If you’re wondering whether you should shave your golden retriever, then this article is going to list all the reason it’s DEFINITELY not a good idea. You’ll also learn what you should be doing to look after your pups coat, and how to keep them cool if you think they’re getting too hot!
So keep reading to find out everything you want to know!
Table of Contents
Why You Should Never Shave A Golden Retriever
The main reason you should never shave a golden retriever is because of their double coat.If you shave your golden retriever even once, you can do irreparable damage to their double coat and it may never grow out properly again. As well as this, it also opens your dogs skin and furto a whole host of problems.
More About Your Golden Retrievers Double Coat
The double coat is made up of two parts, the undercoat and the overcoat. Each part serves a purpose and when you shave their coat you essentially stop them working properly. Here’s a bit more information about both.
The Undercoat
The undercoat is essentially the insulation coat. It’s made up of thick woolly fur that keeps heat trapped in so that your pup can stay warm all through the winter. While it’s important for keeping them warm, it still needs the help of the overcoat.
Believe it or not, when your dog sheds a lot, most of it comes from the undercoat. Shedding increases even more during their fall and summer blowouts. During these times, they’ll shed most of their fur to make way for a coat that will keep them cooler or a coat that will warm them up.
The Overcoat
The overcoat is the layer of hair on the top of your dogs body that keeps their undercoat dry. It has oils on it which help water glide off it, stopping it from reaching the undercoat. This is the coat you’ll always see and stroke.
(Have you ever wondered what the pros and cons of owning a golden retriever are?)
Why You Should Avoid Shaving Your Golden Retriever
There are tons of reasons you shouldn’t shave your golden retriever. Here are some of the main ones:
Shaving Won’t Cool Your Dog Down
Most people think that when you shave your dog you’re going to help cool them down. However, the truth is this isn’t the case. The double coat has evolved over thousands of years not just to keep your golden retriever warm in the winter, but to help keep them cool in the summer as well.
Of course, there are always going to be days that are too hot for your golden retriever, but that doesn’t mean you should shave their fur off. There are plenty of other things you can do as well (as you’ll find out later).
Their Fur Helps Protect Them From Bites
When was the last time a mosquito bit your head? The reason it doesn’t happen is that your hair protects you from their bite. The same is true with your golden retriever’s fur. But when you shave their fur off you open them up to a whole range of bug bites.
(If you’ve got a golden retriever puppy, do you know how much they should eat?)
You May Permanently Damage Their Fur
As you know already, when you shave your retrievers coat, you risk permanently damaging their fur. You’ll never know how their coat is going to grow back and whether it will grow back properly. Sometimes the undercoat and overcoat grow into each other, and then neither work as they should.
And the older your golden retriever is when you shave them, the less likely it is their fur will grow back the way that it should.
(Find out why your golden retriever sheds and more importantly what to do!)
The Shedding Doesn’t Stop (And It May Get Worse)
When you shave your golden retrievers coat, they’ll still going to shed just as much. However, the shedding may be even more annoying than when your pups fur was long. Instead of shedding soft long hair, you golden retriever will just start shedding short prickly hair.
If you’ve ever felt how itchy your clothes can get after you’ve had a haircut, then you’ll know exactly how irritating shaved fur can be.
Your Dog Will Suffer From Skin Damage
If you’re lucky your golden retriever will only get sunburnt if you shave their coat. (Although, you definitely don’t want this to happen.) But if you’re unlucky, then your golden retriever may develop skin cancer.
While both are awful, they’re a lot more likely to happen as the outer coat acts as UV protection. Did you know, that you should still put sun cream on areas of skin that are exposed to the sun?
(Have you ever wondered whether your golden retriever should smell? And more importantly, when to tell if somethings wrong.)
You Might Make Your AllergiesWorse
If you’re shaving your golden retriever, then you’re going to expose yourself to a lot more dead skin, that normally gets trapped within the fur. This means that your allergies could become a lot worse. So not only is shaving your golden retriever not beneficial to your dog, it also isn’t beneficial to you.
What Should You Do Instead Of Shaving Your Golden Retriever?
Fortunately, instead of shaving your golden retriever, there are a few things you can do to manage their coat.
Brushing Them
Brushing them is the best way to remove all the excess fur that may end up getting stuck in your golden retrievers coat. Not only is this going to keep them cool, but it’s also going to reduce the amount of fur build up around your house as well.
Bathe Them
Secondly you should bathe your golden retriever as well. You should only bathe them 3-4 times a year, however, if you time it right you can catch their fall and summer blowout and remove a good chunk of the shed fur.
Get Their Undercoat Blown Out
Lastly, you can also pay to get your golden retrievers undercoat blown out. To do this you’ll need to go to a professional groomer. They’ll remove all of the fur that gets stuck in their undercoat, helping to keep your dog cool and shed free.
How Can You Keep Your Golden Retriever Cool?
A lot of people shave their golden retriever to help keep them cool. But this definitely isn’t the best way to go about it. Here are some great ways you can keep your golden retriever cool in the summer months without shaving their fur.
When you’re walking them make sure you avoid walking them during the hottest parts of the day. Instead, you should walk them during the colder parts of the day such as early morning and in the evening.
If you’re keeping your dog outside during the day, make sure you can find a spot for them to rest in the shade. You may even need to set something up for them if necessary.
You can use cooling mats that stay cold as well. You can pick them up off Amazon.
Let them stay indoors where there is plenty of air conditioning and plenty of shade.
Put ice in their water bowl to help keep the water cool, and leave it in the shade.
Take them swimming or put a swimming pool in your garden so they can cool down.
When Should You Shave Your Golden Retrievers Coat?
There’s only one time you should shave your golden retrievers coat, and that’s when your vet recommends it. Sometimes your dog may have a severe skin problem that requires their coat to be shaved off.
However, if your vet hasn’t recommended it then you definitely shouldn’t shave them.
Interested In Training Your Golden Retriever The Right Way?
If you haven’t trained your golden retriever properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your shepherd has, whether it’s barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.
With Brain Training For Dogs you’ll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog won’t listen, you’ll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, that’s given proven results. Not to mention the fact, you’ll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.
So instead of worrying about whether they’re going to be well-behaved or not, you’ll only have to worry about how much fun you’ll have with them!
And in most cases it’s still going to be:
Cheaper than hiring a professional.
Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.
Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your border collie completely and never worry whether they’ll be naughty or not. Instead, you’ll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them, will always be there, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT.
And the best part is it also has a 60-day money-back guarantee! So there’s no reason not to give Brain Training For Dogs a try!
So if you’re tired of your dog’s bad behavior, or how they react around other people and pooches, then give it a try! You’ll be amazed by the results!
(You can also check out a full review here, to learn exactly what the course has to offer!)
Recap
Now you know why you shouldn’t shave your golden retriever. If you do shave them make sure you only do it under the advisement of your vet. And lastly, remember there are much better ways to keep your golden retriever cool and reduce their shedding.
If you liked this article then make sure you check out the rest of the website! Otherwise have a great day!
