Grooming your Golden Retriever is something that should be started fairly early in their life. The sooner they get accustomed to this process the easier it will be as they grow up.


If your golden retriever is already a year or two old or more that’s ok too. They will get comfortable with it in no time.

Even if you take your dog to a professional groomer periodically, you still need to keep your golden retriever looking good, and feeling good between visits.

Once you get the hang of it, you can do it in just a few minutes, and your pet will thank you for it.

Golden retrievers have a double coat that is quite thick. You Do Not want to wash them very often. This can damage their coat, and cause skin problems.

When you do wash them it is a must that you use shampoo made for dogs. If you use a shampoo made for people you will dry out their skin and cause problems.

If your take your golden retriever to a professional dog groomer, they will wash your dog every time, because this is part of what they charge you for.

This is why you want to do a lot of the in between grooming yourself, so you don’t have to go to the professional groomer every month. That is just too much soap for a golden retrievers skin.

I personally recommended that under normal conditions, you should not wash golden retrievers more than three or four times a year.

If their paws and legs get dirty frequently, just rinse those areas with a hose, or let the dirt dry, and then brush it out if possible.

When grooming your dog I start with a brush made for dogs. Give your dog a thorough brushing, being careful around sensitive areas, such as the eyes, ears.

As the brush gets clogged with hair, remove it from the brush so it will continue to remove excess fur from your pet. I have found it best to have a plastic bag handy to dispose of the unwanted hair.

When you are finished brushing, switch to a comb. Any stiff comb will work, but I prefer a metal comb that is made for dogs. It will have rounded ends on each tine, so it won’t hurt your dog’s skin. Look for any hair that is tangled.

Common places to find tangled mats of hair on Golden Retrievers are behind the ears, on the rear end, and on the tail.

If you do find these try to gently pick them apart using the end of the comb. This usually works fairly well. These can be painful to your pet so try to be careful.

If you cannot pick them apart with the comb, I do not recommend trying to cut them out with scissors. The reason is, it can be very difficult to determine where the tangle ends, and the skin begins. A groomer, or veterinarian will have an electric trimmer that will remove them easily, with no harm to your dog.

Use the comb to put the finishing touch on your entire pet. It will give a nicer appearance than the brush. It is also a good time to check your golden retrievers skin for any signs of a rash, and to also be on the look out for fleas and ticks.

This would be a good time to clean your dog’s ears. Golden retrievers are prone to ear infections if their ears are not kept clean.

You can get an ear cleaning solution at any pet store, and it only takes a few minutes to do. You can also get an ear cleaning solution from your veterinarian that stops ear infections from starting, or cures them if your golden already has one.

If they shake their head a lot for no reason, it could be due to an ear infection. Cleaning their ears involves squirting some of the cleaning fluid in the ear, and squeezing gently on the lower part of the ear.

When you let you dog loose he will probably shake his head to expel the fluid, so it’s a good job to do outside. Finally, put some of the cleaning fluid on a cotton ball, or tissue, and gently clean inside the ear as far as you can easily reach.

Last on the list is to trim your dog’s toe nails. For this you should get a tool, available at any pet shop that is made for this purpose.

It makes the job much easier. Be sure to only trim a little at a time. If you trim too much the nail will bleed, because there are nerves and blood vessels in them, and it is painful for your dog.

While you are working on the paws, look at the bottom and see if there is excessive fur sticking through the pads.

If your dog gets a lot of exercise, especially on cement or asphalt, like walking on sidewalks, it usually is not a problem.

If there is excessive fur sticking through the pads you should trim it off, using a pair of scissors, but be careful not to cut the pads on the paws.

You do not have to cut the fur that close so there should be no reason to get near the pads.

If you are going to use scissors for trimming your
Golden retriever during grooming, I would suggest you purchase a pair that has rounded ends, like doctors use to remove bandages.

That way if your dog moves suddenly, you won’t stick him with the point of the scissors.

There are products available at most pet stores that you can spray on your pet and then towel dry and comb. They are usually called something like Quick Groom or Waterless Bath.

They make your golden retriever look and smell great, and help avoid excessive washing with soap. They are quick and easy, and I have used them successfully for years with no problems.

The grooming process may sound complicated at the moment, but I think once you try it a couple of times you will find it is actually pretty easy. It is also much less expensive that a dog groomer, and a lot less hassle.

I have always groomed my golden retrievers, with the same methods I stated here, and it takes me about fifteen to twenty minutes per dog.

Once your dog gets comfortable with the process it should go very smooth. In the beginning when they are not sure if they like what you are doing, they will sometimes try to chew on the brush as you brush them, or roll on the ground instead of sitting still, but that should end after a few times.

I usually keep a leash on my golden retrievers when grooming them, just to give me a little more control.

Pictures and instructions on grooming your Golden Retriever

Keep your Golden happy, healthy, and obedient

Dog grooming can be very easy once you and your dog get comfortable with it. With a little trial and error, and a little patience you will soon seem like a pro, and your Golden will look great.


Golden Retrievers tend to shed a lot of hair. In order to keep them looking as they should they will need weekly grooming. I have found that about a half hour a week seems to do the trick.

Once you and your golden get familiar with the routine it gets rather easy and even enjoyable. You will start to see yourself becoming a pretty good dog groomer.

Golden Retrievers have a two layer coat to naturally protect them in the water, and from the elements. The down side of this two layer coat is that it is prone to get matted and tangled if not groomed on a regular basis.

If this happens it could mean a trip for some professional dog grooming, because sometimes it’s hard to tell if you are cutting out the matted hair or skin.

Regular combing and brushing should prevent this from happening. If you start this on your Golden at an early age they will become familiar with the process and there should be no problems.

Brushing your Golden is also a great time to examine them for any fleas or ticks. You also want to look for any cuts, open wounds, or skin problems that you might otherwise not notice. Take some time to trim you dog’s nails.

Using a pair of dog nail clippers trim them carefully taking off a small amount. If you take off too much you will hit the “quick” and they will bleed. You can stop the bleeding with a styptic pencil.

This is also a good time to check you dog’s ears and clean them if necessary. Golden Retrievers are prone to ear infections, so keeping them clean is important. You should clean you dog’s ears once a week with a good ear cleaning solution.

Trimming a Golden Retriever should be kept to a minimum. The only areas that usually need trimming are the hair inside the ears, a little trimming on the outside of the ears, the hair that grows through the pads on the bottom of the paws, the hair on the bottom of the tail, and the hair on the back of the hind legs.

These areas should only need trimming about once a month. It is best to buy a pair of scissors with rounded tips, in case your dog moves suddenly at the wrong moment.

Washing your Golden Retriever should also be kept to a minimum. They have a double coat to protect them, and washing to often can damage that coat. Always use a shampoo that is made for dogs. Using a shampoo that is made for people will damage a dog’s skin and strip the protective oils from the coat.

You can also use a dry shampoo that works well. Under normal conditions washing your Golden about every 8 weeks should be fine, as long as you are performing the weekly grooming.

Dog grooming may not be for everyone, but it will keep your Golden Retriever looking great, and should save you some money. I also think it is a great way to bond with your dog. They seem to love the attention.

Photos And Illustrations On Grooming Your Golden Retriever

Groom Your Dog Like A Pro At Home