How To Groom A Golden Retriever

Golden Retrievers are known for their gorgeous amount of hair. In as much as, it’s an adorable feature of your retriever, it can also be the harbinger of ticks and fleas.

This is why regular trimming, not only of his fur but nails too, is very vital to the health of your dog.

Another important reason you should groom your retriever’s furs regularly is to prevent heavy shedding, which can be disturbing for you. It also prevents the tangling of the fur, something that can pose such health risks as sore spots.

You should first make sure your dog is comfortable with you touching it. You can train him in this regard right from his puppy age.

You can then decide what routine you’re going to follow in grooming your retriever. Setting up a routine for your dog’s grooming is very essential, so you don’t leave your dog ungroomed for far too long.

What Tools Would I Need?

Note that the underlisted tools are relative, and you might not need everything. Yet, generally, these are the list of everything you are required to have for the ‘just-in-case’ situations;

1. A pin brush
2. Metal comb, preferably one with medium to wide teeth
3. A quality golden retriever shampoo and conditioner
4. Some towels
5. Golden retriever hairdryer
6. A canine bathtub or even a shower
7. A canine grooming table
8. A canine thinning scissors
9. Canine nail clippers
10. Canine toothpaste and toothbrush
11. A veterinary ear cleaning solution
12. Some medication for fleas and ticks

What Are The Steps Involved In Grooming A Golden Retriever?

Once you have your tools ready, here are the steps to follow in grooming your retriever friend;

• Start by brushing your retriever’s hair from head to toe. Brushing your retriever’s fur should be done at least once a week to avoid tangling and too much shedding. While brushing, try to cut out matted fur that is too tangled with sharp scissors. Be careful not to cut your dog while doing that.
• The next step is to bath your retriever with warm water. Make sure it is not too hot. Bathing should be done with the appropriate golden retriever shampoo. Nonetheless, if your retriever is filthy, we recommend that you bath him first before brushing his fur. In bathing your retriever, lather the shampoo all over your retriever’s body and rinse thoroughly. Use a golden retriever hair dryer to blow and dry your dog’s fur afterwards. You can either bath your dog once a month or twice a week, depending on the level of his physical activity.
• After bathing, you should brush your retriever again to get the fur straight for trimming. We recommend that use an undercoat comb to get as much undercoat out as possible for easy trimming.
• Using a pair of thinning scissors, carefully trim your retriever’s fur. Make sure you’re getting just the right amount of fur off, as too much may affect your dog’s cooling and heating abilities. Golden retrievers have both an undercoat and an overcoat, which helps them to keep warm during cold weather conditions and cold during hot weather conditions.
• Next, move to trim your retriever’s feet and legs, trimming the fur from the bottom down to the feet first. Check the edges, as there’s usually a lot of fur around there. Trim those with scissors before moving to trim between the toes.

While trimming the toes, you should brush it up to trim any excess fur then brush back down, so it’s now above the level of your retriever’s pads. Check your dog’s pads and trim its nails if need be. Use Vaseline on the pads if you find them to be cracked.

• Move to your dog’s legs and pay attention to the fuzzy and unkempt fur. Trim the back of its legs. Some owners would want the long fur at the back of the retriever’s legs, but you can ignore those. Just make sure everything looks balanced.
• Next, focus on the fur on your retriever’s chest and neck. There’s mostly lots of hair in these areas. First thin the dog’s shoulders if any furs are there and then move to its chest, moving the shears in the direction of growth of the fur. You can comb and coat out as you thin to make sure you have cut out enough hair.
• The ears are next. Thin the fur from the front to the back of the ears and then take any excess hairs off the top of its ears.
• Trim the tail next, but you do not want to make the fur here too short. Thin from the base to the tip, using thinning shears, of course.
• Use either mineral oil or cotton balls to clean your retrievers’ ears and eyes next. Make sure you don’t get them into your dog’s eyes.
• You can then apply some flea and tick medications to complete the grooming process. This helps keep your dog’s fur free of any health risks posed by fleas and tick. Applying this monthly is recommended.

Taking Care Of Your Dog’s Teeth

Two weeks after birth, a puppy’s 28 deciduous or milk teeth start to appear. Within 8 to 10 weeks, they are completely grown. Taking care of your dog’s teeth is as important as taking care of your own teeth.

It is recommended that once you bring your puppy home, you start opening their mouth and touching their gums, so they can later be accustomed to cleaning their teeth with a canine toothbrush and toothpaste or a canine wipe. Brush your retriever’s teeth thrice a week to help reduce tooth decay.

How Often Should I Groom My Golden Retriever?

Averagely, brushing your retriever’s fur once a week is recommended. This helps to reduce matting and over-shedding. Bathing your retriever once a month is also recommended, although this is relative.

Just make sure not to bathe your retriever too much as this can affect its fur. You should also try to trim your retriever’s nails once a month. If you are unsure about anything, talk to your vet.

Conclusion

Grooming is an essential part of owning a dog, especially for a golden retriever, a breed with so much fur. Depending on your environment, you should know how many times grooming your retriever will be appropriate.

If you are not certain that you can properly groom your dog, you can always hire the services of a professional.

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