Our neighbors up the street own three Golden Retrievers and one tiny Yorkie. I am not a big fan of these Goldens because before they were fenced, they were all over our yard. They did their business in our yard, ran around, and more. Keep in mind that we live at the bottom of a cul-de-sac and they live at the top– about 100 meters away. We still get the occasional tennis ball rolling down the street, but we can deal with that.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, I recently saw these dogs hanging out in their yard like they normally do, but they were sporting a lab-like look. They had been shaved! I could not believe it; they looked absolutely ridiculous. I did not think that was a normal thing to do, so I looked it up and found out that you really should never shave your Golden Retriever. Why? Well, dogs have coats for a reason!

Golden Retrievers are a double coated breed. What this means is that their coat is designed to protect them during any season, yes, any season. Animals, people, nature, and more all have adapted (and continue to change) over the centuries in order to survive, so there is a reason why Goldens were “designed” to have a coat in all of the seasons.

Yes, because Goldens are a double coated breed it does mean that they shed and that you are going to have to keep up with that, but that is merely basic maintenance. Their undercoat is there to protect them from the cold and then sheds away in the summer so that the top coat can keep them cool. You should never shave your Golden, just keep your pup happy by helping him or her out in getting rid of that warm undercoat.

Also, another reason why you should not shave your Golden is because the coat may never grow back to be the same coat that it was. It could change texture, color, or even grow back in patches. Keep up with the brushing, but don’t shave them!