# should I shave my Golden? Is she that hot?



## fitnesschika713 (May 22, 2011)

Hi everyone, I have a 12 year old female Golden Retriever. She is a house dog, but I have noticed at night that she is very restless. She lays down for a brief moment in one spot, then she gets up and sleeps in another spot. She is also panting slightly. We do live in a VERY hot region of Texas, but it is around 74 in our house! Very comfortable! She has plenty of fresh water and food available, and she is her choice of her bed, tile, various rugs, or carpet to lay on. I know there are very mixed opinions about shaving dogs, but what do yall think?


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## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

Never shave a golden. I think a trip to the vet might be in order. Something may be going on internally that has caused her to be restless and uncomfortable.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

No, do not shave her. I agree with the above post, a Vet check is in order. Restlessness and panting could be the signs of something else going on.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

1) A vet check for sure
2) Based off of her age, and the behavior occuring at night, find a vet who specializes in senior dogs, and talk abut this as a potential sign of cognitive decline... there are lots of management, training, medication, etc options available, a vet will help you come up with a great plan.
3) While conventional thought is that shaving dogs will make them ---less-- able to regulate heat, I know anecdotally QUITE a few stories of dogs who DID get MUCH more comfortable when clipped down. This is NOT always the case.... but it-does- sometimes help.
4) It IS important for her to be clean and free of loose hair... give her a really good bath (washing and rinsing 2-3+ times).... and brush until no more loose hair comes out. Or find a very trusted groomer to do it.
5) Consider a parital clip....with my senior dog, and quite a few others, we clip the hair on the abdomen and the belly, so the dog can lie directly on the cool floor and cool better....yet they still have sun protection on their back (hair!) and no one can tell they've been clipped...until the dog rolls over.


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

no. 

agree with RedDogs advice


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

Panting and restlessness like you describe can indicate that your dog is in pain. Definitely get a vet to check her out. At her age, she almost certainly has arthritis and needs pain meds for that, even if nothing else is wrong.

Please let us know how she's doing. Seniors are special.


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## Noey (Feb 26, 2009)

if everything checks out at the vet...they do have these beds, maybe one of these could help.

cooling bed
Pet Crates Direct | Canine Cooler Pet Beds

COOL DOG BED - CANINE COOLER -


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Sounds like your girl is in pain.. please get to the vet.


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

Another thing to try is to take her for a walk before bedtime - doesn't have to be a marathon, but an outing to sniff and explore, maybe roll in the grass etc. and go to the bathroom a few times. 

I find with Bender she does sleep better with a walk, and if she's fussy it's sometimes she has to go to the bathroom. I don't always take her with the younger dogs because they'll bowl into her or we're going too far for her, so I try to make sure she's had a bit of an 'adventure' later in the day and she settles down better.

Hope you find something that works! My guys are always 'hot'...

Lana


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

What I would say has already been covered rather well by others. Your girl is probably uncomfortable because of a physical problem, not the temperature. Get a blood panel at the vet if you can afford it. That'll give you a good chance of seeing if one of several common things is wrong and it's relatively easy on her. Then discuss pain management to see if there's an analgesic that will work for her.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Fitness*

Fitness

I agree with everyone else, please have her checked out by a vet asap.
Many times panting can indicate pain or an illness.

Do NOT shave her. Dogs need their coats for protection against the sun, the cold, and also their fur insulates them.


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## fitnesschika713 (May 22, 2011)

thanks everyone! I didn't know that she may be in pain, cause I take her on daily walks for at least an hour in our local parks, and she runs, swims and chases everything like she was a puppy (except she doesn't last as long of course lol) I will get her checked out!


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Agree about the potential of pain. This is what my dog does when she has overdone it (or I have let her overdo it). Since she was put on a pain medication, I don't think she has had a restless night like this. Could be something that simple - but probably worth getting a full senior blood panel done and making sure everything is ok.


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## Radarsdad (Apr 18, 2011)

I WOULD HAVE THE VET CHECK FIRST
I shaved (to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch) mine every year when it starts to get hot. He was cooler had more endurance and felt visibly better.
His coat would grow in just in time in the fall when the weather turned cooler.
I will do it with my present pup when necessary.
I do recommend it.
PS He and my Golden Mix have NEVER GOTTEN SUNBURN AND HAVE SUFFERED NO ILL EFFECTS FROM IT


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## Golden_Magnum (May 19, 2011)

When I read the title of this thread, I instently thought about this poor golden that I see walking around. The owner has his fur completely shave down everywhere but the main, bottom of the legs, and the tail. The part he does have shaved is SO short, you can see razor burn. So just the thought about shaving a Golden just makes me cringe. 

Magnum gets restless when he needs to poop. He will lay down, get up, lay down, get up, walk back and forth, look out the window and start whining. 

But if this is not normal for her, then PLEASE yes get her checked!


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## kingman (Mar 24, 2009)

*Looks like a lab*

Last week l took my girl (11yrs) to be washed and groomed and asked for a summer cut which l do every year with no ill problems of any kind.

But this time the owner (head groomer) was not in and one of the new groomers gave her a puppy cut. 

When l picked her up l was nuts but what was done was done. She looks like a Lab. My back yard is completely covered so she will not be harmed by the sun's harmful rays. And l only walk her in the early morning or at dusk.

I learned a big lesson, when grooming a dog, any dog go over with the groomer exactly what you want.

Bottom line she seems to like it.


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## Radarsdad (Apr 18, 2011)

That is good advice. They asked me the last time I was in to get Missy cut and asked what "number" I wanted her cut to. Next time I will write that down and be specific. 
Missy has already grown back to where she may need a second cut this year. Next year I will wait a little later.
I know they feel better after the cut you can see it in their attitude.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

There have been many threads about Goldens receiving cuts that were not what the owner had in mind. I recently watched a groomer through the glass while I was checking out at Petco, and she was really yanking the rake through the dog's fur, and the dog was doing all kinds of appeasing behavior (lip licking, turning her head, cringing). It made me really sad and even more mistrustful of letting somebody else work on my dog.


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## michelleeroro (Jun 24, 2011)

I've been clipping my dog for the last few summers, he actually loves it. he gives me his paw the whole time and actually wags his tail when hears the clippers turn on.. and when he's done he runs into the grass and rolls around.. he's like a new dog, whereas a few hours before he was nothing but panting and laying so lethargic from the heat.. i agree that you can see it in their attitude that they love it. I am not going to go as short this year and will probably have the groomer do it since I am using horse clippers and for the first couple weeks he is way too short for me to comfortable with it. but it is getting to be that time of the year already and once he's healed up, he needs it! the humidity gets too dense and its simply too hot to let him suffer and overheat. I have a jacket for him if it gets cold or is too wet, but the doors always open for him, whether he wants to be inside or out, he prefers to be outside almost 24/7 when its nice out. he only comes in at night during the winter, when its storming, or if the coyotes are howling, and during the day he's out, but we have plenty of trees for him to shade himself, buildings [we live on a farm] he's welcome in or the office which is air conditioned, yet he comes in for about an hour cools off and is ready to roam and explore some more. never had a problem with clipping him, i don't see what the big deal is, and I actually think their coats grow in quite nice for the fall. i also try to clip my horses at least my black one.. 

I do agree they need protection from bugs and nature which is why I try to leave his leg hair, but the bugs and their bites are easier to see with shorter hair and i'm being specific to ticks.. he has less ticks when he's clipped, partly because we see them and pull them off right away and partly because the ticks are less attracted to him [except the really hungry ones] since they don't have many places to really hide on him. 

I would love to leave his hair long, and even my dad was opposed to clipping at first because it's not natural, but after seeing the difference in his attitude from before to after.. we're sold. aesthetically its not what i want since i love the golden's coat, but its about what makes him comfortable. its hard for me to believe that his coat insulates him and actually keeps him cooler, because all he does when he has his long hair is find puddles to bask in or he digs up an area of grass and lays in the dirt, or he finds some cool mud to roll around in. he will rarely do it if he's clipped, unless we hit a day thats in the high 90-100s. 

i only know from experience.. and i know my dog is an outside dog at heart, and we let him be one as long as the weather is not terrible, so i know if he's coming inside to the air conditioner during the day and its sunny out- he's miserable out there. clipping him gives him more wiggle room to be comfortable in the heat.

plus, he's prone to hotspots and when he's clipped, he doesn't get any.. and we can get him cleaner if he happens to roll in something icky.


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## OliverGR (Jun 26, 2011)

Here outside of Phoenix I have tile floors to sleep on. My owner has several floor fans circulating the air. I am fine.

House is kept at 82 during the day and 76 when we sleep. As suggested, you might want to check with Vet. I have a close cut - but not shaved. I need coat for insulation.
OliverGR


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