[letitbe]

Hi all,

I picked up my Golden from a new groomer and she had these "cowlicks" all over her coat, as if the groomer blew her out against the grain, so to speak. How can I get them to lay down so that she has the smooth silky look she usually has? Thanks!

[Graco22]

If what you are seeing it from being blow dried against the grain, you can mist her coat with some water, and pin a towel tightly over her body. One pin under her neck, one pin under her tail, and one pin under her belly..tight. Leave it on for 3 or 4 hours, and it will help the coat to lay flat. Or, you can just leave her be, and in a few days, the coat should return to its normal lay. In the future, you can ask your groomer to use the towel pinning method to dry her, so that her coat doesn't stand up all fluffy. Technically, goldens should be dried with towel pinning, to keep the coat laying flat, but SO many pet goldens have such incorrect coat, that its not going to lay the coat down no matter what you do. I probably groom over 50 goldens, and 2 of them have correct coat that lays as it should..the rest are wavy/curly/unruly coated. Most pet groomers don't towel pet dogs in this way because of that, and it takes alot more time for the coat to dry. But you can certainly request it.

[letitbe]

Originally Posted by Graco22

Technically, goldens should be dried with towel pinning, to keep the coat laying flat, but SO many pet goldens have such incorrect coat,

My girl is a titled Canadian and American Champion (I bought her at age 2) with a strong pedigree, and this was my first trip to the groomer with her. Do you think her coat was simply blown improperly or is her coat truly non-conforming?

[Graco22]

If she is championed, she should have a pretty decent coat. Not all champions are perfect of course, but chances are with a dog that someone felt worthy of showing to dual championship, she is nice. If I were you, I would call around, and try to find a good groomer, that knows how to correctly groom a golden with a correct coat. There is actually ALOT of grooming that goes into a golden to accentuate their expression, and body. Those goldens in the show ring have hours and hours worth of grooming spent on them! The coat should be carded out on the back, to help it lay flat, and bulk thinned where needed to accentuate the shoulders, etc. They should NOT be using a Coat King or equivalant on her back coat, as it will cut hairs and cause the topcoat to not lay flat. Their ears, and under the ears should be cleaned up with thinners. Look at some of the show goldens on websites so you know what she should look like, then try to find a groomer near you that can make her look like the nice golden she is. If you can't find one that has the experience correctly grooming a golden, maybe you can find a groomer willing to learn. Do expect to pay more for a grooming though, as its alot more involved than with most pet goldens.

[letitbe]

Thank you Graco! I had her groomed where the breeder has all of her dogs done (and she has a lot of champions). The groomer had suffered from the power outages up here and I think blew her out quickly. There's another breeder closer to me who I really admire and has a sterling rep. I'll ask for HER recommendations for groomer!

I started Googling and found all kinds of showdogs d/q'd for cowlicks and I love, love, love my girl no matter what, but, you're right - the photos are often really "cleaned up" -- either dog has been painstakingly groomed or the photos have...lol.

Thanks again....

[Graco22]

Originally Posted by letitbe

Thank you Graco! I had her groomed where the breeder has all of her dogs done (and she has a lot of champions). The groomer had suffered from the power outages up here and I think blew her out quickly. There's another breeder closer to me who I really admire and has a sterling rep. I'll ask for HER recommendations for groomer!

I started Googling and found all kinds of showdogs d/q'd for cowlicks and I love, love, love my girl no matter what, but, you're right - the photos are often really "cleaned up" -- either dog has been painstakingly groomed or the photos have...lol.

Thanks again....

You're welcome. If your breeder is using that groomer, she should be knowledgable enough to do what you are asking. However, she may not realize that even though the dog is now a "pet", you still want her groomed correctly for her coatstyle. It would be worth a talk with her, and maybe even the breeder about it, and see if it can be worked out where everyone is happy. And or course, talking with the other breeder would be a great idea, and she may even do grooming herself, in which case your problem would be solved. Best of luck.

[Love's_Sophie]

Ask the groomer if she knows how to flat dry the coat, using her hi velocity dryer; that usually does the trick; I flat dry most of the dogs I groom, and even wavey coated goldens come out nice and smooth.