How to groom your Golden Retriever?

Golden Retriever is a medium-large strong gun dog, both friendly and intelligent. This dog breed is famous for its dense lustrous coat of golden fur. They appear as a powerful, well-balanced, symmetrical, and devoted dog breed. The name retriever refers to the dog breed’s ability to retrieve shot waterfowl like birds, ducks, and others. Golden Retriever needs daily exercises like walk, jog, or run in beaches. Golden retrievers are prone to certain health issues, and choosing high-quality food may reduce the risk of health problems.

golden retriever bathing

Golden retrievers are the perfect pet for any family. They are gentle, trustworthy, and easy to train. Its ears are not very large. They sit high on the head and hang just below the jawline. All golden retrievers are blonde, yellow, or golden. The sweet, calm nature of having close eyes is the hallmark of this breed. Its height ranges from 21 inches to 24 inches, and they weigh about 55 to 75 pounds. Golden Retriever is a healthy breed with an average lifespan of 10 to 15 years. There are three different varieties of golden Retriever: Canadian, British, and American, and the differences between these three varieties are minimal. All golden retrievers are loving, athletic, affectionate, and attention seeker.

How to groom Golden Retriever?

Golden retrievers are easy-going breed, and their coats are easy to care for. They shed profusely mostly in spring and fall, so you should groom your golden. Grooming a golden retriever is an enjoyable bonding time. With simple tools, grooming your dog requires 30 to 40 minutes. Some of the steps to groom your golden are:

Set Up Your Golden Retriever Grooming Station

Choose a comfortable place to groom your Golden. Some people select the place where they can sit to watch television and groom their dog while watching TV. Other people prefer to groom their pets in a bathroom, balcony, laundry room, or additional space to clean the floor afterward easily.

Inspecting

Begin each grooming session of your Golden Retriever with a head to toe massage. Massaging a dog helps to loosen dead hair and skin. Pick up each foot, wiggle each toe, and gently rub each ear to make Golden feel pleased.

Prepare your Golden Retriever’s coat for grooming.

Spend some extra time for the Golden Retriever’s body where the fur is thick. Brush the coat from head to toe once a week. Remove matted hair with the help of a sharp pair of scissors. If your Golden Retriever is dirty and smelly then, bath it before grooming. After bathing, brush your golden Retriever again to straighten out the coat.

winter attire of golden retriever
image credit: Reddit user Elafina

Trim your Golden Retriever’s coat

A Golden Retriever has undercoat and overcoat, which helps to keep the dog at a comfortable temperature. This combination traps cool air between the coats on a hot day and catches a warm breeze on a cold day. So, avoid trimming your golden’s intact skin. With thinning shears, Trim the coat of golden Retriever from feet, leg, body, chest, neck, ears up to its tail. Do not trim the fur too short. Trim the length by tapering the coat from base to its tip.

Complete the grooming of Golden Retriever

The grooming of the Golden Retriever is not complete without paying attention to its ears, eyes, and nails. Use mineral oil and cotton ball to clean your dog’s eyes, but do not apply directly in the eyes. Take your time and cut your golden Retriever’s toenails. Use a good pair of dog nail trimmers for nail clipping. If you don’t want to bath your golden Retriever, then apply dry shampoo. To complete the grooming rituals, remember to use flea and tick preventive.

How to bathe a Golden Retriever?

You can bathe your Golden if their coat is dirty or smelly. Choose a good pet shampoo available in the market. Begin by wetting your Golden completely, with lukewarm-to-cool water. Use a soft, moistened kitchen sponge to apply the shampoo. Pay more attention to the areas where the fur is matted and longer, paw pads, and potty areas. Give a light rinse and then apply a second round of shampoo. Use lukewarm water, and be sure to rinse every bit of shampoo out of the coat. Once you are done, rinse your Golden Retriever a second time to be sure of it. The shampoo left in the fur can attract dirt and cause skin irritation. If you don’t want to bath your golden Retriever, then apply dry shampoo.

Finally, use a bath towel or microfiber pet towel to absorb a large amount of moisture from your dog’s coat. These towels are also available in the market, or dog stores. You can use a hairdryer set to low setting about 6 inches away from the coat to finish up. Brush the skin once the dog is completely dry.

Anyone else’s golden love being toweled off? from r/goldenretrievers

Golden Retriever Nail clipping

The grooming of the Golden Retriever is not complete without paying attention to its nails. This is a delicate operation, as your dog needs to keep its feet still to avoid injury. Take your time and cut your golden Retriever’s toenails. Use a good pair of dog nail trimmers. If you are planning on trimming your pet’s claws, better do it in the tub. Long nails can break easily, possibly causing infection. So, cut the nails in time with proper care.

Avoid cutting the nails above the quick, the active part of the nail. If you see a live area, then trim the toenails carefully. If you trim the nails too close and blood appears then, apply styptic powder. The styptic powder is available in the dog center, and remember to buy them. 

How to clean Golden Retriever’s eyes and ears?

The process of grooming Golden Retriever is incomplete without paying attention to its ears and eyes. After the bath, it is an excellent time to clean your pets’ ears and eyes. They are the most sensitive parts of your pet, so handle them with care. You should not neglect to wipe discharge from the eyes of your pet. Use mineral oil and cotton ball to clean your dog’s eyes, but do not apply directly in the eyes.

Check both inside and out of the ear. Your dog’s ears should be cleaned once a month. Look into your pet’s ear for dirt, parasites, discharge, and scratches. Moisten a soft cotton ball with mineral oil and gently wipe out the ears. Keep the ears clean to avoid ear infections. Do not use dry agents on a regular basis.

How to care for your Golden Retriever?

You should take special care if you are raising a Golden retriever. Make a schedule to care and help your golden to stay healthy and live longer. Proper diet and exercise routine are also important for their health.

  1. Golden retrievers have good teeth, so brush them at least twice a week to keep them perfect.
  2. Groom your Golden regularly. The eyes and ears should be cleaned weekly.
  3. Brush the dense lustrous coat from head to toe once a week.
  4. They have a passion for water, and swimming is a perfect form of exercise.
  5. Feed them a high-quality diet appropriate according to the age.
  6. They are an active breed. Exercise your dog regularly for 20-30 minutes, but do not overdo it.
  7. Do not let your golden puppy play on the very hard substances until the joins are fully formed.
  8. They are built for action, and they love outdoor games.
  9. Golden retrievers are mouthy, and they love having something to carry in their mouth. Try giving them a ball, newspaper, or a soft toy but not hard ones.
  10. If golden show any kind of pain then, visit the vet as soon as possible.
  11. Keep your Golden Retriever in good shape.

Golden Retriever clothes

Fashion is not limited to people, and it is also a positive factor for dogs. Nothing is cuter than watching your pet dog wearing the best outfits and roaming around. Many dog owners are looking out for clothes. Also, to look attractive, the footwear assists the pets during seasonal change. You should know about the size of your pets before buying any outfit.

Unlike other breeds, Golden Retrievers have a coat that helps them to adapt according to the weather. Goldens are winter dogs, i.e., they have a natural ability to adapt to cold weather. If the weather is way more chilly than your dog can bear, you should buy clothes to stay warm. The costumes for Golden Retrievers are widely found in dog stores, markets, and also in some supermarkets. They are also available in amazon.com.  

The types of clothes that you can buy are listed with some features:

Soft cotton PJs

Soft cotton PJs is a long four feet dog Pajamas. It is a jumpsuit with four leg designs, which helps keep your dogs away from the messy environment. It is made up of 100% pure cotton and comes up in eight different sizes. This outfit has an open belly, which allows the dog to take morning potty breaks. The price of this outfit is $12.32, with a rating of 4.3 out of 5.

Waterproof Reflective Poncho

Waterproof Reflective Poncho is a dog rain jacket with a hood, and it looks stylish on Golden Retriever. This outfit is suitable for the rainy season. It is elegant, comfortable, and dry. This poncho has an adjustable Velcro belly and chest straps, which comes up in vibrant yellow color with a sporty hood. It is made from 100% polyester waterproof fabric. The price of this outfit is $14.46, with a rating of 4.1 out of 5.

Warm Fleece Camo Jacket

Golden retriever with jacket
Image credit: Reddit user linkdizzle

Warm Fleece Camo Jacket is easy to dress up and take off. This jacket helps to ensure that your Golden Retriever is sunny during heavy snow. It has warm and soft fabric with a long front sleeve and a drawstring hood. This outfit is too adorable as it has nice and cute camouflage designs, and it comes up in different shapes and sizes. The price of this outfit is $17.19, with a rating of 3.9 out of 5.

Stripped shirt

The striped shirt is designed for medium to large dog breeds like Golden Retriever, Husky, and other huge dogs. This cute outfit has four plastic buttons on the bottom, which is easier to put on and off. It prevents sunburn and avoids insects and plant seeds stick to the dog’s hair. The price of this outfit is $12.46, with a rating of 4.4 out of 5.

Golden Retriever coat

Golden Retriever has medium length, dense water-repellant coat, and it can be straight or slightly wavy. They are known for its shiny, luscious golden looks. Golden Retrievers have a double coat, consisting of an undercoat and an overcoat, which helps to keep the dog at a comfortable temperature. 

Golden Retrievers shed lightly in the summer and winter, and heavily during spring and fall. The Golden Retrievers can also vary in terms of coat colors. There is color variation among the golden retrievers. The three classifications of gold include:

  1. Light golden, including cream color
  2. Golden
  3. Dark golden, but not red.

You can also find golden retrievers in colors such as pure white, mahogany, red, and even black. These colored goldens are not commonly found, but they exist.

Golden Retriever Grooming Supplies

Golden retrievers are also known as “wash and wear” breed, which means that they do not need extensive grooming needs like other dog breeds. Some of the basic supplies you need for grooming your Golden Retriever to include:

  1. a good quality slicker brush
  2. a nail clipper
  3. a steel comb
  4. a spray to help smooth the coat as you work

While choosing a comb and brush, you should look for a good quality tool with nicely finished bristles. If the bristles are not smooth, they can damage the hair and scrape the skin of your Golden.