Hi all,
       Myself and my girlfriend have been waiting to get a puppy for three years, while we move house and she qualifies as a nurse (shift work, great for reducing the time both of us will be out of the house, as I work full time).
       We both love Golden Retrievers, the only question mark we have is over the grooming. I had had a pedigree border collie and a collie cross in the past, the collie had a wonderful long coat that simply needed regular grooming not trimming, but the collie cross has a thicker undercoat and needed trimming regularly to prevent knotting.
       How often would a golden need trimming if groomed every or every other day? Is this something that could be done by us or is a professional groomer a must?

       I would maybe look at a yellow lab, but although I am sure they are a great breed, I have not had any contact with them, and I KNOW that golden's have the perfect personality for us.

Could use some first hand advise.

Great Forum by the way.

Ian

Hi Ian,

There's no reason why a GR should ever need to visit a grooming parlour :)  If you keep on top of the longer feathering on the back of their legs, their underside and tail there should be no problems whatsoever (these are the areas most likely to knot as well as around the "sensitive" bits and also behind the ears!).  Regular grooming keeps coats and skin healthy because it also benefits circulation and if you're prepared to go through your dog's coat as often as you say I can't see him / her ever needing professional intervention!

Well done on waiting for your dream breed until your domestic circumstances were worked out - you're obviously not only very responsible but very patient too ;)

Welcome to the forum by the way, Teri :P 

My mother had a golden, and found that a good grooming (throught to the skin) and a combing of the feathering every day meant he never got tangled. It's certainly a domestic job, not needing a professional.
:)