Due to the golden retriever’s long feathered coat daily grooming is essential to keep your dog healthy and well, the golden retriever is particularly known for it’s beauty and to keep it looking beautiful you not only have to groom it daily but also occasionally trim the coat. Grooming can either be done by yourself or if you prefer a visit to a dog grooming parlour, if you want to look after your dog yourself then you will need several items and these are:

Unless your name is Dr Dolittle then of course you aren’t going to be able to actually “talk” with your retriever in plain English, however this doesn’t mean to say that you cannot understand what your dog is trying to tell you and for sure your dog understands basic words that you take the time to teach them and to some extent your body language.

When it comes to what your dog is telling you then it is all about watching their behaviour and the way they move, just as people use facial expressions and their hands when talking and getting a point across, your dog will use their head and of course their tail to help get what they want, how they feel and their point across to their owner. You can also come to understand how they are feeling and what they want through the different barks and whimpers they make, in fact some of these are simple, such as if a stranger walks up the path then your retriever may bark or even growl if he senses danger and this is telling you “hey watch out”. While this is just one example of a way your dog is communicating with you there are many more and with time and understanding it can be like the two of you are having a regular conversation. Your retriever will show you signs of being alert and ready to communicate, whether they want to be left alone, if they are scared, feeling playful or if they are in a bad mood.

Your dog’s stance will tell a lot and if your retriever is feeling playful and wants to rough and tumble with you or chase a stick then he will show this in the body movement. The whole body will appear to be very relaxed and your dog’s ears with flop around freely as they move with no sign of tension, the tail of your retriever will almost be certainly wagging and their mouth will probably be open a little, this is similar to you smiling when you are happy. One of the most common signs that your retriever is in a playful mood is when he goes down onto his belly with front paws outstretched and his rear end stuck up in the air.

If your retriever is feeling very scared then he will be full of tension and probably whimpering quietly with the occasional deep throated growl. He will have his tail tucked between his legs and could even go into what is called the submissive position which is on his back with his legs in the air.

If your retriever is alert and waiting for a response from you then his tail will be wagging slightly, he could be whimpering or whining quietly and almost certainly his head will be moving from side to side in anticipation of what is to come. Communicating with your retriever will take time, it is like getting to know a person and the more time you spend together the easier it will become for you to understand each other and communicate.

Due to the golden retriever’s long feathered coat daily grooming is essential to keep your dog healthy and well, the golden retriever is particularly known for it’s beauty and to keep it looking beautiful you not only have to groom it daily but also occasionally trim the coat. Grooming can either be done by yourself or if you prefer a visit to a dog grooming parlour, if you want to look after your dog yourself then you will need several items and these are:

• A brush.
• A comb.
• A pair of straight edged scissors.
• A pair of thinning scissors.
• Nail cutters.

While your dog will benefit from daily grooming trimming of the coat will only have to be done when it becomes untidy, it is better to remove a small amount of hair over a couple of days than try and do it all in one session. Some important points to remember when trimming your dog are:

• It is better to be on the conservative side when trimming, you can always take more off but you cant stick it back on.
• Always make one or two cuts with the trimming scissors then comb to see what the coat looks like before continuing.
• Never make the cut across the hair.
• Always push the scissors underneath the top layer keeping an upward movement.
• Always keep running the comb through the coat as you trim.

Before you begin trimming make sure you have brushed and combed your dog thoroughly being very careful of any tangles your dog may have in the coat. Where you start is up to you but usually professional groomers will start with the feathering on the hind quarters, before you start hacking away take a good look at what actually needs trimming.

If hair is hanging over your dogs hock then it needs trimming above the hock, pay attention to the tail the correct length should be reaching to the hock and trim if necessary. Always remember to cut twice and comb and cut on the conservative side, slowly work around your dog and if they are showing signs of boredom then leave it until tomorrow.

Of course this is stating the obvious but never try to groom a dog that wont stand still, you could not only cut away too much hair but also risk injury to the dog.

If you are unsure or nervous about tackling the trimming then maybe a better idea would be to take your dog to a professional groomer and ask if you can stay and watch them trim before tackling it yourself.

Nail cutting

Your dogs nails will need to be trimmed occasionally and this can be done just as you would your own with nail clippers. Just as you can hurt yourself if you cut the nails down to the quick then the same will happen if you cut your dogs nails too short.

Only trim the very tip of your dogs nails, if you don’t think you have took enough off then cut again but bear in mind not to cut into the quick as it will bleed and could make your dog very wary of letting you near them again.