To cut, shave or leave?

[Inthedoghouse]

Hi, I did find something through a search about whether or not to shave your dog because of shedding... but I am wondering for a different reason.
My mixed breed dog has shiny medium length hair on her back, face etc. but at the back of her front legs and the back of her back legs, the fur hangs almost to the ground. We live near a lake and it takes AGES for her fur (two layers in some areas) to dry.
Last few days she had the runs and it was quite a job to clean it off the long hair.
So, last year we had her cut with electric razor at pet spa, not right to the skin, but short. Now I am reading that we should not do this.... so I do not know what to do.
I am thinking of just trying the scissors on her rear end and see how that goes...
Why is there such a vast difference, for and against, cutting dogs' hair?

[Longblades]

Trimming up long feathery skirts that get tangled and dirty is OK but can spoil the dog's look. Shaving is said to NOT be cooler and NOT reduce shedding. My neighbour shaves his GR and says it is so both and insists there is less hair in the house. Shaving is said to increase heating by removing protective insulation and to ruin coat, that comes back in thick and matted, and impair the guard coat. Certainly another neighbour's shaved GR is a messy mass of thick tangled undercoat and they haven't shaved her now in years.

[Etown_Chick]

I think it depends on teh dog and type of coat. Scruffy doesn't have any undercoat to speak of and his hair is more like human hair than dog hair. Much finer.
The vet said to shave him once a year, adn I do. No issues whatsoever. They use the longest setting possible on the trimmer.
Even in winter I keep his feet and bum trimmed.

[Inthedoghouse]

Thanks for feedback
It's so confusing to read both sides of issue on Internet
I am taking the middle road and have her hair cut but not shaved to skin
Am hoping to put on a picture I took a year or so ago - shows what a mess she gets into this time of year, wet, in the garden etc.
I'll send an after shot too......I used to know how to put up pic, will have to reread instructions....

[Inthedoghouse]

again, not worried about shedding, just keeping her clean

sorry, i realize pic is too big but dont have time to change right now.... think it explains the situation tho

[Longblades]

LOL, what a shot.

My neighbour breeds Golden Retrievers. I took the terribly matted one I found to her to be scanned for a chip. The GR breeder was lamenting the state of the dog's coat, it really was terrible and it smelled awful. Why get a breed like a GR if you are not going to look after the coat?

The other neighbour, who shaves his GR till one day I thought it was a Lab, says his GR is a rescue dog. If a shaved coat is what it takes to have someone take a rescue dog then I find it hard to argue. Though maybe he could have chosen a different rescue dog.

Several other neighbours with GR, yeah there are lots of them here, won't let the dogs run in 1,000s of acres we have here for off leash, won't let them swim, won't let them run near mud. Because they don't want to have to clean and groom afterwards. We are lucky to live in a place where dogs can enjoy a pretty good doggy life but these owners deny it to their dogs. If they didn't want to groom why did they get GR? Why not a relatively easy care coat like my Lab? Maybe if these people shaved or at least trimmed the glorious coats on these dogs the dogs would be allowed some doggy freedoms? Then they wouldn't look like nice GR but what's more important? Hard to judge.