Double coated dogs like Golden Retrievers shed all year round. In this post, I will share 9 best tips to help you manage and reduce Golden Retriever shedding.
Owning a Golden Retriever comes with great responsibility. As a responsible pet owner, you have to manage everything, starting from ensuring nutritional needs to providing training.
The ability to get along with anyone makes Golden Retriever one of the best family dog breeds.
Physical appearance and temperaments are enough to convince anyone to own a Goldie dog. However, it isn’t unfortunately the right breed for people with allergies.
Golden Retrievers shed all year round, which makes them a bad choice for allergy sufferers. But, there are some ways to deal with excess shedding. Before that, let’s understand why and when Golden Retrievers shed.
Why & When Golden Retrievers Shed A Lot?
Double coat is the reason why this breed sheds a lot. Goldens have a thick undercoat and dense outer coat. Their undercoat provides them protection from cold and hot weather. On the other hand, the water-repellent outercoat ensures protection from dirt.
The breed sheds moderately throughout the year, and excessively twice a year – spring and fall seasons.
In the late spring, it sheds to stay cool in the summer. In the late fall, it sheds a lighter undercoat to protect from winter elements.
It is a natural process. There’s no way you can completely stop your Golden Retriever dog from shedding. Be it single-coated or double-coated, all dogs shed to some degree. However, there are some ways to minimize excess shedding.
Also Read: Golden Retriever Coat Stages
9 Tips To Deal With Golden Retriever Shedding
Living with a Golden Retriever means you have to be okay with some level of shedding. After all, this is a double-coated breed.
But, the problem arises when your canine starts shedding like crazy! The good news is, with the right habits, it is possible to minimize shedding to a great extent. Let me walk you through some tips on how to help Golden Retriever shedding:
Brush Daily
The best way to control excess shedding is by brushing on a daily basis. Maintaining a regular brushing routine will remove dead fur and keep your house clean. It will also prevent forming tangles.
When the dog isn’t brushed for too long, it will form big tangles. Removing them can be painful. That’s why the best thing you can do is, brush your Goldie’s coat every single day.
Feed the right food
If your Golden is shedding more than usual, that might be due to the wrong food. Feeding the right food will ensure your canine’s overall health, including skin and coat health. Good quality dog food is quite expensive, but it’s worth it.
From the right food, your pup will get all the essential nutrients he needs. Resultantly, it will improve skin health and reduce shedding levels.
Bathe
Regular bathing won’t just remove dead fur, it will clean all the dirt as well. Not providing regular baths will build up dirt and increase shedding. As Golden Retrievers are water dogs, you won’t have a hard time providing a bath to your Goldie dog.
While giving baths will remove dirt and parasites from the coat, doing it frequently has its consequences.
Doing it too often can reduce natural oils from the skin and make it dry. It is advisable to bathe every 1-2 months.
Get a quality dog shampoo
Every time you give a bath to your Golden Retriever, don’t forget to use a quality dog shampoo. The mistake many people make is they either use human shampoo or cheap quality dog shampoo. If you are one of them, beware! using the wrong shampoo can harm your dog’s skin.
Also, avoid buying a shampoo with ingredients like alcohol, artificial colors, cocamide DEA, and L-sulphates.
Stay away from pills and spray
Pills and sprays are not the solutions to excessive shedding. If you ever come across pills/sprays claiming to reduce shedding, stay away from them. Harmful chemicals in such products will do more bad than good.
Visit a professional dog groomer
A visit to a professional dog groomer will improve your canine’s coat health as well as looks. Even if you are following a regular grooming routine by yourself, it’s still advisable to get your pup groomed once every 1-2 months.
A professional groomer will provide your pup with a good bath and brush. This will minimize your Golden Retriever shedding level to a great extent.
Reduce stress levels
Increased stress levels could be one of the reasons why your dog sheds excessively. Just like we humans lose hair when we are stressed, dogs also shed more when they are stressed.
Some ways you can help relieve your dog’s stress are by:
- Providing regular exercise
- Feeding regularly
- Playing and fun activities
- Giving sufficient rest
- Calming music
Never shave
Shaving is the worst thing you can do with a double-coated breed like Golden Retriever. The breed has two coat layers: undercoat and outer coat. Dual coats protect them in summers and winters.
Many pet owners think that shaving off their Golden Retriever will stop shedding. That’s not the case! In fact, it will result in other issues like skin irritation, sunburn, allergies, etc. And, it may even damage the coat permanently.
To know more, check out this post: Should You Shave A Golden Retriever?
Talk to your vet
If your dog still sheds excessively even after daily brushing, regular baths, nutritional food, and professional grooming, it’s time to talk to your veterinarian.
An allergy could be the reason your dog is shedding more than usual. It could be an allergy due to infestations (fleas, ticks, mites, bacteria, or other parasites), food, or the environment. The vet will tell you the exact reason behind excessive shedding and what you can do to minimize it.
Related Questions
1. Do Golden Retrievers shed a lot?
Golden Retrievers shed moderately throughout the year. During the shedding season, they shed heavily.
2. When do Golden Retrievers shed?
During non-shedding seasons, they shed moderately. In the late spring and late fall, they shed the most.
3. What are the least shedding dog breeds?
Some of the least shedding dog breeds are – Poodle, Schnauzer, Maltese, Irish Water Spaniel, and Portuguese Water Dog.
Unfortunately, Golden Retriever isn’t the one 🙁
4. Is there a non-shedding Golden Retriever?
No, there’s nothing called a non-shedding Golden Retriever.
Final Thoughts
With a double-coated dog like Golden Retriever, you have to get used to shedding. You cannot completely stop your dog from shedding. But, there are some ways you can reduce it.
In this post, I have walked you through effective tips to reduce Golden Retriever shedding. If you don’t notice any results even after implementing all the tips, it’s time to visit your veterinarian.
TRAIN YOUR CANINE! ⬇️
[adinserter block="1"]
