# First Grooming - Help!



## swishywagga (Nov 13, 2012)

Hi and welcome to the forum. Charlie is a very handsome boy, his coat will grow back to it's formal glory, it's happened many times to others. I'm sure Charlie doesn't mind that the groomer got a little scissor happy, hope you enjoy it here, I'm sure others will be able to offer plenty of advice too!.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Welcome to the forum!


Try to Google info on grooming Goldens. My club has had people demonstrate this from time to time.


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## Goldens&Friesians (May 31, 2014)

Hi! I am a professional groomer. His groomer didn't go horribly short, so he should grow back just fine.  I am curious, did you specifically tell the groomer you only wanted the feathering shortened a bit? Because if you just said you wanted him trimmed a bit, most groomers would interpret that as a whole body trim because that is what a lot of people want. From the photo, it looks like she used an attachment comb and did a longer all over haircut; which indicates to me that she does want to follow your instructions-most groomers who aren't any good or at least aren't very knowledgeable would've taken a 10 blade and shaved him bald. For myself personally, I do not do whole body trims on goldens (or any other double coated breed) based on research that I've done suggesting that leaving the hair is in the dog's best interest (unless they can give me a veterinary note stating a medical reason for needing to be shaved/trimmed). But I do trim up feathering if the owner requests as some owners just like to make the coat a bit easier to manage. I would guess that if you got very specific with the groomer you used, she might listen to you. Tell her you want her to trim only the feet and the pants (butt feathering) and you want about x inches off the pants. Or you want 3 inches left on the front leg feathering. Or you want a sanitary trim (a trim around the private parts to keep him cleaner). Or whatever. Tell her you don't want anywhere else trimmed. I could be wrong, but just by looking at the photo, I'm guessing this groomer would probably listen to your requests. I like it when a client is very specific because it doesn't leave me guessing and having to try to read their mind to figure out how they want the dog to look. And we groomers are human too, we make mistakes; maybe give her a second chance and if she still doesn't do it how you want, then consider going elsewhere. That said, a golden is a fairly low-maintenance breed that isn't terribly hard to do on your own at home. If you choose to groom at home, there is a great tutorial from the Morningsage website: Morningsage Goldens Grooming. Use the drop down menu at the bottom of the webpage to go to the other grooming tutorials. One thing I do want to point out is in her list of grooming tools she mentions a furminator. I believe she means for it to be used as a stripping tool, not as a brush for removal of undercoat. The furminator is actually something I would never use on a golden as it will cut and damage the coat. Hope this is helpful!


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Aw, he doesn't look too bad. What cracks me up is that the groomer didn't do behind his ears, yet took body coat off. 
Be sure and comb there so he doesn't get mats behind the ears.
The Morningsage Goldens site is a wonderful tutorial. You can do it yourself as long as you have the right tools.


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