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Caring for a Golden Retriever's Coat

Josie F. Turner
By Josie F. Turner, Journalist specialized in Animal Welfare. Updated: February 15, 2017
Caring for a Golden Retriever's Coat
Golden Retriever

Animal file: Golden Retriever

Friendly, loving and playful - its name is true to its nature, because the popular Golden Retriever is truly a golden dog. They have a cheerful and warm temperament, they are extremely smart, and their beautiful golden coat is truly striking.

Keeping a Golden Retriever's coat in perfect condition can seem difficult, but it is actually quite simple and only requires some guidelines. In this AnimalWised article we'll explain all about caring for a Golden Retriever's coat. Keep reading and don't forget to share your thoughts and pictures of your pet in the comments section!

You may also be interested in: Caring for a Persian Cat's Coat

Do Golden Retrievers have a double coat?

The Golden Retriever has a double-layered coat, with an inner layer and an outer one. The inner coat is short and cropped to the body; its function to protect the dog by keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer. By contrast, the second coat is slightly wavy and a little longer. This is the one that requires regular care.

Caring for a Golden Retriever's Coat - Do Golden Retrievers have a double coat?

How often should I bathe my Golden Retriever?

It is a commonly known fact that Golden Retrievers love water, but bathing them is not exactly the same. The hygiene routine will vary from dog to dog, as not all retrievers have the same lifestyle or get as dirty as others. The necessary frequency with which you should bathe a Golden Retriever depends on the dog's age as well, as puppies need to be bather more often.

Bathing a Golden Retriever:

  1. Never use a shampoo that is meant for humans. You must use a special shampoo for dogs, and if possible, one that has a neutral pH. Choosing a quality product to bathe your Golden Retriever is important, as this breed is prone to developing skin diseases.
  2. Bathe your dog with warm water. After shampooing and rinsing, apply a special hair mask for dogs to prevent tangles and make your dog's coat shinier.
  3. Bathing a dog is also useful to get rid of accumulated dead hair. Take your time.
  4. Dry your dog thoroughly, using a hair dryer. Get your dog used to the hair dryer while it is still a puppy. Always use a mild temperature and blow in the direction in which the fur grows.

If at some point you cannot bathe your Golden Retriever with water and shampoo, keep in mind that you have other options available to care for its coat. You can rub your dog with a damp cloth, or apply dry shampoo for dogs.

Washing a Golden Retriever with dry shampoo:

  1. Brush your dog's coat thoroughly and then sprinkle the dry shampoo over it. Be very careful with the eyes, nose, mouth and ears.
  2. Leave the product on to act. The product packaging will indicate the number of minutes: it is very important to respect the stipulated time, as too much time can cause rashes or allergies.
  3. Brush the Golden Retriever's coat again.
  4. There you have it!
Caring for a Golden Retriever's Coat - How often should I bathe my Golden Retriever?

Brushing a Golden Retriever's coat

How often do you have to brush a Golden Retriever's coat?

The best way to care for a Golden Retriever's coat is brushing it every day. As you know, they shed lots of hair and much of it accumulates, causing matting and tangles. Brushing your dog will ensure its health and beauty - and it will make cleaning up your hair easier.

Golden Retrievers shed their hair naturally, but you may still want to cut or trim it every now and then. Excess hair between the paw pads must be cut. Brushing their coat, however, is the most basic aspects of caring for a Golden Retriever from puppy to adulthood. This becomes even more important during the molting period. Shedding usually takes between 2 and 3 weeks.

Although their fur sheds twice a year, for the rest of the year it will continue to fall in considerable amounts. You need to keep this in mind should you notice that your Golden Retriever's hair falls too much. Excessive shedding can be a symptom of stress or a disease: if you suspect this is the case, go to the vet. Your Golden Retriever may suffer from an allergy or nutritional deficiency.

Brushing a Golden Retriever's coat:

The best tool to care for a Golden Retriever's coat is a wire brush. Use it gently, paying attention to the legs and underarms especially, as this is where this breed usually develops knots and tangles.

Use the grooming session to check your dog's ears, eyes and paws for any signs of parasites, wounds or diseases. Here is a step by step guide to cleaning a dog's ears. The rheum in the eyes should be removed carefully, without pulling. Dampen a cloth and soften the rheum crust so that it dissolves itself.

Caring for a Golden Retriever's Coat - Brushing a Golden Retriever's coat

This is our advice on caring for a Golden Retriever's coat. Want to learn more? Take a look at the following articles:

Caring for a Golden Retriever's Coat -

If you want to read similar articles to Caring for a Golden Retriever's Coat, we recommend you visit our Beauty tips category.

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1 comment
Mark Platte
My groomer recommended I use a Safari Shed Magic brush on my Golden. Will this de-shedding tool do more harm than good?
Administrador AnimalWised
Hi Mark,

We have not used this specific brush ourselves, but the reviews for this product we could find seem to be decent. However, the use of it will be down to preference. If you trust your groomer and they do a good job with your pet, then it is probably worth following their advice. There are other brushes available and, in our experience, the less 'gimmicky' the brush, the better. Just use something of good quality and it should be fine.
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