The black dot on a German Shepherd Dog’s face is not a mole or a beauty mark, it is a genetic inheritance in coat appearance that often leaves a black circular patch of hair. Underneath it is a collection of nerves, and the thick hairs that sprout from it are whiskers called “vibrissae”. The vibrissae transmit sensory messages to a dog’s brain.
Almost all dogs have this area, but not all have the black mole-like circle. Belgian malinois are another breed which can have this black circular patch of hair.
An actual mole is a skin growth and usually lacks hair.
Vibrissae and whiskers are also found on a dog’s mouth, lower jaw, above their eyebrows and near their ears.
If these are shaved off will it affect the dog, and can they grow back
Yes it will affect the dog. Dogs use these whiskers as a sensory feature, just as like how our skin tells us if something is near, far, hot, cold… Shaving it off causes disorientation and results in the dog becoming meek, cautious, even fearful and aggressive. Please don’t shave them off.
Yeah I’d trim my Shepherd, but never her head
Hi, I work in the animal industry. It is safe to shave or cut off whiskers on dogs. It does not affect them negatively. In fact many breed standard haircuts require a shaved muzzle. cats in the other hand are affected by whiskers. But not dogs. Two completely different species.
If you work in the animal industry, you must suck at it. NEVER shave the whiskers off a dog.
https://www.purina.co.uk/articles/dogs/behaviour/common-questions/why-do-dogs-have-whiskers
Looks like you needed some help
The whiskers aren’t there by mistake; they serve a purpose. Typical human arrogance and lack of empathy in assuming that because YOU don’t have whiskers, no other animal needs them either. They’re part of the dogs sensory system……its not up to you to cut them off for aesthetics and decide they’re useless. And who cares what breed standards want? The same breed standards that call for dogs to have a flat face, or an underbite or dwarf limbs? Breed standards aren’t great guides when it comes to what benefits dogs.
I am gonna go with the response, of not shaving whiskers. As they are important to the animal
Yes I have never heard that you can shave whiskers also two dots on each side of their face with whiskers I’ve heard only purebred German Shepherds have those not sure if that’s a fact just about everybody with a German Shepherd has those not all dogs do but all German Shepherds that I’ve seen do but I would never shave a dog’s whiskers I think that person was giving false advice
Not only purebred shepherds have the spots. GSD mixes will have them too.
Yes, my GSD mix had them!