# Grooming guidance for new Golden owner



## EmmaJeanWeinstein (Jan 31, 2021)

Hi Golden Retriever folks,

We’re raising our first dog, a now eight-month-old Golden named Laika. I’m looking for help with her grooming routine - we had been taking her to a groomer once a month for a bath and nail trim (and at the last appointment asked for a sanitary trim) but her fur always comes out dry and choppy and looking worse after the grooming appointments, and the shedding ends up even worse too. I’m thinking of adjusting to the following DIY plan, but wanted to see if I’m missing anything here to get a nice shiny coat:

(FYI she’s on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach and we got her from Dottie Anne’s Deep River Goldens so nutrition / genetics are covered.)

7x week - brush teeth and give OraVet dental chew
4x week - mist fur with water and a few drops of Chris Christensen Day to Day Conditioner; brush out using Maxpower Double Sided Undercoat Rake Comb and then Chris Christensen 20 mm Oval Pin Brush
1x week - clean ears with Virbac Epi-Otic Advanced Ear Cleaner (she has recurring ear infections)
1x month - bath (at DIY dog wash) with #1 All Systems Super Cleaning and Conditioning Pet Shampoo; blow out and brush
1x month - nail trim
As needed - trim paw, ear, and tail fur


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

Bumping up.


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

That’s quite a lot for a pet dog. If she’s on a high quality food and is intact (for now), a biweekly bath and blow dry with intermittent brushing is enough to keep her coat shiny and healthy. An intact dog with a healthy coat shouldn’t actually shed that much (except for hormonal coat blows) and doesn’t need to be brushed nearly that much, IMO (and I have a show dog). You can overbrush a coat just like you can your own hair (or even teeth).

Goldens are supposed to be pretty low maintenance as far as keeping a coat healthy goes. Food, genetics, and baths keep a coat growing and healthy and cut down on shedding.


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## Oceanside (Mar 29, 2021)

EmmaJeanWeinstein said:


> 7x week - brush teeth and give OraVet dental chew
> 4x week - mist fur with water and a few drops of Chris Christensen Day to Day Conditioner; brush out using Maxpower Double Sided Undercoat Rake Comb and then Chris Christensen 20 mm Oval Pin Brush
> 1x week - clean ears with Virbac Epi-Otic Advanced Ear Cleaner (she has recurring ear infections)
> 1x month - bath (at DIY dog wash) with #1 All Systems Super Cleaning and Conditioning Pet Shampoo; blow out and brush
> ...


IMO the first two items on your list are overkill, but the rest (ears, bath, nails, trimming) is fine and I can see that you’re committed .

A dog shouldn’t need to be conditioned and raked 4x per week IMO. You’ll get various opinions on here but perhaps you can just replace this step with brushing out with a slicker brush and using the rake only occasionally when needed.

I also personally don’t think a dog should need their teeth brushed daily unless they have some deeper issues going on, but nevertheless some people do it. I never brush my dogs teeth, I give a marrow bone once a week and a good diet and they are pretty much always spotless.


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

goldenlover41 said:


> IMO the first two items on your list are overkill, but the rest (ears, bath, nails, trimming) is fine and I can see that you’re committed .
> 
> A dog shouldn’t need to be conditioned and raked 4x per week IMO. You’ll get various opinions on here but perhaps you can just replace this step with brushing out with a slicker brush and using the rake only occasionally when needed.
> 
> I also personally don’t think a dog should need their teeth brushed daily unless they have some deeper issues going on, but nevertheless some people do it. I never brush my dogs teeth, I give a marrow bone once a week and a good diet and they are pretty much always spotless.


I agree with you on the raking. Doing it that often will make the shedding worse and it will damage the coat. My show dog only get select areas raked when she’s in full coat prior to a show. My non-show dog only gets raked after a bath. And maybe once or twice in between baths, if I go longer than usual.

@EmmaJeanWeinstein if you are wanting to undo the damage that the groomers have done, just bathe and blow dry weekly with nothing else - yes no brushing and definitely no raking - for a month. Condition feathering only. If you condition the top coat too much, it will make it soft and incorrect. The top coat shouldn’t feel harsh, but it shouldn’t be silky either.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

7x week - brush teeth and give OraVet dental chew -> OK.... Only thing is this is going to get old very quickly for both you and the dog if you are brushing her teeth every day. Once a week should be fine. Unless she is one of those that gets a lot of tarter on her teeth (dry mouth vs wet mouth) - which case, play it by ear. Once a week is still more frequent than many do though.

4x week - mist fur with water and a few drops of Chris Christensen Day to Day Conditioner; brush out using Maxpower Double Sided Undercoat Rake Comb and then Chris Christensen 20 mm Oval Pin Brush => One caution to throw out there is this plan is fine if you are bathing every week or every other week. But conditioner will build up in unwashed coat and could hurt more than it helps. Greasy coat. 


1x week - clean ears with Virbac Epi-Otic Advanced Ear Cleaner (she has recurring ear infections) => maybe have somebody check her ears if she has a lot of hair around her ears or there is something causing the ear infections (like the kibble), you could stop the ear infections completely. Personally speaking, any ear treatment that involves flooding the ear with cleanser can rock the boat a little too much..... I'd personally just use this after baths/swimming or other occasions where you know an ear infection will follow if you don't do anything.


1x month - bath (at DIY dog wash) with #1 All Systems Super Cleaning and Conditioning Pet Shampoo; blow out and brush - OK

1x month - nail trim - I'd probably trim nails weekly 2-3 times a month. Will be less stressful for her.

As needed - trim paw, ear, and tail fur - OK


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## sevans (Jul 18, 2021)

I would be concerned about a recurring ear infection- especilly in a pup. Have they tested to see if it is an actual infection or is it yeast? If it’s either- just cleaning isn’t going to definitively clear up the issue. Oddly enough- diet can influence ear condition. Also- keeping the interior of the ear clear of excess hair can help with air flow.


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