# Golden Coat



## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

My experience with my different dog breeds: My border collies are working bred with moderate coats. They live outside and are relatively easy to keep clean. That said, they get burrs and mats very easily. My show bred dog is a nightmare to keep well maintained and does not dry easily. The shortest coated dogs are much more tolerable. 

My golden is show bred: his outer coat dries well, but I have to blow dry his undercoat or he risks hot spots. He doesn't have a problem with things getting stuck in his coat, but he's also pretty meticulously groomed and he's blow dried pretty much anytime he gets wet. However, mud doesn't stick to him. If he gets mud on his feet/legs/paws or whatever, it comes off very quickly once he's dry and doesn't leave any knots/etc. 

My understanding is a Golden is bred to have a double coat and that comes with its own set of responsibilities. I don't have as many issues as you regarding coat maintenance and don't really have problem walking him in the rain or mud, as if it's just raining, his undercoat doesn't usually get wet enough to need a blow dry, it's dense and does a good job.


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## Pytheis (Mar 17, 2016)

Tagrenine said:


> My experience with my different dog breeds: My border collies are working bred with moderate coats. They live outside and are relatively easy to keep clean. That said, they get burrs and mats very easily. My show bred dog is a nightmare to keep well maintained and does not dry easily. The shortest coated dogs are much more tolerable.
> 
> My golden is show bred: his outer coat dries well, but I have to blow dry his undercoat or he risks hot spots. He doesn't have a problem with things getting stuck in his coat, but he's also pretty meticulously groomed and he's blow dried pretty much anytime he gets wet. However, mud doesn't stick to him. If he gets mud on his feet/legs/paws or whatever, it comes off very quickly once he's dry and doesn't leave any knots/etc.
> 
> My understanding is a Golden is bred to have a double coat and that comes with its own set of responsibilities. I don't have as many issues as you regarding coat maintenance and don't really have problem walking him in the rain or mud, as if it's just raining, his undercoat doesn't usually get wet enough to need a blow dry, it's dense and does a good job.


All of this makes sense. I walk her in the rain and snow regardless. She needs exercise no matter what the weather is, and I don’t necessarily mind her getting dirty (like if we’re going on a hike in the rain, expect mud!). I don’t like when I walk her after it’s rained and the sidewalks are wet, her undercarriage is dingy grey from the dirt sticking to her, and she has to get in the bathtub to be fully rinsed and scrubbed with shampoo because just rinsing doesn’t get it out. Not sure if that’s normal.

Brooklyn is brushed at least three times a week, and to be honest, she has very little undercoat. Her shedding is minimal. Never in her life has she gotten a mat. I also groom her ears and feet so she isn’t overly hairy. Things just stick!


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

Pytheis said:


> All of this makes sense. I walk her in the rain and snow regardless. She needs exercise no matter what the weather is, and I don’t necessarily mind her getting dirty (like if we’re going on a hike in the rain, expect mud!). I don’t like when I walk her after it’s rained and the sidewalks are wet, her undercarriage is dingy grey from the dirt sticking to her, and she has to get in the bathtub to be fully rinsed and scrubbed with shampoo because just rinsing doesn’t get it out. Not sure if that’s normal.
> 
> Brooklyn is brushed at least three times a week, and to be honest, she has very little undercoat. Her shedding is minimal. Never in her life has she gotten a mat. I also groom her ears and feet so she isn’t overly hairy. Things just stick!


Is Brooklyn the golden? 

Felix is a HEAVY shedder. God, its everywhere all the time, and I was not expecting it when I got a Golden! I can see where not having an undercoat would be an issue with the stuff sticking  We don't brush him but once a week, rarely, usually its just a bath and blow dry. I would say at long of your problems may lie in the fact that she doesn't have a very thick undercoat. But, I'm not a breed expert, hopefully some of our more experienced Golden people can chime in


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## Pytheis (Mar 17, 2016)

Yes, Brooklyn is the golden. She’s also allergic to grass, so she gets terrible rashes on her stomach. She’s been to to the vet for it a couple times, and now gets medicated bathes once a week all spring and summer. She’s learned to enjoy bath time, at least. 

Her ears and feet have been groomed again since these pictures were taken.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Pytheis said:


> Brooklyn clearly isn’t to standard and is pet-bred. Her coat is an _absolute nightmare_. Any time she gets wet, it takes her literally all day to dry. She doesn’t tolerate blow driers, so I can’t do much more than towel her really well. Also, every little thing sticks in her coat and it’s a nightmare to brush out. I hate walking her in the rain and snow because it means she’s going to be a muddy mess after. With my shepherd, I can quickly towel him down and he’s good to go. She needs an entire bath. It’s to the point that I decided I never want another golden retriever because it’s such a pain to even take her for a walk without needing a full bath and groom after.
> 
> My question:
> Being not to standard, are my issues with her coat abnormal? Is it normally easy to live with a well-bred golden, or is stuff sticking in the fur and taking a long time to dry par for the course with the breed? You would think with a hunting breed their coats need to be able to shed water, dirt, and other things that get snagged on the feathers.


Is she spayed?

It sounds like she has spay coat. Where it's extra cottony and absorbent? So like instead of her coat being like duck feathers and down, her coat is like a sponge? 

No it is not exactly like that with a golden's coat... assuming you do feed a good diet, bathe at least once a month, blow dry when you bathe, brush at least every other week (and it takes just 2 minutes to quick brush through), keep the fluff trimmed away (like on the ears, feet, tail) or thinned (ears/neck). 

Everyone that meets my dogs has the comment that I must groom them a ton every day and I don't.

I just routinely groom them so their coats stay manageable and healthy.

Getting dogs used to going up on a grooming table and having the dryer go over them - it's a big pain, but it pays off. Grooming your dog becomes effortless and you get what would normally be a 2 hour job done in a 1/2 hour sometimes. Other pay off is not having to struggle with skin issues with your dog.


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## Pytheis (Mar 17, 2016)

Megora said:


> Is she spayed?
> 
> It sounds like she has spay coat. Where it's extra cottony and absorbent? So like instead of her coat being like duck feathers and down, her coat is like a sponge?
> 
> ...


Yes, she was spayed after her first heat, and yes, she does have spay coat. I manage that as much as I can by hand stripping it regularly, but she hates it, so it’s one of those things that neither of us enjoys.

She’s brushed multiple times a week, and I also trim her ears and feet. I do the best that I can to keep on top of grooming! One thing I can’t do is blow dry her after she gets wet. Driers are expensive, and she’s really terrified of the sound and feeling of things blowing on her.

She eats Fromm with a probiotic and fish oil because she can sometimes get flaky skin.

It’s good to know that it may be the spay coat and isn’t overly typical of a well cared for and well bred golden. I intend on getting male dogs from here on out and keeping them intact, so I won’t have to deal with spay coat in them either.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

What is hand stripping?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

"One thing I can’t do is blow dry her after she gets wet. Driers are expensive, and she’s really terrified of the sound and feeling of things blowing on her."

Driers are only about $120 for a basic dryer.

Golden retrievers from a good breeder cost about $2500-3000.

Both are one time costs.

I hate to tell you this, but I would NOT get another golden if you can't get one used to getting a dryer. Even if you get a boy dog, once they get up in age their coats start changing. Only thing different that I would do with a dog whose coat is softening is I would get a stripper (like a mars stripper) and liberally remove excess coat around the bib + trim up trousers and belly line with thinning shears. But that assumes you get a dog who has a lot of coat. Your dog doesn't really have a ton.

If you get a dryer, you just literally train the dogs to get used to the sound of the dryer. It's basically the same as running a vacuum cleaner or running a mixer in your house. As pups, they don't love it - but you can get them used to it.

With the pictures you posted above - it does not look like she has much coat. So if you use a dryer, you would be focusing around her ears and neck. Or areas where the coat grows the thickest. These are probably reasons why I'd want to get a $300 dryer that's got a dial you can turn up and down while blowing around those sensitive areas, however even there - I usually keep the dryer at full blast and just hold the ears with my hand so I never blow INTO the ears.

I'd probably consider changing the food. Best guides for whether food is working is skin, coat, and gut health. If those areas are having problems - I would switch.

My issue with Fromm is I honestly don't see dogs thriving on the food. The coats are poor quality, poor muscle and fat tone (like a healthy layer of fat), etc.


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## Pytheis (Mar 17, 2016)

Megora said:


> I'd probably consider changing the food. Best guides for whether food is working is skin, coat, and gut health. If those areas are having problems - I would switch.
> 
> My issue with Fromm is I honestly don't see dogs thriving on the food. The coats are poor quality, poor muscle and fat tone (like a healthy layer of fat), etc.


She’s been on a ton of different brands. I’ve tried all kinds of different brands, proteins, sensitive skin, everything, and this is the first one that doesn’t leave her starving or cause her to have diarrhea and get rashes. I’ve tried each food out for a minimum of two months each time, and this is the first brand that’s gotten us any progress. She’s been a struggle, that’s for sure. And yes, she’s been to the vet over and over again. They just say she has allergies and is getting older. They’ve run blood tests, including the full panel for thyroid, as well as extensive fecals to check for parasites. Everything came back perfectly fine. I even treated her for parasites just in case. No difference.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Could you post a picture of her?


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## Pytheis (Mar 17, 2016)

mylissyk said:


> Could you post a picture of her?


There are a couple pictures of her a bit further up in the thread. Did you want side pictures or ones from a different angle?


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

I have two goldens, Lily my older girl is from a pet shop. My boy monty is show bred, Lily does't have a crazy long coat but its really thick and takes forever to dry. I think it might be because she literally shakes ONCE and then doesn't shake anymore. Monty on the other hand shakes himself after a bath like 5-6 times at least, and ends up really quite dry after all that shaking. 

Brooklyn might have quite a lot of undercoat that needs to be removed which is making your life difficult, if you can't manage it yourself, I would send her to a good groomer and request that they deshed her for you (basically they will help brush and remove the undercoat, blow it out etc- no shaving) her coat will probably be way more manageable after a session. 

You can also work on conditioning her with a pet blower ( its a must have for me), starting with a hairdryer to get her used to it, giving lots of treats and praise etc. might be a two person job at the start.


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## Goldens&Friesians (May 31, 2014)

My girl April was a conformation bred golden with quite a long coat. Like Megora, I always had people commenting about how much I must brush her. I rarely brushed her except for after a bath (which happened every 2-4 weeks) or if she had gotten into burrs in the woods. I found her to have an extremely easy coat to maintain, but then I am a groomer so have dealt with all types of coats. Spay coat will definitely make stuff stick in the coat more. But a golden with a correct coat should be pretty minimal to maintain. 
I would highly recommend a grooming product called Trophy Line Manely Long Hair. I use the shampoo, conditioner and detangler on all my grooming clients. The detangler in particular I think would help with stuff sticking in the coat-at least it might make it brush out more easily. I put it in after every bath while the coat is still damp or it can also be applied to a dry coat. A little goes a long way.
The dryer would be extremely helpful, but if she doesn’t tolerate it she doesn’t tolerate it. I have had a few clients who have to be mostly cage dried because they won’t tolerate a dryer. Especially if it is introduced later in life. Puppies can learn to tolerate it if introduced early on and used regularly. But it is much harder for an older dog to adjust to. I am wondering if maybe your dog was older (like a year or more) when she first had a dryer used on her?


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## Obedience rocks (Feb 17, 2020)

Mine is a field golden, not the most well bred (next time I’ll do much better). He is incredibly easy to upkeep. He dries easily, and mud/dirt either comes right off as he dries, or rinses/washes off easily as well. Nothing hardly sticks in his coat at all. He requires almost no maintenance except an occasional bath/blow dry, paw trim, and ear trim. I trim his back hocks as well. Will be two years in October, gets wet often, and not one hot spot yet! So mine is very easy, but then again, I only have experience with field/sport bred goldens. The woman I work for has show bred goldens, very beautiful dogs, from a reputable breeder. Her dogs, however, do get dirty much more easily. I guess that’s what comes with having more coat. After a bath/brush, they’re fine. And it doesn’t take them all day to dry...a little longer than mine, who takes literally 30 min, but not that long.


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## goldens9 (Apr 7, 2020)

My first Golden was a show bred Golden from champion show dogs in America and had a thick beautiful longer coat, and long feathers, and long fluffy tail. Yes with that thick coat, took a long time to dry. The issues we learned, were to towel dry out of the pool, then spray on white vinegar to kill any yeast growth or doggy smell. Air dry, Vinegar helps the hair dry faster and prevents hot spots as vinegar kills off the excess yeast on the skin and hair and vinegar is is a natural antibacterial. Yes to prevent tangles, we had to brush the feathers and tail almost daily. I put on suave hair conditioner on the tail and feathers after swimming and after the rain. The hair conditioner made a huge difference, prevented tangles, and prevent less brush or brambles sticking to the hair. Burrs could easily be brushed out if the feathers and tail had suave hair conditioner in it. Just a tiny bit of suave hair conditioner, rub in tail and feathers and it make things so much easier. 

My next Golden was an english cream with a very short light blond hair, more course hair, shorter feathers and shorter tail hair. Her hair never needs brushing, it is short and dries quickly. No need for hair conditioner. Doesn't ever have an issue with tangles. The tail never tangles, not much sticks to the coat. She has no smell as she has no yeast overgrowth, but that is due to a natural lifestyle, raw food, veggies, fruit and no chemicals inside or outside her body. I have never needed to use hair conditioner due to her short hair. I usually do not have to use vinegar either, as she has no doggy smell and no yeast overgrowth.

Every Golden is different, see the parents, to see what kind of coats they have. If the coat is thick, plush and long, then it will be more work, then a shorter haired golden with short body hair and short feathers.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

This is a picture of my almost 8 year old. He is a show bred boy who is AKC pointed, including an owner handled major (really big deal and indicative of his quality).

Couple notes worth sharing - everywhere you see an X, that is where I trim things up + this is a dog who typically is not brushed unless he ran through a patch of burrs and needs them to be brushed out (they come right out), or I've given him a bath and am blow drying him. I usually have a brush in my right hand and the dryer hose in my left. This is especially when drying the "furnishings" and I want to make sure they flow smoothly downward.

After I'm done blow drying, I usually pull out my shears and stripper and do very quick work thinning out the bib/neck area, trimming/stripping out the ears, shortening the feathers hanging off the front legs (they would brush against the ground if never trimmed), trimming the feet, shortening and tidying up the tail, and using a stripping knife/thinning shears to shorten the feathers (the lighter fur) on his belly and back legs (not the trousers, but the skirts between the back legs).

Entire grooming process from bath through trimming the last bit of him typically takes about an hour if I'm being finicky.... 45 minutes if I'm doing multiple dogs and want to hurry up. If I'm showing a dog in summer, they get baths every week. Otherwise, you are looking at baths every 2-3 weeks.

This is a dog that is outside running around our wooded property every day. He does not need to be groomed every day, nor do I typically have to brush him - other than removing burrs.

This is a dog who HATES having scratchy things in his coat, so he will self-groom if I don't brush out his neck and legs (where he typically picks up burs).

Oh and I should add - this type of grooming/presentation would be fine in the show ring. Only thing different is he would be freshly bathed and brushed.

The reason why I'm posting this is because I see so many people whining and complaining about coats on show bred dogs and quickly moving to using clippers to remove the coat... which a well kept coat on a golden is a beautiful thing. And should add, having the tools you need + knowledge on how to correctly groom a golden is a huge deal.

And small thing to add - I have a pool set up on our deck which I refresh every 2-3 days (it's just a fill up pool with untreated water). The dogs jump in there every day, including the boy in the picture. I am not rushing to blow dry right after. They dry just fine on their own. No skin issues. Only thing I really try to enforce is making sure the dogs do not go to bed at night with wet coats.

Skin problems - they are a combination of genetics and practical management/care/grooming.


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## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

FWIW, I've owned 5 Goldens (6 if you count the one I had as a kid). Of the six, one was back-yard bred, two were BYB but from a fairly responsible breeder, and three were from reputable/show breeders. Every one of them was wash and wear. Most I bathed myself every 6-12 weeks and then let them air dry, followed by a "lick and a promise" with a brush through tail, ears and pants (and a few times a year they went to a groomer). Only the one I had as a kid had any problems with matting (mostly behind the ears). I have MANY friends with Goldens and most have the same experience I do. 

That's not to say that there aren't Goldens like yours that can mat badly, but I think that's less common than my experience of "don't do much of anything." I certainly wouldn't let your current experience keep you from getting another Golden. You just want to make sure that talking about coat characteristics is one of the things you cover with your potential breeder...


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## jomiel (Feb 15, 2019)

We do a wash about once a month and whenever I cannot prevent him from jumping into the duck pond  Mud and sand seem to disappear from his coat after he is dry. We go to the beach quite often and he loves to play in the surf. While I have to throw all my clothes directly into the washer, he will look like a blond dog again in an hour.

I do think the conditioner and detangler help with less plant matter sticking to him when we're out on hikes. It's pretty mild here in San Francisco so I only blow dry his neck and behind his ears with a human hair dryer, he is pretty dry everywhere else after towel drying and doing his doggy shoulder dance.

The only thing that bothers me about his coat is how many foxtails could be hiding in there as they have the same color and his thick under coat just holds on to them. We do a quick comb through when we get home from hikes, and before we got booties, I'd still be finding foxtails in his feet on my third search of the night...


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