The decision to give a Golden Retriever a summer cut shave is apparently not taken lightly by many Retriever people. Since Max posted a picture of himself with his new summer cut his blog has seen a steady number of visitors to MaxtheGoldenRetriever.com who are searching for information and pictures about golden retriever summer cuts.
Our family did similar research before deciding to go ahead with Max’s first summer cut. Obviously we decided to go ahead and do it. Since it’s been about 3 months (and the searches continue) I thought I’d share a little about our experience and a couple of before and after pictures.
-
- Max with New Summer Cut (May)
-
- Max 3 Months after Summer Cut (Aug)
When our family researched the topic we saw information both for and against shaving a golden. Here are some of the noteworthy things some people said and what our experience has been:
Some said: The fur/hair won’t grow back or will grow back unevenly.
Our Experience: Just take a look at the after photo. His fur started growing back quickly. The after photo here is just 3 months after he was shaved and as you can see it is growing back fully and evenly. You can even see that the trademark ‘feathering’ is already reappearing on his legs, belly and chest.
Some said: Goldens have a thick inner coat and a long outer coat for a reason. They can’t control their body temperature without it.
Our Experience: We moved our freshly shaved Golden to South Carolina in the summer. Since we’ve been here he runs and plays outside and at the beach and he is still a happy, healthy, panting and wagging Golden. No signs of uncontrollable body temps.
KeepOnWagging.com For the Golden Retriever lover in all of us.
Some said: He’ll get sunburned as soon as he walks outside.
Our Experience: We haven’t seen any signs of sunburn. I have to admit we haven’t applied sunscreen to him when he’s outside as some suggest. (hopefully that doesn’t make us bad people?) We do tend to spend time in the sun more in the early mornings and late afternoon/evenings (to keep his people from getting burned) so that may have contributed to the lack of sunburn.
Some said: Shedding is reduced.
Our Experience: Yeah, wouldn’t that be nice… If you have a Golden you deal with some degree of shedding… even using a Furminator. I can say with the summer cut the shedding definitely was educed (and still is) and is a little more manageable because the shed is shorter and didn’t ‘fly away’ like the long hairs. Also, the shorter fur is much, much easier to brush out.
Some said: Your dog will be embarrassed.
Max’s Experience: As we saw in his summer cut blog post there was a moment of trepidation, but the increased visibility of his ’stuff’ took care of that. Oh, yeah and I think he was confused once for a Labrador Retriever… All in all, though, no signs of embarrassment, even when he met MConaughey on the beach at Pawleys Island.
Some said: Goldens dry quicker with shorter hair.
Our Experience: ABSOLUTELY! Makes sense I guess but it is much nicer after a bath or dip in the ocean with shorter hair.
So, three months after his first summer buzz we’re happy with the decision. We’ll almost definitely do it again for next summer and since the warm season is pretty long here we’re thinking about a ‘touch-up’ to get him into winter (but we haven’t decided yet.)
Obviously your experience may be different… but as for our focus group of one dog we say go for it. (Legal Disclaimer: You may want to talk to your vet, your friends and or your dog before deciding to shave your Golden Retriever. That sounds like legitimate advice, right?)
If you’ve had an experience shaving a golden (or other long haired dog) why not share it in the comments below? You’d be helping out a bunch of fellow dog people….
You look great before and after your summer cut. I’ll bet that sure cooled you off.
Levi
Oh dear ! I never had seen a summer cut before in a Golden Retriever.
Maybe it is necessary where Max lives, but here would be a horrible thing to see, a Golden totally shaved.
Well at least grows back again …
Good to see you have your Golden coat back!
Mackenzie
We used to do summer cuts sometimes when I still lived with my parents on a farm. They always grew back nicely.
Nowadays I don’t do them anymore, since I live in a cooler climate now. And I only have two golden retrievers, but more labradors who don’t need them.
I get a summer trim each summer (shaping my featherings and shortening behind my ears, but you can still tell I’m a golden), but my uncle Duke lives in Michigan and gets a buzz cut every summer (otherwise he would be a wet dog for about 7 straight months, and no one likes a mildew retriever!) He seems to love it, and it definately makes him look (and I even think act) younger!
Max, you’re a Golden, you should know no matter what you will always look marvelous. Glen (my Golden) lives in a slightly cooler climate, so we just go for the routine brushing and triming…but it would be nice to have less hair floating around for a few days. The is the price you pay to be allowed to live with a Golden.
Stay cool.
I think you look quite hansome either way! It’s always nice to be cool, too.
Thanks for stopping by my place and visiting! Those squirrels are quick little boogers aren’t they!
Barklove,
Rusty
Hey max,
My parents shaved me a few months back too. Im also a Golden retriver. I do have to admit I was a little nervious, when I got to the grromers I could help but lift my leg and their wall. (Even though Im COMPLEETLY house broken). Im just as Hamsome with my beautiful long locks or all shaved up… However it is cooler and my parents are happy to not have so much hair layin around the domain. My coat grew back quite quickly & beautifully if I must say so myself. Best regards!
Jessie
Max, you can join the Squirrel Patrol. Come on over to see how to get your own certificate!
Barklove,
Rusty
Hi Max!
Thanks for offering the great idea of a badge for the Squirrel Patrol! Mom sure could use some help with it, she is still not good with a lot of things ont he computer and that cramps my style sometimes!
Barklove!
Rusty
Hi Max,
Mom and Dad had been contemplating all summer whether to shave me or not. Autumn is approaching soon and they still have not quite made up their mind. I think we will go for it next summer. You look really cute in that summer cut! I am so happy that you had a cool summer!
Love, Dino
He actually doesn’t look too badly shaved. I’ve seen some dogs where it just looks sooo long. But then I have vizslas who can romp around when it’s 90 degrees and barely notice the heat, so what do I know?
I didn’t know that shaving a Golden was offensive to some people. I shaved my Golden when I knew I was going to spend 11 hours with her in my car with my daughter and cat moving from one state to another. It would cut down on the amount of hair flying in my mouth and getting all over our belongings, food, etc.. People did nothing but tell me how beautiful she was. When my husband saw her, he was initially against it, he couldn’t believe how great she looked.
We have been shaving her ever since. During the summer and winter months we have not noticed any change in the way she behaves in regard to the temperature during walks or runs. She is generally an indoor dog aside from her daily walks. She is a happy and friendly dog.
I guess if the vet or groomer told me not to do it, I would have listened, but no one has ever said that it was cruel or could hurt her undercoat. It grows in beautifully.
I am open to any constructive comments. We love our dog and want what is best all the way around.
Well, well, well,… This is really quite interesting for me. I live in New Zealand AND show my Goldy, so i live in a not two hot climate and because we do the ’show thing’ shaving is totally out of the question and to tell the truth if i wanted a dog that looked like that I would, and my advice for others, would be to just get a lab. I mean isn’t the coat what makes a golden???
Also two other things, First: I don’t see why you all complain about dry time. living were I do were lucky if the max temperature we get up 2 in mid summer is 28-30 degrees celsius (about 80-86 Fahrenheit) but ever when it not ever mid summer Lucy will dry out after going for a swim, in about 1/2 – 1 hour. And that’s with her just running round.
And second: a good brushing 1 – 2 times weekly does wonders for getting rid of dog hair all over the place!!!!
My son took his Golden Jake to the groomers today, and asked for a hair cut and bath. We live in Thailand, and ticks have been a particular problem lately. We thought with a shorter haircut it might be easier to find the ticks and remove them from him.
Surprise surprise! When he went to pick up Jake, they had not trimmed his hair, but shaved him! Guess there was a little lost in the translation.
Jake is still a beautiful dog, but now he looks like a lab. My son was worried about how long it would take to grow his hair back, so I started researching, and your comments have brought great relief to me after some of the stuff I was reading before finding this site!
Max is a very beautiful Golden, and his shaved picture looks just like our Jake, lol!
Thanks for the post! I can sleep better now!
Jake’s Grandma, Carol
Hi, I also live in Thailand and was a bit worried reading some very negative articles about shaving. Our Molly is 2yrs old and has extra extra dry skin. She has had two very serious episodes of hotspots that broke our hearts seeing her so uncomfortable. It seemed also an impossible task to treat all the spots that kept appearing.
We have been shaving her regularly as well as giving her skin vitamin tablets. She seems much more happy and comfortable. We can easily identify skin irritations and treat them more effectively. We take her on walks in the late afternoon and throw a shirt on her if we go out it in the sun.
It’s lovely to see her playing around happily now instead of her constantly scratching and banging in to walls with her Elizabethan collar.
I got a summer cut last summer and my coat grew back more beautiful than before, I am now grtting my cut for this year. After I get my cut I can run and play more and my folks have a pool and I don’t fill it up with long hair, the summers are long and hot in Georgia.
We have a 10-year old Golden named Moose who suffers terribly in the hot, humid central Illinois summers. 5 years ago we started getting him a summer cut, and we cannot believe the difference it’s made. He’s a panting, miserable boy beginning in mid-spring, very lethargic. After his cut, he acts like a puppy and it’s obvious that he’s much more comfortable.
I admit I’m not crazy about the look, but in my opinion anyone who has a Golden with a dense undercoat (Moose’s is like lamb’s wool) that makes him or her suffer in the heat and does NOT get their dog a summer cut is being selfish and irresponsible. We’ve had no sunburn problems, even without sunscreen. Also, we live in the country and the ticks are much easier to find and remove.
I’ve started shaving him myself now to avoid the $60 cost, and have got quite good at it, if I do say so myself! If you decide to go this route, invest in a good quality clipper, which will cost at least $100. The cheap ones overheat and will be ruined in a couple of years anyway. I found that a farm store such as Farm and Fleet sells the clippers a little cheaper than places like PetSmart.
My family shaves me every summer and I LOVE it! I like to swim and with my long fur I got lots of hot spots. Now I am very comfortable in the summer. One problem this time; the groomer shaved my beautiful tail, which we were not expecting. I am very embarrassed about my bottom and spend a lot of time sitting down, trying to hide my spindly tail. I can’t wait for THAT part of my fur to fill in.
This is the first summer we’ve had our beautiful golden Sally. She is 8 months old. We work long hours and Sally stays outside all day. She does have some shade and a dog house, but we live in Arkansas so it gets VERY HOT AND HUMID here. I’m debating on whether or not to shave her for the summer. I think it would be for the best. I know sunburn can be an issue, so I’m thinking of just having them shave her some but not all the way down to where she would get burned. Any thoughts? samanthamartin777@yahoo.com
We just left our golden retriever at the vet for a shampoo and cut like ‘last time’ which was a short trim for the summer months. We picked up our ten year old golden with a summer shave. Needless to say this has NEVER happened before and I was heart broken. I love those feathers and crazy waves and now she looks like a lab with a duster tail. Horrible if you aren’t expecting it.
I cannot believe someone did not tell us what the ’summer cut’ definition was. Obviously, we had not a clue and learned the hard way. So glad to see the growth in three months on Max. Thanks for the article, it is helping.
Thanks, Max, for sharing your experience. My daddy took me to the groomers today for a “trim” and I came out shaved! He and mommy barely recognize me!
Mommy got very worried reading about all of the doomsayers on the internet, so she’s relieved to hear my hair will grow back and I mostly likely will not have any major complications or PTSD.
Teddy
We have a (almost 2 year old) Golden named Ima. She just had her first summer buzz and we found your blog while searching to find out how long it would take to grow back. It’s a little freaky, she looks almost identical to Max. Even that white patch on his chest! Thanks for posting this positive review of the summer cut. There are a lot of those doomsayers on the net, but after seeing how nicely Max’s coat grew back, we’re not worried about Ima at all.
Thanks,
Craig
I live in Houston and would never shave my golden. Please do not do it again!
Thanks Max ..I was thinking my mom was nuts talking about shaving me ..but seeing you I think she is right …I live near water and love playing in it …now I will be easier to dry and bathe ..and won’t be a stinky dog …Even my buddy Lucy the cat tries to groom me after a day in the river ..Now I won’t have to be dried by that dang sandpaper tongue she got!!!
Just finished shaving the second of our two Goldens and they feel so good. I use a #10 blade and cut everything except for the face, leg feathers, side feathers, and tail. They swim almost daily and go to the beach often and this works best for us for the summer. No more problems with hot spots and those darn E-collars. My older Golden female Maddie who is six acts like a puppy now. She has allergies and her skin has always caused problems but since shaving once in the summer she does great and their coat grows back nicer than before. I will definitely shave my Goldens each summer for them to be more comfortable and less maintenance for mom for at least 3 months anyway.
I just had my 7 yr old golden given a summer cut. I was firmly against it previously b/c I felt if they were born with this fur, it must be necessary, and was used to keep them cool. But here in Illinois the summers are very humid and hot and Madison was really panting during morning walks. My vet and groomer told me it would be OK,so I did it. She looks like a teddy bear (her tail was left fluffy) and we told her she is beautiful, which she understands. She seems more active and less hot. She looks just like Max (don’t you think there only a few versions) except with the narrower female snout.