How Often Should I Bathe My Golden Retriever
Bathing is an essential part of golden retriever grooming, but how often to do it depends on your dogs lifestyle. Goldens can sometimes go up to six weeks without a bath, but if you notice them getting dirtyits time. On the other hand, you often wont need to bathe your golden more than once a week. Too much bathing might strip the golden retriever coat of its natural oils, possibly drying the skin and dulling your goldens shine
How To Groom Your Golden Retriever
Golden Retriever is a medium-large strong gun dog, both friendly and intelligent. This dog breed is famous for its dense lustrous coat of golden fur. They appear as a powerful, well-balanced, symmetrical, and devoted dog breed. The name retriever refers to the dog breeds ability to retrieve shot waterfowl like birds, ducks, and others. Golden Retriever needs daily exercises like walk, jog, or run in beaches. Golden retrievers are prone to certain health issues, and choosing high-quality food may reduce the risk of health problems.
Golden retrievers are the perfect pet for any family. They are gentle, trustworthy, and easy to train. Its ears are not very large. They sit high on the head and hang just below the jawline. All golden retrievers are blonde, yellow, or golden. The sweet, calm nature of having close eyes is the hallmark of this breed. Its height ranges from 21 inches to 24 inches, and they weigh about 55 to 75 pounds. Golden Retriever is a healthy breed with an average lifespan of 10 to 15 years. There are three different varieties of golden Retriever: Canadian, British, and American, and the differences between these three varieties are minimal. All golden retrievers are loving, athletic, affectionate, and attention seeker.
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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How To Take Care Of Your Golden Retrievers Coat
When most people think of grooming, they think of taking care of their dogs coat.
And although goldens have beautiful coats, they arent just for lookstheyre important for their health as well.
Golden retrievers are a double-coated breed which means that they have a thick, fluffy undercoat and a long, smooth outer coat.
Their water-proof double coat protects them from sunburn, extreme warm and cold temperatures, dirt, and other debris.
Because of the importance of their double coat, its important to never shave them.
Many people think that shaving them in the summer is helping them, but since their double coat regulates their body temperature , its important to never do this.
When it comes to taking care of your golden retrievers coat, there are three parts:
What About Professional Grooming
Many people take their goldens to get professionally groomed every few months.
It typically costs about $50 and they take care of all of the tasks listed above.
However, be sure to get a recommendation from another golden retriever owner as Ive heard many horror stories of groomers cutting too much off of goldens and calling it a puppy cut, athletic cut or a swimmer cut.
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Do Golden Retrievers Need Their Hair Cut
A Golden retriever needs his hair trimmed but it should not be a full haircut. Mostly it is the tail, the shoulder, the ears, the legs, and neck areas that will need a slight cut or trim.
Shaving may only be necessary if it is recommended by your vet for the dogs health or when he is going for surgery.
In other instances, an abandoned Golden Retriever may be severely matted and may need to be shaved to get him looking great and healthy.
How To Trim Golden Retriever Feathers
You can trim your golden retriever feathers by using scissors or clippers and cutting the feathers down.
Its the best way to reduce the mess on their butt and keep their coat intact.
Its recommended to trim using scissors to avoid accidentally hurting them. Make sure to trim an inch near their rear ends and its best if you bathe them after you trim their feathers.
However, most golden retrievers do not have long feathers and you shouldnt trim your golden retriever feathers on a regular basis.
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How To Groom A Golden Retriever And Make It Look Natural
You want this to look as natural as possible as that is the ideal look we are going for. So when I recommend that you are trimming down hear, I suggest that you bear that in mind.
Now you might be asking yourself the question, what exactly is a natural look? Well heres the image to just get you into the initial idea of what Im talking about.
Golden Retriever Grooming What Tasks Need Doing
I could do with a scrub up!
To keep your golden retriever healthy and happy, you need to stay on top of grooming.
Just like humans, dogs must be regularly groomed to stay clean and because of a Goldens long fur, it is essential for preventing matting, which can be painful for your dog and even cause skin trouble.
But grooming your Golden Retriever isnt simply coat care alone, it consists of multiple different tasks, from bathing and trimming their nails, to cleaning their ears and teeth.
The guidelines for each of these grooming acts are slightly different and will depend on the activities you do with your pooch on a regular basis and even where you live. Here are some of the tools you will need to groom your dog.
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A Golden Retriever Grooming Routine Is An Important Part Of Caring For Your Dog
Cats are the ultimate narcissists. You can tell this because of all the time they spend on personal grooming. Dogs arent like this. A dogs idea of personal grooming is to roll on a dead fish.James Gorman
A Golden Retriever will pose some serious considerations when it comes to grooming!
It is essential to establish a puppy grooming routine which will continue throughout your Goldens life. Golden Retriever grooming is just as vital as the correct diet for a healthy coat and a healthy dog. According to one study, a single genetic line characterizes the differences of Labradors and Golden Retriever dogs. One of those characteristics is the longer, double coat of the Golden Retriever which is why the coat of this furry companion needs a different routine from other dogs.
How To Bathe A Golden Retriever
You can bathe your Golden if their coat smells or feels dirty. Choose a good, basic cleansing pet shampoo, such as TropiClean Luxury 2 in 1 Papaya & Coconut Pet Shampoo and Conditioner. Begin by wetting your dog completely, down to the skin, with lukewarm-to-cool water, and then use a simple kitchen sponge, moistened, to apply the shampoo. Pay special attention to areas where the fur is longer, paw pads and potty areas.
In most cases it is best to give a light rinse, then apply a second round of shampoo, working the product in well. Use water at the temperature you would bathe a baby in and be sure to rinse every bit of shampoo out of the coat.
Once you are done, rinse a second time to be sure it is all removed. Shampoo left in the fur can cause skin irritation and attract dirt.
Now its time to absorb as much moisture as you can from your dogs coat with a bath towel or a microfiber pet towel designed to absorb large amounts of moisture, like Dog Gone Smart Dirty Dog Shammy Towel. Pay special attention to drying the ears to help prevent ear infections. Or clean your dogs ears using an ear cleaning solution .
You can use a hair dryer set to low or cool setting and kept at least 6 inches away from the coat to finish up, or allow your dog to air dry in a warm place. Brush and comb the coat once the dog is dry to finish up and show off your friends gleaming, flowing coat.
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Brushing A Golden Retriever
While you only need to bathe your Golden Retriever every couple of months or so, you will want to brush their fur out far more frequently.
When you brush the fur, it gets rid of dead hair as well as dry and dead skin. It also stimulates the skin surface and helps distribute the natural oils to ensure the coat is healthy and clean.
All dogs need to have their fur brushed every few days for these benefits and to prevent matting in a Golden Retriever.
If you notice any hair mats, you will want to remove them through brushing as soon as possible. Goldens are particularly prone to matting behind the ears, on the tail, and in the thick feathering on their back legs. Make sure to brush these areas frequently.
Puppy Cut In A Golden Retriever
In double-coated dog breeds, puppy cuts are an acceptable alternative to shaving. Puppy cuts are also known as summer cuts.
A Golden Retriever with a puppy or summer cut is a Labrador. The puppy cut is an all-over haircut performed with clippers. The hair is evenly trimmed to 1 or 2 inches in length. Only the tail and the featherings are left longer.
Note: A puppy cut does not pass the undercoat. The shortest length allowed is 1 inch.
They are also for adult pets that want to stay cooler during hot summer months.
If a puppy cut is too extreme for your taste, but you want to spare your Golden Retriever from the heat, you can go for a modified puppy cut.
In the revised version, keeping the following areas neatly trimmed is enough hair in the ears, feathering on the legs, hairs between feet and paw pads, bum area, and tail.
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How To Groom A Golden Retriever Step By Step
When you groom your golden retriever make sure to pay special attention to the double coat. They like to roll in the mud and dirty up their coat. Therefore, we are responsible for our dogs grooming needs. Golden Retrievers are not an exception.
Keep in mind that when satisfying your Golden Retrievers grooming needs, a little maintenance goes a long way. Being well-groomed means your Golden Retriever will look not only good but also feel good.
The difference between a low-maintenance Labrador and a high-maintenance Golden Retriever lies in a single genetic line.
That genetic line is responsible for your Golden Retrievers long coat with heavy feathering. Consequently, that genetic line is also responsible for its grooming needs and routines.
And to be honest, they pose a serious dog grooming challenge.
So whats the best way to deal with their excessive hair growth?
We will dive into the rules for golden retriever grooming whether you are using straight scissors, a steel comb, or a brush.
Grooming Your Golden Retriever
Golden Retrievers flowing coats are relatively easy to care for. But grooming is important to help keep them looking their best. Goldens were bred to be hunting dogs, and their wash and wear style hails from the breeds long days spent retrieving in the fields. For proper routine maintenance, it can often entail daily brushing and about 30-minutes per week of coat, nail and ear care to help you have a clean, happy golden.
There are also various golden retriever grooming styles to choose from that range from higher to lower maintenance. The show cut or natural style doesnt require much cutting at allits a simple golden retriever haircut that goes along with the goldens natural hair. This means hair on the tail, neck and chest stays long and feathered, letting that fur flow.
For the least amount of golden retriever grooming, you can opt for a shorter cut. The tail, paws, neck and chest will be thinned and trimmed, and the body fur will be clipped shorter. Youll still need to brush, but the process will be quicker.
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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.
Trimming Your Retrievers Coat
Try not to trim your Golden Retrievers whole coat. Golden Retrievers have a two fold coat, consisting of an undercoat and an overcoat. The blend of these two coats is intended to keep the canine at an agreeable temperature in any season. It traps cool air between the coats on a hot day whereas traps warm air between coats on a chilly day.
If you trim the whole coat, it would hinder this regular warming and cooling framework.
You may not have to use trimmers or clippers to trim your dogs coat. Some scissors and a couple of thinning shears should sufficiently do the needful fur trimming.
The fur on your canines feet should be short, around a 1/2 inch long, and should set down smooth against the outside of the foot.
- First, start with legs. As it usually gets a lot fuzzy. So, Comb the hair to remove any tangle, in case you left any. Then trim the hair about a few inchs in length. Repeat the step on all 4 legs. The hair at the back are usually longer than the hair at the front.
- Then move on your dogs chest and neck. While trimming these areas, always trim the hair in the growth direction to make it look natural.
- Use thinning shear on fuzzy and unkempt hair to remove enough hair. Comb the coat out to see if the coat is lying flat and thats the point where it is done.
- The last will be thetail. Use thinning shear to trim the tail fur length by tapering it from the base. Make sure you dont cut the fur too short.
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Use A Good Quality Shampoo
Buddy Wash Original Lavender & Mint Dog Shampoo & Conditioner and Burts Bees Oatmeal Shampoo with Colloidal Oat Flour & Honey for Dogs are one of the best dog bathing shampoos on the block. They are tear-free and produce a good amount of lather. Their natural ingredients also rule out any possibility of chemically-induced allergies in your dog.
How Often Should I Brush My Golden Retrievers Teeth
An essential part of your Goldens care that is often overlooked is the care of the teeth. If the dogs teeth are not clean, he will have bad breath, but more importantly, poor oral hygiene can result in all kinds of diseases, discomfort, and pain.
Dogs with dirty teeth can suffer from mouth infections. Periodontitis, if not controlled, can result in infections that can occur in essential organs such as kidneys, liver, brain, and heart. Other problems, such as mouth ulcers and loose teeth, can also be caused by inadequate oral hygiene.
You can prevent all these unpleasant problems by brushing your dogs teeth regularly. I was advised by my vet and dog groomer to brush my dogs teeth at least once a week, but twice a week is better. I brush his teeth on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Do not use toothpaste for people, but toothpaste and toothbrushes that have been specially developed for dogs. It is best to start learning this method of dental care at a young age. Our dog Stippy loves the taste of the dog toothpaste, so he doesnt mind when I brush his teeth twice every week. Offering chewing tufts and chew toys also promotes dental cleaning.
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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.