Should I Shave Or Clip My Golden Retriever
You should never shave your Golden Retrievers hair, not even during the summer months. Golden Retrievers have a double coat which work together to protect your pup in both the winter and the summer months. In the summer, the undercoat is shed if you were to then shave it even further this could leave the Retrievers skin unprotected and bare for sunburn. Even clipping is not advisable with your Golden Retriever as it can hinder the growth of the undercoat later in the year.
Cutting Your Goldens Toenails
Your Goldens toenails should not be left overgrown and should be regularly trimmed. But before you start trimming, I want to advise some caution. Not every dog will be thrilled about this, including our Corgi.
If you plan to do the nail-trimming, its important that you dont accidentally cut the skin. It can be very painful and will likely deter your dog from wanting to get its nails trimmed in the future.
Also, youll want to slowly introduce this grooming routine to your Golden Retriever:
A sharp pair of nail trimmers should be used to avoid unnecessary pressure on the nails. You will also need to consistently persuade your Golden to stay still so that you do not cut into the quick.
Laws Regarding Missing Pets
1. It is against the law to keep any animal that you find.2. Pets are generally considered property and it is illegal to take and keep someone elseâs property.3. You must contact your local animal control unit and file a FOUND AN ANIMAL report for any dog or cat you find.4. To reclaim your lost dog, cat or other pet from the animal shelter you must pay a release fee.5. If your dog or cat is unregistered, you will have to register your pet before you can take it home.
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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.
Preparing Your Golden Retrievers Coat For Grooming
What Our Expert Does: Itâs 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 Often Is Often Enough How Often Should A Golden Retriever Be Bathed
There is no definite answer to this. Although bathing is important to your dogs health, take note that you shouldnt wash your dog too often. It can be just as harmful as failing to wash them often enough. How often should a golden retriever be bathed?
Frequent bathing can dry out the natural oils that are vital for the beauty of their coat. Once they lose these protective oils, it can leave your Golden with a dull-looking coat, which is extremely unattractive.
It will also leave their skin exposed to dandruff and infection. It is recommended that you apply a mild shampoo. But keep in mind that even the mildest shampoo can hurt the skin if it is overused.
However, if you do not bathe them often enough, it can cause severe problems. Although Goldens, just like any other dog, would emit a strong odor, it can be exacerbated if they are left unwashed for long periods.
Golden Retriever Grooming: The Essential Guide With Pictures Of Haircut Styles
With those irresistible good looks, and the funniest, friendliest demeanor youll find around town, its no wonder that golden retrievers are consistently one of the most popular breeds in the world. In fact, according to the American Kennel Club, they are, outgoing, trustworthy, and eager-to-please family dogs, and relatively easy to train. Who could resist a dog like that?
Initially developed as a breed in the 1800s by Lord Tweedmouth in Scotland, they are a cross of a yellow wavy coated retriever and a tweed water spanielmaking them excellent sporting dogs, retrievers , and companions.
And theres that beautiful coat! Their most noticeable attribute, their gorgeous, golden fur, sets them apart in the canine kingdombut also come with a few special instructions to keep it shiny, chic and looking fabulous.
To help you get there, here are some golden grooming tips unique to this breed.
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Shaved Golden Retriever The What How And Why
Do you feel that your Golden Retriever gets really hot in the summers because of its thick coat!?
Looked up shaved Golden Retrievers?
Well, today Ill talk about shaving your Golden Retriever, well go into great detail about your dogs fur, its uses, and finally well answer the big question: Should you shave your Golden Retriever? If not, what should you do!?
So, are you ready!?
Golden Retriever Nail Clipping
If you are planning on trimming your pets claws, doing it in the tub is a great idea. Many dogs stand still better for this job when they are in the bathtub.
Choose a nail trimmer for larger claws, such as Millers Forge Nail Clipper. If you can see the quick, or the live area inside the nail that features a blood vessel, clip just above that, removing the tip of the nail.
If you cant see the quicksay, your dog has very dark or black nailsanother method is to look at the underside of the claw. Near where the claw begins to curve, towards the tip, the dead section on the underside will be hollow, like a canoe. This hollow area can be safely trimmed. If you trim too close, and a drop of blood appears, simply apply a styptic powder, such as Remedy+Recovery Styptic Powder, to the area to stop the bleeding.
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Trimming Your Golden Retriever
Trimming your golden is not usually necessary unless youre showing your dog, plus it can be dangerous if you cut their coat too short.
However, there are two areas that you might want to consider trimming whether you show them or not:
Golden retrievers tend to have grinch feet or slippers and grow lots of fur between their toes and pads.
If the bottoms of your dogs pads are too furry, the fur can easily become matted and splay their toes, causing joint issues.
Another issue is that furry pads can cause them to not get good traction on wood or tile floors, which can also cause joint issues.
You can clip their paw fur to be about even with their pads.
The other area you may want to consider trimming are the areas around their butt and genitals.
If they have issues getting poop or pee on their coats, then you may do a light trim in those areas, but if not, then most people dont trim around there at all.
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 Take Care Of Your Golden Retrievers Paws
Taking care of your goldens paw pads is another important part of their regular grooming.
First, make sure that their pads are not dry or cracked.
Walking on hot concrete or road salt are two things can cause this to happen.
If you notice this happening, talk to your veterinarian about it.
Another thing is to keep an eye on the fur between their pads.
We talked about it in the section on trimming your golden, but this fur can mat easily and splay your dogs feet, so make sure it is trimmed, or at least not matted.
Cleaning A Golden Retrievers Ears
After the bath is an excellent time to clean your pets ears. This will dry up any water that accidently entered the ear canal during the bath, and will leave your pets ears smelling fresh, too.
To start, squeeze a few drops of cleaner into the ear. A favorite of mine is Zymox Ear Cleaner for Dogs & Cats. Then gently massage the area under the ear to work the product into the canal. Your dog will probably want to shake their head and body vigorously after this, so be ready with a towel!
Golden Retriever grooming isnt terribly difficult, you just need to stay on top of it. A little maintenance goes a long way in ensuring your best furry friend not only looks good but feels good.
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Four: The Nails Ears And Eyes
Nails, ears and eyes are just as important as the coat to keeping your golden retriever looking fresh.
14. Dont Force It
Some dogs dont like their paws and ears touchedso it might be ideal to familiarize your dog with grooming as a puppy. Adult dogs may need some training in this area. Use lots of treats and rewards to get your dog used to the tools before you start grooming.
15. Watch the Quick
Be careful when trimming nailslike all dogs, golden retriever nails have a quickor the soft inner core of their nailthat helps keep the nail alive. You can see the quick in white nails, but youll have to rely on touch for black nails. There will be a groove you can feel where the quick begins. Alternatively, book a grooming appointment with a trained pet stylist.
16. Use the Tub
A lot of golden retriever grooming happens in the bathtub. The tub can be useful to help contain both your golden and the ear cleaning and eye wipe solutions you might be using. Your dog may shake their head when you do these parts of the grooming process, so its best to be prepared for potential mess during bath time.
Now that you know how to groom a golden retriever, your habits will help to raise clean, happy and thriving goldens. With any luck, you can be less stressed when grooming time rolls aroundits a win-win for everyone.
How To Find Dog Groomer For Your Golden Retriever
If possible, I dont recommend just opening the phone book or doing a random internet search to find a groomer.
Its better to get some type of recommendation when beginning your search.
Even though the groomer that someone recommends might not be best for grooming your particular dog, it provides a starting point in your search for the best groomer.
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Shedding And How To Curb It
Grooming your dog will help rid their fur of fleas, keep them clean, ensure their coat is well taken care of, and most importantly, help with the dreaded shedding.
Taking your golden to the groomer for shedding treatments is a game-changer for your homes cleanliness. That is where the groomer will blow out their coat with a high powered velocity dryer. This will get rid of all the loose fur thats trapped in their undercoat.
You will notice a huge reduction in your dogs shedding for a while after that. In addition to brushing your dog out weekly, they need to be groomed every 8 to 10 weeks. Your golden will shed the most during spring and fall as they get rid of and then prepare for their winter coat.
Dont use any pills or coat sprays that say they will help with the shedding. They can be harmful to your dog and its coat.
Feeding your Golden Retriever a good amount of protein and Omega 3s will curb any excessive shedding. They will be healthy and so will their coat. Staying on top of their nutrition and exercise will ensure your dog is happy and healthy.
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!
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Grooming Tutorial Blow Drying: Questions And Answers With Joanne Lastoka
Mikes Question:
Ok Joanne, whats the proper method of drying a dog from the skin out? My guys are doing lots of swimming this week, its hot, humid, and now starting to rain again. I dont want hot spots, but do want to exercise my dogs in the water. Last time I dried a dog I did it wrong and had feather mats big time.
Answer:
It is hard work Mike, even with a good cool forced air dog dryer or livestock dryer, thats why most groomers, both at vet clinics and in private businesses dont dry the dogs totally. They stop at damp dry and crate him/her to air dry before sending the dog home. Drying the dogcompletely is really important, both to prevent the dog from getting hot spots , and in case of a show dog, you dont want the dog laying on damp coat & pressing his coat into the waffle design of a crate, or creating unsightly cowlicks here and there!
Often if the owner feels beneath the hair, close to the skin the dog will still be damp. Ill describe drying the dog in stages. Dogs that have never been dried with a forced air dryer before should be allowed to get used to the sound & feel of the drying SLOWLY and with great care and patience by the owner/handler. See Puppies below, instructions can be modified for older dogs as well! Your lap is the best place to dry a very young puppy, and a grooming table with arm is the choice for a dog of 3 to 4 months of age and up.
Working with an older puppy or Adult:
Drying Instructions for BodyCoat
Feathering:
The Tail:
Reasons Why You Should Never Shave Your Golden Retriever
So many people believe that shaving a Golden Retriever will keep them cool in the summer, this is absolutely false!
Shaving any dog with a double coat is never a good idea. The only time shaving should be done is when necessary.
Necessary times for shaving are:
Lets look at why you should never shave your Golden Retriever, or any other double-coated breed:
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