hmmm....I have to admit, I have two long coats (one x breed and a Rough Collie) I dont clip, but I do take most of the hair around bum/boy/girl bits, and I do clip some of the leg hair when it gets muddy (takes forever to get it all out)

I dont have a problem with people clipping long coated breeds, OES I think look better clipped!

Sorry but I completely disagree. Many breeds long coats are just totally impractical for regular day to day living.

I agree that clipping the hair short on a breed that is not typically clipped (like the double coated Newfoundland you mentioned -- poor thing!) is stupid. But for 'proper' longhaired dogs, particularly those whose coats do not shed and therefore grow at fast rates, it is essential in many cases.

There is absolutely no way I would be able maintain a long show type coat with my Yorkshire Terrier -- again, I can't think of anything more impractical for a dog that likes to get dirty. She also has a flea allergy which is easier to manage in a short coat. It is not a case of laziness on the human part -- she gets brushed every day, apart from the first week or so after she has been cut. It is a case of doing what is best for the dog. I know mine seems much happier without lots of coat bogging her down & the extra maintenance that comes with it.

I can't really see the problem? After all, it isn't "natural" for people to cut their hair is it? I presume that people who have a long haired breed and clip it have chosen the breed for more than cosmetic reasons

i dont mean breeds like yorkies,tibs, afghans etc....when i worked at the groomers the amount of border collies,golden retrievers long haired gsd's and samoyeds that were clipped was unreal(even a long haired rott,i mean why buy it )...and yes it bugged me slightly ..soz n all.

When i was grooming (not as a proffession, just some friends dogs, and friends of friends) I refused several people wanting me to clip double and triple coated breeds. I refused to clip a Pomeranian, a BC, and a Keeshond. now way in heck would I ruin a coat like that!

Ditto with our Yorkie!
Especially now he's older, he's a bit 'messy' round his back and front end!

i think fair enough if the dog has an allergy or medical problem that means it needs doing. but when people do it simply because brushing a long coated dog takes time out of their day, i think it is pure lazyness.

people that bring long haired cats in, bring them in with their brush and ask us to brush them once a day if we get time. i want a persian cat, but i wouldnt clip it off because it has long hair... cats get just as many knots as dogs. my longhaired cat gets them if you dont brush her. but i would never shave her because its not practical for everyday living. just use the brush. dont see why its different for a dog.

cats are slightly different imo..dogs can be conditioned and trained to like grooming...cats,if they get it in their head they dont like it you aint gonna be able to do it!!

We have a Cairn cross who is a rescued stray...I'm afraid her coat had to go as it was in such a state...it may never recover it's former glory.

messy around the chops and trouser legs if tia is not clipped too...
Tia has more spring in her step when short haired...