really put on a show!! he lays out in the snow or the wind and shivers and lifts one little pathetic paw.....never fails!

in the summer he lays right up against the door to soak up the ac comeing out from the door and pants to the point i think hes going to hypervenalate...and i know its show because(don't laugh) i sneak around and watch to see if hes really suffering. he onlt does it when he thinks i'm watching!

i know....i am ruled by 2 males, 1 female and a little lapdog that thinks shes a big dog!!

[wcamp3rd]

how well does the furminator work? i saw one at the petstore that you could hook up to your vacum, but they are 60 bucks, if they work, we are going to get one.

[fluffylove]

the furminator sucks. I gave it to my parents for their rottie. Don't waste your money. Get a few brushes and take the time to do it.