# Coat conditioning



## CarolinaCasey

How often are you bathing and blow drying?


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## Kira Zoe & Marie

She gets rinsed off when I come back from water field work and regular swimming and bathed before dog shows if need be.


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## whiskey creek goldens

Are you doing field training? The reason I ask is that it is really hard to keep a nice coat when field training. We have held off doing heavy field work work with dogs that we are actively showing as the water and the briers they encounter brake that coat. my advice would be to do one or the other. 

to get your dogs coat in good condition I use cholesterol I slather it into there coat leave it in for a day or to (ya they look horrible) shampoo out and blow dray do the once every other week and pretty soon you will have a nice show coat.

Anyway it works for Miss Mia


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## Kira Zoe & Marie

Yes i do field work with her. I figured it was the field work.

Where can one buy cholestrol ? I remember from years ago I had been told about it and had completely forgotten. Thank you for the great recommendation. Just not sure where one purchases that. 

Thank you
Marie


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## Ljilly28

For the ocean, we use Wupi Magic

For ponds/lakes, Isle of Dogs heavy use and also weekly 30 minute soak in Pro Gro conditioner

Daily spray with Crowne Royal Magic Touch # 2

This is the only way they can do all the outdoor stuff, and maintain show coat


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## SeaGreen528

Does the Colestral change the coat texture at all? Anyone know?


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## hvgoldens4

No-cholesterol doesn't change the texture of the coat. It is just oil, basically.

I would also caution about using Crown Royale products on a daily basis or even every other day. They do have silicone in them and will break down the coat over time. It is one thing to use them at shows, but I wouldn't recommend them for conditioning.

Coat care requires a lot of work. Dogs need to be bathed on a weekly basis and blown dry. If you leave the dog to air dry, the under coat will matt and clump and start to fall out. When drying the dog, I tell people to dry until they "feel dry" and then do it another 10-15 minutes so they are REALLY dry.

Dirty coat breaks and it does not grow so it is important that the hair is kept clean.

I recommend ProGro as a conditioner. It is light weight and doesn't change the coat, but does a wonderful job at keeping it in good condition and helping to bring back coat that needs work.


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## SeaGreen528

Oh wow! Soaked my boy in the colestrol this week. It looked so good! I highly recommend this! 


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## pixyia

Can you please tell me where I can buy cholesterol conditioner for dog? Really interested to try. 

I know this sound silly, but I was thinking for a while, the only pet safe cholesterol treatment i think may work is Mayonnaise..... 


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## CarolinaCasey

You can buy it at Sally Beauty. One of the dog show vendors sells the same one that is on the Sally's shelf. A friend uses Chris Christensen version but it is a chalk helper and it significantly more expensive. If you're rubbing thru the coat Id use the first one. 


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## Vhuynh2

Just curious, do you really have to let it sit for 15 minutes? I am not sure how I would be able to convince Molly to stay in the bathtub and do nothing for so long.


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## pixyia

CarolinaCasey said:


> You can buy it at Sally Beauty. One of the dog show vendors sells the same one that is on the Sally's shelf. A friend uses Chris Christensen version but it is a chalk helper and it significantly more expensive. If you're rubbing thru the coat Id use the first one.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


Thank you for the information. 

I checked sally beauty and found they carry many brands in different versions, can you please suggest me one? How long should I leave the conditioner on him? will it be a problem if he licks himself?


SallyBeauty.com - Cholesterol Conditioners


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## MGMF

You need to wash and blow dry the coat once a week. If you are going to swim your dogs the same time you show maybe plan the swim the morning of bath day. I wouldn't just rinse my dogs after swimming. I would use a good pH shampoo as some water is hard (including tap) on the coat. Make sure they are rinsed really well. Shampoo left on the coat can be damaging. Do not let them air dry make sure you blow them out completely with a dog dryer. If the coat is a real mess brush their coat with the pin brush while blowing out the coat often with the dryer to get rid of the loose dead coat. I don't re-wet them when I am blowing out just for a quick brushing. If you need a conditioner I would use something light. Most important is to keep the skin and coat really clean and I prefer product free unless really needed.


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## CarolinaCasey

pixyia said:


> Thank you for the information.
> 
> I checked sally beauty and found they carry many brands in different versions, can you please suggest me one? How long should I leave the conditioner on him? will it be a problem if he licks himself?
> 
> 
> SallyBeauty.com - Cholesterol Conditioners


This one 
http://www.sallybeauty.com/on/deman.../default/mProduct-Show?pid=SBS-120510&start=4

I don't use it the way WhiskeyCreek talked about so she'll have to weigh in. 

Good luck. 




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## OnMyWay2MyDreams

I need to do some of these things with Lilly's coat. But what are your coat schedules like on a daily/weekly/biweekly basis?? As in what exact things/steps you do? 

Lilly isn't worked in the field but does play outside and loves to dig and just be crazy. She blew coat twice and her front feathers looked horrible so I trimmed them back to make them hopefully grow in better and more even. I noticed this last time bathing and drying her it didn't take me nearly as long. I didn't use conditioner this time because I am worried about changing the texture of her coat. The CCA judges all loved her coat (texture wise). Help! Lol thanks in advanced!


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## MGMF

Onmywaytomydreams,
Washing once a week is for a show schudule. For the dog at home I wash about every 4-6 weeks. More often if they are swimming. I only use a good shampoo and rinse really clean. I always blow them out and never let them air dry. Air drying causes dry skin and knots in the coat. For dogs who are prone to hot spots I am sure air drying would make it worse letting them stay damp all day. Make sure they are on a good diet. I only trim ears, feet and unnoticeable touch ups where needed. For the most part my dogs are left with a natural coat. They should be brushed often with a pin brush to prevent knots. Don't use furminators or any stipping type brushes. Run the pin brush behind ears, under arm pits, down front and back leg feathers and tail. If those back leg feathers need a little thinning I like the oster rake. You can always call your local golden retriever club and ask them if they ever have a grooming clinic. They will teach you how to trim your golden to look natural. Products and tools they use. Sometime you can even bring you dog to work with as an example.


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## pixyia

CarolinaCasey said:


> This one
> Professional Cholesterol Cream Conditioner at Sally Beauty
> 
> I don't use it the way WhiskeyCreek talked about so she'll have to weigh in.
> 
> Good luck.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App



Thx so much!


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams

Thanks for the tips but I need a show schedule..I haven't been able to show her since June! I was doing good with frequent bathes then she decided to blow coat and bit out her butt feathers. She finally is getting them back in but she blew coat again. 

I do have a blow dryer, table, grooming supplies, scissors. I groom/trim her myself. I've been doing it since she was a pup. I don't think I do too bad with getting her trimmed up. The only area I get nervous is her ears.. I always worry I'm going to do too much trimming! 


I'll look into the grooming clinic. Hopefully someone will have one! 

Anybody else with a protocol they use? What about supplements?


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## luv2bnc

I haven't been in this for very long but this is what I do for my boy. Also, he only shows once a month, sometimes twice, but I feel that what I do makes his coat look the best. 

Bath and Blow once a week

Brush out feathers almost daily with a light misting of water/conditioner
...sometimes I miss a day

I usually try to use ShowOff once a week if he gets extra dirty and blow him out between baths with that

I also soak him in cholestrol every few weeks with his bath

That's pretty much my schedule for his coat. I always trim him right before the show. I bath him the day before and blow him out again the day of.


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## sterregold

I won't stop doing field training for the sake of preserving show coat. I want to be able to do triple threat events at specialties and that means they have to be up to speed on their field work. I do try to protect the coat on dogs who are actively showing. I am not actively specialling or going after group placements and such though, as it is just not as important to me.

Before training or hunting I will treat the feathering with Show Sheen or something similar to help keep debris out of the coat, and make it easier to comb out afterwards. This gets rinsed out of the coat when we get home, as silicones left in can make the coat brittle. If we are not somewhere I can do that quick bath I will rinse them with a dilute solution of a tablespoon of shampoo and a tablespoon of vinegar in a gallon of water, and then rinsed with clear water. Keeps the skin happy and the coat clean so it will be healthy.


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