As the name implies, the colour of tis dogs fur is a main attraction for suitors, with a lush and beautiful golden coat very easy to achieve through some proper grooming and maintenance.
PROFESSIONAL TRIM | $30-40/month |
FULL GROOM | $60/month |
Average Cost of Grooming
The cost of grooming your Golden Retriever will vary depending on your approach.
- As the cutting and trimming hair is only needed once every month or so, you can take this to a professional for a trim. This may cost around $30-$40 depending on the condition of the coat, getting and additional a bath and nail trim will bump up the prices. This means every 6 – 8 weeks or so, you could be paying upwards of $60.
If you plan of doing most of the work yourself, there are a fair amount of products that you will need, but they will last you longer than taking the dog to get done professionally. For example, a set of trimming and thinning shears, which cost
around $30 each =- though this will be a one of payment of course.
Regular products include shampoos and conditioners which will cost under $10 each. Overall this makes grooming yourself a lot cheaper than doing it professionally, saving you several hundred dollars each year.
Coat Type
As there are so many breeds of dogs with various types of coats, recognizing the type of coat of your dog has is one of the main battles when working out the best grooming techniques and practices.
- A Golden Retriever has a double coat, which comes with both wavy and straight fur. The outer coat is water repellent, with the undercoat being thicker and dense.
They shed pretty heavily during the spring and fall season, with less shedding occurring during winter and summer.
- Due to the thick nature of their golden coats, the dog does have a higher maintenance requirement than most other dogs.
Maintenance
When taking into consideration the aspects of Golden Retriever grooming, you will want to establish how maintained you want it to appear. You can get away with brushing and combing the coat once a week, but due to the thicker nature, doing it every other day, or even everyday will leave the dog looking much better.
For the dogs teeth, look to brush every few days, though most recommend that a daily brush will help fight gum disease along with smelly breath. For the nails, look to trim the nails once a week if possible – make sure never to cut too short though, as nails contain blood vessels and could cause bleeding.
It is also important to clean the ears regularly; this is thanks to the folding ears of the retriever, which can lead to build ups of bacteria in the ear causing infections. Look to check once a week to make sure there is no redness or a bad smell, which is an indication that they are in need of a clean.
Grooming
Golden Retriever grooming can be done easily with small regular grooming’s, keeping it to a low maintenance.
Brushing
Brushing is the most regular thing you should look to do, and doing it constantly will make the process a whole lot easier. Brush the entire dog, head to toe, looking to take out any tangles and matted sections – though doing a daily brush will reduce these happening in the first place.
If you do spot any matted sections, you can try and brush them out. Hold the fur close to the dog’s skin to prevent from any pulling that could be uncomfortable. Start at the tip of the matt, working the brush closer to the skin.
Bathing
Whist a bathing is only needed roughly once a month, you can do it more often, it all depends on how you want your dog to look and smell. Also, after bathing provides an excellent time to brush and trim the coat better, so it could be beneficial when grooming your Golden Retriever.
Using special dog related shampoo and conditioner, wash and rinse the dog, after which a nice towel dry will do.
For those want an extra shiny coat, a blow dry will be needed. Make sure to keep the lettings to low, and keep the dryer moving in the direction of the fur.
Golden Retriever Haircut
For cutting and trimming your Golden Retrievers coat, there are some careful points to follow.
- Never shave or take way too much of the main coat, as this is perfectly set to keep the dog comfortable throughout each season.
The feet and legs are key areas to concentrate on, with the fur that accumulate around the paws needing a regular trim with scissors, as well as that in between its toes.
For the fur at the back of the legs, thinning shears work best.
Other sections include the ears that can grow excessively, as well as the chest and neck.
Again never try to trim it shorter, rather use the thinning scissors to tackle thick and coarse sections.