Can You Shave a Shiba Inu?

Shiba Inus dogs have a beautiful fluffy coat that anyone can think of shaving for a regrow or stylistic purposes. When grooming your Shiba, the idea to trim his coat might often run through your mind.

However, before acting further, one thing to ask is, can you shave a Shiba Inu?

It’s not right, you shouldn’t shave your Shiba. Maybe if a vet instructs you to do it for medical reasons. Shaving exposes your Shibas skin to the environment and harsh weather. The effects are possible skin infections and irritations. Thankfully, the coat takes from 5 weeks to 3 or 4 months to grow back.

In this Shiba Inu shave guide, we’ll see why you shouldn’t shave a Shibas fluffy coat, and the dangers shaving poses on their health.

Can You Shave a Shiba Inu?

No. You shouldn’t shave your Shiba Inu for stylistic purposes. Your Shibas beautiful fluffy coat is the breed’s identifiable and hallmark characteristic. This fluffy coat isn’t about vanity; it’s your Shibas defense mechanism against various dangers, including infections, heat, and cold.

So, just because you want to make grooming easier, don’t do it at the expense of your Shibas health. As much as caring for your fur friend’s coat can be a chore, don’t cut his fur. Instead, brush the fur daily or occasionally to maintain its good state.

Shaving your Shiba Inu fluffy fur makes him vulnerable to bacteria in the atmosphere and exposes the skin to excessive heat and cold. Therefore, it’s safer to refrain from shaving your furry friend and practice grooming instead.

Remember, Shiba Inus are double-coated for a reason. Besides, it implies their fur has a more vital role and is more complex than other dog breeds. If you think of shaving your Shiba, I’d suggest you avoid doing it.

Nevertheless, there are situations with the exception to shave your Shiba Inus.

Let’s explore them below;

Before we proceed, you might want to read our post on Shiba Inus loyalty here.

When Can You Shave a Shiba Inu?

Just as every rule has its exceptions, you can also shave Shiba’s fluffy coat when a vet asks you to do it and when it’s deemed necessary for medical or treatment reasons.

Note that it’s not right to shave your Shiba Inus for stylistic purposes, as we said above. Also, when you’re doing it for medical purposes, shave the region around the injury or where medical procedures apply, not the whole body.

Shibas fluffy coat keeps him in good condition and keeps away health complications. There are myriad bacterial infections available in the atmosphere; the coat protects all these from accessing your Shibas skin. With this in mind, only shave your Shibas coat when a vet asks you to do it and ensure the application of antibiotics.

For instance, shaving might be necessary if your Shiba is due for surgery due to an injury. One time my Shiba Inu severely hurt his thigh, booking himself surgery. I had to wait and confirm with the vet if and where to shave.

Also, in case you shave your Shiba Inu, ensure to constantly brush your Shibas coat when his fur is growing back. That prevents issues of fur matt as a result of inadequate fur grooming or brushing.      

What Happens If You Shave A Shiba Inu?

Shaving your Shiba Inus fur exposes his skin to the outside environment, excessive heat, and cold since there’s no more insulation, a key role for your Shibas coat.

The fluffy top coat protects harmful elements from reaching the inner region. An inner soft and finer fur maintains body temperature by preventing excess heat and cold. You can confirm that the inner coat appears blown out during the warm months if you own a Shiba. That way, it reduces heat-trapping and enhances cool airflow to the skin.

When you shave your Shiba Inu, all these activities no longer occur, and the skin is more than exposed to the environment. That poses a health hazard as infections can easily find their way to your Shibas skin and into the body.

As a result, your Shibas health is likely to worsen if you shave his coat without precautions. It perhaps makes it hard for your fur friend to regulate body heat and maintain the correct body temperature.

Also, if you’re thinking of shaving your Shibas fur to reduce shedding, it doesn’t help. All it does is make your Shiba shed short and spikey hair. With that said, refrain from shaving your furry friend for healthy and care reasons.

Since you’re now aware that your Shibas health is at risk when you shave him, you’d want to explore some health effects of shaving him. See as follows;

What Are the Health Effects of Shaving a Shiba Inu?

Shiba Inus have a double coat for a reason. As such, shaving your Shiba makes him prone to various health complications you might want to know. Below are 4 health effects of shaving a Shiba Inus coat.

1. Shaving Makes Shibas Prone to Allergies
2. Inefficient Body Temperature Regulation
3. Higher Risk of Skin Diseases
4. Irregular & Excessive Shedding

Let’s discuss each;

1.     Shaving Makes Shibas Prone to Allergies

Cutting short your Shibas coat makes him prone to allergies, including the slightest harmful ones. When you reduce the fur cover on your Shibas skin, bacteria in the air have easy access to the top skin, thus can easily cause skin allergies.

Although not a must, shaving your Shibas fur is a direct leeway for skin allergies. The coat prevents bacterial infections by trapping them in the outermost fur and preventing them from accessing the inner layers.

So, to keep your Shiba away from allergies, avoid shaving him. You can only brush his fur for grooming but don’t cut it. I believe nature has a reason for everything; if the fur wasn’t necessary, they couldn’t have it in the first place.

2.     Inefficient Body Temperature Regulation   

That beautiful plush coat you see on your Shibas body isn’t just for beautification. It has a role that is body temperature regulation.

Do you ever ask yourself how Shibas keep their body temperatures in moderation when it’s warm or cold?

Now that’s the work of that fluffy coat you might want to shave. Further, shaving this coat has dire health risks. For this reason, don’t shave it.

Shaving your Shibas coat disrupts his body’s temperature control mechanism. This can affect the behavior of your Shiba due to extremely cold or hot weather conditions.

3.     Increases The Risk of Skin Diseases   

In the same way we have skin diseases for humans, there are skin diseases for dogs that Shiba can fall victim to due to lack of a protective coat. Shaving the fluffy coat exposes your Shibas skin to the atmosphere where skin diseases roam freely.

Therefore, avoid shaving your Shibas coat if you don’t want to start visiting the vet sometime soon. Skin diseases don’t choose where to attack; they come where there’s no complete immune, or there’s inadequate protection.

As such, shaving your Shiba Inus makes room for skin infections. The treatment costs you more money to visit the vet and wastes your valuable time. Therefore, don’t shave your furry friend to avoid all these inconveniences.

4.     Irregular & Excessive Shedding

Shiba Inu owners can tell you that this dog breed sheds a lot more fur than most other breeds as its double-coated. When you shave Shibas, the fur might not find its perfect growing schedule, resulting in an irregular fur shedding and growth.

In fact, Shibas shed twice a year; this happens during the fall and spring seasons. Now, if you shave your Shiba just before any of the two seasons, chances are the coat will grow back without an even distribution.

This makes your Shiba have some parts of his body open to the air, increasing the health risk. As such, the best choice is to avoid shaving his fur. The only maintenance practice I’d recommend is regular grooming. Groom him by brushing his fur every day.

How Long Does Shiba Fur Take To Grow Back When You Shave?

Shiba Inus fur takes at most 2 or 3 months to grow back after shaving him. Your Shibas coat can take 6 weeks to grow back to normal on the lower end. Nevertheless, you can enhance the growth rate by giving your Shiba a healthy diet.

Although it’s not right to shave your Shibas coat, some exceptions call for shaving, such as medical procedures that involve surgery. However, you shouldn’t shave the whole body. Only shave the region where your Shiba needs medical treatment.

The period it takes for a Shibas coat to grow back after shaving can depend on your breed’s genetics. Some Shiba breeds have their coat grow back faster than others. Moreover, the diet you subject your Shiba Inu to also influences the growth back period.

If you want to use a proper diet to promote faster fur growth in your Shibas fur, use a feeding program with foods that have lots of omega fats. Also, consult with your vet about whether you can use supplements like Omega-6 and omega-6.

Read our post on when Shiba Inus calm down.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Give My Shiba Inu a Haircut?

It isn’t right to give your Shiba Inu a haircut for stylistic reasons. Only do it when there is a major reason for it and when the vet gives approval.

Your Shibas fur is of a vital role in his survival. It helps regulate temperature and protects the skin from bacteria, dirt, excess cold, and heat.

Do You Have to Groom a Shiba Inu?

Yes. Shiba Inus requires regular grooming of his beautiful coat. Grooming prevents fur matt and maintains his beautiful appearance.

So, if grooming wasn’t part of your schedule, it’s time to include it. Also, other practices that are part of grooming include bathing and brushing his coat.

How Do You Stop a Shiba Inu from Shedding?

You don’t have to stop your Shiba Inus from shedding as it’s a usual practice for Shibas. Instead, you can brush his coat more often and collect the fur that falls out for disposal.

So, brush his fur consistently. A surefire tip is to do it twice or thrice a week. When your Shiba is under heavy shedding, increase the frequency of brushing, you can do it once a day.

Does My Shiba Need A Coat?

Yes, your Shiba Inus needs his coat more than anything else. The coat regulates his body temperature, thus keeping his body temperature under check.

Therefore, your Shiba needs his coat more than anything else. What you need to do is to maintain it in a good state by brushing

Will My Shiba Overheat in A Coat? 

No, your Shiba won’t overhear unless you’re in an extremely hot region. Otherwise, your Shibas plush coat has a control mechanism that adjusts with changes in temperature.

When it’s hot, your Shibas coat appears blown out to allow air circulation. On the other hand, when it’s cold, the coat adjusts to prevent airflow and trap heat in the inner region.

Final Words on, Can You Shave Shiba Inus.  

Shiba Inus have a beautiful plush coat that most people can want to shave for stylistic purposes. However, that’s not right; you shouldn’t shave your Shibas plush coat unless the vet asks you to do it for medical reasons.

Shibas plush coat acts as a blanket, shield, and protection from various environmental dangers, including dust, diseases, and allergies. That said, you should maintain your Shibas plush coat by brushing it regularly.

Avoid shaving your Shibas plush coat at all costs. The only exception is the need for medical procedures. So, in case your Shiba is due for surgery due to some injury or sickness, that’s the only case where you can shave the region where the surgery applies.

At this point, I’m pretty sure you can answer the question, can you shave Shiba Inus with absolute confidence. Feel free to leave a comment on your opinion regarding Shiba Inu shaving.