Golden
retrievers need their haircut on the bottom of their paws, as they have a tendency
to grow ‘slippers’; overgrown fur from their toes that can cover the pads of their
feet. The easiest way to trim this fur is to hold the pad of the paw facing up
and hold the sheers parallel to the paw, cut close to the pad, being careful not
to knick their sensitive pad; trim up by the toe nails and the back of the paw,
to complete the ‘cat paw” look. This will usually need to be repeated once a month.
Ears
To
groom your golden retriever’s ears, use the thinning sheers to neaten up the natural
look. Start inside the ear; lift the ear and use the thinning sheers to remove
some of the fur; hold your sheers parallel to your golden retriever face, do not
cut all the hair, just thin it to make it look neater. For the edge of the ear,
groom your golden retriever by using the thinning sheers to again thin out, not
cut off, the natural fur line along the edge of the ear. If you have never seen
your dog with its fur thinned, you may want to have a groomer do it properly the
first time. Be sure to take pictures and use those as a guide to repeat the process
yourself.
Chest
Sometimes, the fur on the chest gets a little thick
or long. Some people choose to thin it a little, or trim it a little, for shows,
this really isn’t necessary for non show dogs. If you like the trimmed look, simply
trim along the existing fur line. Use the thinning sheers to turn any tight curls
into wispy feathering. If you feel the length is still too long, and you want
to give your golden retriever an additional hair cut, use the regular sheers to
trim not more than half an inch and stay within the normal line the fur grows
in. Do not over cut; it will create a ‘hard’ look that is very unbecoming to a
golden retriever.
Tail
Again, because they are to be kept ‘natural’,
it is important when trimming your golden retriever, to stay within the natural
hair line, you want to neaten and improve the look, not change it entirely. For
the tail, hold it at the tip, and begin thinning by the base, gradually fanning
out to keep the signature wispy fan tail. Hold the sheers at such an angle that
it matches the natural growth; this method can also be used on the back of the
legs if the fur looks a little heavy.
Blow Drying
Blow drying is
a part of golden retriever grooming that isn’t necessary but it may help your
dog from becoming too cold and sick in the winter. Blow drying is also the only
way to straighten a normally wavy coat of fur. If your golden retriever is intolerant
of the blow dryer, you may need to use a grooming table and leash them to it;
but as mild mannered as golden retrievers usually are, they should tolerate it
pretty fairly as they age.
Special Grooming Needs
Your golden retriever’s
grooming routine may need to be modified if they are suffering from hypothyroidism
and they are experiencing itchy skin or thinning fur; you may want to bathe them
using a soothing shampoo designed to moisturize, and gently towel dry them only.
This condition is thought to be genetic; a golden retriever with this condition
should not be bred, as there is a risk of passing it to future generations. For
more information, see about breeding
your golden retriever.
Attention: To discover how
YOU can have the Happiest, Healthiest and Best Behaved Golden Retriever,
get a copy of this Golden Retriever Guide
NOW!
