It is no secret goldens shed a TON. Their fur becomes an accessory to every crevase and surface in our homes. Strands of their hair can even be seen floating in the air and they are a magnet to our clothing, furniture, and literally everything in our lives. They shed all the time but especially twice a year (spring and fall) when they are ditching their undercoat (“Coping with a golden’s shedding”). So what steps can we take to help control the amount of hair we have to live with since it is an inevitable fate? Below are 10 hair reducing tips to help manage your golden’s furry tumbleweeds.
Brush your golden daily. This is the most effective way to limit goldie floof. Brushing removes dirt, dander, and excess hair from their coat. There are several different types of brushes that are best at removing golden fur and mats. Our top 2 picks are the following:
A slicker brush works great at removing their spent undercoat, breaks through mats, and smooths out their overcoat.
A FURminator is also very effective when heavy duty deshedding a golden’s undercoat.
Keep them on a routine bath schedule. Aim for bathing them every 1-2 months depending on how dirty they get (17 tips to manage golden retriever shedding (& keep your house clean). Be careful not to bathe them too much as it can dry them out by removing their skin’s natural oils (17 tips to manage golden retriever shedding (& keep your house clean). There are also shedding control shampoos and conditioners you can use to help decrease excess hair like the FURminator shampoo and conditioner (Bubolz, n.d.).
Vacuum, sweep and mop as often as possible. Their fur likes to accumulate quickly around and under literally anything in the home. Hair especially likes to hangout amongst corners, under furniture, and around table legs and chairs. With that being said, floors should be cleaned daily. Investing in a robot vacuum to keep up with the day to day hair that piles up quick can cut down on the amount of maintenance you must do (Bubolz, n.d.). You can program it to run at anytime of day or night you want and it even self empties. You will just have to make sure to keep up with cleaning it out so it continues to work well.
Cover items as much as possible. If your golden has a spot on the couch, spread a blanket over their area to avoid an overload of fur. Purchase a car seat cover to control the amount of fur that travels with you. When cooking, put covers over everything to limit hair getting into your meals. If possible, try to cook outside when able to. Change your shirt or wear a fur free apron to limit hair from transferring from your clothes to your food.
Dust surfaces. Wipe down coutertops, shelves, and tables with a duster or damp cloth to remove dog hair that has settled in. Swiffer Pet Dusters can help wipe the fur away from any surface.
The Lint Roller will be your new BFF. Use a lint roller as much as possible to successfully remove pesky fur from fabrics. Always have a lint roller handy in multiple places such as your home, car or purse. Your clothes will be a magnet for dog fur and it will make its way onto everything you come into contact with. So be sure to use a lint roller after getting out of your car so you are fur free anywhere you go. The lint roller will also be a lifesaver on your furniture, on your car seats, or anywhere fur is lingering. There are sticky paper lint rollers and then there is the ChomChom Pet Hair Remover:
Wash your sheets and blankets regularly. If your golden likes to cuddle up with you in bed or on the couch, you will end up with fur all over you, including in your mouth and eyes. Washing your sheets and blankets about once a week will cut down on the amount of dog hair you will have to deal with when trying to get comfy.
Use fur catchers when doing laundry. To remove fur from your laundry, you can use wool dryer balls:
or washer and dryer hair remover tools such as the FurZapper:
Wash their toys, blankets, and bedding separately. In order to avoid the hair from their designated items transferring over to your items, wash and dry all items separately.
Feed them quality food. When a dog’s coat is healthy, it sheds at a normal rate; however, when a dog’s coat is unhealthy, it sheds at a faster rate (17 tips to manage golden retriever shedding (& keep your house clean). To reduce the rate of shedding, be sure to feed them high quality foods that are abundant in fatty acids and digestible proteins (“Coping with a golden’s shedding”).
The amount of shedding a golden retriever does makes for a lot of work, but every golden owner will tell you it is SO worth it. The amount of shedding a golden retriever does is the only con of owning this breed. Some aspiring dog owners think their shedding is a deal breaker; however, it is easily overlooked by how incredible they are and how much they enrich our lives. Even though endless amounts of fur comes with the territory of owning a golden, we hope these tips will help lessen the burden and make your life a little less hairy.
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References
17 tips to manage golden retriever shedding (& keep your house clean). Golden Hearts. https://goldenhearts.co/golden-retriever-shedding/
Bubolz, K. (n.d.). Reduce shedding, keep your home clean: Tips for pet owners. Golden Retriever Life. https://www.goldenretrieverlife.com/blog/manage-shedding
Coping with a golden’s shedding. Pedigree. https://www.pedigree.com/article/coping-goldens-shedding