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Should I Clip My Golden Retriever?


laffi
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It's a pretty hot summer now and my 1 year old golden is shedding quite a bit. Can I clip her? I have been grooming her quite a bit but am not very successful at removing the dead hair. Do you know any special brushes/tools that would be recommended for her coat type? Which online stores could I get them from?

My significant other also seems to be quite allergic to her. Do you know any good ways for decreasing his allergy reactions? Because getting rid of her is just not an option :thumbsup:

Thank you!

Maria (and Laffi)

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If you clip her you'll leave her susceptible to sunburn and unable to insulate herself from the worst of the weather. She has a double coat for a reason. She will also IMHO look very silly and her coat will never be the same again.

A good wash and a daily brush will deal with the shedding. Your partner could see an allergy specialist and get a program of treatment to densensitise him to her.

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Clipping wont solve your shedding problem & wont solve your partners allergies.

You most certainly can buy grooming tools that will make a big difference in removing a dead coat.

Finding a very good groomer who will rake out all the dead coat would be good & a good groomer should also be able to show you what to buy & how to use it between grooms.

You could also try contacting the Golden Retriever club in your state as some goldie breeders do grooming or may be able to suggest someone that wont butcher the coat.

Goldies are always shedding so the key is grooming weekly with the right tool & with a person with allergies keeping the dog cleans as possible.

What state are in you as we may be able to suggest someone to help

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Clipping wont solve your shedding problem & wont solve your partners allergies.

You most certainly can buy grooming tools that will make a big difference in removing a dead coat.

Finding a very good groomer who will rake out all the dead coat would be good & a good groomer should also be able to show you what to buy & how to use it between grooms.

You could also try contacting the Golden Retriever club in your state as some goldie breeders do grooming or may be able to suggest someone that wont butcher the coat.

Goldies are always shedding so the key is grooming weekly with the right tool & with a person with allergies keeping the dog cleans as possible.

What state are in you as we may be able to suggest someone to help

I am in Brisbane/Ipswich QLD area.

Thank you so much!

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I'm with Showdog clipping won't solve your problems. But proper grooming will help, I find people are often under the misconception that clipping will keep a dog cool. But dogs that are meant to have along coat can do this by proper grooming, as air flow through the coat is what is needed to keep them cool and looking good. Also feeding your dog rice and pasta with the water it is cooked in is also beneficial as it contains a natural blood coolant in it. If you can lower the blood temp a little in hot weather it can make a big difference. Just my opinion and what I do with my own dogs.

Cheers Chris

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I just had my non show labrador shaved. I was having a lot of problems with shedding despite regular stripping and his insistance on getting himself wet to get cool all the time (his coat takes 3 hours to dry) meant that he smelt dank and musty all the time.

Over a week since I had him shaved - he looks fine, although different. He's very muscular and looks like a tall bull breed. Once I combed out his very short undercoat there has been no more shedding and very little smell. He shows absolutely NO sign of being any hotter or cooler than he was when his coat was normal length. He is happier, however because he is allowed inside more.

He may not grow his coat back like it would have been (do people really know this to be fact or do they just repeat it?) but it's irrelevant anyway. He's my inside dog and he's much easier to have around now.

Edited by blacklabrador
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Blacklab:

He may not grow his coat back like it would have been (do people really know this to be fact or do they just repeat it?) but it's irrelevant anyway. He's my inside dog and he's much easier to have around now.

Yep, I know if for a fact in double coated longer haired breeds (like Cockers) Blacklab... because both coats are shaved to same length - coat looks super thick and curly. I reckon you can always tell a dog that's been clipped as opposed to stripped.

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It most certainly is fact .Black lab his coat may never be an issue but you wont now until hs coat regrows .In goldies it certainly does alter the coat,some dont look funny clipped but the reasons people want to clip doenst work.We have clipped many old goldies off & have no issues doing so but when people want to clip because they believe it will stop a problem i always make sure they no it wont after all if the groomer cant inform them of what will happen you end up with a devasted pet owner when it regrows but only worse.Explaining to people that the coat need to be raked/stripped out is the under & when placed against the top coat you see its dull,cottony & thick,where the top coat is generally courser,water proof,shiney etc etc

Clipping means you are clipping of the correct coat & leaving the undercoat exposed,the undercoat is what sheds & gets thick & also matts.

It is very easy to tell a clipped coat as it alters the way it lays,the texture & quality.

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clip a shedding dog and it will still shed. Remember it sheds from root so by clipping the top bit all you're doing is making the shedding hairs alot shorter which makes allergies even worse.

I get dog allergies and man is it bad when we have clipped goldies at our work.

Much better just to keep it as it is. If anything take it to groomers, tell them to hydrobath and blowdry. That will help alot

Edited by arby
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I just had my non show labrador shaved. I was having a lot of problems with shedding despite regular stripping and his insistance on getting himself wet to get cool all the time (his coat takes 3 hours to dry) meant that he smelt dank and musty all the time.

Over a week since I had him shaved - he looks fine, although different. He's very muscular and looks like a tall bull breed. Once I combed out his very short undercoat there has been no more shedding and very little smell. He shows absolutely NO sign of being any hotter or cooler than he was when his coat was normal length. He is happier, however because he is allowed inside more.

He may not grow his coat back like it would have been (do people really know this to be fact or do they just repeat it?) but it's irrelevant anyway. He's my inside dog and he's much easier to have around now.

There is a groomer a few hours drive from me who routinely clips Labs, pugs, even smooth Foxies etc, to make them cooler.

I do quite a few of her clients that have relocated, and the Labs have coats that a slasher would struggle with.

They are like very dense medium length carpet. Absolute crap to deal with, one client owns 3 Labs and she slaps herrself around over it every year, they have shocking coats now.

I know people will disagree with this but I see no need at all to ever clip off a Labrador, unless for surgery etc.

And Yes I have lived with them, and yes they do shed buckets, but hey that is all part of owning a dog. Thats what Dysons are for.. :)

I have a new golden ret client who wants to keep her puppy shaved from now on, it is only 11 weeks old, doesn't want long hairs in her car. Wrong breed choice, actually I don't think a dog suits at all.

With allergy sufferers, regular thorough grooming is essential, and if it is saliva and dander that is the issue then bathing once a week at least is important. Clipping the dog will not help the allergy issue.

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My daughter has a Cocker Spaniel, that she clips during summer, not to keep her cool, but to help prevent ticks and make them easier to find, as we live in a high tick area.

Her coat has never been the same since, it is thicker when it does grow and much curlier. However, my daugher has so much more peace of mind with it clipped as she gets fewer ticks and if she does they are found easily. The dog has had tick poisoning twice, which was why she decided to clip her, even though my daugher really didn't want to because she knew her coat would never be the same again.

Clipped or not though, her cocker doesn't mind one way or the other, it didn't change her personality!!! :) She is gorgeous.

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I clipped my boy golden retreiver last year and did it this year again. My girl has a finer coat so I won't clip her.

I did it last year because Onsy loves swimming, he woud run through paddocks and be covered in burrs and he was always panting. His coat was much easier to look after and he was cooler. One thing though is his pigment of his skin is very dark so I don't think sunburn will be a problem, it wasn't last year and we lived in a hotter town. he also has a backyard full of shady trees, a kennel and under the house if he is outside and he gets hot.

he looks like an overgrown labrador coz he is very tall. I certainly didn't do it because he sheds hair everywhere, he does that anyway as does Tilly. Goldens are not the dogs to have if you are a fascidious (sp?) housekeeper!

Mars coat king are also great for grooming and getting the hair out.

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Do you blow dry as well as brush? :)

Try doing that before you clip your dog off :mad

Have you got a Mars Coat King? That's a great grooming tool to get out all that undercoat :)

I don't have the Mars Coat King but I am going to get it today! Thanks so much for the tip :eek:

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I just got my 13 yr old golden retriever clipped for the first time yesterday. Her coat had become extremely long and thick since shes been sleeping outside for the last couple of winters and she doesn't seem to be shedding much. She has been panting a lot lately and since I got her home yesterday she seems much happier - she now looks like a spritely young dog as well as looking a lot thinner ... thinking of booking myself in for the same treatment! She actually looks like a spring lamb, very white and slightly curly. I'm so glad I did it and I'm sure she's much more comfortable.

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She has been panting a lot lately and since I got her home yesterday she seems much happier - she now looks like a spritely young dog

You do find that a lot of dogs will be happier after a clip :( Even my oodley-poodley thing will get one centimetre clipped of and behave like that :) It's to do with the weight of the coat rather than them getting hot from actually having a coat.

Dogs with a double coat are INSULATED - from the cold and from the heat. ;)

Try the Mars Coat King and also when you are stripping/brushing/after a bath - try using a blow dryer and brushing against the lay of the hair.

WARNING - it's best to be outside to do this task

:eek::mad

You will get LOADS of hair out at once so shedding will be lessened during the week :)

Oh yeah - and your partner will just have to get allergy tests as suggested earlier in this thread. Clipped or not, the dog will still make your partner sneeze or whatever :(

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WOW...has anyone got one of those furminators? They look brilliant, and the videos on that link are worth watching...looks like there is only 3 stockists in australia tho; and non sell online...

I have all 3 sizes, that are as good as they look, i also have the coat king, and the furminator

will do the same job in less the half the time of the coat king.

Infact, i havent used my coat king in over 2 yrs.

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