Golden Retriever Grooming: The Essential Guide With Pictures Of Haircut Styles
With those irresistible good looks, and the funniest, friendliest demeanor you’ll find around town, it’s no wonder that golden retrievers are consistently one of the most popular breeds in the world. In fact, according to the American Kennel Club, they are, “outgoing, trustworthy, and eager-to-please family dogs, and relatively easy to train.” Who could resist a dog like that?
Initially developed as a breed in the 1800s by Lord Tweedmouth in Scotland, they are a cross of a yellow wavy coated retriever and a tweed water spaniel—making them excellent sporting dogs, retrievers , and companions.
And there’s that beautiful coat! Their most noticeable attribute, their gorgeous, golden fur, sets them apart in the canine kingdom—but also come with a few special instructions to keep it shiny, chic and looking fabulous.
To help you get there, here are some golden grooming tips unique to this breed.
Will My Golden Retrievers Hair Grow Back If I Shave Him How Long Will It Take
If you accidentally shaved your Golden’s hair or they needed an area shaved for medical reasons, there is good news. It will grow back.
The bad news… it won’t grow back very quickly. It will likely take 3-4 months for your dog’s hair to reach its pre-shaven length.
Most of the time, you will not experience any issues with it growing back, but you’ll need to keep an eye out for any skin issues that can arise until your Golden’s coat is fully grown.
My Golden Retriever/double Coated Dog Is Hot I Want Him/her Shaved Off
I will not shave your Golden or other double coated breed. Instead I recommend the Teddy trim, which will retain the integrity of the double coat. Many owners have the mistaken belief that shaving the coat short will help to keep the dog cool. Instead, shaving reduces the ability of the coat to properly insulate the dog. Your dog’s double coat helps keep it warm in winter and cool in summer.
Shaving a Golden Retriever/double coated dog also ruins the coat. It damages the guard hairs and can cause the undercoat to grow back thicker.
A good groom that removes excess undercoat helps keep the dog comfortable in the heat and shows off the natural beauty of a coat – the coat on a Golden Retriever/Double Coated breed is afterall, one of things that makes them so beautiful!
I Did Not Know Any Of The Above I Shaved My Golden What Should I Do
Well first of all hug your dog. He does not know how bad this is for him. Here is what do you do keep an eye on your golden retriever
Make sure that he does not get sunburned. Apply lots of sunscreen if you have to take him out during daytime
Try to apply some sort of moisturizer. This might help him with the itching that will accompany as soon as the hair starts growing back. We have found coconut oil to be excellent moisturizer. Watch out though. Our golden loves eating it, so you will have to either distract him or put it on him when you know he will be asleep .
Certain type of foods might help in faster hair growth. Eggs and Fish oil are known to be rich in Omega-3 which promotes hair growth. Consult your vet before giving any new kind of food.
Give more baths. As mentioned before, the undercoat grows first and this undercoat is thicker, shorter and has more tendency to accumulate dirt and grit. More frequent baths will make help remove these.
One of the most endearing qualities of a Golden Retriever is it beautiful coat. This coat serves multiple purposes apart from being aesthetically pleasing. Taking care of it’s coat should never involve shaving it!
How Long Does It Take For A Golden Retriever To Get Its Full Coat
Golden Retriever puppies are tiny little balls of yellow fluff that tend to look more like a Yellow Lab than Golden. There is no denying that they are cute.
When a Golden reaches about three months of age, their coat begins to transition from fluff to a more mature adult coat.
Starting at the tail, you’ll notice some darker long hair begin to appear. This is the beginning of what is often referred to as feathering. These feathers will eventually cover the legs, stomach, and tail of his body. The transition is usually complete by around 18 months.
While most breeds will shed their puppy fur, this is not true of Golden Retrievers. As the darker adult coat begins to come in, it pushes the fluff aside, and the fluff actually becomes the undercoat. This undercoat will thicken over time until the pup reaches roughly eighteen months of age.
Although you may think you have gotten off easy avoiding puppyhood shedding, you’re not out of the woods yet! Adult Golden Retrievers are notorious shedders who require their fair share of grooming.
Should I Shave My Golden Retriever To Keep Him Cool In The Summer
We hear that question all the time in grooming! There are several risks when shaving a double coat breed like a Golden Retriever.
First, dogs only sweat from their paws so having a long coat doesn’t generally significantly affect their body temperature.
Unfortunately, sometimes the hair will not grow back the same, meaning your dog’s coat may be sparse and coarse. You also run the risk of your dog over heating, which sounds like the opposite of what you would expect, but let me explain why…
Does Golden Retriever Hair Grow Back 5 Ways For Faster Growth
While we sweat to control our body temperature and our skins have grown relatively thick to protect our insides from the harsh environmental elements, your dogs’ coat is the one doing both jobs for your pooch.
Your Golden Retriever’s double coat is very important to their health, and it serves a lot of functions. You can usually cut their hair a little short and it will be fine.
So, what does this mean?
Does Golden Retriever hair grow back? Yes, Golden Retriever hair grows back, and it usually takes 3 months or a little more for their coat to grow back. If they’re shaved to the skin, there is a risk your dog’s coat may not regrow to what it was before.
There are, of course, ways in which you could help your dog’s coat grow back more quickly and get back to its former glory before the cut. Keep reading to find out how you can help your dog’s coat grow back quickly.
Tips And Tricks To Keeping A Clean Home With Golden Retriever
It’s hard to keep a clean home with a dog that sheds on a regular basis. I would go so far as to say if you own a golden retriever, you may as well embrace living in the hair.
For those that want to minimize the hair around the house these are some things you can do to help keep your home cleaner.
Brushing: Brushing your dog on a regular basis with a brush daily and an weekly can greatly reduce shedding. Brushing your dog outdoors also makes clean up easy.
Pet friendly furniture. Some pet owners found it helpful to change their furniture color to the color of their dog. Others also brought leather or faux leather furniture. It’s easier to wipe out the dog hair on these surfaces. This is not the easiest or cheapest solution, but should be considered when you are in the market to buy new furniture for your home.
Not ready to change out all your furniture? Totally understandable. Another solution that golden retriever owners found helpful is to put blankets or throws on their couch, bed, or wherever your dog likes to sleep or lay. Then throw these blankets and throws into the wash once a week.
Invest in a good vacuum. For owners who like a tidy home, invest in a . A high quality vacuum will be able to suck up all the hair with one or two passes. Another way around this is to get a for the floor, so your floor is constantly vacuumed.
How Long Does It Take For Golden Retriever Hair To Grow Back
It can take a couple of weeks for golden retriever hair to grow back after it was cut a little short, but it can take up to 4 months to grow back if it was shaved to the skin. Golden Retrievers’ coats shouldn’t be shaved down to the skin because it may never regrow to the way it was before.
Your golden retriever’s double coat can insulate them from both the hot and cold weather. It’s not like they are wearing a heavy coat that they need to take off to cool down in the hot weather.
Shaving your dog’s coat is a bad idea, you can learn why shaving your golden can have terrible consequences here.
If you do live in a hot area, there are other ways to help them cool down, and you can check my complete guide to how golden retrievers can live in hot weather here. I have lived in some really hot spots before with my goldens, so I included the 13 tips that I have found really helpful to me through the years, so make sure to check it out.
Will My Golden Retrievers Hair Grow Back After Being Shaved
Yes, just like any other dog breed, the hairs of your golden retriever will also grow back but there is no guarantee that they will grow as they were before shaving.
It could be of slightly different colors or even different textures. Though many dogs’ hair grows perfectly normal there are also cases where the dogs’ hair never grew back the same after being shaved.
So if you have mistakenly shaved your golden retriever’s hair, then you should be very careful. As you know that the overcoat protects them from heat, so if you have shaved the hairs, then make sure the retriever is not going in the sun or at least use a good quality sunscreen to protect their skin from getting in direct contact with the sun.
Best Dog on a Budget in
What Should You Do Instead Of Shaving Your Golden Retriever
Fortunately, instead of shaving your golden retriever, there are a few things you can do to manage their coat.
Brushing Them
Brushing them is the best way to remove all the excess fur that may end up getting stuck in your golden retrievers coat. Not only is this going to keep them cool, but it’s also going to reduce the amount of fur build up around your house as well.
Bathe Them
Secondly you should bathe your golden retriever as well. You should only bathe them 3-4 times a year, however, if you time it right you can catch their fall and summer blowout and remove a good chunk of the shed fur.
Get Their Undercoat Blown Out
Lastly, you can also pay to get your golden retrievers undercoat blown out. To do this you’ll need to go to a professional groomer. They’ll remove all of the fur that gets stuck in their undercoat, helping to keep your dog cool and shed free.
Final Thoughts On Grooming A Golden Retriever In The Summer
I hope this article has made you think twice before shaving your double-coated dog.
No matter how hot the temperature gets you should not shave your Golden Retriever. Their double-coat is actually helping them stay cool. After all, their long flowing coat is one of their many beautiful attributes.
Remember to keep your dog’s coat groomed with regular brushing, and bathing to keep it looking its best, and to help the coat do its job to protect your dog from extreme temperatures.
Interested In Training Your Golden Retriever The Right Way
If you haven’t trained your golden retriever properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your shepherd has, whether it’s barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.
The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.
With Brain Training For Dogs you’ll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog won’t listen, you’ll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, that’s given proven results. Not to mention the fact, you’ll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.
So instead of worrying about whether they’re going to be well-behaved or not, you’ll only have to worry about how much fun you’ll have with them!
And in most cases it’s still going to be:
- Cheaper than hiring a professional.
- Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
- And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.
Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your border collie completely and never worry whether they’ll be naughty or not. Instead, you’ll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them, will always be there, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT.
How To Deal With Golden Retriever Shedding Without Shaving
First of all, if shedding is really that much of a concern for you and your family, perhaps a Golden Retriever is not the right breed for you. It is inevitable there will be shedding twice a year with these dogs. There are a lot of things you can do to reduce the amount of flying fur during these times.
If you’re set on a Golden, and I can’t say that I blame you, there are some ways you can minimize how all that shedding impacts your life and home. The most important of which will be frequent brushing and grooming.
Getting To Know Your Golden Retriever: All About The Coat
Golden Retrievers are known to be furry.
But, do you really know what’s all that fur for and how it actually works to keep your dog’s body safe and protected?
Well, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about your Goldy’s fur in this section of the blog post. The thing is that Golden Retrievers are actually double trouble because they have a double coat!
And, your Goldy’s double coat is there to actually protect that little guy in every season.
Let’s look into it, shall we?
Beautiful Grooming Styles For Shaving A Golden Retriever
Before you head out and give your dog a new cut, I first think its best that you get the right training beforehand.
There’s nothing worse than leaving your dog looking like a rugged old mop head that’s been used to clean a dirty bathroom the past 6 months.
To save you the problem and time, I’ve put together a little guide that will help you with grooming your dog the right way.
Furthermore, I’m sure you’re also here to find out whether you can even shave a golden retriever in the first place right.
There’s a lot of hearsay around this topic and today I’m here to set the record straight once and for all on whether you can shave this breed.
Reasons Why You Should Never Shave Your Golden Retriever
So many people believe that shaving a Golden Retriever will keep them cool in the summer, this is absolutely false!
Shaving any dog with a double coat is never a good idea. The only time shaving should be done is when necessary.
Necessary times for shaving are:
Let’s look at why you should never shave your Golden Retriever, or any other double-coated breed:
Will You Check My Dog For Muscle Soreness During A Groom
Yes, while your dog is receiving the wonderful results of a professional groom they will also have their general condition checked. Apart from muscular issues, I will also be on the lookout for changes in skin conditions. This will be evident when I am giving them a pre-bath massage and blow-dry. Most groomers are not trained to recognise muscular issues in a dogs’ body. When I am grooming a dog , I will give your dog a check-up and if there is an issue that can be treated quickly, it will be done gently and will be free of charge . Due to time limitations, separate appointments will be required for more serious muscular issues.
Tips To Keep Golden Retriever Cool During Summer Season
Unlike humans, golden retrievers do not secrete heat through their skin. Instead, they use panting as a means of regulating their body temperatures.
The double coat of the golden retriever acts as a built-in air conditioning system and therefore shaving it is a terrible idea. The dog will get even hotter once you shave him.
Below are some tips on how to keep your golden retriever cool during the summer.
What To Do If Golden Retriever Hair Is Not Growing Back
Why doesn’t your golden retriever hair grow back? Your golden retriever’s hair may not be growing back because of a hormonal deficiency, hormonal imbalance, a bacterial infection, ringworm, or mange.
This is called post-clipping Alopecia, and it’s more common than we’d like it to be. It’s one of the main reasons I always tell people to avoid clipping their dog’s hair altogether and just keep a regular grooming routine.
What should you do if their hair is not growing back? You should take your golden retriever to the vet who will do a physical examination and take blood samples for a diagnosis. After diagnosis, they will put them on a course of medications that will likely include antibiotics.
Clipping your dog’s hair, contrary to common belief, can damage their coat and make shedding even worse. You can learn 17 better ways to manage their shedding here instead of shaving their coats.
When Is Shedding In Your Retriever A Sign Of A Problem
While shedding is completely normal for a golden retriever, there are times when it could also be a sign of a problem. If you notice excess shedding or their shedding is abnormal, it could be being caused by any of the following.
Allergies
Allergies are known to affect your golden retriever in a number of ways, and one of the ways they can be affected is excess shedding.
The allergy may be caused by something in their environment that’s aggravating their skin such as grass, pollen, or airborne contaminants. It may also be something to do with you such as the shampoo you’re using on them, or the laundry detergent in your clothes. And lastly, it may also be caused by certain foods that they’re eating particularly certain meats.
Whatever, the case, if you think that your golden retriever is suffering from allergies, you should take them to a vet to help you figure it out.
Parasites
Another cause of shedding which you should keep an eye on is parasites. Fleas and ticks in particular are known to irritate your golden retriever. This irritation can cause them to scratch more which can increase shedding.
Because of this you should be using an effective flea and tick preventative on your pup, as well as checking them over as well!
Bad Diet
Pregnant
However, with a healthy diet, you can help your new mother overcome this!
Stress
Medication
The good news is, in most cases, once your golden retriever stops taking the medication, it’s likely that their coat will return to normal.
Do Golden Retrievers Shed If So How Much And How Often
Golden Retrievers are an absolute joy to have around and share your life with, but if there’s one thing about them that should come with a warning, it’s their shedding.
With such beautiful glossy coats, you’d be forgiven for thinking their hair is easy to manage – before you find it all over your furniture and clothes!
There Are Better Ways To Manage The Coat Of Your Dog
Double coated dog breeds need regular grooming. In spring and fall, they will go through their process of shedding which you should be prepared for. There will be hair all over the place and including large tufts that will come out. This is the reason why you should follow a schedule for grooming double coated dogs. You will be able to deal with all the excess fur they are shedding this way.
Regularly brushing their fur will not only remove excess fur but will help keep the hair of your dog in good condition by preventing tangles, removing dirt, and keeping their skin clean and free from irritants.
Why Is Shaving A Golden Retriever A Terrible Mistake
When shaving a Golden Retriever, you put them in many risks:
1- Overheating
When you shave your Golden Retriever – or any double-coated dog for this matter – you will notice that their new hair will start to grow in and it will start to do so pretty quickly. This may seem like a good thing, but it really isn’t.
Why? Because what happens is that the undercoat will grow in first. The undercoat will grow soft, fuzzy hairs which are great for keeping your dog warm in winter months, but not so great for keeping them cool in the summer.
The guard hairs which belong to the topcoat are much slower to grow, so they will take more time to reach their full length.
During this long time through which the guard coats grow, it will be crowded on top of their skin as hair from both coats will be short and dense.
At this stage, the texture of the double coat will feel somewhat “sticky” and feels somehow like Velcro. Things like twigs and grass will constantly get stuck to the coat.
During the summer, however, the soft undercoat growing with the guard coat will stop the air from getting through the hair and to the skin as it normally does, so your dog’s skin won’t be able to cool down. Even worse, this new texture of the undercoat will absorb the sun’s rays and heat up, causing the dog’s body temperature to quickly rise and overheat.
2. Red/Sore Spots
Types Of Damage Caused By Shaving A Golden Retriever
Unfortunately, many issues can affect your Goldie once they get a shave. Some of these issues can include post clipping alopecia, coat funk, and sebaceous adenitis – just to name a few. Post clipping alopecia is common among many shaved dogs. It may present with several symptoms including hair loss, patchy coats, thinner hair or fur, sunburns, and coats growing in with different colors and textures. It is the only type of alopecia that occurs after a dog has been shaved and often results in permanent hair loss.
Another common type of damage is coat funk, which causes hair to become brittle to the point of breaking. Once the hair breaks off, it either never grows back or may only grows in with a coarse texture. Coat funk is known by different names depending on the breed of dog you have, but can affect all breeds and is more common among dogs with double coats. Some types of coat funk are so severe that they cause the dog’s exposed skin to turn black.
The damage caused by shaving is not always limited to the coat area and can easily become psychological. A shaved Golden retrieve may become less obedient, more aggressive, or may even become destructive. Some can become very cautious around humans and fearful of being harmed, while others may develop depression and anxiety. Sometimes the psychological damage caused by shaving is so severe, only a professional dog therapist can help.