You should brush your Golden Retriever regularly for overall skin and coat health.
But then why wouldn’t you brush your dog??? Even if you had short hair would you still brush it? Of course you would! Because it is good for your scalp, your skin and your hair!
The Golden Retriever is a double coated dog (and you can thank that double coat for all that golden fluff in your home). This means it has an undercoat of soft woolly hair and a top coat of longer hairs that are wiry and longer. The undercoat insulates your dog from hot and cold temperatures (which is why it is not a good idea to shave it down to the skin). The top coat protects the undercoat, repelling moisture and dirt. The undercoat protects the skin and attracts dander and dirt. This is why when you bathe your dog, it is important to clean that undercoat very well. Your dog is not only shedding coat, it is also shedding dead skin (dander). Dander collects in the undercoat and if you don’t bathe your dog properly or brush out the dander and dirt, it will become a source of skin irritation.
Regular brushing:
1. Increases blood circulation and releases natural oils in the skin and coat.
2. Pulling out dead coat with regular brushing reduces shedding in the house. If dead hair is not removed, it becomes matted up.
3. If you are brushing your dog regularly and he still has knots especially in his pants and behind the ears, it means you are not brushing him properly. Brush the coat in sections. It is important to separate the coat and brush down to the skin.
4. Buy a metal comb. It is your knot checker. After you brush areas that are prone to matts, comb through to check if you have any knots and matts. If it snags, you still have knots.
5. To remove knots and matts, you don’t need specialized, expensive tools. There are dog shedding tools that work, and dog shedding tools that simply don't work! I use a dematting tool, metal comb and conditioning spray. Don’t use a fulminator - it will damage your dog’s coat.
Dematting tools: Dematting spray, metal comb and Coat King
6. You also don’t have to cut matts out. Work at it slowly with a dematting tool (like Coat King or matt breaker https://www.clippershop.com.au/groom-professional-matt-breaker-9-blade) to gently pull it away from the skin. Dematting products like Fraser Essentials Melt Matts Away will also be helpful. Work the product into the matt, leave it on for 2-3 minutes and then gently pull it apart with the dematting tool. You can then use the comb to pull it away from the skin and off the hair shaft. Don’t be aggressive with the tools.
7. Brush as often as you can. You cannot brush too much. My favourite brush for Golden Retrievers is a boar bristle brush.
8. This is optional, but I recommend lightly misting your dog’s coat with a spray conditioner prior to brushing. This will rehydrate the coat, eliminate static and help detangle any knots. There are many great conditioners on the market that strengthen and repair coats while conditioning at the same time. Some of my favourites are from Melanie Newman and Fraser Essentials.
Brushing tools: Boar bristle brush, comb and conditioning sprays