Hi, I've dealt with this issue back when I had a dog. She's gone now, but I was a big believer in clipping her hair down in the summer. She was a very active dog, and I would clip her about 3 times over the warm part of the year.

I did some research and what I found disputes the idea that fur insulates a dog from the heat. Probably the best person to ask is your Vet. It is true that fur is very important in protecting a dog from sunburn. They have no melanin in their skin. Dogs who get shaved too close are at high risk for serious consequences from sunburn. The dog does not need a lot of fur, just enough so the skin is covered.

Lots of times I would take my dog to the groomer for a clipping. Apparently the grooming shears has several fixed settings. What I found out was that I could not get the exact length of fur cut that I wanted for her. There was a length that was a little too long. So I requested the next shorter length. Well, that was too short. I had the situation you describe above. The groomer advised me to be concerned about sunburn and to put sunscreen on her. I think the idea of a garment - something light, like a Tshirt - might be an idea. Also, just avoid having your dog in the sun, until a bit more fur grows back.

The safest thing I found was to just cut my dog's fur with a very sharp large scissors and then use a smaller scissors for trimming here and there. Doing the job free-hand with a scissors doesn't give you the best looking haircut, but it does give you total control over how much you're taking off. The main thing is that the scissors must be very sharp, or it pulls and hurts the dog. The scissors they sell in places like major name pet stores are crap. Good luck. I think it is important to clip down dogs when you are in a hot climate.