During our evening walk today, I saw it again. Another Golden Retriever, shaved (robbed!) of his beautiful coat. Looking back, over the years I have been consistently asked about how my golden can ever stay cool with so much hair and whether I ever trim his hair or shave him? And I have always resisted the temptation to explain in detail how the coat of a golden retriever and countless other dog breeds differ from other breeds like a Bulldog or Boxer.
So here is the indisputable answer to the question –
Should I shave my Golden Retriever? (during summer or to prevent excessive shedding)
No. You should never shave a Golden Retriever unless a vet asks you to for medical reasons. Golden Retrievers have a double coat. The undercoat helps them remain warm during winters and stay cool during summers. The top coat also known as guard hair acts as a natural sunscreen by reflecting the sunlight. A Golden Retriever’s top coat is also water repellent which makes him a much better swimmer than regular dogs. Shaving a golden can have serious negative impacts on it’s health.
People see a panting dog on a hot summer day and immediately conclude that the amount of hair must be making the golden miserable. Look at how much he is panting! Most of these people have no idea that the double coat serves specific purposes, including preventing the dogs from extreme temperatures. Both cold and hot! So how exactly does a double coat keep someone cool on a hot summer day? Read on…
The Double Coat and Summers!
Double coat refers to an undercoat of short woolly hair, and a top coat of longer hairs known as guard hair. In Golden Retrievers, this top coat is water repellent also. Depending on the breed the undercoat might shed with change of seasons. In Goldens, shedding generally occurs year round, but you might see more shedding during certain months, which might be due to change of seasons. This means that a dogs body knows when to reduce or increase the amount of hair it has and we do not need to “help” them by trimming it too short or even worse, shaving it off completely.
A thermos maintains the temperature of a hot or cold drink. This is possible due to the insulated walls of a thermos. An insulator prevents the cold or heat from seeping out. This is exactly what happens when a dog with undercoat is in extreme temperatures. During winter this undercoat traps the body heat and prevents it from seeping out to the colder outside environment. In summer, the undercoat prevents the outside heat from reaching the dogs body.
The top coat in goldens also acts as a natural sunscreen and reflects sunlight.
The Real Cost of Shaving a Double Coated Dog
Imagine walking on a beach on a hot day without a shirt. You will get burnt pretty fast. Imagine instead of wearing a hat on a hot sunny day, you shave your head! You will probably be exhausted in a matter of minutes.
The same logic applies with your dog too. Shaving a golden exposes their skin completely. A dog’s skin has less layers than humans, which means it will get sunburnt much faster without a protective coat.
The undercoat is supposed to shed naturally in most breeds. Shaving might lead to patchy hair growth and a myriad of skin issues. Sometimes the hair doesn’t grow back, which bascially leaves your dog unprotected from heat, cold, wind, sand and every other element under the sun.
Tips to keep Golden Retriever Cool during Summer
Brush Brush and more Brush. Brushing your golden helps loosens the hair which helps better air circulation during walks.
Dogs do not sweat like humans. They can however dissipate heat by conduction. Our dog loves to lay flat on his belly on the cool tiles in our bathrooms.
Spray water on them and turn on the fan. This is essentially what happens when a human sweats. Evaporating water will take the heat away from your dog’s body. You can also keep cold water soaked towels on your dog, or leave them on the floor. We have also used a Cool Mat and our Golden seems to use it a lot during warmer days.
If you are going out for walks, choose early mornings or late evenings just before sunset. Always carry plenty of water and take regular breaks in the shade. If you see the tongue of your dog flared up, immediately stop the hike, find shade or better take him back home and let him cool down. This is a sure sign of overheating!
Tips to Manage Shedding
Notice how I said “manage” shedding instead of “prevent”. This is because a golden and most other breeds of dogs will shed year round. Shaving does not prevent shedding. As soon as the hair starts growing back, they will start shedding. Only difference is the hair will be too small to be seen by our eyes. It is a misconception that short haired dogs shed less. They shed as much as long haired dogs. We just do not see as much of it.
To manage shedding, groom your golden regularly. Give them a bath every 4-6 weeks during summer, and 6 – 8 weeks during other months. After every bath brush them thoroughly.
Brush them daily if possible, or at least every couple of days.
Last but not the least, if you are still thinking of buying a golden, understand that they shed almost their whole lives. Living with Pet hair would become a norm in your life. If you have trouble dealing with this you should not get a golden.
Is It Ever OK to Shave Your Golden?
The only times it is OK to shave your golden is at the Vets. Unfortunately if your golden has a wound which needs dressing or further examining, requires a surgery, or needs to undergo a scan like a MRI, the vet will have those specific areas shaves. If this happens, you need to take extra care of your dog while the hair grows back. Keep the shaved area clean, specially when the hair is growing back. Since the undercoat, which is thick and closer to the skin, grows first, it can trap a lot of dirt. Also during the first few days your dog might feel extremely itchy due to the short hairs poking his skin when he sits or lies down. We have found that applying coconut oil to these areas gives a lot of relief. Do note that your dog might love the smell and taste of coconut oil and might end up licking it off. We make sure that we massage the coconut oil gently into his skin and wait for sometime (we brush the rest of his coat in the meanwhile).
I Did Not Know Any of the Above. I Shaved my Golden. What should I do?
Well first of all hug your dog. He does not know how bad this is for him. Here is what do you do keep an eye on your golden retriever
Make sure that he does not get sunburned. Apply lots of sunscreen if you have to take him out during daytime
Try to apply some sort of moisturizer. This might help him with the itching that will accompany as soon as the hair starts growing back. We have found coconut oil to be excellent moisturizer. Watch out though. Our golden loves eating it, so you will have to either distract him or put it on him when you know he will be asleep (yeah right!) .
Certain type of foods might help in faster hair growth. Eggs and Fish oil are known to be rich in Omega-3 which promotes hair growth. Consult your vet before giving any new kind of food.
Give more baths. As mentioned before, the undercoat grows first and this undercoat is thicker, shorter and has more tendency to accumulate dirt and grit. More frequent baths (every 3 weeks) will make help remove these.
One of the most endearing qualities of a Golden Retriever is it beautiful coat. This coat serves multiple purposes apart from being aesthetically pleasing. Taking care of it’s coat should never involve shaving it!