To shave or not to shave?

Ahhh please don't shave him! Double-coated dogs are designed that way for a reason! In fact, double-coated dogs that are shaved often get very bad sunburns and all of a sudden are very susceptible to bug bites. Not to mention, double-coated breeds have their beautiful coats ruined once shaved.
I groom my Aussie myself because it is so expensive to get him groomed. What I do is put on a good movie or t.v. show and get out my rake ( ) and get out as much undercoat as I can.
It also has been getting into the 100's here as well. We walk on grass to protect pads, bring water, and play lots of games inside the house. Have you tried any kind of scent-work games?

I wouldn't shave, here's my experience: I have a 13 year old Shep/Husky mix. He has been our dog for 4 years now before that he was adopted at the shelter at 1yr old and passed around between friends and family,he's a runner...go figure Anywho since he lived in the desert, he was shaved every year and I continued that until 2 years ago when his coat had a super hard time growing back. Always since I've known him (11 yrs) he has had a super dry christmas tree type coat. Even being on raw and omega fish oil hasn't improved it Upon research I did after his coat was having difficulty coming back I learned that his poor coat quality was in part due to the damage done by the many years of shaving him down ( sometimes his previous owners kept him clipped down all year). I say in part because some of the issue could be due to age as well or maybe underlying health issue (looking into that still) but I am pretty sure that all the shaving did some damage to his coat Now I just brush him and almost everyday at that, he seems to be quite happy and his coat has finally filled in but it's seriously like touching a dry christmas tree when you pet him.

Lucillle said:

I think people probably shave dogs for the same reason they shave themselves of their 'natural' hair- appearance and comfort.
As far as not shaving because there is a protective double coat, the skin seems to be the same whether the coat is single or double, and I think that thick coats of whatever nature may make a dog miserable in hot humid environments such as Texas where I am.
Possible sunburns are a valid concern for both shaved and short hair dogs, they (and you) should not spend excessive time in the sun.

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Actually shaving a single coated dog and a double coated one are not the same.

Single coated dogs that have a long coat can be shaved or cut. Dogs like yorkies, poodles, and shih tzu all have single hair coats, their coats will keep growing if left uncut so shaving the coat into different cuts is fine, it does not ruin their coat or cause an issue for them unless you shave them very short.

Double coated dogs are different. Their coats should not be shaved unless absolutely necessary. Simply brush out the coat to get the blown undercoat out during the spring and they will be fine. When their coat is shaved it does not help them stay cool, since the top coat does that, instead more heat is allowed to get to their skin. When the coat begins to grow back more problems can happen, the coat is often never the same and can grow back sparse, patchy, or undercoat grows back faster then the over coat and the over coat ends up matting.

I had my black, double coated, terrier mix in both New Orleans, and South East Texas and he never seemed to have a problem with the heat despite my not shaving him. What did happen once when he was 10 was that he was shaved when he was out of my care, and for the next 7 years I fought with his coat because it did not grow back the same as it was before he was saved. Before the shaving his coat was very easy care, after it was a struggle to keep the undercoat from becoming impacted.