Do Golden Retrievers Like To Cuddle
When theyre not busy as working retrievers, yes, some Golden Retrievers like to cuddle.Golden Retrievers are intelligent and intuitive dogs that gain comfort by engaging in physical contact with their owners and other pets. This desire for physical contact results in many of the personality traits we associate with Golden Terriers such as loyalty and friendliness. *ENDCASE*By Stephen Huber (author of A Golden Itch? on.
Bathing Your Dog: Summer Vs Winter
| Summer Baths | |
| Use cool water to fight the heat | Use warm water to ward off the chills |
| Can bath the dog anywhere | Preferable to bathe the dog inside where its warmer |
| Doesnt require lots of planning | Must plan ahead to avoid your dog getting chilly and eliminate the risk of hypothermia |
Giving your golden retriever a bath in the winter is more difficult and requires more effort, which is many dog owners just skip winter baths altogether Not a great idea if you have an active dog, and sometimes not even an option.
When you do bathe your dog in winter, you have to make sure to keep them absolutely dry before they go outside. If theyre still even slightly wet and they get outside, they might get sick.
Praise And Treat Your Dog
After cleaning the ears, praise your dog for a job well done and give them a treat. Let them associate this experience with a positive reward.
Regular ear cleaning is a must for Golden Retrievers. Because of the pain of infection, and potential hearing loss, cleaning your Goldens ears is a part of the grooming process you should not neglect.
Read Also: How To Train Golden Retriever
What Type Of Shampoo Should I Use To Wash My Golden Retriever
According to many canine experts, its not recommended to wash your dog using dish soap or human shampoo. This will most definitely strip your dog of its natural oils. Plus, shampoo made for humans is too acidic for regular use on a Golden Retrievers hair and skin.
The best shampoo to use is one thats specially formulated for dogs. Its recommended that you use a highly-rated oatmeal shampoo like this one at amazon.com to help in the nourishment of their coats. Its organic, soap-free, and contains vitamin E and Aloe Vera to naturally soothe and moisturize sensitive or dry skin.
While using this shampoo, you should wash your pup from front to back, gently scrubbing your dogs fur to get the dirt thats attached to the undercoat.
When drying your Golden Retriever you can choose to use an old dog towel, but many people choose to use a blow dryer on their dog in order to make sure that all their fur is dry. A double-coated dog, like a Golden Retriever, can stay wet for hours, even after being towel dried so a hair dryer can really speed up this process.
A pet-friendly hair dryer like this adjustable speed pet hair dryer on amazon.com, can also help with regular grooming. Its temperature controlled so it wont get too hot for your pooch.
How Often Do You Walk A Golden Retriever
Walk a Golden Retriever? What kind of question is that?In all seriousness, many Goldens typically do well on 3-5 walks per day, but keep in mind that this can vary from dog to dog. In addition, just because you walk a dog every day doesnt mean it needs it every day. One walk per week should be plenty for simple housebreaking purposes and other purposes. So if you have a vigorous exercise routine or vigorous outings planned for the weekend at the parks with your Golden Retriever, dont overdo it during the weekdays either by walking too much or keeping them out too late. As always though, use caution when making decisions about how much to exert your pet as there.
You May Like: How Do You Trim A Golden Retriever At Home
Lifestyle Or Activity Level
I have a little Boston terrier at home who gets himself into the grossest stuff, and I feel like Im throwing him into the bath a couple times a month, Sondel says. I also have a 150-pound mastiff who is a couch potato and goes on his walks but doesnt roll in gross stuff. I dont think Ive given him a bath in the last year.
Bathing frequency is largely based on activity level and where those activities take place. If your dog gets into something gross, if it rolls in poop, no matter what you bathe it, Sondel says.
You May Like: Can Golden Retrievers Eat Ice Cream
Preparing Your Golden Retrievers Coat For Grooming
What Our Expert Does: Its important to make sure a dog is as comfortable as possible before grooming. For instance, you might spend a few minutes petting the dog and letting them explore their surroundings before you begin to brush or wash them.
Don’t Miss: Best Dog Booties For Golden Retrievers
How Often Should I Brush My Dog
Keeping your pet clean isn’t just about bathing.
Brushing him or her is beneficial for the removal of shedding fur, prevention of painful tangles, removal of that “doggy” smell by scraping away old oils, and removal of ticks and grass seeds which can wiggle down into the skin and hurt your dog.
“It also allows the dog to keep clean areas that it might otherwise struggle to, the tail and the chest,” says Paul McGreevy, a professor of animal behaviour and animal welfare science at the University of Sydney’s School of Veterinary Science.
Being aware of any lumps or bumps under the skin are other benefits, adds David Cunliffe, head of an animal hospital in Melbourne.
Unsplash
Remaining vigilant about brushing is ideal in the months approaching summer, when many dogs shed more hair than normal, explains Dr Cunliffe.
“It happens as the days start to get longer, basically from the footy grand final onwards,” he says .
“It’s a seasonal response to summertime.”
The exact amount of brushing your dog needs depends on the length and type of the dog’s coat.
If your dog has a well-developed undercoat as do samoyeds, huskies and other arctic breeds you’ll need to brush as often as once a day during shedding season to avoid knotting and dreadlocks, which can cause serious skin conditions if old hairs are left in the coat, says Dr Cunliffe.
Dogs with regular or less dense undercoats, such as poodles, don’t need quite as much brushing and once a week will do.
Allergies Or Skin Problems
Some dogs suffer from allergies or skin conditions that may require regular bathing with medicated shampoo. In these cases, the right dog bath frequency will depend on the instructions provided by your veterinarian or groomer. Dogs with itchy skin may also find relief from regular baths with a colloidal oatmeal shampoo. Dogs who don’t respond well to oral or topical parasite treatments might need regular baths to help keep fleas and ticks under control.
Don’t Miss: Golden Retriever Dog Boots
Are Golden Retrievers Lazy
Of course not!Golden Retrievers are a high-energy breed who need lots of exercise each day to feel content. They thrive on regular play time and consistent walks, or runs in the case of active young dogs. Generally speaking, theyre happy to sit next to you for hours but will get restless if they dont have regular access to a yard where they can take a break from the indoors. Theyre a natural companion for anyone who enjoys hiking or fishing trips, or lives near water. The great outdoors is where Golden Retrievers really live up to their reputation as the original family petthey derive much joy from swimming, playing fetch in lakes and rivers, catching snowballs in their mouths during winter walks along.
What To Do If Your Golden Retriever Has Cad
CAD can make your Golden Retriever feel pretty miserable. After your vet has diagnosed your Golden Retriever with CAD, start treatment as soon as possible. Although there is no cure for CAD, several long term treatment options are available to help your Golden Retriever feel much less itchy.
You May Like: How To House Train A Golden Retriever Puppy
How Often Should I Bathe My Golden Retriever: How Much Is Enough
The answer to the question is as follows: there is no definitively correct or incorrect answer. Its really necessary not to brush your dog too much. This can be just as devastating as much as not washing enough. Too much bathing will take away natural oils. Losing this protective coating will leave your Golden with a dull coat that is disappointingly unattractive.
More significantly, it leaves the skin unprotected and susceptible to dandruff and infections. It is recommended that you use a very mild shampoo, but even the mildest soap may harm the skin if it is overused.
On the other hand, not taking a bath frequently enough may cause obvious problems. While Goldens prefer not to emit strong odors like many other breeds do , they can still grow a little funk if left unwashed for too long.
How Often Should You Bathe A Dog
Is your dog starting to smell a little funny? Is her normally shiny coat looking a little dull these days? If so, youve probably been asking yourself, How often should you bathe a dog? The answer isnt as cut and dry as you may think.
Were about to cover each of the factors that youll use to determine just how often youll be breaking out the dog shampoo. By the time youre done reading, youll know exactly how often to wash her, what to use, and how its done.
You May Like: Golden Retriever Feathering
Prepare Before You Start Bath Time
Before you even start to bathe your Golden Retriever, you should set yourself up for success. Here are some ways you can prepare for bath time.
Collect Your Items
From the shampoo you will use to wash them to the towel you plan to dry them with, make sure that you have everything ready and set out.
The last thing you want to do is leave a wet and potentially soapy dog in a bathtub while trying to go grab something to help you rinse them. Worse is a wet and potentially soapy dog trying to get out of the tub to go run around the home.
To help with bathing your Golden Retriever, you will want, bare minimum, the following:
- Brush
- Hose attachment for the shower
- Dog appropriate shampoo
- Towels
There are a few optional things that you can use when washing your Golden Retriever as well:
- Flea comb
- Hairdryer
- Helper
Check the Water Temperature
Preparation also means doing things like making sure you have the right water temperature. Cool is ok, cold is not. It is best to work with temps around 70-80 degrees.
This will help to keep them from getting chilled since a dogs body temperature is higher than a humans temperature is.
While dogs usually dont mind playing in cooler water when they are active and playing, when a dog is sitting relatively motionless, cold water can start to drop their body temperature. A degree or two will not be a major issue, and they will warm back up within a few minutes of being done.
Get Some Help
How To Care For A Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever, while a beautiful and lovable dog, has definite habits which makes it difficult for the novice dog owner. These grooming habits include shedding, drooling and chewing. For your information I am including a review of this specific breed by one of our associates who is an experienced vetinarian specializing in dogs.Golden retrievers are great dogs but require lots of grooming to maintain their coats. They shed continuously and should be brushed 3-5 times per week with a rubber curry brush to remove loose hair and skin cells that could lead to tangles or matting.Contrary to their friendly temperament at home, they can become aggressive when hunting or protecting its territory outside and need socialization training with other.
Read Also: How To Bathe A Golden Retriever
Carefully Does It Now
Remember to complete the task properly, you need to be brushing down their hair to see exactly how it looks after you trim. That way you can get a definite image of exactly what it looks like.
There are too many times Ive made the mistake of actually cutting away here not brushing it and then cutting some more. As you can imagine me and my dog were not happy with the result.
I now call my procedure fail-safe, as it prevents things from going wrong when following the stops. When youre touching up behind the leg just above the pads you want to bend the legs back just a little. You can then use straight shears to target the hair around the underneath of the paw. Heres an image to help you understand this better:
Therefore this process you can use to straight shares but I do suggest that if you are new to trimming that to use the thinning shears.
That is until youre experienced and you can easily avoid things going wrong that way. The idea of the look that youre trying to achieve is to basically take away any type of fuzziness that you see in the hair.
Why Shaving A Golden Retriever Is Bad
While grooming a Golden is a must, there are rarely good reasons for shaving or clipping a Goldens coat. Shaving or significant clipping can be harmful because it now leaves the skin exposed to potential sunburn. Shaving can also bring about hot spots which are very painful to the dog and difficult to heal.
Recommended Reading: Sanitary Trim Golden Retriever
Recommended Reading: What Age Is A Golden Retriever Full Grown
What Shampoo Should I Be Using
There definitely a few small questions that you have to ask yourself when it comes to the part of bathing a Golden Retriever. I mean I definitely had to ask myself if you. and the real too things to consider are
The fact that they have a big thick coat as well as skin that releases natural oils.So you dont want to dry this skin out too much. And you really have to also be careful to not get something so soapy that you cant wash it out.
Because of that, I decided to save you some of the hassles and create a product review posts on some of the best shampoos out there. Each one I tested over a period of two weeks and left my honest opinion on each.
How Often Should I Bathe My Golden Retriever: What Is Your Bathing Routine
Intend to bath your Retriever once every six weeks. Depending on the circumstances , you will need to reach the south once a month. However, some dogs, particularly older ones, who are less involved, can get through with scrub downs as rarely as every eight weeks, or probably longer. By
Depending on the circumstances , you will need to reach the south once a month. However, some dogs, particularly older ones, who are less involved, can get through with scrub downs as rarely as every eight weeks, or probably longer. By maintaining good grooming, particularly brushing, between the baths, you will become familiar with your dogs hair and skin condition and be able to tell if your schedule needs to be changed.
Also Check: How To Cut A Golden Retriever Hair
Lifestyle And Environmental Factors To Consider
If you often take your Golden Retriever for swimming, you will have to give it baths more frequently than usual. This is because frequent swimming leads to an unpleasant smell and dirty coat.
If your Golden Retriever spends most of their time indoors, it will pick up less debris and dirt. So, you wont have to give it a bath more frequently. But, if you are regularly taking your pooch out for exercise and it is getting dirty from playing in the dirt or grass, you will have to clean it more often.
If your area has a parasite problem, it is important to stay on high alert. You may have to give your Golden Retriever a bath more frequently. You should ask your vet if something more has to be done to keep your dog safe from parasites.