# New pup could use a groom



## Vantica (May 23, 2013)

My husband and I just adopted a 3 year old this week. Having a dog is pretty new to us, never mind grooming. She's got a little matting in a few areas, like under one of her ears and behind her legs and I'm not very confident in dealing with that myself yet so we were thinking about taking her to a groomer the first time. From what I understand goldens don't really need cutting, just a lot of brushing. So my question is, what do I ask for when I go to a groomer? Google searching tells me that even groomers who say they are experienced in grooming GRs don't always get it right so I'd like to know what I'm asking for when I call.

Also, Roxy tends to sit when she pees, not squat. It's rather strange and I'm worried about her hind end getting a bit yucky. Would it be a good idea to have her trimmed back there a bit?

Thanks for any advise!


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

I'd ask around a bit and see if you can get a referral to a good groomer. If she's never been in a grooming salon before it will loud and scary for her, and having a good calm groomer would be important. I've found the smaller independent shops to be a bit better than the chains which IMO seem to have a lot of staff turnover and less experienced staff.

Re: the mats, the groomer shouldn't have to do much cutting unless they are really bad. Goldens are supposed to be a natural dog. People tidy up their show dogs but even there if it's obvious the dog can lose out with the judges. So I'd tell the groomer to tidy her up with minimal trimming or snipping. 

There's a good section on here on grooming--techniques, tools, etc. Take a look through there at some point. Goldens are pretty easy to keep nice and it will save you a lot of money doing it yourself. 

Re: the peeing. Has Roxy seen a vet yet? You might ask him/her. She will get messy feathers if she's literally sitting in her own pee. Not sure what to do about that!


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## Vantica (May 23, 2013)

Yeah, I was looking at a few smaller places around that seem to have good reviews. I have no idea if she's ever been to one before.

The mats I've found aren't too bad, but I'm just not confident with taking scissors near her ears. Lol. I found one groomer with a service called "bath and tidy". I'm kind of assuming this is what I'm looking at doing with her? 

We got some brushes and a comb for her, and I'm pretty sure she's used to it because she sits nicely when I start brushing. I noticed the brush pulling out a few minor mats so that's good.

She has seen vets at the shelter, but I haven't taken her to one yet myself but we're planning on it within the next week or so. I noticed a little more of a squat this morning as opposed to a sit. I think even if she sits on the grass, that's not as bad as the concrete which I saw before. At least there's drainage in the grass so hopefully she won't get too messy. Lol.




OutWest said:


> I'd ask around a bit and see if you can get a referral to a good groomer. If she's never been in a grooming salon before it will loud and scary for her, and having a good calm groomer would be important. I've found the smaller independent shops to be a bit better than the chains which IMO seem to have a lot of staff turnover and less experienced staff.
> 
> Re: the mats, the groomer shouldn't have to do much cutting unless they are really bad. Goldens are supposed to be a natural dog. People tidy up their show dogs but even there if it's obvious the dog can lose out with the judges. So I'd tell the groomer to tidy her up with minimal trimming or snipping.
> 
> ...


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## JayBen (Aug 30, 2012)

I would try to get the matts out yourself. Do you have any pictures so we can see what she looks like? Goldens really don't need much trimming. There's nothing wrong with a more natural looking golden.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

You may want to contact the local gr club and see if any members offer grooming. They would be my first choice over a chain groomer. 


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## janababy (Jan 2, 2012)

If you happen to visit the vet before you get her groomed, ask if they could do the trimming in the troubled areas. That way you can stay with her incase she gets frightened. Our last Golden had terrible matted fur behind his ears, he would not let me touch them We would have the vets shave the bad spots when he had his check ups.


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## Vantica (May 23, 2013)

JayBen said:


> I would try to get the matts out yourself. Do you have any pictures so we can see what she looks like? Goldens really don't need much trimming. There's nothing wrong with a more natural looking golden.


I didn't really want to trim her. That's what I wanted to be sure of what to ask for so that she wouldn't come home without her pretty hair! Lol.




> You may want to contact the local gr club and see if any members offer grooming. They would be my first choice over a chain groomer.


I didn't even think there could be a local club! That's a good idea.




> If you happen to visit the vet before you get her groomed, ask if they could do the trimming in the troubled areas. That way you can stay with her incase she gets frightened. Our last Golden had terrible matted fur behind his ears, he would not let me touch them We would have the vets shave the bad spots when he had his check ups.


Too bad I didn't read this before I went to the vet on Saturday!! That would have been a great idea. We haven't actually taken her anywhere yet because it's been raining....lol.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Here is a nice How-To on removing mats from behind the ears.

How to Remove Mats From Dog Hair | eHow

This is the mat splitter I've used.








I find that most dogs do NOT like having their ears touched and handled, when we groom Bear and he fidgets, we break out this treat called a Likkety Stick and it keeps him pretty occupied. 

depending on how close the mat is to the fur, you might have to work on 1/2 of it before battling the parts closest to the skin. 

DO NOT wet the mat, because as it dries, the matt will simply get tighter and tighter. I know i've used a detangler before, just be very careful not to get it in the eyes. 

Some mats have been so bad, that we've had NO choice BUT to shave them off. The hair will grow back and it's a fresh start. I perfer to try to work the mat out, but if the dog is uncomfortable or works himself into a tizzy, it's better for everyone all around to just have it shaved out (if it's against the skin) or trimmed out when possible. 

My boy has these whispy hairs behind his ears, so we're CONSTANTLY brushing his ears to make sure they don't mat. 

Good luck!!


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Congrats on your new girl! If your pup is fairly new to you, suggest giving her a couple of weeks if not longer, even a month, depending on how she quickly it happens, to settle in, get to know you and you her, and begin to trust and bond with you before exposing her to a, quite possibly, new and stressful situation. I have fostered and adopted rescued dogs and found that giving them that time to relax and adjust makes it easier for them to 'handle' (emotionally) those new and sometimes stressful situations that crop up.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I use a spray bottle of water mixed with a little bit of Cream rinse when I brush my girl. If she has a knot, I lightly spray the knot then brush it out.


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## Vantica (May 23, 2013)

Thanks! I think I actually have a mat splitter I bought years ago for my old cat and it never really worked very well.....but that could have been a different kind of fur, or a cheap splitter. Pretty sure I still have it....though I might have to get a new one.

The mats have already gotten wet as it's been raining. Lol.....but luckily they haven't gotten too much worse yet. I've been playing with them a little just to get her used to me touching her ears more. She doesn't seem to mind, but I haven't done much more then that so who knows! The treat idea seems like a good one. Might help with brushing too. She doesn't mind the slicker but is wary of the comb and rake for some reason. Wants to lick them.




Brave said:


> I find that most dogs do NOT like having their ears touched and handled, when we groom Bear and he fidgets, we break out this treat called a Likkety Stick and it keeps him pretty occupied.
> 
> depending on how close the mat is to the fur, you might have to work on 1/2 of it before battling the parts closest to the skin.
> 
> ...


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## Vantica (May 23, 2013)

Good point......and we were thinking of putting it off for another week at least (especially since it's been raining, lol). Never having had a dog though, how do you get to the point where you know she's settled and trusting?




Charliethree said:


> Congrats on your new girl! If your pup is fairly new to you, suggest giving her a couple of weeks if not longer, even a month, depending on how she quickly it happens, to settle in, get to know you and you her, and begin to trust and bond with you before exposing her to a, quite possibly, new and stressful situation. I have fostered and adopted rescued dogs and found that giving them that time to relax and adjust makes it easier for them to 'handle' (emotionally) those new and sometimes stressful situations that crop up.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Vantica said:


> Good point......and we were thinking of putting it off for another week at least (especially since it's been raining, lol). Never having had a dog though, how do you get to the point where you know she's settled and trusting?


For us, you can tell the dog is settling in when they stop pacing and searching the house. When they fall asleep out in the open. Things like that. It took Bear probably two weeks to really realize this was his new home. 

In regards to the mats getting wet In the rain - it's ok. I was referring mostly to baths. Lol. Life happens though. So the worse that happens is the mat has to be shaved out.


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## Vantica (May 23, 2013)

Oh, so by the second day? Lol. She never really paced at all. She slept at our feet by the couch right away the first night and that's her preferred spot when we're sitting down, if she's not playing with a toy, and will sometimes lay stretched out in other places. She does follow you everywhere though, but we're not sure if that's normal for her or not. lol




Brave said:


> For us, you can tell the dog is settling in when they stop pacing and searching the house. When they fall asleep out in the open. Things like that. It took Bear probably two weeks to really realize this was his new home.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Vantica said:


> Good point......and we were thinking of putting it off for another week at least (especially since it's been raining, lol). Never having had a dog though, how do you get to the point where you know she's settled and trusting?


 
For me it would be when the dog is at the point where they are responding to their name by looking at me when they hear it, can be encouraged to come from a short distance away, showing no signs of hesitation, nervousness or avoidance of touch when approaching. Ears down, body lowered, tail lowered or tucked and still not wagging, avoiding eye contact, lip licking, panting (out of context - hasn't been exercising and is not hot), slow movements are all signs of nervousness (stress). Some dogs will settle in quickly, within a couple of weeks, others will take much longer (depending on their history).


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## Vantica (May 23, 2013)

Charliethree said:


> For me it would be when the dog is at the point where they are responding to their name by looking at me when they hear it, can be encouraged to come from a short distance away, showing no signs of hesitation, nervousness or avoidance of touch when approaching. Ears down, body lowered, tail lowered or tucked and still not wagging, avoiding eye contact, lip licking, panting (out of context - hasn't been exercising and is not hot), slow movements are all signs of nervousness (stress). Some dogs will settle in quickly, within a couple of weeks, others will take much longer (depending on their history).



Well, this doggy language thing is still new, but I'm working on it. The only nervousness or avoidance we can see is when the cats get too close, or other dogs. We're not too sure about her name.....but I think she's getting there. She'll usually come when we call unless we're out walking and she's distracted (can't wait to start training!), and especially if we have a treat. Her tail is usually pretty loose or wagging unless she's concentrating on something. She does lip lick sometimes and pant a little when nothing is happening, but the rest of her seems calm so I haven't been able to figure out what this means or what's causing it. I think she was taken care of pretty good before she was surrendered. The reason given was they couldn't afford to take care of her. She seems like such a good dog to us, but we did meet someone on our walk who said it can take a few months for their true personalities to come out.


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## SammyinBC (Feb 19, 2013)

Another sign they are happy and situated -- to me anyways, was when they start sleeping on their backs all spread out with their feet in the air! - That's a happy dog


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## Vantica (May 23, 2013)

SammyinBC said:


> Another sign they are happy and situated -- to me anyways, was when they start sleeping on their backs all spread out with their feet in the air! - That's a happy dog



I think that would require her to leave our feet. Lol. I love it when dogs sleep like that.....super cute!


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

If your pup was well treated and loved, then she is probably settling in quickly. Each dog is different. Bella took a while. She was scared of me for weeks although she started warming up quickly. I think she still has some settling in to do. She's almost there, but she still shies away by reflex sometime. She does sleep on her back though.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

My good friend Leanne Tucker is a groomer in Calgary and she shows goldens. Her website is Home - Tucker Golden Retrievers - you can contact her there. Best of luck!


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