[SunsetSam]

My family adopted an 11 month old Golden Retriever about 2 weeks ago from a family that was unable to keep him any longer.

I've only owned "mutts" (as an adult) that didn't require any special grooming care-basically they were/are "wash and wear".

My husband and I would like to take care of our Golden's grooming needs ourselves if possible. What do we need to know? Should we have him groomed once professionally to see what needs done?

He came to us "shaved" (although really it's more like a trim I think, he doesn't look bad at all) and now I see here that it's a bad idea to shave long haired large dogs due to the undercoat. She shaved him due to hot spots, which went away when she shaved him.

Our vet also discovered a very mild yeast infection in his ears so we're treating that with earwash and a medicine she gave us.

I'd love to hear what you all recommend for him from head to toe. My dh is up for learning how to Dremel Sam's claws and I'm planning on getting a Furminator. What else???

Thank you for your time! I'm so happy to learn what to do to take care of Sam so he can have the longest, happiest life possible.

[Purplex15]

many will swear by the furminator, but imo it is a waste of money. the blade on it is worth 10 bucks (you can actualy buy them for that much. so they are basically charging you 45 bucks for a handle. it also isnt a great tool. it is very easy to issitate a dog with this brush, and there are other tools out there that dont cause nearly as much irritation, and are cheaper and more efficient.

first off, goldens are prone to every skin infection under the sun. considering where this dog came from, we can assume he isnt fr4om the best breeding, so who knows what could be in his genes. even well bred goldens are prone to skin issues. i usually recommend that goldens get professionally groomed ever 4-6 weeks, maybe even 2 weeks depending on the owner and the dogs daily activities. when done correctly, dogs do not have issues from being bathed that often. if you dont want him professionally done that is your choice, but it puts a lot of work on you.

im not sure what you are describing in terms of hiis cut now. shaved, and a little trim, and at completely opposite sides of spectrum, so you should be a little more pspecific, maybe post a picture. the tools you want are the following: a doublesided steel comb, a slicker brush, an undercoat rake. you need to line brush the dog. most owners make the mistake of never brushing from the root out, all they do is the top layer. so when you brush you have to lift the hair up and brush from the root. this way you can spot matts before they get bad. the hardest thing for most golden owners is keeping them dry. but as hard as it is, you will find that if you thoroughly dry the dog every time he gets wet, you will have a lot less trouble with his skin. wet hair also causes matts when just left to sit in.

so every 2-6 weeks you will have to completely bath your dog, dry your dog and do whatever trimming is necessary. i can tell you, a good groomer will do a great job, probably better than you could ever do, and most say it is worth the money to not have all that extra work. the only trimming i would do on a golden is an outline trim, shave out the pads, do a sanitary if necessary, trim the feathers and hair in between toes.

[SunsetSam]

Thank you so much for the information. I don't know much about his heritage, time will tell that I guess. He is an AKC registered purebred and the family we got him from is related to the woman who bred him, but we're mostly hoping to have the traditional Golden personality, which so far we seem to have.

I am sorry I didn't explain his coat right now very well. She didn't shave him bare, she just shaved his very top coat shorter than it normally is to help him be cooler. I've tried to take pics that I'll put here but I don't know if it will show. His fur is normal on his face, legs and tail and just a bit shorter (and hence lighter) on the rest of his body.

[carolee brancefield]

congrats on the buetiful new baby! I am groomer here in the south and have not had any trouble with keeping goldens cut real short. it seems to really help us with controlling parasites and seems to me to make bathing and drying the dogs much easier for the owners that will just not bring them in enough. if the dog is never goining to be s show dog i dont see the problem with shaving. i have actually uncovered a lot of skin conditions that might have gone unnoticed and the shorter cut does allow for easier treatment. but if you want the pretty golden look with the natural feathers you should feed the best posible food u can buy to help mantain your baby. in my opinion their is not a medical condition that cant at least be helped by good nutrition.