# Shaving Goldens



## Cam's Mom (Apr 13, 2007)

Makes me sad too. We had Bailey hand clipped to about and inch when he first came to us...awful skin problems, scabs everywhere. The dermatologist ordered the scissor cut..and NO shave. Sunburn is a real concern. As well as lack of protection from the heat.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I don't get it either. Daisy had to have her leg and part of her back end shaved, including her butt feathers on one side, when she had ACL surgery. Her regular hair grew back soon enough but it took a YEAR to get her butt feathers back !! I just can't see how people who shave their goldens ever get to experience the full glory of their natural beautiful coat and feathers. I think it's very sad.


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## Champ (Jun 10, 2006)

Champ has been shaved a bunch of times before, because my parents don't listen to me. They think it'll make a difference with shedding, but I told them it's just shorter hairs. He hasn't been shaved in quite a while now though, my parents want to, but I think they are sick of hearing me complain when I see him shaved. :


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## TiffanyK (Mar 3, 2008)

Makes no sense to me. DH is not a golden lover, per se.. like i am, but he loves our goldens because they make me happy and he's sweet to them. I mnetioneed this to him one day; about some people shaving their goldens and even he was baffled!!!! We love to sit on the porch swing and watch our goldens prance around! Even DH has commented lately about how pretty Maggie is and has noticed the golden in Nala (hound mix),,,It's fun to have DH notice butt feathers - LOL


Tiffany


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## ErinJ (Jun 19, 2008)

We've only had to shave one golden, from a really bad skunking. And we tried for months to get the smell out before resorting to it! He was a big boy, and when he was bald he looked like a bratwurst on stilts!  Poor dude. He took it well, but he was not happy.


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## Adriennelane (Feb 13, 2008)

We were in Petco a few weeks ago and saw what we presumed to be a shaved golden with only a puffy tail. Both Bart and I were totally floored at it, and it just looked so sad!


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## Mary Beth (Sep 23, 2007)

I didn't know that their coat protected them from the heat, I thought it made it worse, but I wouldn't shave Maggie, her coat is nice & shiny and soft. We love the butt feathers, the kids tease her about her 'butt hair' and she just wags her tail lol.


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## Riley's Mom (Jul 6, 2008)

I work at PetSmart so I see lots of shaved goldens. Our groomers don't like to do it, but that's what the customers want. We also have a few labs that come in and get shaved too. People just don't understand that dogs shed wheather the hair is long or short.:no: My Riley has a gorgeous long coat and I would NEVER think of shaving him. I had a hard enough time shaving his hot spot a few weeks ago.

Stacy


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## wabmorgan (May 6, 2008)

Mary Beth said:


> I didn't know that their coat protected them from the heat, I thought it made it worse, but I wouldn't shave Maggie, her coat is nice & shiny and soft. We love the butt feathers, the kids tease her about her 'butt hair' and she just wags her tail lol.


The FIRST thing they shaved was his but feathers.... I was just like SHOCKED!!!!!!!! Poor Golden.... he looked sad about it to. 

I had to have my late Jean-luc shaved in a couple of spot due to hot spots... but that is another story. He also had to have a couple of spots shaved due to minor surgery. 

It TAKES forever for that fur to grow back. 

Junior will be 8 months old on the 13th.... his long featherly coat is just starting to grow in well..... it is so pretty. Also... I don't know if it is becuase he is still a puppy or what... but his fur is just as soft as can be!!!!!!!!!!!! :heartbeat


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## Bogart'sMom (Sep 16, 2005)

If I wanted a short haired retriever I would just have a Lab. I have never shaved my Goldens but have seen it many times before. 
The only thing I do is brush and trim the feathers and stragly hairs.
Yes it's easier to keep them clean and the fur doesn't mat when they are shaved. It's just a shame.


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## Memphis & Holly's Mom (Feb 16, 2008)

I saw 1 golden that had been shaved but was growing in....the lady had found it wandering and it had so many fleas & ticks and skin problems they had to shave it to treat (or this is what she said) her skin looked pretty good, but you could tell there had been problems...plus the ribs were sticking out pretty badly...but the woman said 'she has gained 4 pounds in over 5 days' it was a pitiful sight...but a lucky dog to have been found and taken care of. The lady said they named her Time...because they found her 'just in time' to save her. 

Holly got massacred (not sure of spelling) when she was spayed...the vet is great..but the person who shaved her took way too much off and on one side she has a V in her fur...thankfully it's growing in..but my poor girl...maybe that is why she's acting up lately...she's having bad fur days...LOL I can't imagine shaving a golden...their butt feathers would take ages to come back in I would think..and they just look so gorgeous with their coats...Memphis has the lion's mane around his face and I just love that!!!


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## s6m1l88 (Mar 12, 2008)

Pdhaudio and I were just talking about this the other day.

There's a golden at my grandparents cottage that is shaved and it floors us each time we see him. I wish people taking their dogs to the groomer would do a little research first! If there's a reason such as a skunk smell or something I understand but to do it because you think it makes them cool, those people need to learn a little and do the research it takes before they buy another golden.


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## Champ (Jun 10, 2006)

Here is a picture of Champ when he got shaved in April of last year when he had a major case of the fleas. I don't know about you guys...but I still think he was adorable! More handsome with his fur and more cute and puppy-like without it!


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

Rookie goes to a doggy daycare a few days a week. The woman who picks him up and drops him off said that he is one of a handful of dogs that continues to run around and play even in the heat. The shorter-haired dogs are more sensitive to the heat and much less active, but Rookie keeps right on playing. That's not to say the heat doesn't affect him. I do notice he is a little more mellow around the house on a very hot day, but it doesn't affect him enough to stop him from playing with his dog friends!


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## Adriennelane (Feb 13, 2008)

Bogart'sMom said:


> If I wanted a short haired retriever I would just have a Lab.


No kidding. We love Lucy's velvety fur. It makes her Lucy, darn it! We even hated it when her belly was shaved when she was spayed.


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## rosie way (Apr 6, 2008)

one of the reasons i wanted a golden (since i was 7 years of age!!!!) is because i loved there long golden coat.


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## Fransheska (Mar 9, 2008)

ive seen goldens in the lion cut lol its funny, but sad. 
lion cut looks like this:


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

I really cringe when I see a shaved golden. Yes the coats do protect them from heat. I hate the "it eliminates shedding" argument. No it doesn't it just means smaller hair will rain everywhere. I like that golden hair when it sheds is light it blows behind my doors and I don't have to see it 

A few years back I had been bad about keeping up with Max's coat. She is all undercoat, it is so soft and fluffy. Then we went up north for a week of swimming. She got ALL matted. I took her to a groomer and they were all mad at me, your the groomer that is why I brought her in. :uhoh: They talked about shaving her. I said "you are NOT shaving my dog" they said they would have to. I said "give her back to me", and left. I took her to another facility and they brushed her out and she looked BEAUTIFUL. Didn't charge me extra either.


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

A guy I know hs 2 dogs that I had seen pictures of but never met. I always thought they were yellow labs- guess what- they were shaved goldens! I asked him don't they get sunburned or have skin problems? He said no, and they pretty much keep them shaved or cut short. I can't imagine doing it to Tucker- even though he has not gotten his full coat yet, we love his coat. We also love seeing older dogs with their beautiful coats- can't wait to see how Tucker's comes out.


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## raptorman (Apr 17, 2008)

Keiko has a hair cut. I'm not sure if they shaved her or hand clipped. I can't say that I totally hate it, she does shed less. I would never do it but her previous owners did it, I know they did it because they thought she;d shed less, and I think she was probually matted up, they took her to the groomers before we picked her up, so I think it was a home job gone bad. She looks like a lab with a golden tail:doh:.
I can't wait for her fur to grow back in, I love a beautiful golden and their flowing fur(yeah, all over the house LOL). I'll try to post some new pictures.


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## MILLIESMOM (Aug 13, 2006)

We shave Millie every year. A close cut in May then a longer cut in Mid August. I know everyone does not agree about the cuts. Millie does enjoy it. As soon as April gets here and starts to warm up she is always panting and is very uncomfortable she had a heat stroke when she was a puppy. She scared the beejeebers out of us. My groomer does a beautiful job. She looks so cute when she gets to the puppyfuzz stage. The second cut is not as short and she is in full coat by November. Her coat always come back beautiful.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

Mine had surgery a few weeks back to remove a tumor on her back and a big cyst on her side. She's doing fine BTW. But I almost had her clipped so all the hair would blend in better. Didn't do it and glad I didn't. The hair on her back grew back quickly and slower on the side. Hew coat is a thin one anyway so she didn't look that bad after surgery.


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## goldengirls550 (Jun 12, 2008)

personally, i think shaved goldens look ridiculous. when you expose the undercoat the dog is no longer protected from the heat as well as before. shaved coats are not pretty and no matter how "well" a groomer does it, it does not even compare to a golden in a full groomed coat. the coat is one of the things goldens are known for. the breed standard calls for no clipping or cutting unless its neatining the breed. if people shave their goldens, they should not pick a breed with medium hair and feathering.

sorry to vent but i strongly believe in keeping the coat natrual. i think people should keep their pets in a pet trim if they like but shaving is just absurd unless a medical condition or EXTREME matting exists.


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