should you shave your golden

Each summer I receive many emails from families asking about “shaving” their Golden Retriever. Should you shave your golden?

I did some research and found there is a risk of changing their coat when shaving them. It could either grow back thicker or not grow back properly at all. This is due to the double-coat that Golden Retrievers have.

Some people want to shave their Golden Retriever thinking it will keep them cooler, but this is not true. Goldens have two coats — the long outer coat and the soft fuzzy undercoat. These two layers work together to protect the Golden’s skin from sun, heat, cold, and moisture. Their fur acts as an insulator against both the heat and the cold.

Our English Cream Goldens swim a lot in our Golden Pond during the summer and being in Arkansas we have humidity (lots of it.) We used to have “hot spots” continually when we first started Wisteria Goldens, until we changed their food.

If your Golden Retriever swims a lot and the hair stays wet creating hot spots, then this is a risk you might want to take, but most hot spots are eliminated when feeding a high-quality food, such as TLC or Life’s Abundance, that does not have corn, wheat, or soy, the highest allergens to Golden Retrievers.

Should you shave your golden?

There are health risks to shaving your Golden as well — skin cancer. When you cut the hair it exposes the skin to the harmful sun rays, just like it does for us, so they are more susceptible to sunburn and skin cancer, as well as other cancers.

Just something to consider in protecting the health of your Golden Retriever.

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