whiskers on dogs

portgirl123

every month i get a couple of dogs mags. find them good, always something interesting in them, good tips etc. not that i agree with everything in them. one topic that has made me wonder is there was a article in one of the mags few months ago and still going on its about getting your dog whiskers cut. they think that the whiskers should not be touched as they are needed and actually hurt them when their trimmed. i feel so bad if this is true because when my groomer does my dogs she does trim their whiskers. i remember a few yrs ago i did comment on this and she said all dogs get their whiskers trimmed it does no harm.
so what is the truth here or what is other people opinion on this. i really want to find out before they go in for their next grooming

mymo

I trim my own dogs and regularly trim the whiskers, they never even twitch when its done, so doubt very much that it hurts them.
And believe me one of mine would scream blue murder if it did, if the water isn't warm enough when washing her she squeals like a pig:rolleyes:, combing matts out results in yelps when the comb touches her (way before we hit a matt), I have to tell her to stop being a baby to get her to shut up!

Shanao

While the whiskers themselves dont have nerves in them, the base has nerve endings and will hurt if they are pulled. Dogs use their whiskers in much the same as other animals, if anything brushes against them, they react. Some dogs have whiskers on their eyebrows, if anything brushes against them, they close their eyes. The same as when they're sticking their head into something that they might not fit into, their whiskers hit against the edges and warn them not to put their head into the space as it wont fit.

So while it doesn't hurt them, I dont really see any reason to trim them.

mymo

Have to agree with above, I wouldn't trim them just to be tidy, but my dogs are very hairy and when trimming them you can't possibly avoid the whiskers, there's just too much hair.

TooManyDogs

Shanao wrote: »

So while it doesn't hurt them, I dont really see any reason to trim them.

My thoughts too. I think with dogs who get groomed they'd look silly if the hair around their whiskers wasn't touched so that's why they're taken off but they do use their whiskers

Cú Giobach

Whiskers aren't just for decoration, they are an important sense organ for animals, and are used (as all senses are) to help make sense of the world around them.

Dogs can feel the slightest air currents through them and consequently can tell if something is near eg a table leg in a dark room, they use them when close to things like when playing with other dogs or even when eating.
Whiskers are especially important for older dogs who might be loosing other senses most notably their eyesight, trimming such a dog would certainly not be in the dogs best interest as they can get quite insecure without the input from these hairs.

Personally I would no more cut off these hairs than I would blind, or block up the nose of a dog.

Tranceypoo

Cú Giobach wrote: »

Whiskers aren't just for decoration, they are an important sense organ for animals, and are used (as all senses are) to help make sense of the world around them.

Dogs can feel the slightest air currents through them and consequently can tell if something is near eg a table leg in a dark room, they use them when close to things like when playing with other dogs or even when eating.
Whiskers are especially important for older dogs who might be loosing other senses most notably their eyesight, trimming such a dog would certainly not be in the dogs best interest as they can get quite insecure without the input from these hairs.

Personally I would no more cut off these hairs than I would blind, or block up the nose of a dog.

This is exactly what I always thought/presumed dogs whiskers were for and would never trim them because of this