Undoubtedly, the thick, long, and silky coat of the Golden Retriever steal the heart of everyone. And the structure of your pet, along with the long and smooth body, makes them the perfect cuddling buddy. However, if you have a Golden Retriever, you will understand that we get warmth and security whenever we touch the silky coat. So, a question may strike your mind: when do the Golden Retrievers get their full hair coat?
However, your puppy looks golden-yellow after birth because of the short and dense golden-yellow hairs. But, how and when do Golden Retrievers get their full coat. Commonly, the soft, long, and alluring furs of the Golden Retrievers start growing few months after birth. And the Golden Retrievers get their complete dense coat within 18 months of birth.
I will for sure disclose more about the Golden Retrievers and their fur further in the article. Before that, we should know about different types of Golden Retrievers based on their coat.
What Are The Types Of Golden Retrievers Based On Their Full Coat?
Because of the popularity of Golden Retrievers, everybody wants them. Thus their cross-breeding results in different varieties of Golden Retriever. However, according to the difference in the coat, residence, and body structure, there are three types of purebreds. And they are:
American Golden Retriever
American Golden Retrievers have a lankier body with darker golden or yellow coats and stand out as a family-friendly dog. Furthermore, as defined by American Kennel Club, they are well-coordinated, smooth, and powerful without barrel ribs. However, their non-super prominent forehead with triangular or slanted-shaped shrunken eyes makes the American Golden Retriever different.
English Golden Retriever
Though English Golden Retrievers were originally from Scotland, they are well known across Europe and Australia now. And, according to Australian National Kennel Club, their defining features are;
- Broader skull with a balanced and chiseled muzzle.
- Lighter yellow or golden-colored coat.
- Round eye with darker eye color.
Canadian Golden Retriever
As the name suggests, Canadian Golden Retrievers are from Canada. And the Golden Rescue differentiates the Canadian Retrievers from others through three differences. That is;
- Shorter and thinner hair.
- Denser coat
- Two inches taller with golden fur.
- The fur of the Canadian Golden Retriever is darker than the English breed but lighter than the American.
After a brief introduction about the different types of Golden Retrievers according to coat, let us dig deeper about the coat color in Golden Retriever.
When Do Golden Retrievers Get Their Full Coat?
The Golden Retrievers have a dust and dirt repellant, water-resistant double coat. And, the undercoat is dense and lighter in color whereas, the fur on the outer surface is slightly coarse and darker. Since the double-layered coat of Retrievers cool them in hot and warms them in the cold. Their hair coat has a great significance in maintaining homeostasis. Therefore, you should care for them more during shedding seasons. (spring and fall)
Furthermore, the maturing of the coat exists in two stages. They are;
Fluffy To Fur Stage
Generally, the coat of the puppy Golden Retriever starts growing after three months of birth. And the puppies look like dense yellow balls due to the short and fluffy golden fur. However, the hair starts growing longer and silkier as the Golden Retrievers get older.
Coat Transition Stage
After three months, the short hair starts growing longer from the tail, legs to the stomach. Eventually, they will get their complete dense, long and soft coat until they are 18 months old. However, the coat timeline may be as follows:
- Three months- unnoticeable growth of the adult coat
- Eight months- prominent growth of hairs in the tails, legs, and chest.
- One year- very noticeable double-layered coating all over the body
- Two year- fully grown, dense and smooth coat throughout the body
Furthermore, the Retrievers do not shed their puppy hair. Their small hair becomes an undercoat after the growth of complete fur. And, the grooming, weather, and health of the pet influence the proper development of the coat.
How To Differentiate The Golden Retrievers Observing Their Full Coat?
All types of Golden Retrievers have a unique structure and characteristics. Therefore, it is easier to distinguish them.
However, sometimes their similarities may overcome the differences. And it becomes difficult to differentiate.
Thus, Embrace Pet Insurance has a general guideline that makes it easier to distinguish. The guidelines are as follows;
| American Golden Retriever | English Golden Retriever | Canadian Golden Retriever |
| · Triangular or slanted eyes
· Smaller body · Lankier structure |
· Stocky body
· Round eyes · Larger in size · Darker eyes |
· Taller
· Moderate colored oval eyes |
| Dark golden to intense yellow coat | Lighter yellow or golden coat | Thinner hair coat with moderate golden to yellow color (Darker than English breeds but lighter than American breeds) |
Furthermore, the best way to determine the color is the detailed observation of the coat of Golden Retrievers. However, close observation in certain areas helps to know the shade of your pet. The areas are:
- Behind the ears – the color of the clump of hair behind ears is the shade of your Golden Retriever.
- Tip of ears
- Feathery hairs- the color of the thread of hair that strangles in the legs and tail of the Retrievers denotes their color.
Generally, the Golden Retrievers have very dense and soft fur. But sometimes, their coat may become thinner. Do you know the reasons behind the thinning of the hair coat in your Golden Retriever?
Why Do Golden Retrievers Have Thinner Full Coat?
The mesmerizing double-layered soft fur of Golden Retriever makes it the best for family and kids. However, being the parent of a Golden Retriever may be tedious sometimes because they shed throughout the year. And, the shedding is excessive in shedding seasons (i.e., fall and spring.)
Although your pet may shed a lot, you should be conscious that their coat does not become thin. Furthermore, the various reasons for the thin hair coat of your pet are as follows:
Parasite Makes The Coat Of Golden Retriever Thin
If your Golden Retriever is losing a lot of hair these days, it may be due to the infection of fleas or mites. Whenever a flea bites the pet, it leads to an immune response. Thus, the pet may start itching resulting, in skin inflammation and redness.
Furthermore, the olden Retriever suffers from hair loss and hair thinning. A type of mite (Demodex mite) lives in the hair follicles of your dog and grows excessively in immune-compromised adults developing a condition called demodectic mange. As a consequence, the pet licks-scratches and chews its hair.
And, all this ultimately results in skin lesions, skin thickening, and hair loss.
Allergies
Just like humans, allergies are a common problem in dogs. Generally, foods and the environment are the factors leading to allergies. And, these factors release allergens that increase the level of histamine in the blood of your pet.
As a consequence of the histamines, the Golden Retriever starts itching and excess shedding.
Poor Diet
Although owners focus a lot on proper food and diet, sometimes lack of adequate knowledge leads to undernourishment of your pet. In general, puppies require more calories, protein, and fat than adult dogs for a healthier and longer lifespan.
However, lack of nutrition in the diet influences the skin and hair of the Golden Retriever. Your failure in managing the diet of your pet affects the oil glands. Thus, the glands will not get proper nutrition for the release of the essential oil. And as a result, the coat of your pet becomes dry along with hair loss and hair thinning.
Bacterial And Fungal Infection
Besides fleas, different types of bacteria may also attack the Golden Retrievers. Mostly, the infection of staphylococcus aureus leads to ringworm lesions that further induces irritation and drying of the skin in your pet. As a result, your dog starts excessive itching and, scaly patches appear on the coat with excessive hair hoss.
Summing up, the dogs also suffer from different fungal infections. And, these infections develop circular patches, lesions, and inflammations in the skin of your Golden Retriever. Eventually, it causes excessive hair loss of your pet.
Hormonal Disturbances
Generally, the hormonal changes during pregnancy and nursing cause excessive hair loss of the mother Retriever. Since the hair follicles of a pregnant dog go into the resting phase to preserve energy for the baby growing inside, it results in hair loss and hair thinning.
Besides this, an imbalance of different sex hormones may also lead to excess hair loss. Therefore, you should consult with your Vet if your Golden Retriever such problems.
Diseases And Illness
The disease that leads to hair loss of the Golden Retriever is Hypothyroidism. The imbalance in the thyroid hormones as a result of this disease causes excessive shedding.
Apart from this, Cushing’s disease is another similar illness. It results due to the overproduction of corticosteroids in adrenal glands that degrades the health of your pet. And it causes itching, lesions, and hair loss.
Stress and Environmental Conditions
Just like humans, the Golden Retrievers also show different symptoms during stress, anxiety, and fear. Such as vomiting, fever, diarrhea, scratching, licking, and hair loss. All the behavioral changes make bald patches, lesions, and inflammation in the skin resulting in hair thinning.
Along with this, extreme environmental conditions also affect a lot in the health of your pet. Since Golden Retriever favors only moderate climate and cannot tolerate excess hot or cold, extreme climatic conditions degrade their health leading to hair loss and allergies.
Lack Of Care
After owning a Golden Retriever, the owner as a parent has to take care of their pet. And Golden Retrievers are the one that needs a lot of care, love, and grooming. If you fail to give them a proper bath, brush their fur daily and groom them, they will suffer from various health conditions and infections.
Eventually, your lack of care may cause thinning of hair and hair loss of your pet.
After you are aware of the causes of hair loss, you must know about the consequences of hair thinning.
The Golden Retrievers Have Thinner Full Coat. What Are The Consequences?
Everything in nature has its importance and, the same implies for the double-layered coat of your Golden Retriever. Since the outer hair coat of the Golden Retriever is water-resistant and dirt repellant, it protects your pet from germs, insects, excessive heat, and cold. And the inner hair coat helps in insulation and keeps the pet cool during hot weather.
Thus, the coat of the Golden Retriever plays a vital role. Furthermore, thinning of coat or excessive loss of hair may invite the different type of health problems and issues like:
- Clipping alopecia
- Sebaceous adenitis
- Black skin disease
Therefore, you should care for the coat properly for the healthier and longer life of your pet. However, you can use different grooming advice for the proper care of your Golden Retriever. Adding up, the article Golden Retriever care can also give you ideas in caring for your pet.
How To Care The Coat Of The Golden Retriever?
If you own a Golden Retriever, you worry about caring for the coat of your pet. Do not you?
I know proper caring of the coat of your pet is very important. And if you follow the following tips and tricks, you will surely be able to give the best care to your pet. Along with it, all these ideas will also enhance natural hair growth.
The ideas include:
Feeding Your Golden Retriever With Omega Rich Diet
As we know, food plays a vital role in the proper growth of fur. It is essential to care a lot about the diet of your pet. Generally, omega-rich diets promote the faster growth and healthy coat of your pet. And, if you want a shiny, long, radiant, and healthy hair coat for your pet, you should give them omega-3 and omega-6 rich diets.
The food rich in omega-fats are:
- Fishes (Salmon, Tuna, Sardines, etc.)
- Eggs
- Fortified foods
- Seafood
- Seeds and nuts (Walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds)
Supplements Promoting The Golden Retrievers Full Coat
Although you provide a healthy diet to your pet, your pet may sometimes lack certain nutrients. And, this may be due to disease or excess metabolism of your pet. Thus, you must consult your Veterinarian and use certain supplements.
Supplements of Omega-3 and Omega-6 help your pet fight against skin diseases and helps to produce enough essential oil for the proper growth of hair. Besides this, it also prevents skin problems like itching, inflammations, and lesions of your pet. Thus, the coat of your Retriever becomes dense and healthy.
Grooming The Golden Retrievers For Enhancing Full Coat
Proper grooming relaxes the hair follicles. Thus, it is helpful in the hair growth of your pet. If you properly groom your pet in the shedding season, you can control excess shedding and hair loss. However, you can seek help from a professional groomer if you feel you cannot groom them properly. Furthermore, the use of different grooming devices (like Furminator Undercoat DE-shedding) can make your grooming experience easier and comfortable.
Daily Brushing To Promote The Golden Retrievers Full Coat
As a result of the enthusiastic nature of the Golden Retriever, different foreign particles, mud, and dust attach to the coat of your pet. And, this may cause matting of hair along with parasitic growth.
Therefore, brush the coat of your pet daily to prevent matting, infections, and excessive shedding. Along with this, brushing also helps in the circulation of essential oils in the coat for proper hair growth.
However, there are some tips for proper brushing of the coat of your Golden Retriever. It includes:
- Brush the coat daily with a natural bristle brush.
- Using wire-bristle or greyhound brush to deal with tangles
- Proper observation of the body coat while brushing them gently throughout the body
- Seek help from the Veterinarian if you find fleas, inflammation, redness, or scalps in the body of your pet.
Proper Bathing For Improving The Golden Retrievers Full Coat
Though the water-resistant and dirt repellant coat of the Golden Retrievers helps to keep them clean, scheduled bathing is essential for the healthy lifespan of your pet. Proper bathing with dog-based shampoo and lukewarm water relaxes the hair follicles of your pet. Thus, it promotes oil secretion through oil glands. It eventually leads to the healthy and smooth coat of your pet.
However, you can follow the following ideas for proper bathing.
- Brush the coat of your pet before and after bath.
- Soak the hair of your pet in warm water using dog baths.
- Applying oatmeal shampoo throughout the body to prevent bacterial growth
- Massage the coat of your pet gently. And also, prevent the shampoo from entering the ears and eyes of your pet.
- Rinse the shampoo carefully and cleaning the ears and ears with damp cotton.
- Spray the mixture of white vinegar and water all over the body of your pet.
- Dry the pet with a clean cotton towel.
Trimming Of Excess Hair
Since the hair of the Golden Retriever has a vital role, do not cut or shave. However, trimming excessive hair of certain areas can comfort your pet. The different areas where trimming is necessary are:
- Back of legs
- Hair strands blocking the eyes
- Long hairs of the tail
- Hairs covering the ears
- Fussy hair between toes
- Coat of neck and chest.
Since a regular individual will not have an idea about proper trimming, you can take your pet to a professional groomer. Proper trimming in required areas promotes the distribution of oil in essential areas. And thus, it helps in the healthy management of coats.
These all methods will help you maintain a healthy coat of your pet. Yet, you still may have a dilemma about controlling excessive hair shedding.
Here are some tips that can help you to control the excessive hair shedding of your pet.
What Are Tips To Manage Shedding Of The Golden Retrievers Full Coat?
Generally, Golden Retrievers are themselves the dog breed that shades a lot. Therefore, complete elimination of shedding is quite impossible for the Golden Retriever.
However, you can control excessive shedding and reduce hair loss to a manageable amount so that there are no golden hairs all over your house. For this, you can use the following tips:
Frequent Cleaning
As we know, complete inhibition of the hair fall is imaginary. Therefore, you can make a routine for cleaning your house to prevent hair mess from carpet, bed, kitchen, and floor.
Even though daily cleaning is helpful, most of us have jobs. Therefore, you should at least clean your house thrice a week to manage the hair shedding.
Use Of Lint Roller
A lint roller is a device that cleans your clothes by removing the hairs clinging to them. I know you love your pet. Yet, you do not want to visit places carrying the fur of your pet. Thus, a lint roller is very helpful for pet owners.
Grooming With Professionals
Grooming a pet may not be as easy as it sounds. And, since professionals have the proper training for such works. If you take your pet to the professional groomer once every two months, it reduces hair loss remarkably.
Avoid Using De-Shedding Brushes
Though the de-shedding brushes claim to be effective, they damage the coat of your pet. These brushes pull out and tear the hair while managing the tangles. Therefore, these brushes harm the skin of the Golden Retriever.
Eventually, it leads to lesions, inflammation, and redness in the coat.
Using A Blow Dryer
A dog-based blow dryer can clean and dry the coat of your Golden Retriever quickly and easily. Since the wet hair of your pet may attack dirt, dust, or mud, a good blow dryer is essential for cleaning the coat of your pet.
However, you should take care that the blow dryer is dog-specific and does not produce irritating noises.
I know you love your pet and want a healthy and longer lifespan for them. But you may be worrying a lot about the seasonal shedding, skin diseases, and excessive shedding of your pet. The complete elimination of shedding is impossible. Yet, you can manage to keep the coat of your pet healthy.
I hope all the above points were helpful to you.
What do you think about the tips and tricks? Were they beneficial for your pet?
Do you want anything to add to this list?
Please leave your suggestions in the comments below that could help in the improvement of the article.
