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Wondering if you can stop Golden Retriever shedding completely? The truth is, you can’t stop it entirely, as shedding is a natural part of owning this breed.
However, there are plenty of ways to manage it and keep the shedding under control.
If you’re ready to learn how to minimize shedding and keep your Golden looking and feeling their best, keep reading for 10 practical tips!
Table of Contents
10 Proven Tips To Minimize Golden Retriever Shedding
These 10 tips are easy to follow and will help reduce shedding, making it easier for both you and your Golden Retriever.
1. Feed A Nutritious Diet
A diet rich in high-quality protein and Omega-3s promotes a healthy coat and minimizes shedding. Choose foods that focus on digestible proteins and essential nutrients.
2. Ensure Proper Hydration
Hydration is key to maintaining healthy skin. Dry skin leads to itching and shedding, so always ensure your dog has access to fresh water.
3. Brush Regularly
Daily brushing removes loose fur and promotes healthy hair growth, which also helps reduce the amount of hair around your home. To make brushing easier and more effective, check out my guide on the best brushes for Golden Retrievers. And for less mess, try brushing outside!
4. Give Baths As Needed
Bathing your Golden can help remove dead hair. Once a month is ideal unless your dog gets especially dirty. When you do bathe your dog, be sure to use a dog-friendly shampoo for Golden Retrievers to prevent drying out their skin and to keep their coat healthy.
5. Professional Grooming
A trip to a professional groomer will give your Golden a deeper clean, plus trimming and de-shedding treatments. A pro can manage your dog’s coat better than home grooming alone.
6. Address Allergies
Food and environmental allergies often cause skin irritation and excessive shedding. Keep an eye on your dog’s reactions to food or allergens like pollen, and consult your vet if needed.
7. Reduce Stress
Stress can trigger shedding in dogs. Keep your Golden’s routine consistent, provide regular exercise, and create a calm environment to help minimize stress-related hair loss.
8. Flea And Parasite Control
Fleas and ticks can lead to itching and excessive shedding. Work with your vet to maintain effective flea and tick prevention.
9. Exercise And Mental Stimulation
Daily physical exercise and mental stimulation are important for overall health and reducing stress, which in turn can help limit shedding. Include walks, playtime, and puzzle toys.
10. Use The Right Tools For Clean-Up
A powerful vacuum and lint rollers are essential to managing the shedding in your home. Vacuuming regularly will help you stay on top of loose fur, and lint rollers are perfect for quick clean-ups on clothes and furniture.
Bonus Tip: Use A High-Velocity Dryer
These dryers not only speed up drying time after baths but are also excellent for blowing out loose undercoat hair, making your shedding management even more effective. Check out my guide on the best high-velocity dryers for Golden Retrievers to find the perfect one for your dog.
Now that you know how to minimize shedding, it helps to understand why your Golden Retriever sheds in the first place.
Why Do Golden Retrievers Shed?
Golden Retrievers have a double coat with a protective outer layer and a soft undercoat for warmth. Shedding helps them remove old hair to make room for new growth.
They also go through seasonal shedding in the spring and fall. In the spring, they shed their thick winter coat to stay cool, and in the fall, they lose their lighter summer coat to grow a thicker one for winter.
While this shedding cycle is totally normal, and you can’t stop it, you can manage it with regular grooming and care.
Check out this short video to see just how much shedding you can expect:
When To Worry About Excessive Shedding In Golden Retrievers
While regular shedding is normal for Golden Retrievers, excessive shedding could signal an underlying issue.
Here are some common reasons why your dog could be shedding more than usual:
- Poor Diet: PetMD notes that a poor diet is the leading cause of excessive shedding. When your dog isn’t getting enough essential nutrients, vitamins, and protein, it can lead to dry skin and an unhealthy coat, which in turn causes more shedding.
- Allergies: Dogs with allergies often itch and scratch, which loosens hair and increases shedding.
- Stress: Just like humans, dogs shed more when they’re stressed or anxious.
- Parasites: Fleas, ticks, or other parasites irritate your dog’s skin, leading to scratching and hair loss.
- Medications: Some medications, like corticosteroids, can temporarily increase shedding.
- Hormones: Imbalances in thyroid or reproductive hormones can cause excessive shedding and thinning of the coat.
- Spaying/Neutering: After spaying or neutering, shedding can increase for a few months due to hormonal changes.
- Pregnancy/Lactation: Female dogs may shed more during pregnancy or while nursing due to hormonal changes and nutrient loss. For more on shedding during pregnancy, check out this article from Dogster.
If your Golden’s shedding seems excessive or unusual, it’s best to consult your vet for advice.
FAQs About Golden Retriever Shedding
If you’re still wondering about Golden Retriever shedding, here are answers to some common questions:
1. Can I Stop My Golden Retriever From Shedding?
Shedding is a natural part of owning a Golden Retriever, and you can’t stop it completely. But with regular grooming and a healthy diet, you can manage it and reduce the amount of hair they shed.
2. How Often Should I Groom My Golden Retriever To Manage Shedding?
Brushing your Golden about 2-3 times a week helps keep shedding under control. It gets rid of loose fur and prevents tangles, which can make shedding worse.
3. Does Bathing My Golden Retriever Help With Shedding?
Bathing can help remove loose hair, but it’s best not to overdo it. Use a gentle dog shampoo to keep their skin healthy, as too many baths can dry out their skin and lead to more shedding.
4. What Can I Feed My Golden Retriever To Reduce Shedding?
A healthy diet is key. Look for dog food with omega-3 fatty acids to improve their coat and skin health. A balanced diet helps minimize shedding and keeps their coat shiny.
5. Is It Normal For My Golden Retriever To Shed More In Certain Seasons?
Yes, it’s normal. Golden Retrievers shed more in the spring and fall as they switch between their lighter summer coat and thicker winter coat. It’s part of their natural cycle.
Final Thoughts
While you can’t completely stop Golden Retriever shedding, there are ways to minimize it. Regular grooming, a proper diet, managing allergies, and reducing stress can all help keep shedding under control.
Owning a Golden Retriever is a rewarding experience, and shedding doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker. With a little care, your Golden will stay happy, and your home will stay cleaner.
How do you manage your Golden’s shedding? Share your tips in the comments below!
Hi, I’m Jenny, the owner and content creator of First Time Dog Mom. As the proud owner of Ellie, my senior Golden Retriever, I share the insights and tips I’ve learned through my own experiences as a dog mom. With a lifelong love of animals, I hope to be a helpful resource for others navigating the joys and challenges of pet parenthood.
I’m really happy I saw your post here. I was looking around at getting a new dog and was considering a Golden. I was wondering what type of “tools” I should get though. My vacuum recently died, so I’m happy you linked your other page about that. Other than that though, it was good to see that everything here pretty much lined up with other research I’ve done. Thanks for the post!
Hi Caden,
You’ll definitely need a good vacuum if you decide to add a Golden to your family. I find myself vacuuming twice a week! But, it’s worth it!!
I’m glad this article offered some helpful information for you.
Thanks for taking the time to comment,
Jenny.
Hi First Time Dog Mom,
Great article, I agree on most of your points. Just to add: I think a great inclusion to your tips would be to invest in a great brush for your dogs. A great brush is the make-it or break-it for dog coats, some would tend to damage more than maintain. What brush would you recommend?
All the best to Ellie
Hi Cory,
I am glad you enjoyed my article. To answer your question, I highly recommend using a pin brush to brush your Golden Retriever. Pin brushes are great because they effectively remove loose dead fur, they are gentle on your dog and massage your dog’s skin. I only use a pin brush on my golden because it works and my dog loves it! You can read my article on the best dog brush for Golden Retrievers to find out more.
Thanks for stopping by.
Jenny.
What a beautiful dog you have!
Your tips are all really helpful, particularly the ones on how to deal with shedding, which is obviously a problem to all owners of furry dogs. And your explanation of why dogs shed their fur is really interesting. I had thought that it was mainly a seasonal thing, ie. that they shed their coats in warmer weather and grow them more thickly in cold weather. Is that the case too?
I like your emphasis on giving your dog a good natural diet – of course that is important to all creatures!
You obviously really love your dog, and I know that your tips will be invaluable to all dog owners and not just for those who own Goldens.
Many thanks for a great post.
Chrissie 🙂
Thank you for your comment Chrissie. Seasonal shedding is of course the number one reason for an increase in shedding. I am glad you enjoyed my post.
Hi Jenny!
Great post, thank you.
We’ve owned a Basenji dog, and we didn’t have to worry so much about her fur. It sure takes a lot of work to take care of a Golden Retriever.
Since our dog Beauty was killed by an angry neighbor who didn’t like dogs, we’ve been very hesitant to get another one. We no longer live in the same neighborhood, though. We’re still unsure of the dog breed to get for our kids, and after reading your post, I think it’s going to be hard to take care of a Golden Retriever.
If I may ask, has it been easy to take care of Ellie? Will it be a lot of trouble for a full-time working mom to take care of a Golden Retriever?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Princila, that is awful to hear about your dog being killed by your neighbour, I am sorry to hear that.
If you are considering a Golden Retriever for your family, you need to read my article on Living With A Golden Retriever.
Golden Retrievers are wonderful with children, they are very easygoing, and gentle and loving. They do require constant human attention and affection, so leaving them at home for long periods of time is not good for this breed. They require a good amount of exercise and play time daily, and of course brushing and regular grooming.
As an owner to this breed you need a lot of patience, and persistence.
I loved your article on the shedding-machine that is the Golden Retriever. it’s so true…that as a water dog they have two coats that seemingly never stop shedding. You give some great advice on how important it is for them (and all dogs) to have a well-balanced diet to maintain a healthy coat.
People always seem to forget about caring for their undercoat. Have you found a particular brush that helps with the thick undercoat? When I had a “golden” I had a long tooth dog rake that seemed to work well. they really do need to be brushed every day if you can.
Hi Tim, thank you for your comment. A well-balanced diet is so important to maintain a healthy coat. The only brush that I use and love is a good quality Pin Brush, I brush Ellie every day with it. I do not use anything else, as I find this type of brush works the best.
Hi Jenny, nice to meet you and your beautiful dog Ellie 🙂 I too have owned Golden Retrievers, and they do appear to shed a lot as house dogs. We used to joke that it was a great thing that our rugs and floors were in tones of brown and gold, they hid all the hair from our Golden girl (house dog). I presently own 2 Golden Retriever Xs, and their shedding is minimal because they spend 1/2 of their time outside. The artificial temperatures indoors, encourage out of season shedding. Our boys get a thorough professional grooming at the end of August or mid September to brush out and blow out their coats. After that they are non shedding until the following summer. If they were house dogs 24/7, I am sure I would have to get them groomed professionally every 3 months with home brushing too. A tip- add some Flax and or Fish oils to the diet, that are high in Omega 3s and you can minimize a lot of the out of season shedding.
Hi Madeleine, I agree that temperatures affect the amount of shedding as well, and thank you for your tip of adding Flax and or Fish oils to the diet, to minimize the shedding.
My first dog was a toy poodle as a child. I had this notion that dogs never shed. Later on when I got a Golden Retriever I was so shocked! I couldn’t believe the amount of hair that was like…..everywhere! I had an industrial strength vacuum cleaner that I used all the time. You are right though, it really comes down to what you feed your dog that causes your dog to shed or not to shed. Certain foods can cause reactions inside your dogs system and cause them to shed more. I know its more expensive, but having a higher quality diet and dog food not only prevents shedding but it also helps your dogs tummy and digestive system so they poop better and over all it elongates your dogs life! Consider that next time you are out shopping for pet food and are trying to “save money” getting generic brand stuff.
Also brushing is really important but sometimes even if your dog is not healthy inside, no amount of brushing can help, your dog needs to have water all the time and healthy food. Treat your dog like its your child, not a possession.
Hi Sophia, thank you for commenting. You are so right in saying that feeding your dog a high quality diet makes all the difference. A healthy inside equals a healthy outside, it is the same for humans.
Hey Jenny, great post. I’m not much of a dog person but I can tell you that is one good looking animal and it shows you take care of her well. Personally, your approach to keeping your dog healthy even during pregnancy is brilliant. I think that if I ever should get a dog or my wife gets one then I think your post will come in handy because your post is very helpful and informative. Good job!
Thank you so much R.J. I truly believe that a Golden Retriever will make a dog person out of anyone, they are the best. I am glad you found my post helpful and informative, thanks for commenting.
I still remember my mom going nuts when it was again that time of the year (2 times!) when she had to keep vacuuming all the time, because Jax (our golden retriever) was losing a lot of hair. Me and my dad were always laughing (out of sight of my mom of course…)
The tips you give are very helpful. We did indeed brush Jax almost every day and it really helped in keeping the shedding in control.
Unfortunately we had to let Jax go two years ago…
Hi Laura, sorry for the loss of your loving golden Jax. The heavy shedding that occurs during Spring and Fall, can make any dog owner go crazy and vacuum constantly. I am glad you found my tips useful, they really do help you get control of all the shedding.
When I was younger we had a golden retriever. She was a lot of fun and got into everything. There are times where we would go out only to return home to find the house had been turned upside down.
That’s when we made the decision that we needed to burn her out before we left her alone at home. And you’re right she shed so much that we were constantly picking up after her. Her hair would be everywhere.
My dad started her on a diet of mixing a little bit of dry food with some wet food, we found that that helped quite a bit with her shedding.
In order for her to get her exercise once we became smarter about how to not have our furniture torn apart was to let her out and run around our farm a few times.
Hi Jag, thanks for sharing your experience with your Golden Retriever. They really are high energy dogs when they are younger, and need to burn off that energy. A dog that is left alone at home can become anxious or stressed , and that can cause increased shedding.
This is a great article! One year ago I had a Golden Retriever and these dogs are very beautiful and smart. I was having a problem with my dog shedding but honestly, I did not know that it can be provoked by so many symptoms, I was thinking that is normal to happen some time.
Hi Daniel, yes there are many reasons that can cause an increase in Golden Retriever shedding. It is very normal during Spring and Fall, and can be brought on by medical reasons that I have listed above. Thank you for commenting.
Great post and it comes in the perfect moment!
We have Sammy, he is a Golden Retriever, and yeah, he sheds a lot, sometimes 10 times a day!
Never knew why it happens, and how to stop it.
So that is why I’m so happy to stumble across your post.
I will try the products you recommend, and hopefully they work!
Thank you so much!
Hi Emmanuel, I am so glad to help you “shed” some light as to why your golden sheds so much. Thank you for your comment.