How To Take Care Of A Golden Retriever
Can you picture a large, golden-colored dog romping through your backyard, sleeping on your couch, playing with your children and joining your family with whatever they are doing? If so, you might be the perfect candidate to get a Golden Retriever as a pet. Golden Retrievers, often simply called Goldens, are as friendly and fun-loving as they are beautiful. If you are thinking about getting a puppy or an older dog, here are the things you need to know to properly take care of your new Golden Retriever.
In This Article
Golden Retriever Coat Care
When an owner brings their dog to me for a wellness visit, we discuss many common topics such as vaccine schedules, spaying and neutering, nutrition, and dental health. Even though there is a great deal of variation between breeds, hair coat discussions occur infrequently.
Coat care is extremely important to the health of all dogs, especially Golden Retrievers, and having knowledge about your Goldens hair coat can make it much easier to maintain.
How To Bathe A Golden Retriever
All dogs require baths as part of their regular grooming care however, for some breeds like the Golden Retriever, baths can be an involved process that takes time, patience, and a sense of humor. Here is how to bathe your Golden Retriever so they stay healthy and squeaky clean.
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Benefits Of Bathing Your Golden
Bathing your Golden will help her smell betterat least once she dries off completely.
Another important perk of doggy bath time, is the stronger bond between you and your dog. Something happens whenever you spend time with your dog. When bathing is accompanied with proper grooming and brushing, your dog will connect with you in a stronger way than before.
One of the biggest pet-peeve people have when it comes to Goldens is their shedding. Even people that love these dogs usually are not crazy about the shedding all over the house.
Properly bathing your dog, which includes blow drying afterwards, will significantly reduce the amount of shedding during those molting months when it gets so bad. Make sure that you dont skip the baths during those two times each year.
Avoid Openings Around The Face
No one wants soap in their eyes, including your puppy. Even tearless shampoos can irritate your dogs eyes and youll also need to be careful around the ears, nose, and mouth.
Dogs ear canals are shaped like an L, says Bishop-Jenkins. If water gets down there, it gets trapped and causes ear infections.
She advises using minimal product around the face. Also, pinching the base of the ear shut using your thumb and forefinger when cleaning the face.
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How Do You Wipe A Dog After Pooping
Wet your washcloth and wet his bottom. If his fur is long, you might need a fine tooth comb to comb through the tangled poopy fur. Use small circular motions to wipe the poop off your puppys bottom. Once you have cleaned as much as you can, use a comb to comb through the fur to remove any poo stuck in his fur.
How To Bathe A Golden Retriever Correctly: Full Guide
How often do you wash your hair? Odds are that you wash them at least twice or thrice in a week. This is important to keep your hair healthy and clean because they are exposed to dirt and other elements. Your beloved Golden Retriever has a lot more hair than you do and they are not just always exposed, but also frequently come in contact with grass, dirt, and other surfaces. So, it is obvious that your Golden Retriever needs a bath to keep it looking at its best. However, the bathing schedule of dogs is different from humans. In this post, we will tell you how often and how to bathe a Golden Retriever.
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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 wetry to educate our clients as much as possible about all sides of the argument.Still, many owners have made up their mind and wanttheir 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
How To Know If Your Golden Retriever Is Happy And Healthy
Your Golden Retriever can live for about 10 years, so with good care and regular veterinary attention, you should be able to enjoy a decade with your new pet. Enjoy!
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Where To Wash Your Golden Retriever
Owners of small breeds of dogs have an advantage over you they can plop their pooch in a laundry tub or sink. But, since Golden Retrievers arent small, you cant just fit them in the sink. Instead, youll have to get in the shower with your pooch and clean it using a detachable nozzle. Another option is to use a portable doggy tub. Some tubs are heavy, but others are collapsible so you can easily take them outside. There are also pet supply and grooming stores rent out towels and dog tubs.
Some people use a garden hose for cleaning their dog. You could occasionally use the same to clean your dog, especially if your pooch is really filthy. But dont make this a habit as dogs dont like having a powerful hose shot right at them.
Getting Your Puppy Used To Touch
However, the most important thing you should get your Golden Retriever used to is being touched by their owner anywhere on their body. Its important that your puppy is comfortable when you handle them and the best way to do this is by spending some time touching your puppys ears, feet, and mouth daily.
You can start by holding its paws in your hands and then gently running your fingers between its toes. He will probably resist by trying to take its foot out of your hand, but you shouldnt let go. Squeeze it gently and only let it go when it stops fighting with you.
Next, you should move towards the mouth, by lifting its lips gently to look at its teeth closely. If he tries to pull away again, you should give it another gentle squeeze and hold it tightly, until he stops resisting you.
You should then move to the ears by lifting and rubbing them gently with your fingers. You should touch the outer part and underside of the ears so that your puppy gets comfortable about its ears being examined. Increase the time you spend holding on to its ears, paws, and mouth gradually so that when you need to clean its ears later, you wont have any problems holding it down.
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How To Clean Your Dogs Ears
An essential part of bathing a Golden Retriever is cleaning her ears. This breed is highly prone to developing ear infections which are often caused by bacterial growth in the ear canal due to moisture, wax, dirt, or parasites.
Because Goldens have floppy ears, dampness and debris become trapped with no way for the ears to dry out. When you bathe your Golden, that is a perfect opportunity to clean their ears as well.
My recommendation for ear cleaner is Virbac Epi-Otic Advanced Ear Cleaner.
To clean your Golden Retrievers ears, follow these directions:
How to Clean Your Dogs Ears
When Should You Give Your Golden Retriever Its First Bath
When should a Golden Retriever have its first bath? The earliest you should give a full bath to a Golden Retriever puppy is about 8 weeks of age. Prior to 8 weeks spot cleanings can be done as needed. The ability of the puppy to regulate its own body temperature is the primary reason for waiting.
After 8 weeks old, you can bathe your puppy with lukewarm water. Remember to use a gentle or mild dog shampoo never use human shampoo on a dog. Also, avoid using flea shampoo on any puppy younger than 12 weeks of age.
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How Often To Bathe Golden Retriever And Why Should You Do It
The Golden Retriever is a popular dog breed in the United States. They are very good companions therefore, they have to be taken care of. As we humans wash our hair several times a week, we wonder how often to bath Golden Retriever? You should wash your dogs thick fur because it is always exposed. The dog gets in contact with mud, ground and other surfaces making him dirty.
Most of the time Golden Retrievers like to be clean and tidy. The question of how often to bathe a Golden Retriever and why this process is important is well answered by the guide below. You will have an easy time bathing your dog after going through this.
Another Dog Bathing Tip: Towel Drying After Bathing
Use a towel to wipe off the remaining water, using a patting or squeezing motion rather than a rubbing one. This will avoid matting or tangling the fur.
Dry the top of his back and head first, then his belly and legs.
When you let him out of the dog bathing area, dont be surprised if he charges around the house like a wild thing. Theres something about finishing a bath that makes the calmest dog go temporarily crazy.
Maybe hes just really glad its over!
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Signs That Your Golden Is Getting Old
There are many behavioral and health signs that youâll see as your beloved golden ages.
Around eight years old, your golden is entering his senior years.
Just like most of us, heâll start to slow down. Heâll participate in fewer activities and will sleep more.
Many of these are just normal aging processes. Others will require additional care on our part, including taking our dog for veterinary care.
If in doubt, especially for sudden changes in behavior or health, a vet visit is in order
These include the following:
Wait a secondmany of these describe me too! I guess at almost 50 years old I must be entering my senior years too ð
A 10 Tip Guide To Getting Rid Of Your Dogs Bad Odor
I always like to be the best and when I researched this topic before writing this post I could only find a few vague answers on how to get rid of golden retriever odor. I set out to create the best resource on the internet for this particular topic where I would share everything you need to know about it from start to finish.
Now by no means is this a masterpiece, but if youre looking to solve this problem then this is what you need. So without further ado, let us get into the 10 tips for getting rid of golden retriever odor.
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Feeding Your Golden Retriever
How Often Should You Bathe Your Golden Retriever
How often to give your golden a bath will depend on several factors, including their lifestyle and their environment.
If you have an older golden that likes to stay inside, then they wont need a bath that much, but if you have a younger golden that likes to roll around in the dirt outside, then theyll need baths more often.
Most goldens need a bath every one or two months.
And you dont want to bathe them much more frequently than that because you can get rid of the natural oils in their coat, which help protect their skin.
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Brush Your Golden Retriever
Before a bath, brush your Golden Retriever. Matted hair can hold water, leaving your pooch with irritated skin. If you dont know how to brush your Golden Retriever, ask a professional groomer. Also, put a cotton ball in the ears of your pooch to keep water out and prevent irritation and ear infections.
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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How To Bathe A Dog That Hates Water
Although some dog breeds love water , many dogs shudder at just the sound of the bath faucet turning on. To combat this, try giving your dog lots of positive reinforcement during the bath. Praise is good treats are even better! Give your dog positive associations to remember for next time he sees you gathering the dog shampoo.
Its also helpful to have a partner hold the dog while youre giving him a bath, Easton says. And, if possible, start giving your dog a bath when hes a puppy to help him get used to bath time.
How Large Can A Golden Retriever Get
Golden retrievers are relatively large dogs. The male is typically about 23 or 24 inches tall and can weigh anywhere from 65-75 pounds. The female is on average 21-23 inches tall and weighs approximately 55-65 pounds. These pups often reach their adult height by the time they are one year old and get to their adult weight by the time they are two years old.
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