# Bad grooming please help!!!



## PalouseDogs (Aug 14, 2013)

He looks cute! very punk. Never fear, the hair grows back. (Take it from someone who did all their own grooming on three standard poodles, with on-the-job training.) Take him to the park and let him enjoy the cool wind on his belly. Poodles get shaved that close all the time. The good news is, for a cool clip, you've shaved in the right pattern. He'll be protected from sunburn above, but able to lose heat from his underside. There is a reason most mammals have sparser belly and inner thigh hair. 

I've clipped the feathers and pantaloons (or hacked them to pieces cutting out cockleburs) many times on my former and current golden. The feathers grow back just fine.


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Looks like you hacked his coat and it now _looks _terrible.....  Really, this is not a poodle breed. There is NO NEED for clippers to be used on the dogs. 

I suspect people looking at your dog will assume he had a surgery recently.... and it will take a while for the coat to grow back. But as far as taking your dog hiking, I don't understand your concern.


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Ya know.. I think if he were mine, I would take clippers to the rest of his body coat, and get it all even. Wash it , dry it, and do it again so there aren't a bunch of missed clumps. And trim up w scissors the tail, leg furnishings (except for the rear pants, I would just use a longer comb on them and get them down too... so he at least looks like you intended to do well what you did. I don't get the hiking issue either.


----------



## Living in Orions Belt (May 25, 2021)

Prism Goldens said:


> Ya know.. I think if he were mine, I would take clippers to the rest of his body coat, and get it all even. Wash it , dry it, and do it again so there aren't a bunch of missed clumps. And trim up w scissors the tail, leg furnishings (except for the rear pants, I would just use a longer comb on them and get them down too... so he at least looks like you intended to do well what you did. I don't get the hiking issue either.


The guard coat protects them from bugs and other elements, now that it's gone he may have an issue with bugs attaching easily


Megora said:


> Looks like you hacked his coat and it now _looks _terrible.....  Really, this is not a poodle breed. There is NO NEED for clippers to be used on the dogs.
> 
> I suspect people looking at your dog will assume he had a surgery recently.... and it will take a while for the coat to grow back. But as far as taking your dog hiking, I don't understand your concern.


I didn't want him to look like this but one side was still his coat and fluffy with the feathering and the other side that was done by someone else was shaved. I was told by a groomer that I should let it grow back out and then get it trimmed evenly and she was adamant about the not shaving thing (she even asked me why he was shaved). So I think that is what I'm going to do. 

As far as the hiking thing since the guard coat is gone I'm assuming he would have a bug problem and things would get to his skin and attach easily.


----------



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Living in Orions Belt said:


> The guard coat protects them from bugs and other elements, now that it's gone he may have an issue with bugs attaching easily


Are you talking about ticks?

The pictures show your dog has thick cottony fluff covering his skin. He's not exactly completely flashing bare skin.

Ticks don't have a problem getting through a thick coat to find skin. 

I'd say your dog might be more exposed to biting bugs like mosquitoes and black flies - but you can spray "off" on your hands and lightly brush over the fur (don't rub into the skin). Works better if your dog has a "jacket" as you have discovered, I agree. The cottony fluff will absorb chemicals and water more without that jacket on - like a sponge. But generally speaking no worse than a dog who had had some portion of his body clipped a month or two ago for an ultrasound or surgery.


----------



## Living in Orions Belt (May 25, 2021)

Megora said:


> Are you talking about ticks?
> 
> The pictures show your dog has thick cottony fluff covering his skin. He's not exactly completely flashing bare skin.
> 
> ...


For hiking I was thinking to use Wondercide and I'm going to have his cooling vest on--he absolutely hates to be warm, even with combing out his undercoat, so hopefully he would be protected. He has omegas added to his diet already because he is an allergy patient and is on meds for that so I'm hoping that it would come back nice and floofy like it was.


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I understand what the coat's job is- but he appears to HAVE his undercoat. I was suggesting removing the rest of the jacket and trimming up the furnishings so he at least doesn't look like a child practiced hair cutting. I would be so angry w the 'helper' who caused you to have to try to fix it.. .


----------



## Living in Orions Belt (May 25, 2021)

Prism Goldens said:


> I understand what the coat's job is- but he appears to HAVE his undercoat. I was suggesting removing the rest of the jacket and trimming up the furnishings so he at least doesn't look like a child practiced hair cutting. I would be so angry w the 'helper' who caused you to have to try to fix it.. .


I'm beyond pissed and I've just been so depressed about it. I get it it's just hair but beyond appearances I'm worried about his coat not coming back the way it was to protect him. I'm too scared to touch it right now myself because I'm afraid I'm going to make it worse. The groomer I contacted said to make it grow out some and then come and get it clipped (not shaved) evenly


----------



## 215004 (Apr 21, 2021)

I used to have my Goldens have a “summer” cut not. realizing I was doing more harm then good. Florida gets HOT in the summer! for this future pup, it will be hygiene cuts only. If you’d like I can flip my sofa as well as take the air handler cover off and you’ll see it WILL grow back lol. Just even up the cut and you’ll see a difference in no time!....David


----------



## Living in Orions Belt (May 25, 2021)

DavidG said:


> I used to have my Goldens have a “summer” cut not. realizing I was doing more harm then good. Florida gets HOT in the summer! for this future pup, it will be hygiene cuts only. If you’d like I can flip my sofa as well as take the air handler cover off and you’ll see it WILL grow back lol. Just even up the cut and you’ll see a difference in no time!....David


Thank you so much!! I keep staring at him wishing it would come back and now I'm more conscious when he goes outside--and this is a nature dog God forbids he stays in the house all day he goes crazy. 

I was told that their hair does not grow back the same texture or loses feathering. Was that the case with your kids?


----------



## 215004 (Apr 21, 2021)

Living in Orions Belt said:


> Thank you so much!! I keep staring at him wishing it would come back and now I'm more conscious when he goes outside--and this is a nature dog God forbids he stays in the house all day he goes crazy.
> 
> I was told that their hair does not grow back the same texture or loses feathering. Was that the case with your kids?


st
No, the hair came back in thick and wavy just like it looked from day 1. Just even up the cut now as it will all grow back in the same time manner. If you don’t it will come back uneven. Trust me on this one...David


----------



## Dunmar (Apr 15, 2020)

I had a golden/lab mix who I had shaved down every 12 weeks to the length of her under coat. I didnt really know you weren't supposed to. As she gold older we started to skip her late fall and winter shaves to keep her bones warm. At first it would look patchy but within a couple months she was beautiful. I mean she was gorgeous anyway but was a major shedder and when we got her she was nervous about being brushed or combed. So for 14 years, we had the groomer shave her down. It came back. As a matter of fact when she died in December of 2019, she had a nice coat going.


----------



## Living in Orions Belt (May 25, 2021)

Dunmar said:


> I had a golden/lab mix who I had shaved down every 12 weeks to the length of her under coat. I didnt really know you weren't supposed to. As she gold older we started to skip her late fall and winter shaves to keep her bones warm. At first it would look patchy but within a couple months she was beautiful. I mean she was gorgeous anyway but was a major shedder and when we got her she was nervous about being brushed or combed. So for 14 years, we had the groomer shave her down. It came back. As a matter of fact when she died in December of 2019, she had a nice coat going.


Thank you for your response! I'm so happy to hear that your baby's coat continued to come back, even towards her last moments. I'm still looking at it and wondering when or how I or the groomer can get it even without it looking worse.


----------



## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Hi! Where do you live? I wish I could help you. Quite frankly, the dog looks awful. He had a pretty bad coat before it was cut. 
Honestly I'd start over, shave him with a 4 blade and let it grow back. You need to find a groomer who specializes in Goldens, someone who shows, to help you get his coat under control. 
Is he 100% golden? I only ask because his pigment on his nose, gums and eyes is brown, not black. Just curious, doesn't matter.
Sooooo.....Goldens are not created by mother nature. They are not a wolf or coyote. All this baloney about not shaving their coat and their protective guard hair and blah blah blah...throw it out the window. Their coat was created by mankind and doesn't offer the same protection as a natural canine's coat. Plus, I'm assuming your guy is neutered and his coat has changed for the worse. Shaving him is not going to harm him AT ALL and in fact, will probably make him MUCH more comfortable. 
I live in Florida, have shown Goldens for almost 30 years, and have many grooming clients who I shave down. They are FINE. They are comfortable. They look good. And guess what, it always grows back exactly like it looked before they got shaved. 
Shaving is not your only option once it grows back, but he needs a LOT of hair taken off!
Best of luck.


----------



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

FWIW - most groomers who are against shaving double coated dogs advocate that because some dogs DO develop alopecia post shave, and because of the information re: double coats insulating purpose and temperature regulation (i.e. it keeps you cool when it's hot and keeps you warm when it's cold).  

I've seen alopecia in Pomeranians that are shaved all their lives but I haven't seen it in goldens, personally. Probably b/c goldens aren't shaved down to the degree that Pomeranians are. 

As an aside, my Bear was shaved to his skin (whole back half) for a surgery. His fur grew back just fine.


----------



## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Pomeranians have a genetic form of alopecia. Not uncommon. Most get shaved down as a result because left to themselves they look motheaten at best and godawful at worst. 
I can assure you, wearing a parka does not keep me nice and cool in August in Florida.


----------



## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

I’ve known Goldens who got shaved down every summer whose coats grew back in fine, and then I’ve known some who were shaved once and coats grew back in a mess and were never the same. It’s probably also influenced by genetics and quality of the coat as a whole. If he were mine....I’d probably even him out and hope it grew back in normally. Is he a mix? He’s super cute, and I bet whatever haircut he gets he’ll be happy. Best of luck!


----------



## Living in Orions Belt (May 25, 2021)

Emmdenn said:


> I’ve known Goldens who got shaved down every summer whose coats grew back in fine, and then I’ve known some who were shaved once and coats grew back in a mess and were never the same. It’s probably also influenced by genetics and quality of the coat as a whole. If he were mine....I’d probably even him out and hope it grew back in normally. Is he a mix? He’s super cute, and I bet whatever haircut he gets he’ll be happy. Best of luck!


Thank you! He's been shaved before for allergy testing and a catheter when looking back at the pictures he grew back like nothing was wrong in 2-3 months time so I'm hoping the same will apply here. I feel so bad and guilty when I look at him but compared to how he was back then to now his energy level has shot up SOOOO much. He has the same energy level like it is winter time (and that's when he is at his full derp energy). But I feel like for the future I'm going to get him groomed appropriately and not shave him again--1st and last time trying that foolishness. 
And yea he's a mix, with something short apparently. DNA test said Golden, Lab, German? and there's some daschund in there apparently.


----------



## PalouseDogs (Aug 14, 2013)

K9-Design said:


> Hi! Where do you live? I wish I could help you. Quite frankly, the dog looks awful. He had a pretty bad coat before it was cut.
> Honestly I'd start over, shave him with a 4 blade and let it grow back. You need to find a groomer who specializes in Goldens, someone who shows, to help you get his coat under control.
> Is he 100% golden? I only ask because his pigment on his nose, gums and eyes is brown, not black. Just curious, doesn't matter.
> Sooooo.....Goldens are not created by mother nature. They are not a wolf or coyote. All this baloney about not shaving their coat and their protective guard hair and blah blah blah...throw it out the window. Their coat was created by mankind and doesn't offer the same protection as a natural canine's coat. Plus, I'm assuming your guy is neutered and his coat has changed for the worse. Shaving him is not going to harm him AT ALL and in fact, will probably make him MUCH more comfortable.
> ...


Anney is absolutely right. I get tired of reading all that baloney about how a heavy coat protects a dog from heat. It is complete and utter nonsense. There is a reason wild animals shed their winter coat. I had a husky-shepherd cross when I lived in Texas. I clipped him most years to help him tolerate the heat. His coat grew back just fine. Stop fretting and finish the clipping. Guilty is the last thing you should feel.


----------

