Retriever Rescue

We were wondering whether it would be a good idea to take Solo for a trim? He is our first retriever and we are just worried that he might be getting a bit hot with this nice weather. What is the normal thing to do (he does get brushed every other day anyway). Any advice or suggestions would be welcomed. Mind you, when we say trim, we dont want to spoil his lovely coat.
Thanks.

hi, i think normally a trim would just be tail and leg fur to tidy them up. i just keep brushing charlie which helps thin the fur out, plenty of water and somewhere shaded. access to a paddling pool helps i've been told, not tried this out yet, be prepared to get wet !! hopefully someone might reply with more tips.

Hi PaulZ.

I think lisa is right. If you take Solo for a trim, they will normally give him a shampoo, and trim the hair on his feet, tail, ears, under his tum, and generally tidy him up. Ella is just starting to lose her winter coat and plenty of brushing should speed up the process. In 4 to 6 weeks she will look quite 'slim'. This is all normal


Once they get going they 'shed' a lot come the cold weather it all comes back again. All part of the joy of having a goldie

I've got to say, learn how to do it yourself. It's not difficult. I've trimmed Goldens and stripped terriers and I dont even own these breeds!

Have a look at a few photos of Goldens in the show ring to see what it is supposed to look like, although remember, a pet dog can be trimmed a little harder and less often than a show dog.

Start off with Thinning Scissors and lighten the neck, shoulders and trousers a little. Shorten up the fur around the toes by pushing it down from the top with your fingers then trim it from under the paw. Then it's just a matter of tidying up the feathering. Aim at a nice rounded line along the underside of the tail and longer feathering at the top of the leg tapering lower down the leg. Comb the fur out away from the leg then trim.

I always prefer scissors with rounded ends rather than pointed when dealing with dogs. A sudden move on the part of the dog is far less likely to result in injury.

Regards, John

I would never advise anyone to have a golden groomed it is so traumatic apart from anything else it isn't neccessary. It is so easy to tidy them and some groomers have no idea and shave them off. We have only to look at some of the Goldens that come in to us to see the mess that is made by some professionals.. If you are down this way sometime call in and I will show you what to do and how to do it. But definitely no coat touched.

Thanks Jan, I was just worried he might be too hot but will keep up with the grooming as we both seem to enjoy it.

I have to admit I trim my two after being expertly taught by Jan... it does take time to get used to it, but found that the more you do it the easier it does become, I do it in stages, ears are the worst for me as Paddy never likes them doing, feet, etc no problem.
Do bits at a time you can always take more off but never put it back on..

Hi Paul

We have just had our Retriever clipped for the first time as he is much longer haired than our previous 4 retrievers. We stayed with the groomer all the time, having explained that we had just got him from the Rescue and that we didn't want him being stressed too much. The groomer was wonderful, fully understood the reasons why we wanted to stay and really took her time and gave him a good trim. She used thinning scissors on his longer areas but didn't use clippers at all.

I hope that you have many happy years with Solo but a word of warning - once you have a Goldie they capture your heart. His photos look wonderful and he has obviously settled in well with you. Enjoy