Can you shave a Golden Retriever? and is it beneficial to your pet?
Shaving your Golden Retriever may be the first solution that comes to mind when you live in a hot region, and you might think your pet gets extremely hot in winter because of the length of his coat.
Today, we will discuss everything regarding shaving a Golden Retreiver, and we’ll go deep into the details of your dog’s fur and its applications. Then we’ll address the most crucial concern: Can You Shave a Golden Retriever?
If not, what can you do?
Let’s start, shall we?
Table of Contents
Everything You Need to Know About The Golden Retriever Coat
Golden Retrievers has a thick fur. But, do you actually understand what the fur does and how it helps ensure that your dog’s body is secure and safe
Let me tell you all you should know about Golden’s fur within this section of my blog article.
Let’s look into it!
The Undercoat
The undercoat is the coat that sits under the fur of your dog.
This is also known as “down hair, ” made up of curly and wavy hair. It also aids in maintaining the dry air layer skin that is resistant to water and provides thermal insulation to your pet!
The undercoat develops during winter to guard your pet against the cold, snowy weather. The coat sheds once the weather warms up.
The Overcoat
The coat is the one that you see. It is the gorgeous and luxurious Golden coloured fur that you want to pet.
It is also referred to as the guard layer. It consists of coarse, long or straight hair shafts that extend through the undercoat. This layer also includes gloss and pigmentation. This is basically what you get from your dog’s gorgeous fur.
Is Shaving a Golden Retriever Worth it or Not ?
A shaved Golden Retriever is a bad idea. It is not recommended to shave the hair of your Golden Retriever at all, not even during the summer months.
Golden Retrievers have two coats, which help safeguard your pet during the winter and summer. In summer, the undercoat gets shed. If you cut it more, it could result in the skin being vulnerable to sunburn. Clipping isn’t a good idea for your Golden Retriever as it can affect the development of the undercoat later in the season.
There are many reasons not to shave a Golden Retriever. Here are a few of the most important ones:
Shaving Won’t Cool Your Dog Down
Many people believe that shaving a Golden Retreiver, will assist in cooling the dog down. However, this isn’t true. The double coat changed over time not only in order to warm your dog during the winter months but also to help them stay cool in the summer too.
Of course, there will be times that are hot for your Golden Retriever; however, that doesn’t mean you need to trim their fur completely.
Golden Retriever Fur Protects Them From Mosquito Bites
Have you ever had a mosquito bite on your head? It doesn’t happen because your hair helps protect you from bites. This is also true for the fur of your golden retriever. Shaved Golden Retriever will be a target to all kinds of bites.
You May Permanently Damage Their Fur
As you’re aware, when you shave a Golden Retriever, it is possible to damage their fur permanently. It is impossible to know when the coat will recover and if it will develop in a proper manner. Sometimes, the undercoat and the overcoat develop into one another, but they don’t work precisely as they ought to.
The older your golden retriever gets when you cut them off; the more likely their coat will never grow properly.
The Shedding Gets Worse
If you shave a Golden Retriever, they’ll likely shed as much. But, the sheds could be more frustrating than if your dog’s coat was longer. Instead of shedding soft, long hair, your golden retriever is likely to begin to shed short hair that is prickly.
If you’ve ever noticed how itchy your clothes become after having the hair cut, you’ll understand how irritating shaved Golden Retriever can feel.
Your Dog Will Suffer From Skin Damage
If you’re lucky, your shaved Golden Retriever won’t get sunburned. Unfortunately, it’s the least you should worry about; shaved Golden Retreiver might develop skin cancer.
While both are a disaster, they’re much more likely to occur because the outer coat provides UV protection.
We highly recommend applying sunscreen to your dog to protect his skin from harm.
It May Make Your Allergies Worse
When trimming your Golden Retriever, you’ll expose yourself to more dead skin cells, which typically get caught in the fur. It means that your allergies may get worse. Not only is shaving your golden retriever’s coat helpful to your pet, but it doesn’t benefit you.
What Should You Do to Help Your Dog Beat the Heat?
You have to follow a few basic steps to take care of your Golden Retriever, and you’ll be ready to go!
Let’s begin by introducing the four steps to grooming your doggie:
Brushing Them
Make it a habit to regularly clean your pet with a high-quality bristle brush. You could also make use of an undercoat rake in case it is necessary!
Regularly brushing will help to reduce the annoying shedding. As I mentioned, a shaved Golden Retriever will shed more, so by brushing him, you make sure that there aren’t any dog hairs on your clothing!
As a bonus, you get to spend more time with your pet!
Bathing Them
We recommend washing your golden retriever well. It would be best to bathe your Golden only three or four times yearly. If you are timing it correctly, you could detect their summer and fall blowouts and take off a large part of their shed.
Blow Out Their Undercoat
You can also have your golden retriever’s undercoat blow out. In order to do this, you’ll need to go to an expert groomer. They’ll get rid of all the fur trapped in their undercoats which helps keep your dog dry and clean of the shed.
Final Thoughts
A shaved Golden Retriever is Not a healthy pet! Shaving your Golden is a horrible idea under any circumstances. It could cause irreparable damage to their coat and skin.
You might think cutting off the coat of your Golden Retriever would allow them to cool down quickly, but this is a myth. Although it might be hard to believe, your Golden’s coat does exactly what it’s meant to do during the summer months.
