Cavalier King Charles had a too serious haircut

[Gfplux]

Our daughters male 4 year old Cavalier King Charles has been heavily cut at the dog parlour.
The reasons why are not relevant to my question.
The extent of the cut is such that he looks nothing like a King Charles.
My question is how long before the hair grows back.

[ScreamingValenta]

I had to cut a chunk out of my Cav's tail once when it got some burrs tangled in it and formed a mat. It took about three months to grow back completely.

[BiteyShark]

My spaniel was cut a bit too short on his ears once as a puppy (our fault for asking for a very short cut) that he looked like a young lab 😆. Within a few weeks he started to get his curls back again.

It won't take long to grow back and you will also get used to his new look.

For context we go to the groomers every 5-6 weeks to keep ours looking nice and groomed otherwise he starts to look like a woolly mamouth again

[wonderpants]

I always have my KCC cut very short. He looks very cute!

[SammySamSam09]

My cav has a long coat over winter and then he's clipped just before summer and yes he does look like a completely different dog, he looks younger for a start
He doesn't normally need it doing again and will have a lovely long coat ready for autumn.

[AllGoodDogs]

My Yorkie goes to the groomers every 8 weeks for a "chihuahua haircut" as I like him done short. You'll get used to it and in a few weeks it'll grow out.

[tinstar]

The reasons why are not relevant to my question.

I doubt anyone would have wondered why if you hadn't made that statement! I would just assume over enthusiastic dog groomer.

[BiteyShark]

Mine has just been dropped off for his summer cut. Everyone thinks he's a puppy afterwards when he's actually 2.5 years old.

You never know you might grow to like the short look especially as it's much easier to keep them clean and dry .

[DrinkSangriaInThePark]

It takes a couple of months. But in the warm weather mine becomes a much happier dog when his hair gets cut short. He gets more energetic and bouncy, so we get it cut regularly. I think they are roasting in the summer months with long hair.

[Floralnomad]

You cannot have too close a hair cut , our patterdale x has his hair cut every 4 weeks and there is always plenty to clip off . I tend to find that by about the start of the third week he starts to look like he needs a cut .

[Dhalandchips]

I get my shih tzus clipped really short every ten weeks. Any longer than ten weeks (if I've forgotten to book the next appointment eg) they start to look like miniature sheep! You won't have to wait long for your dog to be fluffy again.

[SD1978]

We accidentally )poor communication on my part) had a collie that got shaved to the bone near enough. She knew she was being mocked. Body hair took about 8 weeks- tail took a few months to regrow.

[crimsonlake]

I used to get my cavaliers hair cut really short, it was a shock at first as she looked so different. I ended up always keeping it that way and when she was 10 years old I still got stopped by people asking if she was a puppy.

[Randomnumbers7483]

I know this wasn’t intentional but for anyone who doesn’t know, you shouldn’t have Cavaliers cut short they are not like Terriers or other breeds like that - it doesn’t keep them cooler if they are short, their longer coat is designed to work to keep them cool. You need to brush them very regularly to take any dead fur and knots out and by all means trim their feet and take the length off underneath (tummy area) and take the length of the ears to stop them catching things in it, plus tidy up the length around the bottom region (to make life a bit easier in case of accidents) but shaving the dog short over the back and sides (as some groomers do who don’t realise) is not good for the dog.

I have had many Cavaliers over about 30 years now and know a lot about the breed and although I groom them all myself now, when I used to take them to the groomers years ago some were fine but some do need very specific instructions or you end up with a shaved and very unhappy Cav.

I groom one of my elderly family members Cavs for them and to make life easier for them (as they find it difficult to brush the dog due to arthritis). I use scissors and take her down very short in the legs, ears, tummy and bottom area but still leave the length over the back and sides which is the part that works to cool her. I also bath and brush her myself every month to get rid of all the dead hair and manage her coat that way as she doesn’t get regular brushing as my relative can’t do it. (I also do all her worming, flea treatments, claws etc so the dog gets a regular going over plus buy the correct food and leave it in the cupboard with a measuring pot as that way my relative gets to keep their dog and the dog is healthy and looked after).

It will take a good two/three months to get the coat back. It isn’t going to grow in quite the same now unfortunately and will be more “woolly” and probably more tangily as it gets longer so you daughter is going to have to keep him well groomed/brushed if she intends to keep his coat long again. It will eventually settle again, but will never be quite as it was.

[fleshmarketclose]

Bella a Lhasa Apso is clipped every six weeks or she starts to be as wide as she is tall with all the hair so I'd say six weeks and the groom will have grown out.

[Tumbleweed101]

This is interesting to read. My cavalier is 7mths and doesn’t have much feathering yet. I’ve heard you shouldn’t have their fur clipped so interested to hear how it grows back if it does get clipped.

[Randomnumbers7483]

Tumbleweed - she is gorgeous and has a beautiful coat coming in! She won’t get her full coat until she is well over a year - some of ours (particularly the boys) haven’t got their full coat until they are two or so!

As I said above you really do just need to keep her brushed to get rid of any dead hair and possibly just trim up feet, ears and maybe even take some length off of her tummy (if she gets a particularly underneath) to prevent her picking up grass seeds or twigs etc but that is just a bit of a tidy with scissors not clippers.

If this is your first Cavalier then please, please don’t ever listen to anyone telling her you need to clip her coat to keep her cooler (including some groomers who don’t understand their type of coat well enough ) it really won’t keep her cooler, she will lose the cooling protection of her outer coat and it will never grow back to how it should be. I am very glad that you have heard that you shouldn’t clip them, you will find the majority of Cavalier people (who are passionate about the breed) are trying to get this message out - they really cannot be treated the same as other breeds in terms of their coat. Some Terriers, Lhasa Apso’s and that type of dog do well with a clipped coat and it is fine to clip them, but it really does not work for a Cavalier and can be quite damaging to them as you take away their ability to regulate their temperature. By all means do your own research there is quite a lot online about why you shouldn’t do it - it really isn’t just me saying it, I promise!

I wince every time I see a picture of a clipped or shaved Cavalier with someone talking about them having their “cool summer cut” thinking they have done the right thing for their dog, when in fact they have just made their dog more vulnerable to having heat issues.

Sorry to keep going on about it! I know I do get a bit carried away on this topic!

[spiderlight]

Our cocker had a drastic haircut before we adopted him six weeks ago, as he was matted underneath when he went into rescue, and it's noticeably growing back already.