How To Shave A Golden Retriever
Grooming A Golden Retriever
While everyone loves a cuddly pooch, staying on top of grooming a golden retriever is an important part of being a successful pet owner. Know what things are okay for you to do at home and what services need to be done by professionals.;
Staying on top of your dogs coat and their shedding will not only make them happier, but your home will be cleaner as well.;
If youre looking for new ways to connect with potential customers, contact us to learn more about our software that enables pet owners to easily book appointments with you, as well as other services.
Preparing Your Golden Retriever’s Coat For Grooming
What Our Expert Does: It’s 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.
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This Groom Can Be The Perfect Answer For Golden Retriever Owners Who Want A Cut That Will Keep Their Dogs Cool In Hot Summer Weather
- Anne Francis
There has long been debate about cutting Golden Retrievers coats, and we;try to educate our clients as much as possible about all sides of the argument.;Still, many owners have made up their mind and want;their dogs shaved down. In these cases, we compromise and use a snap-on comb and shears to do what we at our shop call the Golden Teddy Cut.;
This months subject, Rory, has been groomed at our shop for eight years.; During colder times of the year, he is kept in a traditional Golden trim, but Rory is a big swimmer and enjoys a short do during warmer months. When we catch up with Kata longtime coworker of mine who is performing this groomRory has already been washed, dried with a high-velocity dryer and set under a room-temperature blower.
Step 1: Finish Drying
Use a high velocity dryer to blow out excess hair and damp spots.
Step 2: Remove Dead Coat & Detangle
Using a slicker brush and undercoat rake, move through the coat to make sure the coat is dry and tangle-free and all dead coat is removed.
Step 3: Trim Nails
Clip the nails and file smooth.
Step 4: Trim Pads of Feet
Clip the pads of the feet with a #30 blade.
Step 5: Sanitary Trim
Clip sanitary areas.
Step 6: Clip Body
Using a size O snap-on comb, clip the entire body of the dog, leaving the back of the front and rear legs, which will be scissored.
Step 7: Blend Clipper Lines
Use a carding knife to help blend any clipper lines.
Step 8: Trim Tail
Step 9: Trim Rear Legs
Step 10: Trim Hocks
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.
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Is It Okay To Trim A Golden Retrievers Coat
Giving your Golden a light trimming is just fine, but giving your Golden an all-over haircut is not recommended as you risk damaging the coat and doing more harm than good.
Golden Retrievers have a double-coat, each acting as a layer of protection from the elements.
The overcoat is water repellent and consists of long guard hairs protecting your dog from dirt, debris and UV rays.
The undercoat is soft, fluffy, and dense, and acts as a layer of insulation to keep your pup warm in the winter. The undercoat is what sheds heavily twice a year, and in the summer your Golden will be left with a much lighter and less dense undercoat that will help keep him cool.
How Often Should A Golden Retriever Be Groomed
The Golden Retriever should be groomed at least every six weeks to keep your Goldens coat shiny, healthy, and tidy. The nails should be clipped every 2 to 4 weeks, and the teeth should be brushed once or twice a week.
The Golden Retriever has a double coat, so if your Golden gets wet or dirty, which he or she most likely will be since its a Golden, a high-velocity dryer can be very convenient! With this device, you can easily and quickly blow dry your Goldens coat and meanwhile blow most of the sand and dirt out of the coat as well. This can save you and your dog the hassle of a bath unless your pooch stinks after the outdoor adventure!
If youre interested, . For Stippy, my Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, also double-coated, I use the Upgraded Dog Dryer when hes wet and sandy . It blows the sand and dirt right out of his double coat. He hates taking a bath, so this is very helpful and prevents a lot of stress for him and hassle for me.
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Prepare Them For The Grooming
Preparing your golden retriever is really important and not just before the grooming but also before bath time, brushing their teeth, trimming their nails, or anything that requires tools such as scissors or clippers.
So, how can you prepare them for grooming their tail?;
First of all, you can exercise with them, play, or even take them for a walk, to make sure that they do not have any built-up energy and can stay still while grooming their tail.
The key is to have them calm and still but not too tired or exhausted that they just want to sleep and are annoyed by you trying to groom them.
If you also decide to groom them after a bath, you need to make sure they are completely dry before you groom them.
You can keep them around the tools to make them feel used to them before you actually use them.
Are You Supposed To Trim Golden Retrievers
Yes, you are supposed to trim your golden retriever but only on the ears, neck, tail, and feet, They shouldnt have a full haircut and never shave your golden retriever even in hot weather and you should groom them regularly.
If you do live somewhere thats hot, there are other ways to cool down your dog. You can learn how to help your golden retriever adapt to hot weather here.
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How To Groom A Golden Retriever At Home
Lets talk about how to groom a Golden Retriever with different kinds of brushes , and how trim the fur with scissors and thinning shears.
Should you use an undercoat rake on your Golden? Well look at the pros and cons of this popular grooming tool.
One hard and fast rule shared by all professional groomers is to never shave your Golden.
Your dog needs that double coat year-round, so keep it trimmed but not shaved.
Plan on a once weekly brushing session at minimum. Many Goldens will require more frequent grooming.
Outdoor grooming can reduce the amount of loose fur in the house.
The Truth About Short Haired Golden Retrievers
Although theres no such thing as a short-haired golden retriever, some golden retrievers do have shorter hair than others.
Some types of goldens, like field golden retrievers, typically have shorter hair than other types, such as those bred for shows.
And although you might be tempted to turn your regular golden retriever into a short-haired golden by giving them a haircut, that could actually put their health in jeopardy, as well as ruin their beautiful coats.
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When You Should Start Grooming Your Golden Retriever
You should start grooming your golden retriever when he or she is in the puppy stage. This is because these dogs shed a lot of hair! This is something that happens all year round, but it tends to occur even more when its late in the spring and fall.
This happens because during spring your golden retriever will be shedding his heavy winter coat to get ready for the hot months. Then, this light coat will be shed in fall just before winter arrives so that the thicker coat can keep him warm.;
Although golden retrievers shed a lot of fur, you need to be aware of signs that your dogs shedding is actually a sign of a health condition.
If you can see that your golden retrievers shedding a lot of fur out of season and its leaving bald patches, this could be as a result of medical conditions such as a bacterial infections, allergies, fungal infections, external parasites such as mites or fleas, or an endocrine disorder such as hypothyroidism.;
How To Groom A Golden Retrievers Feet
Between the soles of the feet, the hair grows over the soles of the feet. This hair is usually cut short to align with the soles of the feet themselves, which gives a cleaner image but is also more pleasant for your Golden. Dogs sweat through the soles of their feet, so it is better and more comfortable for them when their feet and soles are free of long hair.
In the winter, these long hairs can also cause ice formation between the soles of the feet that will irritate the dog. In the Spring and Summer, long hairs on the feet and paws can pick up grass spikes, which can be very irritating and even dangerous for your dog if they are not picked out of their hair quickly.
For cutting the feet, you use straight scissors, the size does not matter much, but a small pair of scissors is more pleasant due to the small surface. To prevent accidental damage to the skin, make sure you cut with the scissors blade, not with the tip.
Keep the blade flat on the section to be cut and the tip directed outwards. This way, youll cut the hair between the soles of the feet and the outer edges. For the largest, upper sole, bring the hairs down, from top to bottom. The hairs, which fall over the sole, need to be cut away on that line with the straight scissors.
A few short snaps on your Golden Retrievers foot and then drop the coat again and see if more needs to be cut away. You can use a normal comb to lift the hairs. The overall look must be natural.
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Can You Use Clippers On A Golden Retriever
How to cut golden retriever hair? A majority of people will say that you should never utilize clippers on golden retrievers since their hair is meant to be long. Any cutting that is required can be done utilizing scissors and thinning shears.
But many people utilize clippers for trimming their golden retriever to create a summer haircut. How to cut golden retriever hair?; If you want to give your Golden retriever and all over hair cut, it is crucial to utilize high-quality clippers. Avoid cutting their undercoats.
Never shave a Golden retriever. When utilizing clippers at home you want to ensure that you do not trim the coat shorter than an inch. Leave the undercoat of your dog intact.
If you are utilizing grooming services and require them to create a summer cut, which is also known as puppy cut, make sure that the groomer knows exactly what they are instructed.
Keep Your Blades Cool
Trimming large breed dogs will take a while. The trimmer blades will heat up; its inevitable. So just know that this will happen and be prepared. Its important to check the trimmer often so that you dont burn your doggie.
When the blades do heat up, you can try one of these ways of cooling them back down:
- Switch out the blades using an extra one, if your clippers came with more than one blade.
- Use coolant to spritz the blade but;be sure to rinse it off once its cooled, so the chemicals of the coolant dont irritate your doggies sensitive skin.
- Set the blades on a metal surface every few minutes, when your pup is getting restless. A cookie sheet works great. The metal will help to cool the blades down.
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How Fast Does Golden Retriever Hair Grow Back
You can expect a Golden Retrievers hair to grow back to the full length within 8 to 10 weeks. Although its not recommended that you shave or cut your dogs hair to the pint that you are waiting for it to grow back again.;
On the flip side, if youre just looking for more info on how long your dogs har will take to grow long again before needing another groom. Well, that would be 8 weeks which is why 6 weeks is a great time to get them back in for another groom.;
So lets go through a few beautiful designs that you can do with a basic set of tools and a good guide .;
Completing The Grooming Of Your Golden Retriever
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