To clip or not to clip my smooth collie

Question
She is awful pretty but it is HOT here in Nashville and she is shedding like crazy. I'm getting loads of fur daily with the Furminator. Will her freckles be visable and will she look silly? Do people shave smoothies? What size guard is used? Do they keep it a bit longer on the mane? Do they do anything with the tail?

Answer
Hi Chris,
Yes it is Hot in Nashville, I'm south of Atlanta so I completely understand HOT ;0)  Looking silly - to me yes she'll look a little silly for awhile - and the shedding will still be happening - You'll be cutting the hair shorter not completely off so she will still be losing hair - it will just be shorter hair.  **Hopefully she will be cooler and shed less if you do go that route.  If you chose not to clip her down, your really doing all you can do - brushing and lots of it.  I have never had a customer with a smooth collie have them shaved but I have shaved labs - and just about every other breed of dog out there.  You do what your customers want you to do and get paid for the job.  She should be cooler but people will say that the coat serves to keep the heat out as well.  Just like some people wear long sleeve shirt working out side in the summer I guess...never could come to terms with that one myself.  As far as seeing her freckles - that depends upon how short you choose to go with her coat.  The higher the number, the shorter the cut. A 10 blade is what we use on poodle faces for the pet trade. You don't see skin and they are basicly flat coated to the skin.  I myself use a 7F blade on these type of dogs, basicly short coated breeds whos owners want them trimmed down for the summer months.  You can request your groomer to leave the mane area a little longer and blend it in which they should know how to do fairly easily.  As far as the tail goes - some groomers will do "lion cuts" where as the body is short, mane a little longer and then the tail shaved all the way leaving a "tuff" at the end.  It is a fairly stylish look and many people love it.  I hope I was at least a little helpful here.  It's a hard call - to shave or not to shave ;0)

Regards
Brandie