I absolutely love the appearance and nature of Golden Retrievers. I don’t know how many times my husband and I have spotted a Golden and turned to each other with “Let’s get one”. But right now, I’m not sure that our yard would be suitable. However, if we were ever so lucky to own one in the future, then we would definitely need to keep on top of her grooming in order to maintain that striking coat. You no doubt feel the same way, if you are the proud owner of a Golden Retriever.
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Tips On How to Groom a Golden Retriever
Regardless of whether you are a competitor in performance venues or a conformation competitor or a Retriever owner wishing to do your own grooming, then it is useful to know how to groom your Golden Retriever at home to make her look like a champion.
Learning to groom your Golden Retriever yourself is beneficial for a number of reasons. Not only does your dog feel calmer and safer being groomed by you in familiar surroundings, but there is no need for a lengthy salon stay.
And a grooming routine is something you want to start right from the time your cute puppy comes home. This might be something as simple as getting her used to the feel of a gentle brush down her back. And as she matures, you will find she is quite used to you “doing things” with her hair.
DIY grooming also helps to forge a special bond between you and your dog. Of course it is also more economical in the long run.
Understanding the Golden Retriever’s nature will also go a long way towards helping you to prepare an easy-to-do grooming routine.
Note; product references include affiliate links.
These key points can help ensure that a golden retriever’s grooming needs are met at home.
Brushing the Golden Retriever’s Coat
You will find that a heavy undercoat around the neck and shoulder area can take away from the outline.
Regular brushing is essential to prevent matting and remove loose fur. Use a slicker brush or a fine comb to gently remove some of the undercoat in this area. You can also use thinning scissors to clean the neck and shoulders.
Bathing Your Golden Retriever
Golden retrievers should be bathed every 6 to 8 weeks on order to keep the coat clean and healthy. Use a dog-specific shampoo, not a human shampoo, and ensure thorough rinsing to avoid skin irritation.
Nail Trimming
Regular nail trimming is important to prevent overgrowth and thus discomfort for the dog. Many a dog owner is nervous when it comes to trimming their dog’s nail. If this is you, then your local dog groomer and come to your rescue. If you prefer to master this task of nail clipping yourself, just be cautious that you don’t cut into the quick and use appropriate nail trimming tools for the task.
Grooming a Golden Retriever’s Ears, Tail & Feet
The ears, tail and feet are usually the biggest focus when it comes to grooming your Golden.
Golden Retrievers are not normally clipped but may have particular areas of their coat trimmed, such as around the feet and tail.
The tail should be made tidy and proportionate to the rest of the body – a long tail for dogs with longish bodies, for example. Tail feathers should appear as a curve, shaped like a crescent.
The feet of a Golden Retriever should appear compact and round. Untidy hair should be removed with straight scissors, following the outline of the foot as close as possible.
For the back feet, the pasterns and excess feathering from hock to foot should be trimmed by brushing hair upwards and holding scissors parallel to trim off excess.
Use thinning scissors for the ears – they hide mistakes. Remember not to trim too much, and to follow the natural, soft expression of your dog.
Golden retrievers are prone to ear infections, so it’s most important to clean their ears regularly. Use a veterinarian-approved ear cleaning solution and gently wipe the outer ear with a cotton ball.
Golden Retriever Face Grooming
A Golden can be shown with whiskers, but if you want, you can trim the crooked, heavy ones and leave the fine ones alone.
Use blunt, small Round Tipped Scissors for ear, nose and face trimming and always use good lighting or natural light while working.
Drying Your Golden Retriever
Show standards require that your dog has straight hair, not curly.
Show dogs get that nice straight coat from blow drying, so this is where a Metro Air Force Steel Commander Variable Speed Dog Dryer would come in handy.
You can start trimming with your dog bathed and almost dry, or you can trim before bathing and then follow up afterwards with finishing touches and a blow dry.
Golden Retriever Grooming for Show
Grooming should be done well before show date, and the dog should be bathed a day before the show. Any trimming afterwards should be only for the purpose of neatening the coat. Also, it tends to be easier to trim a little at a time, or it can become a tedious job.
A Video Demonstrating Golden Retriever Grooming Tools
Before we launch into a list of other tools you might need, let’s watch a groomer at work, as he goes through the most important steps in grooming a Golden Retriever such as:
- How to go about drying the coat (a very important step)
- How to trim the feet with scissors
- How to trim the body hair so that it looks really smooth
- How to trim the ears and around the face
- How to trim the legs and tail area so that the hair is an even length
- How often a trim would be needed for this particular breed.
Let’s watch a professional groomer at work:
Equipment for Golden Retriever Grooming
Before getting started with your grooming regime, collect the tools that you plan to use.
Click here to view one grooming kit (affiliate link) that you could consider for your Golden Retriever. This kit includes popular low-noise clippers as well as a comb, scissors, thinning shears and toe nail clippers.
And here we have a Grooming Scissors Kit ideal (affiliate link) for the Golden Retriever.
Other Very Useful Grooming Tools
Some other tools (affiliate links) that can come in very handy in taking care of your Retriever’s coat include the following.
- Straight scissors – choose one of these good quality options (ideally 7 inches)
- Small Round Tipped Scissors – For face work, especially around the eyes. which are a Tricky Part of Golden Retriever Grooming
- Toenail Clippers
- A Good Quality Blow Dryer for Dogs
- Non-Slip Table or Surface to Make Golden Retriever Grooming Much Easier
Ideally a dog grooming table; otherwise make sure you have a rubberized matting placed on the table that you use so that the dog is more secure. A table with a grooming arm and noose can definitely make the process much easier.
Hi there! This is a great guide on what dog owners need to sufficiently groom their golden retrievers. I would add an undercoat rake to this list just for that extra shedding feature that it adds. For ears and nails, I follow this simple guide: https://goldenretrieverlove.com/golden-retriever-grooming-cuts-trimming-and-styles
Thanks for the suggested addition.
I like your guide that you have linked to as well.