Opal Mine Kennel
OWNER’S MANUAL
Important Points:
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Time to Go Home
American Kennel Club (AKC) Registration. Your registration form for your puppy is included in your puppy packet which you receive(d) on take home day. We have filled out the blue portions & you will fill out the red portions on both sides. Be very careful when you fill out the form otherwise the AKC may return it if they have questions, you’re missing information, for corrections or erasures. This form is very important so DO NOT LOOSE IT. The AKC will only accept the original form. It also must be turned in within one year. If you do not mail it within a year it is very likely that the AKC will refuse to issue a registration and you will be without “papers” for your pup. Make a copy of both sides of the form before you send it in, in case it gets lost. This does happen. This form is the transfer of title from the breeder to the buyer. It is also used to formally name your puppy.
What's in a Name?
Call Name. Take time after your pup is home to come up with a call name. You will want to think carefully because this is the name your dog will use for a its lifetime & you will use it every day. The goal of a name should be for it to be easy to say with only one or two syllables. You will also want it not to sound like another pets name, family members name or an obedience command. For example, the command “no” is too similar to the name “Beau”.
Always use your pup’s name linked with a positive. During times when you want to get his attention, this is what you want him to respond to by coming with his tail wagging. Don’t call your dog with anger in your voice. You don’t want your dog to relate his name with something unpleasant. If your puppy gets out of the yard and runs for the street, you want to know that if you call his name he will turn and run back to you with his tail wagging, not continue into the road.
Registered Name. The registered name doesn’t need to have any relationship to the call name you choose. Often we use themes for our registered pup names, so it would be difficult to incorporate the call name into your registered name. Themes are important to us because they help us quickly link your dog to the litter they came from.
Have some fun with this & be unique. Your puppy will care our name “OPALMINE as the prefix for their registered name. The registered name needs to fit in the blocks provided on the registration form, excluding punctuation. There are situations where the AKC may accept a longer name but you can’t be sure of this. If you use a name that has been previously registered then the AKC will add a numerical suffix at the end of the name and this is not desirable so please run registered name choices by us to avoid this. For example, if you want to call your dog: OPALMINE PRINCESS & it is taken, then the AKC would change it automatically to OPALMINE PRICESS I.
Your pups call name should be short and easy. Their registered name should be unique and include the prefix "OPALMINE".
House Training & Crates
Okay, let’s see … No, no no! They don’t come potty trained! That is not a part of what we do but we do get them started and can be somewhat reliable unless you leave them for too long. Possibly by four to five months & more likely by six months we would hope that they would be most reliable. This is really up to you and your commitment to the task.
Crate Training. We believe that crate training has many benefits but it is a great method for house training. It works!! Dogs are den animals and feel a natural sense of security within confined spaces. Our dogs LIKE their crates; it is not cruel to use a crate to confine a dog. The best advantage of this is that it is instinct to keep their crate (den) clean. If the crate is the correct size they will not typically potty in the crate. During the first couple of weeks, you may need to block part of the crate by placing a cardboard box inside the crate to reduce its size. If the crate is too big then the pup won’t have the sense of being enclosed and it will not create the natural denning instinct. Most of the time that won’t be necessary but occasionally it does happen. Typically though, most pups do everything they can to keep their home clean. Gradually, they do learn to respect your house as their home too.
You will want to contact the vet if your pup does excessively urinate in his crate & there hasn’t been excessive water intake. It is possible that it may be a urinary tract infection as it can be common in pups but must be treated.
How it works. As soon as you take your puppy out of his crate, take him outside to the spot you have chosen for his bathroom. If you use the same door each time your puppy will begin to go to that door to tell you when he needs to go out. We pick a specific area for our dogs to use for their potty area. It makes clean up easier because we know right where to find it and keeps everyone’s shoes clean. This area must be picked up often, as pups do not like to go in dirty places and use your whole yard if allowed to. You also will want to keep this area clean because pups like to eat poop and it gives them bad breath plus it really isn’t a desired trait. It is a normal, instinctual behavior in a dog & not a sign of something missing in their diet. Some dogs eat poop and other dogs just don’t.
Ideas on how to help your pup feel at home in his crate give him toys and feed him there. Water is not good to put in the crate because they love to swim in water dishes. Also, what goes in must come out.
To start crate training, if you cannot supervise your pup, crate him. As he is more trustworthy, you can begin to extend his time out. He will gain more of your trust as time passes and you can gradually increase his supervised “loose time”. Every pup is an individual so the process of potty training will differ with each individual pup and owner. The key with any training is consistency. Be consistent with the crate and with letting him out to go potty. Correction and praise are critical during this training because it is the best way for your pup to learn. You must gradually increase the loose time or your pup will never learn to be out on his own. They have two speeds: on and off so after they play hard they will sleep very sound. After a nap, they must be taken outside. After eating, they must be taken outside.
Accidents happen. This is how his puppy learns if he is pleasing you. They are a good opportunity to give a gentle correction, just remember to balance it with praise. After you correct, take the pup outside to their area. The pup just might finish going potty outside. If so, praise him. If not, then set him up to earn praise with something like a short game of fetch and praise him when he returns with the ball.
Accidents are however YOUR fault. You weren’t watching. Puppies have very distinctive body language for urination and defecation. If you watch, you can see the posture develop and can scoop the puppy up to deliver him outside in the potty area. Use the word “no” if you are too late but DO NOT give a correction if has been more than 2 seconds as the pup will not understand after that length of time. The same applies to chewing, you must correct them when they are caught in the act or you will confuse him. On the opposite end, praise must be given within 3 seconds to have meaning and 1 second is much better. It is important for the pup to make the connection between the act and your training response.
The method of crate training is an advantage because it gives your pup a place to call his own. It is common to find a pup fast asleep in their crate with a toy. It’s similar to a sleeping baby safe in their crib.
Establishing a pattern of time in and out of the crate is important. As soon as your pup is let out of the crate, make sure to take them outside. There can be no exceptions to this. This means that you don’t release him from his crate until you have the time to take him out and stay with him. This is what he has been doing since he moved from the whelping box (approximately 3 weeks of age) to the exercise pen. After he goes potty, praise him lavishly. This needs to be a commitment even in the worst weather so keep an umbrella available plus a couple of towels to dry him. Golden Retrievers love the rain and typically will not know when to come in. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Make sure during crate training that your pup is getting plenty of exercise. As he is maturing, he will be able to control his urges, so give him opportunities to prove himself (supervised of course). If you cannot give him your full attention or are away from home, crate him. If he is alone with nothing else to do he is sleep. The crate’s your friend and your pups bedroom. For our dogs, their crates are their houses and private space.
Travel. If you travel with your dog like we do, it can make you welcome at motels. It is required for air travel. Most importantly, it will make your pup more comfortable. Golden Retrievers can be very sensitive and appreciate the comfort of their crate during travel. As rough and tumble as they are, they can be upset tremendously by a change in surroundings, food, etc. causing diarrhea. The crate can serve as a buffer from the insecurities of traveling.
When your pup is loose in the house an open crate policy is best. During house training especially or a lack of supervision, closing the door is best.
About 12 Weeks Old. As they reach 12 weeks of age, leave them in the crate after eating for about 20 minutes and then take them outside. Work up to as long as an hour by 6 months of age. This is good for digestion.
Types of Crates – Wire and Plastic. Both work well and we use both. Wire crates are not airline approved but they do have advantages such as ventilation. They fold up for easy storage and transportation.
Proper Size of Crate for a Golden. In Veri-Kennel you will need a 400 for a female and a 500 for a male (a 300 is too small & a 700 can take up a lot of space. In other brands a large or x-large is best. The wire type should be 22" to 24" in width by 24" to 26" high and 32" to 36" long. All of them will fit into a 24" high kennel (kennel & crate mean the same although kennel can also be used for the outside enclosure) but a 26” high crate is preferred, especially for a male dog. Females will be from 55-65 lbs. and should fit into the 24" high crate, while males can be 65-80 lbs. so the 26” high crate might be more comfortable but either will do if necessary. This is for personal use and doesn’t account for the specific size requirements of airlines so please use extra caution when deciding on a crate that you plan to fly your pup in.
Other Benefits to Crates. Crates can be very helpful during times when you cannot supervise your pup. They can be very destructive when they are bored and alone. If they are in their kennel when you can’t watch them, then they can’t get in trouble when you aren’t there, nor can they eat Drano and die.
Do not correct your pup in their crate. This is his private place away from harm. It is a place you want him to feel safe and comfortable.
Adjustment. Your first night or two can be restful or you can be up all night with a howling puppy. You will choose. I want to see you get rest so that you can play with all the energy of your pup the next day. This is what I recommend. One hour before bedtime, offer a drink of water and a trip outside. Just before bed, do the trip outside again with no water & then off to the crate. He might cry, howl and put up a good argument but ignore him! It may be difficult but don’t give in or you will teach your pup how to get out of the crate. Eventually, he will eventually settle in to rest. Plan to rise early with your pup but if they sleep in, you can sleep in too. Some pups sleep longer than others but the average is six hours overnight. If they go longer, enjoy it! There is not need to get up in the middle of the night to take your pup out if he is quiet. It is important for him to learn to sleep through the night. For example, if after 4 hours your pup is fussy, first try to quiet them. They might just be looking for reassurance that you are close. At least get them to calm down some before you give in and take them outside.
Where to Put the Crate. This is totally up to you. We put our crate in our bedroom so we can reassure our pups. There are many who opt to sleep their pup somewhere else in the house. There is not a right or wrong answer. Just like our pups are different so are we. You want to know that if there is a mess they clean up at 6:00am the same as they do at 1:00am. This may be difficult to do but leaving a pup in a soiled crate at 1:00am might be beneficial to learning. Some pups will take longer to learn and some are just cleaner. It is again consistency that is key. Do not make yourself a slave to your pup or his crate.
Feeding
We feed our puppies an adult formula dog food. We do not recommend puppy formulas. To this point, he has eaten with his litter & eaten until his fill, which makes it impossible for me to tell you exactly what amount to feed at a sitting. The following information is a guideline and each pup must be looked at as an individual. The best gauge is your puppy, DO NOT LET THE PUP GET FAT! We have done what we can to breed pups that lack hip dysplasia in their genetic makeup but it is impossible to remove all of the dysplasia genes in the retriever gene pool. A pup that sustains an active lifestyle to develop strong muscles without gaining extra weight between birth and two years of age is less likely to acerbate dysplasia if the disease is present. Although dysplasia is typically genetic, it can also be caused by excess weight. Please be careful to observe this balance with your growing pup. They will eat, start to get a bit chunky and then have a growth spurt. Be careful not to let the ‘chunky’ become fat. We do not guarantee hips for fat puppies.
Time to Switch from Puppy Food to Adult Maintenance Food. Although we do not recommend feeding puppy food, we know you may opt to. Some premium brands make a large breed puppy formula, which might make a good choice (not our recommendation). The concern regarding the nature of dog food stems from the relationship between the speed of growth and hip dysplasia. A pup that is predisposed to genetic dysplasia and grows too fast may become dysplastic. Puppy formula food is now thought by many to permit too rapid of growth in large breed dogs. Feeding adult maintenance formulas will not typically permit such rapid growth. Impact on the joints can allow dysplasia to develop if the predisposition exists or dysplasia can be caused through injury. Evidence suggested that if a pup is completely confined to a crate until the point that the growth plates in the bones fuse (at about 12 months of age), they couldn’t become dysplastic. I would not matter how predisposed they are to dysplasia. I am definitely not advocating that we confine a puppy in this manner, heaven forbid! Never the less, it is wise to limit jumping and encourage swimming until the pup reaches the age of two.
If you do plan to change your pups food then purchase a bag of the food you plan to feed and over the course of a 3-day period, change from one food to the other. When your pup first comes home, measure out all of your food for him for the day. Only feed the new pup 2 times each day. Please do not feed full meals more than twice each day. A snack in the middle of the day of fresh veggies or a couple of treats is okay. No matter how hungry you believe your pup is or what your vet says, don’t feed an extra meal. The amount of food should vary between 2-4 cups (4 is max) per day depending on the activity level of your pup. A good rule of thumb is a total of 2 cups per day from 8 to 10 weeks of age, if you are feeding a good quality adult formula. Put the food down for 20 minutes (if it even lasts that long) and throw away whatever isn’t eaten.
Bland diet. Occasionally, it may be necessary to feed your pup a bland diet. If he eats something that upsets his system, etc. then he may get diarrhea or throw up. If this occurs then his system will need a rest but it is still important for them to eat and be hydrated. There is a balance regarding application that is important to follow which will include fasting and withholding &/or monitoring water intake. This is done to accomplish a speedy recovery of approximately 24 to 48 hours. It is most important for you to remain calm. During this time set aside your emotions regarding not feed or giving water.
If you know that your pup is sick from eating yard debris (no fever – over 102 for a pup 10 weeks or older) or has gotten into a toxin but he is not lethargic, he probably doesn’t need to go to the vet. He will need some additional rest and a change of diet. Start by withholding food and water for 6-8 hours. At the end of this time begin to offer him small drinks of water. If he holds this down for 30 minutes then offer ¼ c. of bland diet at a time waiting 30 minutes between each ¼ c. Do not exceed 1 c. in a 4-hour period. Bland diet is listed below in recipes. Use your common sense and if a pup eats and throws up again start back at the small drinks of water in a couple of hours. If your pup has been unable to hold down water, has a fever, call me or call your vet if I am not available. If they are holding down the Bland Diet and water continue to offer it at ¼ c. every couple of hours or every 4 to 6 hours. You want to make this work with your schedule. If you are going to go 4 to 6 hours you can try 1/3 c. at a time.
Bland diet recipes.
For the 1st 48 hours and 24 hours of keeping down food, do not add meat protein such as hamburger or chicken. After 48 hours you can add meat protein. Either a ½ pound of lean boiled and rinsed hamburger, ground turkey or boneless, skinless chicken. After 3 to 5 days of this, you should be able to return to your regular diet. Most light cases will only require a day or two. Freeze the leftovers in case you need them.
Please do not free feed Golden Retrievers. They do not typically know when to stop eating and this can create a picky eater or a fat dog. This is just not a good idea. Optimally, feed your pup two times a day for life. If you have a concern, consult with me. Take Note: Fat pups are not healthy and will not grow up healthy. There is nothing worse on a Golden Retriever than obesity.
Learning to Learn
Golden Retriever pups are pretty intelligent but it is important for you to help them learn how to learn. Their mother starts that, we tried to continue, but it is your job now. A Golden Retriever that is taught how to learn at a young age will be able to maintain that knowledge until they die. You must do it from the moment they come home but only apply pressure to them when they are older. I want you to help them though without pressure. They are learning so many things at this age including lots of bad habits. They are easier to teach at this stage too.
No! No! This is the most important command you will teach your puppy. No means “no”, not “maybe” or “oh, well” or “just this one time”. There can be no gray. Do not hit my puppies, teach them “no”. Golden Retrievers want to please you & live to please you. “No” is a command and the foundation of training your loving pet.
Toys
Golden Retrievers are oral and love a good chew. Please note that a pup will not know the difference between your discarded tennis shoe and a $200 pair of boot. They will chew on anything that they are allowed to. This can include furniture, electric cords, houseplants, etc. Pups do not know that electrical cords bite back with a deadly result, that some houseplants might be toxic or that piece of furniture is a family heirloom and 200-year-old antique. They are just looking for oral gratification. This is where supervision & the “no” command are a necessary piece for their safety and your peace of mind. Invest in some safe toys. There are many different opinions on what toys are safe. I don’t use rawhide chews, horse hooves, cow hooves, which stink and can have sharp edges. Nylabones have been known to cause problems but I’ve not had issues and we use these. Large leg bones and knuckle bones (RAW only) of cows are good and keep the teeth clean. Golden Retrievers love the long, thick rope toys but please supervise their use as the strings can get loose and cause and intestinal blockage. Kongs (a natural rubber toy) is a favorite at our house as well as our tennis balls.
When (not if) you catch your pup chewing something you don’t want him to chew on, tell him “no” in a firm tone. Then take a toy that you have in your pocket (at all times) and give him the toy. After a couple of times and he will begin to learn what he can and can’t chew on. The goal might be to be able to leave your pup at home for as many as 12 hours with nothing chewed up when they are an adult, but please be cautious because not all dogs are trustworthy. Trust is earned.
Training
The foundation of a well-behaved Golden Retriever is training them to respond to “no”, your firm tone & a lot of praise. There are many books on training & also classes you can attend with your pup. We recommend you start puppy training classes right away but please be cautious because your pup doesn’t have all of his immunizations. You will want to be careful about the puppy classes you join. A great book to start with is by Rutherford and Neil called “How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With”. It is easy to read and uses a lot of common sense approaches.
If you are consistent with what will be allowed & what will not you will have a pup that understands what you want. This is the core of all training. Inconsistency is the basis for almost all misbehavior and neurosis in dogs. Praise is equally important in training. Make sure to praise a lot when he does something right, even the small things. During bad days, help turn him around by setting him up to win.
Training starts on the very first day with the crate & quiet time. This is the where the foundation of training begins. As a very young puppy they have a very short memory so when they wet, chew, retrieves the wrong item, etc. then pick them up and use a firm “no”. Know that if this is the first offense, it will occur again just be consistent. An example of consistency is if you don’t want to have a large dog jump on you then don’t let them jump on you when they are 8 weeks old. If you don’t want dog hair-covered furniture, then don’t let them up on the furniture when they are small.
Paint rollers make great retrievable training objects. Golden Retrievers are genetically predisposed to carrying things in their mouths, not to ‘retrieve’ per se. Training to retrieve is up to you. The best way to accomplish this is by using a long hallway so the pup cannot run off otherwise you can use a 20 foot check cord. Do not let you pup get away so that you have to chase him because chase is much more fun to your pup then retrieving and you want to train a retriever, not a criminal. When the pup returns to you do not remove the item from his mouth immediately but let him savor his possession by making him happy he brought it to you to see. Praise him and tell him how wonderful he is and after a bit remove it and throw it again. Do this only about 2-4 times in a row (pups are easily bored). Retrieving is excellent exercise and great fun but boredom creates a lackluster retriever. Retrieving can help you exercise your pup when you don’t want to walk 3 miles.
Collars and Leashes. Adjustable nylon collars work great. The first one you buy should fit your pup for the first 6 months but the next collar he should be able to wear out. I prefer leather sewn or braided (not riveted) leashes or the nylon retractable leashes. Six feet is the appropriate length for training your pup (3/4” to 1/2” thick). Leather will not burn your hand if the dog pulls hard. Put your thumb through the loop, not your wrist, and gather the excess in your hand. This will prevent escapes and chewing on the leash but if you need to let go you just need to open your hand.
Classes. We highly recommend that you get involved right away with group classes. Yes, we recommend group classes over private because of socialization. This is training within itself by socializing with other pups and people. Classes are everywhere and starting all the time. Distemper and Parvo are very common and your pup will not have their final shots until approximately 16 – 18 weeks of age so please use caution. Most
There are some training facilities that will have a special training area just for pups. This benefit creates some added protection for your pup before he is fully immunized. Please keep your pup away from parks, campgrounds and other places where they can come in contact with fecal matter from other dogs. Dogs that are vaccinated will not get sick but they can pass it on through feces. If you are sure your friends have vaccinated their dogs, then their backyard should be fine. Socialization is very important so don’t keep your puppy “in a bubble” but be cautious and watch your puppy closely when you aren’t at home. It is critical to balance socialization with both dogs and people prior to the age of 16 weeks while limiting contact with infected materials or animals.
Our pups receive human interaction from us on at least a daily basis since they came out of the womb (even on day one). They have also had the opportunity to interact with adult dogs. Exposure to many different environments (including different types of people, dogs) is so critical when you get them home. In the process of doing this please do not ever leave a pup under 4 months unsupervised with an adult dog. They don’t have their social repertoire of behaviors in place until after 4 months. An adult dog that mistakes the pup’s ignorance for aggression could hurt them.
The effort you put into exposing your pup to a variety of situations, people and pets BEFORE 4 MONTHS OF AGE will show in the mental health and temperament of your dog forever. Avoiding exposure to infection will not be easy. Exposing them to a variety of social situations in a safe atmosphere has been accomplished here.
Basic Obedience. At 6 months a basic obedience class is fun! It is also how some get started in formal dog events. It accomplishes 3 extremely important things:
It will not be easy to learn how to communicate your desires to another species but one of the best ways to learn is through obedience training. Training your dog will create a bond through the teamwork you experience that non-trainers do not understand. Golden Retrievers are anxious to please and wonderful dogs that dote on your every mood. This relationship is enhanced greatly through training.
Finally, very few people appreciate a poorly behaved dog. This is seen in our world by the restrictions on where dogs can go and where you can even have a dog, which added to our regulatory existence every day. Your obedient dog will be welcome in hundreds of places that a poorly behaved dog is not. Your well-behaved Golden Retriever will serve as an ambassador of dogs in general and Golden Retrievers in particular. You will be invited back to places you may find amazing!
Golden Retrievers are very smart dogs. If you do not give them jobs to do they are sure to find some excavating your foundation, eating your roses or chewing a hole in the fence. At six months old a Golden can be very naughty but in a short time of six to eight weeks (basic classes & daily work), you can turn that around. Golden Retrievers do very well in obedience because of their inherent nature to please. You may even discover an interest in competition and obedience trials. We recommend that all of our owners set a goal of CGC (Canine Good Citizen Certification), which is typically offered by obedience trainers at the end of their classes. If you cannot find one or would like a recommendation, we will do our best to find one. I can help find a tester for the CGC if needed, when you are ready. Visit the AKC web site (www.akc.org) to check out the CGC program.
Exercise
By nature, Golden Retrievers require a lot of exercise but be cautious with pushing a puppy beyond their limits. Before they reach 18 months of age it is very important not to let your pup run or jog for too long, especially on pavement. If you are a runner or jogger looking for your pup to be your companion on your runs, please use grass or dirt surfaces as much as possible. Also, please do not start this training until they are 18 months (no exceptions) by starting with walks, moving to jogging. Do not start out jogging any dog, no matter the age. You will be asking for orthopedic issues if you are not cautious with your puppy. Running and playing on their terms, at their own pace is fine. Just listen to when they say it’s time to stop. Walking is a great option. Pressure put on the skeleton in repetitive motion such as running or jogging can be destructive to an immature skeleton. It is not good on your young pup to jump. When they are close to adult size you can begin to run them on dirt depending on the level of their conditioning. Some Golden Retrievers hunt and can run for hours as adults based on their conditioning. They are like humans, in that they must be conditioned before they work hard. Goldens Retrievers love to work & please you so they will literally work themselves to death if you let them.
Grooming
Grooming Basics
Some of this will be beyond those with puppies under a year but it will apply at some point, if not today.
Should your Golden Retriever be groomed? Absolutely!
Golden Retrievers require regular maintenance grooming to keep looking their best. I recommend that all my owners learn to properly brush and if possible scissor your own dog. Breeders of Goldens are the best source of information and tips on the finer points in grooming Golden Retrievers because they groom their dogs & most of them are very willing to teach. Most pet groomers are not specialized in these finer points. The offer of information & tips are usually extended not only to the client but the client’s groomer.
How often should a golden be professionally groomed? What should a professional groom include?
This depends on the dog, but on the average I estimate about every 8 to 10 weeks for a well-kept, smart look. A professional groom should include bath, ear cleaning, blow dry, brushing, trimming nails, tidying feet, ears and general neatening to enhance the appearance of the dog. General neatening should include rolling out undercoat, carding dry coat out and minor blending. However, when a dog is blowing coat profusely and or the owner has not been doing maintenance grooming they should expect an extra long visit and to pay extra for these services. By the way it is customary to tip groomers.
How often should I do my part of the maintenance grooming? What is my part of the maintenance grooming?
This will depend on your pup but going over them thoroughly each week with a brush and a medium space greyhound style comb will lessen the amount of loose hair around the house. Plucking or carding out dry coat, see spay alter coats below. Check your pup’s ears and clean them out only when necessary. Nails should be checked each week and either ground with a Dremel or cut with nail trimmers (see instructions on how to trim nails).
To help prevent matting and dust bunnies around the house when you dogs is blowing a coat or rolling out an undercoat, use an undercoat rake and go over the whole dog in an organized manner. Some owners are more comfortable leaving this up to a professional but there is no reason you cannot successfully roll a coat as an owner.
See the list below for tools and their uses. The most important roll you have in grooming is keeping your dog brushed out.
Tools & Uses
Ever-Gentle Slicker: Used to brush the topcoat and help with the removal of loose undercoat. Use it in a gentle manner so that you do not rake the skin and create a “brush burn”. This can be used to gently pull over the topcoat but it is more effective to use it in the same manner as the undercoat rake.
Medium spaced Greyhound style comb: Use to check your brushing. If you can easily get a medium spaced comb through the dog’s coat you are matt free and have done a good job.
Undercoat Rake (pins no longer than ¼” high): This tool helps roll out the undercoat and is used only to remove unwanted, loose, ready to roll undercoat. It must be used correctly. Don’t use it to rake over your dog as this can irritate their skin. To properly use an undercoat rake, start at the rear of the leg just above the hock, lift the guard hairs with one hand and place the edge of the rake with its teeth facing down toward the ground, rake away from the skin. Keep working in this pattern until you reach the spine. Move over a section and rake in the same fashion, brisket (underbelly) to spine. It can be used effectively on the pans and ruff in the same manner. Always start from the under side of a section, lifting the hair and pulling your rake away from the body.
Nail Trimmers or Dremel: Do this step prior to bathing. Dremel tools are great and most dogs get used to them quickly. Have someone show you how to use this tool & use extra caution not to get hair (theirs or yours) caught in the tool. Grinding is not difficult but it is difficult to explain here. Nail trimmers can just tip off the ends. If you tip off about 1/8” weekly, it will keep the quick worked back so that you are less likely to nick it. If you do nick the quick do not panic, use Quick Stop by wetting your index finger or a damp Q-tip. Just apply a little pressure to the tip of the nail where it is bleeding. Typically the nail will stop bleeding quickly but sometimes they can open back up. In this case, putting the animal in a crate for 30 minutes to rest when you are done grooming.
Quick Stop: Styptic powder that stops most nails from bleeding when they the quick of the nail is nipped.
Ear Cleaner: Recipe of ½ White Distilled Vinegar & ½ 91% Proof Alcohol (rubbing alcohol at 50-70% has too much water too be used). You can also buy a good commercial product that has a drying agent. If the ears are clean, leave them alone or gently wipe them out. If the ears have visible debris or an odor, clean the ears by flooding the ear with your cleansing solution and then vigorously massage the ear canal from the base of the canal to the opening of the ear, expelling debris and cleaner. Wipe the ear out with 100% cotton balls, 100% cotton cosmetic pads or a towel. Do not use cosmetic puffs they have fibers in them that can irritate the sensitive ear skin. Allow your pup to shake their head and then re-dry their ears as described above.
Advanced Tools & Uses
Thinning Shears: You should purchase fairly good shears. Fromm 44-20 are popular and not that expensive (look at pet catalogs). Thinners are used on ears and feet. See below.
Scissors: Again, same as the shears, good quality is a plus but even throw away ones from a beauty supply store would work. 4-7” in length seems to be what works west for multi-purpose trimming of feet.
Miscellaneous trimming questions:
To trim feathers or not, pros: The only "pro" that I can come up with is less debris and dust bunnies in the house & isn’t that why Golden Retriever owners have vacuums and lint brushes.
To trim feathers or not, cons: A Golden Retriever will shed regardless since they mainly shed undercoat. The guard hairs rarely shed in abundance. If you choose to shorten your Goldens feathering then it will take more brushing as trimmed hair tends to matt when new hair grows. This is particularly the case with pants and ruffs that have been thinned as well as under bellies that have been shaved or shortened. A Golden Retriever will always roll it’s coat from season to season as hair growth is perpetual. The best way to keep the heavily coated areas of your pup maintained is to brush and check comb regularly (see above).
To shave the body or not: Never, ever! Golden Retriever is a double-coated dog for a reason. The soft undercoat helps insulate year round and the outer coat, guard hairs protect as well. Goldens will normally blow coat in late spring to early summer leaving less undercoat then in the fall to winter months, though they do shed year round. In the summer months what is left by nature acts as protection against the elements, sun, wind, rain and terrain; dry brush etc. By shaving or clipping down the body coat you are leaving the dog open to a wide variety of possible problems. Sunburn, skin infection, injury to name three and matting as the hair grows out as noted previously. It is never recommended to shave a golden. If a professional suggests you do, please reconsider and look to another professional or ask your breeder for help getting the dog back in shape. Clipping does not prevent shedding; you will just have shorter hairs to vacuum up.
How do I neatly trim my Goldens ears and feet? Ears are typically difficult for the novice and it's best to have an experienced person show you how to trim ears. There is a lot of sculpting that goes into making the appearance of the ear look natural yet tidy. Here is a stab at trying to explain. Following the ear leather with thinning shears trim close to the leather from the back of the ear at the head across to the tip but not into the front of the ear, leave that natural. You will have to make several passes since the thinning shears are not a straight edged shear, they have teeth on one side which leaves a broken look, rough edge which is desired. When you are satisfied with the look stop. For thinning out the long hair that lays on top of the ear flap with your slicker brush the hair straight out. With your thinning shears sculpt by starting at the bottom of the fluff that is standing straight out and round to the top of the ear. Brush down and look identify what else needs to come off a repeat sculpting till you have a neat tidy ear. The hair closest to the skull should be shorter and the finished look should look layered, in a week he trimmed look will be less obvious.
Feet are easy! With slicker, brush up the hair that grows between the toes, then with your thinners lightly resting on the foot follow the line of the top of the foot from the nail toward the leg. Remove all the excess hair. Brush hair down and back up again repeat till neat being careful not to get into the guard hairs on the top of the foot for the most natural of appearances.
To neaten strays around the foot use your straight scissors and on a 45-degree angle follow the foot around, this takes practice but in time like ears you will be a pro. For cleaning out the under sides (do this last) simply angle your scissors between the big pad and each toe, and use the middle of your blade not the points to scissor out the pad hair. You may need to repeat this several times too. Pasterns are done with Thinning Shears, brush the hair up and with your thinners parallel with the back of the pastern lightly remove the hair leaving fullness about a 1/4 inch of pastern hair. Neatening with straight scissors as you see fit. Hocks are a bit more difficult for a novice, like ears there is a fair amount of sculpting. Brush the hair up so it stands straight out from the back of the hock. With your thinning shears neatening up stray hairs, Bevel the sides so the appearance is more round than square.
Altered Dog. Why does my altered dog have a different coat than an intact dog? What do I need to pay close attention to? Altered dogs have a different coat type because of the removal of hormones. They grow a longer guard hair and can frequently almost appear to have a triple coat with an extra down type coat that grows on the legs and on sometimes on the body. This hair is like undercoat but is present year round and is always very loose. This hair is not living and rooted so pulling it out is not painful. Carding it out with a fine toothcomb or simply plucking it out with your fingers is effective. Also brushing against the grain (against the way the hair naturally falls) with your slicker can be helpful.
A tool I use to remove this coat is a greyhound style comb with a very small groomers rubber band inter twined between the teeth, laced between each tooth. The rubber band ketches on the hair and pulls it out. These are the rubber bands used to put bows in dogs or by poodle groomers in topknots.
What about if I want to bathe my own dog? What do I need? Find a public dog wash? I recommend that you only use dog shampoo and not human shampoo on a regular basis. Some say that baby shampoo or dish soap are okay but they are not. Both are drying & the PH is not correct for dogs, they can be okay in a pinch. Dogs should be showered, not bathed, and rinsing is of the utmost importance. Use warm water, not cold water only. In most homes, the best place to wash a dog is in the bathtub or shower where you may have a hand held showerhead. Before wrestling your pup into the tub or shower, premix your shampoo in a one-gallon bucket, following the mixing directions on your shampoo. Most dog shampoos are concentrated and will give mixing directions but even those that are not should still be diluted. Fill your bucket with warm water, and then add the shampoo to prevent excessive foam. Put your pup in the tub/shower and wet him with warm water all over. Sponge massage and scrub the shampoo mixture all over the pup and then rinse until the water runs clear. To double check to make sure you have removed all soap squeeze behind the ears (most typically missed) and if the water is cloudy, re-rinse. A nice rinse that can be left on or rinsed out is ½ cup vinegar to 1 gallon of water, which is best kept standing by premixed also. With a clean soap free sponge apply this mix over entire dog. This mixture leaves the coat soft to the touch and helps cut shampoo residue. Towel dry the ears inside and out to make sure the ears and inside of the flaps are very dry. Goldens are prone to ear infections and water left in the ears can aid in the formation of yeast (yeast infection). A tip is to clean the ears before the bath or to put several drops of 90% alcohol in each ear prior to bathing. If behind the ears is left damp too long, heat will build and you may end up with a hot spot from the heat and moisture irritating the dog to the point that they scratch. You might even want to invest in a dog blow dryer. See catalogs, my recommendation is either a Double K Challengeaire 2000 force air dryer or a Metro, there are several metro force dryers.
If you don't want to go to the expense of buying a dryer, check the yellow pages. Most areas now have self serve dog wash facilities that supply everything needed to wash dogs, including shampoo. The cost will vary but on the average it's about $20 to use the facilities which is reasonable considering the cost of supplies and the clean up required after bathing and blowing out a dog. Most dog wash facilities also have grooming tables which can come in handy if you are planning to do your own trimming too, though you will need to have your own grooming equipment (combs, scissors, etc.)
The most important role an owner plays in grooming is keeping their dog brushed out and free of mats or debris that cause matts.
