Why Does My Golden Retriever Scratch So Much

Why Do Golden Retrievers Shed So Much

Theres one big reason that your golden retriever will shed so much, and a few smaller reasons that can contribute to this. And the big reason that your golden retriever will shed so much is because they have a double coat.

The two parts of the coat are the undercoat and the overcoat. The undercoat is what keeps your golden retriever warm. Its made up of thick fur that provides perfect insulation from the elements.

The overcoat is the coat that your stroke. Its naturally oily and waterproof so even when your golden retriever looks wet, their undercoat remains dry.

Remember, both of these are necessary for keeping your golden retrievers temperature perfect. Not only do they effectively keep your pup warm, but they also help to keep them cool in the summer months!

Cause #: Underlying Infections

Although invasive bacteria and an overgrowth of fungi cause bacterial and fungal infections within any dogs system, both bacterial and fungal infections are common in Golden Retrievers.

Dogs can contract infections via contact with other animals, exposure within the environment, or simply an overgrowth of fungi that is already naturally present due to a weakened immune system.

Underlying infections may sound scary, but the good news is that theyre almost always treatable with antibiotics. Your vet will prescribe a topical or oral medication to help your dogs antibodies fight off the infection so theyll be good as new in no time.

Why Does My Golden Retriever Have Scabs

There are many different reasons why your Golden Retriever has developed scabs. Skin conditions are on the increase with a wide range of causes. Your Golden Retriever may have scabs if it is sensitive to flea bites, has a food intolerance, or allergy to something in the environment. If they react to something, your dog will lick the affected area, making it sore.

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Wipe Your Dogs Paws And Belly After A Walk

A quick way to reduce irritation from environmental allergens is to wipe your dogs paws and belly before going inside. Keep a gentle pet wipe on hand, like Earthbath Hypoallergenic Pet Wipes.

This wont remove all allergens but reduces the amount that enters your home. It can also stop your dog from spreading allergens across his skin by scratching.

Alternatively, dog boots and raincoats can prevent allergens from coming into contact with the skin. Some dogs dont enjoy wearing these, however, so you may need to use positive reinforcement training to get your pet to accept clothing.

What To Do About Your Golden Retriever Scratching Itself

Below are some options you have when getting your Golden Retriever to stop doing it.

Take it to a vet

If your Golden Retriever has been scratching itself excessively, it has been doing it for a long time or it seems like it could be injured, the best option would be to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to get expert advice tailored to your Golden Retriever in particular and to rule out the possibility of it being due to an injury.

Consider the shampoo you use on your Golden Retriever

It could be the case that the shampoo you use on your Golden Retriever is causing it to be scratchy. This would be more likely if it only scratches itself when you have recently put shampoo on it. In this case, it would help to change the shampoo.

Get rid of its fleas and allergies

It would also help to eradicate fleas from your home by doing things such as:

• Washing the bedding with hot soapy water
• Vacuuming the carpets and throwing the bad
• Applying an environmental flee control
• Applying a spray, pellet or non-toxic treatment for the yard
• Treating your Golden Retriever with a monthly preventative

Avoid encouraging the behavior

It could be the case that you have been encouraging the behavior by giving it things it wants when it does it. If you have been giving your Golden Retriever things such as extra attention, toys or treats when it scratches itself you might have been encouraging it to do it more.

Best Dog Training Program

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Contact Allergies Can Cause Your Dog To Keep Itching

Some dogs may be allergic to pollen, dust, dander from other types of pets, and other contaminants they may come into contact with. They may be exposed to these substances when they go outside in the yard, when they take walks, or even simply by living in the family household.

Some dogs allergies are mild but still cause itching, while others are severe and cause dogs to scratch almost uncontrollably. Its important to narrow down the possibilities and find the underlying cause of your dogs allergy if you think this may be what shes dealing with.

If you think your dog is suffering from contact allergies, be sure to talk to your vet about this potential. Your vet will assess your dogs history and ask you for many details. Your dog may require some tests, but it can be difficult to determine the cause of a dogs contact allergies without plenty of observation and input from the owner, so be prepared to help as much as possible.

If your dog has contact allergies, she may need an ointment to treat them, or she may need to take allergy medication, depending on the situation and your vets recommendations for her.

The Connection Between Food And Skin Allergies

If you see your Golden frequently or excessively biting, scratching, rubbing or itching, a food allergy may be the cause. Self-trauma and chronic allergies can lead to yeast or bacterial infections that may take the form of lesions, seborrhea and crusting.

In many cases, the cause of food allergies in dogs is an animal protein such as chicken or beef, although some dogs also develop allergies to other sources like corn, eggs and milk. Your Golden Retrievers reactions to a food allergy may manifest itself in areas aside from the skin often, dogs with food allergies will also experience gastrointestinal distress.

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Why Does My Golden Retriever Itch So Much And What To Do About It

Your Golden Retriever may start to itch at themselves and act like there is a problem.

An occasional itch is normal, but when they itch quite a bit, you will want to do something to provide them with relief.

When some of the at-home treatments do not seem to be doing it, you need to take a closer look to see what is causing the itching.

Do Dogs Groom Themselves

Yes, but only a little compared to cats. While cats are known to be self-groomers and spend a large amount of their time grooming themselves, dogs do not exhibit this behavior as they are from a different species altogether.

A dog incessantly licking itself is an itchy dog, even if it looks comfortable on casual observation.

While dogs do have self-grooming habits, if they are doing so for long durations like cats, it could mean it is time for a trip to your veterinarian. Usually, evidence of excessive self grooming can be a sign that your dog needs to see the vet, especially if theyre licking themselves for more than just a few seconds a day, or if their skin looks red and itchy, or if theyre constantly pawing at their own eyes and ears. A couple of methods of self-grooming in dogs include the following:

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Golden Retrievers Pant Due To High Temperatures

Despite contributing to a Golden Retrievers overall beauty, the dense double coat and extra-long fur can contribute to overheating. This is especially common on hot afternoons when the temperatures become too hot for a Golden to handle.

Your Golden Retriever will start panting as a way to cool down during those extremely hot and sunny days. Youll also notice excessive panting when temperatures inside a room get warm. In such situations, its best to take your furry best friend to a cooler room and provide some water to help him cool off.

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Why Is My Puppy Scratching

While its normal for puppies to scratch a certain amount, excessive scratching can be a sign that somethings not right.

Fleas, allergies, dry skin, insect stings, boredom and anxiety can all cause puppies to scratch.

Contact your vet if youre concerned. Theyll take a closer look at your new pup and advise what to do next based on whats causing their symptoms.

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How Can You Deal With Golden Retriever Shedding

Fortunately, there are so many ways you can deal with your golden retriever shedding. So even if they are shedding, it can still be extremely manageable.

Here are some of the best methods for dealing with your golden retrievers shedding!

Brush, Brush, Brush

One of the best and most effective ways to deal with a golden retrievers shedding is too brush them. In fact, while theyre having their fall and summer blowout, you may even need to brush them every day.

Brushing them every day will remove all of the loose fur and help keep your house a little more pristine.

When you do brush them, you may be better off brushing them outside and letting the wind carry their fur away. It will make your house a lot less messy, and it can also provide birds material for their nest!

Take Them To A Groomer

Second, you can also try taking your golden retriever to a groomer. When you take them to a groomer, theyll be able to brush their fur a lot more effectively. Theyll be able to use grooming equipment that can reach fur you may miss and theyll remove much more, much easier.

You dont have to visit a groomer constantly, in fact, even visiting them during a blowout can help reduce the amount of fur they shed in your home considerably.

And the best part is, not only will they remove most of the fur, its also likely your dog will come back with a full manicure as well!

Make Sure Theyre Staying Hydrated

Make Sure Youre Using An Effective Parasite Preventative

Take Them Swimming

Accept It

Environmental Allergies And Triggers

Just like you, your golden retriever can develop allergies from things in the environment. Likewise, things in your goldens environment can be a trigger of allergic reactions. Excessive scratching can be a side effect of environmental allergies your dog is around.

Environmental allergies and triggers can be a large number of things because of that, it may be harder to narrow down exactly which environmental factor is causing your golden retriever to itch so much.

Environmental allergies or allergy triggers could include:

• Household cleaners

Your golden retriever could be having an adverse reaction to any of these environmental factors, causing her or him to scratch excessively.

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Why Does My Dog Keep Scratching

Dogs can suffer severe itching of the skin, known formally as pruritis, for several reasons.

Often, intense scratching, biting and licking of the fur is caused by fleas. Certain dogs react badly to flea saliva and may suffer redness, swelling and hair loss after being bitten. You can prevent a flea infestation by keeping your dog up to date with their preventative treatments.

Food allergies, as well as contact and inhalant allergies can cause pruritis too so can dry skin, insect bites, hormonal imbalance, and even boredom and anxiety.

The focus of your dogs itching may give a clue about whats causing it. For example, scratching the ears could be a sign of ear mites or an ear infection.

Provide Shade And A Cool Room

One reason could be that they are getting too hot in the sun. You can do a few things to help your Golden Retriever feel more comfortable and relaxed in their environment.

Provide shade and move to a cold environment so they can rest.

You can do this by putting some water and ice on the floor or setting up some squares of cardboard next to them so they can nap during the day.

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How Often Should I Get My Dog Groomed

This is a personal choice and is based on a number of factors. Dog grooming is an essential part of care for our canine companions. The need and method for dog grooming can vary quite a bit based on the breed, type of hair coat as well as your pets lifestyle. While Standard Poodle, Bichon Frise or Afghan Hound dogs need regular grooming and upkeep, Boxers or Miniature Pinschers may do fine with less frequent grooming. It goes without saying that more active, outdoor dogs will need more ongoing care compared to a dog of the same breed that is spending most of its time indoors on your couch within the clean home environment. Within the same breed, the type of hair coat can affect the frequency and need for grooming, for example the needs of a long-haired Chihuahua definitely vary compared to a short-haired Chihuahua.

Some longer haired dogs may need to be groomed more often as they may get hair tangles or may get mats between the toes, which can cause discomfort. The rate of nail growth can also help determine the frequency of grooming needed for a pet. Older dogs may need more frequent grooming including nail trims as their nails can grow out faster, especially if they are not as active as they used to be in their younger, more active years.

If in doubt, it is best to check with your local dog groomer what the recommendation for your dogs is.

Ways To Stop The Goldies From Licking So Much

Now that you have an idea about the reasons why do Golden Retrievers lick so much, it is already time to make ways that can prevent them from doing so. Check below for ways that can help you from stopping the licking behavior of the Golden Retriever.

*Avoid rewarding your dog for such behavior

A great option of stopping the Golden Retrievers from licking so much is not to reward it when he does that behavior. That way, you will able to teach the Goldies that licking you or the things around him may not give him all the things that he wants. It is actually better to turn away once the dog is eliciting such behavior. You will generally prevent focusing your attention on him until such time that he calms down.

*Reward the Goldies if he does not lick

Once the Golden Retriever does not lick so much, reward him as much as possible. Doing so may also be a big help and it is also a great way to prevent rewarding the dog once he licks. Moreover, this will also teach the Goldies that not licking you will lead him to get the things that he wants.

*Present some toys

Try to offer some toys to your Golden Retriever so that he may be distracted. This is very much applicable when your pooch seems that licking so much is an excitable behavior.

*Provide plenty of exercise

*Go to the vet

*Bring more patience

SOME IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS WHEN STOPPING YOUR GOLDIES FROM LICKING:

Dont allow the Golden Retriever to lick your face

Try to call for help

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Why Does Mydog Scratch Their Ear Then Shake Theirhead

Something may be stuck in your dogs ear. It could be a blade of grass, mud or excess earwax.

Ear mites can also cause dogs to scratch their ears and shake their heads its usually how they try to remove the foreign body. Further signs of ear mites include discharge coming from the ear and skin lesions surrounding the affected area.

Check your dogs ears carefully if youre concerned and give your vet a call if their symptoms continue or get worse.

Something Is Caught On Your Goldens Coat Or Skin

If your golden retriever is scratching a lot, its a good idea to check out the affected area on your dog. Oftentimes, there could be something there thats caught on or in the skin, or even just on the coat, making it irritated.

Common things that could be caught on your golden retrievers skin are ticks, burrs, small sticks, or anything sharp or sticky. Check to make sure theres not something stuck on to your golden retriever that could be making him or her scratch.

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How To Fight Food

If your Golden Retriever has food allergies, you may want to try a fresh food diet. Unlike commercial dry kibble, fresh food diets include healthy fats like fish oil and sunflower oil and essential fatty acids such as Omega-3 and Omega-6, along with B-vitamin complexes, essential amino acids and zinc.

Here are some suggestions for managing your Goldens food allergies:

Give Your Golden Retriever A High Quality Fish Oil Daily

First and foremost, make sure youre giving your golden retriever a high quality fish oil. Fish oil contains omega-3, which is lacking in most commercial pet foods since it cannot survive the manufacturing process. Omega-3 helps soothe inflammation, and in some studies it significantly reduced itchiness in dogs with moderate to mild atopic dermatitis. We like Norwegian Salmon oil for its ultra-high purity.

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Always Completely Dry Your Golden Retrievers Coat

This tip is so important that it gets its own section. Whether youve given your golden retriever a bath, taken them for a swim, or even just let them outside while its raining, you need to make sure to completely dry your goldens coat afterward.

Again, as we talked about, golden retrievers can hold moisture near their skin, and it causes hot spots and skin irritation. This can be a large factor in scratching frequently.

If your golden retriever isnt properly and completely dried after getting even a little bit wet, theres a greater chance of hot spots forming and irritating your dog. Make sure to keep your furry best friend extra dry!

Its important not to use hair dryers to dry your golden retrievers coat, especially in the warm or hot settings.

It may seem tempting, given how convenient they are, but hair dryers will only trap more heat near your goldens skin and increase the chances of hot spots forming.