Golden Retriever - To Clip Or Not To Clip?

[Golden Rules]

Ok.. thanks everyone! i dont think i'll clip her again... ;)

She looks gorgeous! Are you in Perth? Are you coming to the next DOL meet? :D

[Sunnyflower]

Any double-coated dog which is kept mostly indoors will normally have a thinner coat than the equivalent kept outdoors. Some of this is because under "artificial conditions" (ie lights, heating etc) the dog will normally shed constantly whereas a strictly outdoors dog will have definite shedding periods, usually twice per year.

That explains a lot for me.. Oscar sheds constantly all year round..

I just love the black tumble weeds that roll thru my house every day..

[Sankari]

OG: Your girl is just beautiful. My golden Charlotte is inside most of the time but during the day is outside. I have had her 2yrs and she has a lovely big thick wavy coat. She rarely sheds pretty much only twice a year. Except this year i am still waiting for that summer shed... Hasnt happened as of yet. I also know of a local golden who is very cream young maybe around 12 to 18 months who sleeps outside and has a complete opposite coat to Charlotte.

To the OP firstly she's very pretty. Second I would never clip a golden, i have done it in my grooming days and the ones who came back each summer for their clip their coats just did not look right. Like others have said, they need their coat for insulation etc but looks like you've made the decision to keep your goldie in coat which is good.

I have a clam shell pool for my girl which she lays in there nearly all day rarely gets out of it She is a big water baby. Maybe you could get one for her :D ours broke last night so i'm off for late night shopping to grab another at Kmart for $30

[Odin-Genie]

OG: Your girl is just beautiful. My golden Charlotte is inside most of the time but during the day is outside. I have had her 2yrs and she has a lovely big thick wavy coat. She rarely sheds pretty much only twice a year. Except this year i am still waiting for that summer shed... Hasnt happened as of yet. I also know of a local golden who is very cream young maybe around 12 to 18 months who sleeps outside and has a complete opposite coat to Charlotte.

To the OP firstly she's very pretty. Second I would never clip a golden, i have done it in my grooming days and the ones who came back each summer for their clip their coats just did not look right. Like others have said, they need their coat for insulation etc but looks like you've made the decision to keep your goldie in coat which is good.

I have a clam shell pool for my girl which she lays in there nearly all day rarely gets out of it She is a big water baby. Maybe you could get one for her ours broke last night so i'm off for late night shopping to grab another at Kmart for $30 ;)

Thanks LucyCharzie. Most of the goldies I have met are at the dog park who are clipped regularly. Their coats look heavier, but coarser as well. I like my goldie's soft coat. I took her clam shell out recently and filled it with water. She was sooo excited. She would step into it, do a few zoomies, step in again, repeat

My elky who hates water looked at her as if she's crazy!!!

[Odin-Genie]

I have a clam shell pool for my girl which she lays in there nearly all day rarely gets out of it She is a big water baby. Maybe you could get one for her ours broke last night so i'm off for late night shopping to grab another at Kmart for $30 ;)

Hey, one more question, if your goldie stays in water all day, is she ok being wet all day?

When my goldie had a hotspot, the vet told me to never leave her wet for hours. He said I should dry her immediately to avoid getting hot spots.

[Mim]

Hey, one more question, if your goldie stays in water all day, is she ok being wet all day?

When my goldie had a hotspot, the vet told me to never leave her wet for hours. He said I should dry her immediately to avoid getting hot spots.

Definitely not on a humid day. The hotspot is caused because the moisture is trapped in the coat near the skin so of course on a humid day there would be more moisture hanging around in the air and it's not going to leave the coat. On a very hot day I don't think there'd be a problem as she'd probably dry out thoroughly if she decided she'd had enough of the water.

Sarge seems to be prone to hotspots and I always blow dry him well after a bath/swimming but these past few days we've had that have been hot, I've let them spend almost all day in their pool and then dried them after. I think because there's a flow of water and it's not the same little bit of moisture brewing away that it might be ok. But really I have no idea

[Sankari]

She does dry very quickly after she has been in the pool and the minute she starts drying she goes back in. Goldies who have such a water drive like mine its almost impossible keeping her out!

I didnt mean she is in there all day without getting out, worded it wrongly i meant that she is in and out of it all day but does lay there for long periods on very hot days. If she is wet once the heat has gone i do blow dry her. On humid days i dont tend to let her out or i cover the pool up with the other side and put a brick on it as she knows how to open it unless something is put on it to keep it closed.