I am new to the forum and don't actually have a golden yet, I'm on a waiting list with a breeder who has a planned litter for later this year.
I have done lots of research on Goldens and so obviously I am aware that they shed and that they require lots of grooming. This is not a problem but I am slightly house proud, not obsessively, I just like to keep on top of my house work!!
So I was hoping that there were owners out there who would be able to give me some tips on keeping on top of hair in the home? I realise that my house will never be completely hair free again once I get a puppy but I am sure there are house proud owners out there who gan give me some tips!!!
Years ago we put Bamboo flooring in our house and it remains pretty much clean. Ever since we got Maverick back in May it's been hair everywhere and scratches. We like to think the scratches give the house character, but if we knew we were getting a dog back then we wouldn't have chosen Bamboo hardwood:doh: Hair can be easily picked up with a vacuum (get a good one as mentioned), but the scratches...after the first few we didn't quite care anymore.
Our floors and most of our furniture match the dogs' fur. When all that fur becomes obvious, we vacuum (once a week, or right before guests arrive). Brushing frequently helps tremendously, but when the seasonal coat-blowing happens, it's hard to keep up with. Keep a lint roller handy for guests.
I've told this story before - one day I was kneeling on the floor, mopping up muddy paw prints, and sobbing because I had just mopped that floor. Max came over and licked my face. And that floor just didn't matter so much after all.
Aw, I haven't seen you tell this story before. What a sweet boy he is
I keep a big stack of old towels handy and try to keep on top of wiping muddy paws before he comes in the house (I have a nice covered back porch, so that helps) If your Golden has a lot of feathering on his paws, it will really, really help a lot with tracking mud inside the house if you will keep his feet (sides, edges and bottoms between pads) trimmed as neatly as possible. In order to do this it will be very important to start handling your puppies feet and toes on pretty much a daily basis so that by the time he is grown and his fur is filled out you can trim fur and toenails at will. There is nothing worse than trying to trim a dog's feet and nails if they won't let you touch them.
We also vac once a week and tidy up using the awesome Dyson dust buster. The house is ok but our clothes are always covered. Golden threads are just one of those things in life that you just need to let go. The joy a golden brings is a small price to pay. I miss it when I am away on holiday
This cracks me up! My husband and I recently went on a vacation and when we found a couple random hairs on our clothing we would be like "aw I miss him". We would say it's our dog's way of always being with us! Haha
To the OP vacuum daily and dust often! But even still, you might find random hairs on your clothing
Also, I bathe mine weekly and use a dry shampoo in between if needed(which I rarely need). We let it go for two weeks one time and he didn't smell too bad but he is always inside so we try to eliminate any dog smell.
Thanks for the responses guys! I have two young girls so my house is by no means immaculate. I am very excited about getting a golden prob even more than my 5yr old, lol!!!!
Can anyone tell me, do they tend to be a smelly breed or does it just depend on the individual golden? My cousin has had two Newfoundlands and they have both had a distinctive smell but my sister has a Staffy and he's not too bad and wondered if it was due to coat length?
I've never noticed any smell from either of my two Golden's...well unless they found something extra special to roll on that day...then watch out:yuck:...but a quick bath generally illuminates the smell.
I don't think they smell at all. I have a Pug who is a little smelly no matter how much I wipe the wrinkles he still a little smelly. My Pyrenees mix is a little smelly too.
Our downstairs area which is wood laminate, is vacuumed and mopped daily, and the stairs and upstairs which is carpet, is vacuumed weekly...there is still hair everywhere
The faster you learn to surrender the happier your home life will be. Years ago when I rescued my 1st GR I tried so hard to fight the hair that I almost went insane. I surrendered and I've never looked back. People know that if they come to my house they will see dog hair. Don't want to see it, don't come. Easy peasy.
As for smelling bad, never been a problem as long as they are bathed, don't have any kind of infection or as Pete mentioned, rolling in something disgusting.
I am a bit ocd about having a clean house. I just vacuum every day. Have stone floors that match the color of my dog and he is not allowed on the furniture. Works for us.
He gets a bath when he starts to smell like a dog which can be anywhere from one to 3 months depending on the weather and how much he swims in the summer. The pool keeps him clean and smelling good.
Everybody is right. A good quality vacuum used daily, daily brushing and areas of the house that are off limits to my dog help keep the hair at bay. But the vac is still full when we are finished and just petting her makes hair fly. But when she smiles, the hair doesn't matter at all.
And Sandy has never smelled. All of our customers (some of them dog owners too) remark how our house doesn't smell or look like a dog lives here. I must thank my wife for her diligence with a vacuum and duster for that! But I do the brushing so it's a shared responsibility. Everybody must help.
We actually tore out our new house carpet and put in one that almost matches the Golden hair. I vacumn with a great vacumn every day and wet mop with vinegar/water daily. Like you I am house proud but even more proud of my Goldens.
Food has a lot to do with the way the dogs smell. I feed raw and Orijen and when ever someone comes over they will comment on how my dogs never smell bad and my house doesn't smell "doggy". I do brush them every night to help with any shedding but there again I have found that since I have been feeding raw the shedding is a lot less, gotta love it.
I agree with what everyone said. Vacuum and brush your pup frequently. I put large throws on all my furniture because they are allowed to be on them. I wash the throws every week. The dogs get groomed every two to three months with an occasional bath or spray down in our tub if they get into anything.
You can't be terribly house proud and own any dog, much less a shedding breed. There will be hair.
You can, however, strike a nice balance by getting a great vacuum and devoting a solid hour a week to grooming. The vast majority of your Golden's shedding will be dead undercoat, so using a rake or comb (or forced air dryer) to pull out the dead undercoat will preempt some of the vacuuming.
As far as smell, that varies from dog to dog, but regular bathing and brushing will keep it minimal, especially if you towel or forced air dry your dog after the bath.
Remember to vacuum under the refrigerator to clean the coils. I have never lost a refrigerator to Golden hair, but one member here has been through a few.
I can't imagine life without chasing the Golden tumbleweeds around the house or car, sometimes they grow big enough to give them names
Ditto to what others have said. We have all wood floors except one room, and that room has beige carpet. We vaccum regularly. I also do not allow Rocket on the furniture. Which means I generally wind up sitting or lying on the floor, but I do that a lot anyway, so no big deal to me.
When it rains or is muddy, I lay an old towel just inside the door so that Rocket walks onto it when he comes in. I make him sit and get wiped down before he goes any further.
As soon as I walk in the door from work, I change out of my work clothes and into jeans or something else I don't care about. Keeps the fur from getting all over my nicer clothes.
As for smell....I've had a German Shepard/Rottweiler mix, a Newfoundland, a Collie and a Golden. The Shepard Mix and the Collie never had any sort of "doggy" smell at all. The Collie could go months without a bath and never smell, despite all the fur. The Newfie had a musty-ish smell if he wasn't blown completely bone dry after being wet. And he was prone to hot spots, which can also cause an odor. I will say that Rocket, our Golden does have more of a dog smell than any of my others. I've always thought that hunting breeds smelled a bit more, because of their coats being more water resistant. However, an interesting thing I noticed was that his doggy smell became much less aparent after we neutered him. I haven't noticed a smell in a couple months now. I also keep a bottle of Isle of Dogs odor neutralizing spray and spritz him every now and then between baths. I love that stuff!
Oh...and buy the lint rollers by the case at Costco. LOL!
I agree with everyone else - get a good vacuum cleaner and do a lot of grooming. But most importantly - get used to the hair, it's going to be part of your life! And no, unless they just rolled in something gross, my boys don't tend to smell.
Over the years, I have become much more relaxed about my house because there are more important things in life such as enjoying and having fun with my two Goldens. I am also lucky that my DH is not a stickler about having a spotless house.
I have a high quality laminate flooring throughout my house with tile in the bathrooms. I have two large area rugs and several small ones throughout the house. I vacuum and mop the floors weekly, run a duster over the floors several times throughout the week also.
I live on the NC Coast, we have lots of sand in our soil here plus there is a small beach at the end of my road where I take my dogs swimming several times during the week in the summer months. Needless to say, I deal with lots of sand in my house along with everything else. I always carry a little of the beach in my car.
I brush both of my goldens several times a week and I use a rake on them at least once a week also. I try to brush them outside more than I do in the house too.
I always have towels handy to dry them off whenever it's raining.
Invest in a good vacuum designed especially for households with Pets and have a lint brush available to you at all times.
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