ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Nuno Miguel Veiga Ines

Hello. I have a Maltese dog, "Benny", he's 1 year old and I'm concerned about his hair cut. He's got beautiful hair, but as we live in south of Portugal and in summer we have about 35ș, I wonder if heŽll suffer with the heat. I would like you to tell me if I should or should not cut his hair.Thank you for your time. Hope to hear from you soon.

DISCUSSION:

This will be Lucy's second summer (she is 18 mo). Last year I felt that the heat here in the D.C. area (90s and humid) were not "sitting well" with Lucy. She seemed to be very hot. So I kept her hair quite short through the summer months. I don't know if it was necessary, but it seemed to me that Lucy was happier with the short hair. This may not answer your questions, and someone else might have a more precise response, but I would say if the dog seems to be over heated you might want to consider keeping his hair short over the hot summer months.
-cathy brown

I also live on the east coast(N.J.)and the heat & humidity are sometimes a little too much for Harlee Dee & Travis, so I have their hair short for the summer. However, you MUST make sure that he is not getting sunburned!!!!!!! If you dog is outside MAKE SURE there is plenty of water available at all times! My female, Harlee Dee, had 2 litters, and 1 of her puppies now lives in Puerto Rico, they also keep Caspers hair short. Just use common sense, you know how YOU feel when you're hot!!! Give Benny Hugs & Licks from Harlee Dee & Travis...
-Karen Kalamaras

Short hair is essential in a hot environment. We live on the east coast of Australia where it is regularly 35 degrees celsius in Summer with high humidity. All the dogs in our area have a short haircut, unless of course they are specifically for show. One important issue are their paws! We only walk 'Zoe' in the relative cool of the evening in summer as the paths are just too hot for her to walk on.
-Barry