Trim Your Golden Retrievers Coat
A Golden Retriever has undercoat and overcoat, which helps to keep the dog at a comfortable temperature. This combination traps cool air between the coats on a hot day and catches a warm breeze on a cold day. So, avoid trimming your goldens intact skin. With thinning shears, Trim the coat of golden Retriever from feet, leg, body, chest, neck, ears up to its tail. Do not trim the fur too short. Trim the length by tapering the coat from base to its tip.
Want To Pay Someone To Groom Your Dog Instead
Theres always an option of bringing your dog to a groomer to get the job done. The costs vary widely based on the region, the service requested, and the time it will take to completely groom your doggo.
You can expect to spend anywhere from $20 to $50 an hour.
Here are some professional groomers we found online:
Homeguide also offers an option where you can type in your zip code to find dog groomers near you!
Finishing The Dog: Tools And Finish Grooming
The coat should be light, straight, and stand off of the body with no loose hair. Any loose hair or fuzziness to the coat should be carded. Everything about the finish should be natural. The feet and the outside edges of the ear are trimmed with thinning shears. In the warmer months, many pet owners try to keep the dog cooler by shaving the coat. The Golden Retrievers double coat is designed to protect them during any season. If you are trying to keep the dog cooler, you should elect to remove the undercoat with a good bath and blow out. When you shave this breed, you are exposing their skin to the elements and take away their ability to stay cool.
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Less Common Needs That You Need To Take Care Of
Anal glands: All predatory mammals, dogs included, have scent-producing glands near the anus. Secretions from these glands help each dog leave an individual scent behind with each bowel movement. The scent helps dogs identify themselves to other dogs. Unfortunately, poor diet, among other reasons, can lead to blocked scent glands, which is a painful condition.
Certain breeds tend to be predisposed to anal gland problems, too. Chihuahuas, Lhasa apsos, poodles, basset hounds, spaniels and other small breeds tend to frequently need gland care. If you find that your dog often worries his behind, youll need to make an appointment with a groomer.
Whisker care: Heavy shedders often grow a great deal of facial fur that can become matted without frequent brushing. For a small number of dogs, their whiskers may need to be trimmed as part of the process.
Nail care: Two things determine how often a dog needs his nails clipped: exercise frequency and breed. The more your dog gets to run around, the more natural wear his nails will get. With little exercise, your dogs nails will soon grow excessively, and click on the floors that he walks on. When this happens, he will need a grooming visit.
If you put off a visit, your dog may soon have trouble planting his paws properly with each step. He could be at risk of joint problems before long.
Tips For Determining The Best Possible Clipper And Blade For Golden Retrievers
Golden Retrievers, like all dog breeds, have an undeniable look about them. Part of that look for Goldens is their thick, smooth fur. Although their fur can be wavy or straight, all Goldens have a waterproof topcoat and dense undercoat that can make trimming them at home a struggle.
Youll want to ensure that you have clippers that can handle thicker fur, and preferably can move at varying speeds. Youll want faster speeds for dense areas like your Golden Retrievers neck and chest, but you can use slower and more deliberate speeds for their paws and faces if necessary.
Because Goldens have long, thick fur, youll want to ensure that you have a long enough blade. Standard #10 blades are okay, but you wont want anything shorter than that, and longer blade options like a #7 would be ideal for most of your dogs coat. Important note: shorter, in the case of clipper blades, is a higher numbered blade like a #15 or a #30.
Your primary concern with your Golden is trimming the hair on their feet and trimming stray hairs because doing more will definitely interfere with the overall look and breed standard of a Golden Retriever. You will want to get a clipper set that has precision abilities to ensure that you can get the most natural look with the least amount of trouble while you trim.
The Best Brush For Golden Retriever Grooming Is A Selection Of More Than One
The basic tools required are : pin brush, undercoat rake, bristle brush and slicker brush .
Mikes Question:
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How To Groom A Golden Retrievers Heels
The hair on the back of the heels grows longer, and it is desirable to shorten this with a small curved shear. For this, you first comb the hair straight back so that the hairs protrude. Then place the scissors at the top of the heel, pointing vertically downwards. Cut down several times in a straight line, cutting the hair entirely to one length.
Regularly comb the hair back to get an overview of what still needs to be shortened. Shorten well from all sides until the coat on the heel forms a neat overall look.
Shaving Will Not Stop Your Dog From Shedding
Shaving a double-coated dog does not make them shed less. Many people are under the impression that shaving a dog will stop the shedding, it does not.
Double-coated dogs shed twice a year and that is the undercoat. The rest of the time the shedding is normal hair turn over, which happens in all animals with hair.
Shaving only makes the hair pieces smaller, but they will still shed.
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Your Retriever May Want To Communicate
You probably know that your dog is pawing at you to get something. You can have many things, but your dog may be looking for something. Your dog wants to interact with you and has a reason for pawing at you. Your attention is drawn away from your previous activities when your dog paws at your face. The attention now shifts to him and the interaction that you are having.
How To Groom A Golden Retriever For Show
Feathering and trimming will make sure your pups fur looks clean and neat.Golden puppies dont need a trim until theyre six months old, but it doesnt hurt to get them used to the tools theyll encounter when they get older.Golden retriever grooming is required regularly as they have double coats with very heavy feathering, which means.more grooming!Golden retrievers are heavy shedders, which means they need to be brushed daily.
Goldens do shed year around.Goldens have beautiful golden coats, which do require some work to take care of, but grooming them isnt as bad as many people make it out to be.Groomers more or less follow the flow and lines of your goldens coats while trimming the long feathery fur, making sure that everything is neat and clean.Grooming should be done well before show date, and the dog should be bathed a day before the show.
Grooming your golden retriever should include taking care of their coats, paws, nails, ears, and teeth.Having your dogs fur trimmed by a professional is important.How should i groom a golden retriever puppy?How to groom a golden retriever.
If your golden is sitting down you can.If youd like to use clippers, scroll down to how to groom a golden retriever with electric clippers to learn how to choose clippers and how to go about using them.In this post, youre going to learn exactly how to groom your golden retriever.It just makes them more adorable.
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Bath Time For Your Golden
When bathing your doggo, soak his coat thoroughly before working in an excellent dog-specific shampoo.
It can be a challenge to get that water-repellent fur wet and sudsy, but just lift the hair and work in the water and shampoo.
Rinse the hair well until you cant feel any soap, and the water runs clear. Then, give your Golden Retriever a second rinse, paying attention behind his ears, and where his legs meet his body. Rinse under the tail, as well.
If you need to improve your dogs coat, add a little conditioner and rinse or leave it in, depending on the type you use.
Then, squeeze the excess water out of the hair and towel dry your dog. Do this somewhere you dont mind getting wet because your Golden will give a good shake after getting out of the water.
You can let your dog air dry, but if you plan on trimming them, a good blow dry will make the coat lie flat, which makes trimming easier. Stick cotton balls in your dogs ears, so the air and noise doesnt bother them and work in sections.
Why Do Golden Retrievers Age Faster Than Other Dogs
Larger dogs age faster than smaller dogs, the reason why is still a mystery but scientists believe that its simply because large dogs grow faster. Growing faster can lead to an earlier incidence of tumours and other abnormal tissue developments including cancer. The lifespan of a Golden Retriever is 10-12 years on average.
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Brush The Golden Retrievers Coat
Brushing should be done 3 times a week with each session taking between 10 and 20 minutes.
To start off spray the area of the coat that you will be working on using a detangling spray or any other high-quality coat spray.
Use a slicker brush to brush the coat in the opposite direction to the hair growth.
You will then need to brush your Golden Retriever from head to toe making sure that you spend more time in thick or matted areas.
Work in small sections using pat and pull movements. Spraying should also be done in sections before brushing section after section.
For the ears and the head, be careful during brushing or better still, use a steel comb.
A steel comb will also be helpful for you to catch any knots and tangles in the tail, chest, and at the back of the legs.
After you are done brushing the dog throughout with a slicker brush, use your greyhound comb to comb all the areas.
Nutrition & Coat Health
Okay, this isnt technically a grooming essential, but it isessential to a healthy golden coat. Without the proper nutrition, your Golden can experience excessive shedding, which can be a scary thing.
According to Roy Cruzen DVM, the number one reason for excessive shedding in dogs is a poor diet, or rather, a lack of essential nutrients. He says that most of the cheap dog food products barely meets the minimal requirements.
Some owners even opt to give extra nutritional supplements for their dogs. And one of the best for Golden Retrievers is salmon oil. This super fish oil will help keep the golden coat soft and smooth.
Other than a shiny coat, there are many more benefits to fish oil. Some of which, include better joints, healthier heart, better skin and a stronger immune system.
While there are proven benefits to this supplement, you should be aware of the potential negative side effects. As long as youre aware, the good far outweighs the bad. However, Id still consult with a vet prior to introducing any extra supplements into their diets.
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Apply Dry Shampoo On Your Golden Retriever
Generally speaking, I dont really recommend that you bathe your Golden Retriever unless he/she is really dirty. That is because over-bathing your Golden Retriever will deprive the dog of his/her natural oils. The natural oils is what gives your Golden Retrievers coating the polish to achieve the golden beauty that makes the Golden Retrievers beloved as pet dogs.
So, if the natural oils is stripped from your Golden Retriever, that will make the dogs coating as a whole dull. You dont want that for your Golden Retriever. So, there is a way to bathe your Golden Retriever without sacrificing the natural oils and that is to apply the dry shampoo on the dog.
As for which dry shampoo to apply on your Golden Retriever, the best one that I can find is the Bodhi Waterless Dog Shampoo. This dry shampoo will help to get your Golden Retriever to look and smell fresh without having to resort to bathing. This shampoo is based on a formula that is fully recommended by veterinarians.
In order to apply the dry shampoo on your Golden Retriever, spray the dry shampoo on the dogs coating and wait for one minute to let it to sink in. Be careful not to spray in your dogs eyes. Now, rub pet your dog with a towel and then wait for a few minutes in order to let the dog to air dry. Once the air drying is done, brush the coating of your Golden Retriever.
Golden Retriever Grooming Cuts
Besides giving your dog an overall brushing to remove mats and dead fur, the areas of your dogs head and body with long feathery fur should be trimmed.
Use thinning shears on the uneven hair in and around your dogs ears to make them look neat, but still naturally soft.
You can trim the whisker area of your dogs face with small, blunt-tipped scissors.
Your dogs feet will have tufts of fur growing around the toes. Use straight scissors to trim the hair so that its even with the paw pads.
Longer hair on the top of the foot and rear lower leg should also be trimmed with scissors.
Well-trimmed feet should be neat and rounded, like a cats.
Your Golden Retrievers tail should be trimmed with thinning shears to look neat and sculpted, but still retain a full appearance.
There are various approaches to trimming the tail. Some groomers gather the tail feathers up and some let them fall like a fan.
Be sure to check out grooming tutorials or talk to a professional to find the method thats most comfortable for you.
Your Golden Retrievers neck and shoulder area has a heavy ruff of fur.
You can thin out the thick undercoat using thinning shears, but be sure to never cut the top coat.
Groomers recommend trimming the neck area in multiple sessions, so you can take a break and assess your work, rather than risk over trimming.
The hair on a Goldens belly, front elbows, and rear end is not usually trimmed. Some Golden owners like to give their dogs a sanitary trim on the bloomers.
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How To Keep Your Golden Retrievers Coat Shiny
Here are three tips for you if you want to keep your golden retrievers coat looking shiny and healthy:
Now before you run away thinking you need to give your dog fish oil, talk to your veterinarian first and get their opinion.
They can help you decide if its a good idea for them considering their overall health.
Plus, fish oil may already be in their food, so there may be no need to supplement with it.
To read more about the best food golden retrievers, check out these articles to learn about adult food and this article to learn about puppy food.
How To Take Care Of Your Golden Retrievers Nails
If your dogs nails get too long, they can easily break or tear off or become so long that they interfere with how they walk.
To make sure neither of these things happens, clip your dogs nails about once or twice a month.
How often they need to be clipped can depend on their environment and activity levels.
For example, a dog that runs or walks on concreate will naturally grind their nails down more than one that only walks on grass, dirt, or carpet.
When you clip their nails, cut the nail above the quick, but be sure to have styptic powder on hand to quickly stop the bleeding in case an accident happens.
We accidentally cut the very end of the quick once and were very thankful we had styptic powder on hand .
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Brush Your Golden Retriever
Like some other dog breeds like the Miniature Schnauzer, the Golden Retrievers feature a double coating which means that they will gather a lot of mats and knots in short order which isnt very good for their skin. In addition to that, Golden Retrievers are notorious for having loose hair. So, brushing your Golden Retriever to remove all of the loose hair will help with keeping the shedding under control.
Even though the Golden Retrievers shed throughout the year, they shed especially heavily in the autumn and spring. Whenever the Golden Retrievers shed, it can get messy with their hair scattering around the floor and furniture. So, it is important that you brush your Golden Retriever regularly at least once a week in order to remove the loose hair along with the mats and knots.
Speaking of brushes themselves, I would recommend the Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush for use with your Golden Retriever. It is a popular brush that is effective for reaching deeply into the double coat of a Golden Retriever. This brush also have bent wires which are designed to be gentle on the skin, resulting in a smoother brushing experience for your Golden Retriever.