Do Golden Retrievers Shed? How Should You Care For Your Canine's Hair?

Golden retrievers are family dogs who have a lifespan of around 10-12 years with an omnivore diet.

They need proper dog food to maintain their health and also help in reducing shedding. They originated from Scotland and England in the United Kingdom.

They are great guide dogs for a blind person. They have gold to dark gold waterproof coats and hair over their body. It is common that golden retrievers to shed and if you want to stop or reduce their shedding you can also use a home remedy which requires adding a small amount of coconut oil with rich quality to their food in the evening. If you still feel that their shedding is not reducing, then take them to the vet and make sure to groom, brush, and bathe them at proper intervals of time during a week.

If you enjoyed this article, you can also check out dogs that shed the most and do border collies shed.

Are golden retrievers hypoallergenic?

Generally, a golden retriever is not a breed of hypoallergenic dog. They are energetic and possess great strength. They do not shed due to their long furry coat which sheds according to the seasons.

Golden retrievers are a popular breed of dog, especially found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. The golden retriever is prone to warm weather and loves to remain in sunlight, which means they like to live outdoors more than indoors. While keeping them as a pet, we should be warned about golden retriever's shedding. Yes, it is true that golden retriever sheds, and among the major reasons are because of their double coat and their nature of shedding seasonally.

What time of year do golden retrievers shed most?

A golden retriever has three types of regular shedding patterns, starting with seasonal shedding, puppy coat shedding, and shedding after neutering and spaying. They shed during the spring and fall season of the year and also shed throughout the year, in small amounts, but they do.

Both spring and fall seasons have to do with a golden retriever shedding. Therefore, your golden retriever shed during that time. During spring they get rid of their thick undercoat and during fall they overcome their lighter summer coat by shedding. You do not have to put much effort into controlling any kind of shedding. Just groom, brush, and bathe your golden retriever and provide them with a healthy balanced diet filled with nutrients, proteins, vitamins, and minerals that will keep them healthy and away from any health issues and diseases. Make sure your golden retriever does not bring any disease from other dogs while playing because sometimes, they may get a disease from other dogs.

Why do golden retrievers shed?

A golden retriever is a dog breed with a double coat, which consists of an outer coat, undercoat, and a thick oily waterproof coat that fulfills the criteria of having a double coat. The dog's coat makes them more familiar and comfortable with the different types of weather, and accordingly, they shed.

Shedding is beneficial for golden retrievers because when these double-coated dogs shed, the old hair gets removed from their skin, allowing new hair to grow. The undercoat manages the temperature of their body as per the weather and a thick undercoat will grow before they shed all their old hair during the spring season. During summer, a golden retriever generally requires less hair on their body, or else they will start shedding to keep themselves cool. There could be various reasons why golden retriever's shed including some health issues, stress and not getting a properly balanced diet. They begin to shed their puppy coat at the age of six months and from then, they become habitual to it. After developing adult coats, they shed moderately all time, especially during the spring and fall seasons.

The Golden Retriever's Coat

Coats of a golden retriever are the main part of their body which plays a major role and keeping them cool, even if it is extremely hot. The double-layer coat of a golden retriever is very helpful to them. Golden retriever shedding is also a part of their routine and you can not completely get rid of it.

We can just use various methods to manage their coats by minimizing them or reducing them in such a manner that it may not affect them. Goldens are double-coated dogs, with a top coat and undercoat, and owners must remember brushing them to avoid excessive shedding. De-shedding tools have been used by the owners of the golden retriever to remove the dead hair from their skin so they may grow new hair and this process works simultaneously while thinning out. Those who have golden retrievers as a pet must know of this tool as it makes it easy for them to keep their dog shedding free and also their home free from their hairs all around.

Golden Retriever Shedding Frequency

A golden retriever generally sheds a lot throughout the year, which means you will constantly find some of their short hairs on your furniture, carpet, walls, clothes, or other corners of the house and most commonly on the floor. If you have carpets in your house then it is very common that you find golden retriever hairs on them. This is quite normal for dog owners.

Mostly golden's shedding takes place during the spring season or the fall season. High powered dog hair vacuum is needed by dog owners especially during these seasons when excessive shedding takes place. Golden retriever shedding takes place during these seasons so that they can grow new hair as coats for the summer and winter seasons. During the spring season, they get rid of the thick winter coat and are ready to lose hair and grow new hair for the summer season. Regular grooming and brushing of your golden retriever are required to keep them clean and to maintain their good health also to keep your house clean and safe from any kind of health issues. You will see a lot of loose furs stuck to the retriever's coat after you brush them.

Should I shave my golden to help reduce shedding?

No, never try shaving their fur to manage the problem as it is not a good idea to do so. Instead, it can cause them to lose hair excessively. Shaving will lead to sunburn or heatstroke in your goldens and will take time for the fur to grow back.

Their hair will grow in the same direction, but whether the density will remain the same or not is unknown. Therefore, shaving should not be used for stopping shedding. If you see excessive shedding even after applying home or professional remedies to reduce or stop them, then consult your vet and ask for a better solution because it may happen that there may be some other issue which you may not figure out at home and therefore guidance from a vet is a must.

Are there any health reasons for increased shedding?

You should be concerned if there are any health-related issues that are leading to excessive shedding in their golden retriever. Several health factors can lead them to lose more hair than usual. Mostly shedding is quite normal and natural, but still, there are some health issues that may lead to shedding in your golden retriever.

The first very common disease could be an allergy which may cause irritation to your dog's skin and therefore excessive hair loss is seen in them. If allergy is the cause of shedding then immediately consult your vet regarding this and figure out the source of this allergy, it may come from the dog's food, their shampoo, or bacteria from outdoors. Parasites like fleas and ticks can also be a cause for a golden retriever's shedding, it may cause an itchy feeling in their skin, and therefore again hair fall takes place, golden retrievers should be vaccinated timely with their flea and tick dose. You should ensure that you use anti-parasitic flea shampoo and sprays to prevent shedding in golden retrievers, and one of the major factors that can cause shedding in golden retrievers is stress. Stress can be caused by various reasons like shifting home or making changes in home dynamics, or changing interior sizing, and moving around furniture. This all can lead to loose fur among them.

Is my golden retriever shedding too much?

It is a common question asked by dog owners whether golden retrievers shed or not and if yes then how they can stop it or try to make it less frequent. Many dog owners consider golden retriever shedding as a serious issue and this may result sometimes as one of them because sometimes it happens that the golden retriever's shedding is because of some health issues.

Retrievers are double-coated dogs and therefore shed a lot. If your golden retriever sheds, then there are also solutions to reduce it as this does not make them bad or a reason you dislike them, they are one of the best dog breeds to be kept as pets because people love their company. Vaccinating them with all doses is a must which will keep them away from parasites and bacteria and they will lead a healthy and good life with their owner as well as other family members in their surroundings. You just need to manage their shedding in ways that there are no side effects to them and it works as well.

How to handle golden retrievers' shedding?

There are some natural as well as professional ways that can be used to take care of your dog shedding or it may help to manage or reduce it. If you think that they will completely stop shedding then here you are wrong because of their double coating it is not possible with golden's, some hairs will still be shed them and you will find it in your clothes or furniture or even the carpets.

The first step is to make a schedule that includes proper brushing, bathing, and grooming and this should be done at least three times a week and if you are not able to brush them daily which ends up forming knots in their hair then simply make use of a slicker brush and try to brush them properly for at least two times per week. If you will brush them within proper intervals of time then less hair fall will be seen on your carpets and furniture, use a good quality shampoo and which will make them enjoy the bath, and then they will willingly want that. Tangling issues will also be reduced and solved if you will brush them daily or two to three times per week. Make sure your golden retriever coat remains healthy and strong and this could only happen if their diet contains high-quality nutritional food and try avoiding low-quality food as it may affect their health which will lead to shedding. Healthy food will keep your dog stress-free and away from any health issues and also it will keep the dog's hair healthy, high nutritional food also has the ability to fight against any skin problems your golden retriever is suffering through. Omega 3 oil will help in regaining your dog's strength and shine of your dog's coat. Diet rich in fatty acids will also work with these dog breeds as it will keep the dog's coat strong and shiny.

Use normal shampoos for brushing and washing them because many dog shampoos contain a high quantity of chemicals which is not good for their coat as well as their skin. It may cause skin problems or allergies. Many people also wonder if they can use a furminator to treat the golden retriever shedding problem. But excess of this tool is also not good, make sure you use it once in a week and then see the results whether it is properly working or not, brushing your golden retriever with this tool avoids skin or any health problems and will also reduce the problem of matting and tangling in their fur. Ensure that you use this tool gently as it is very sharp and can also hurt your goldens therefore use this in the direction of the hair growth and not in an opposite one and use only once or twice a week as it is abrasive over the dog's skin.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for do golden retrievers shed, then why not take a look at do Labrador retrievers shed, or golden retriever facts.