Stig is now a year old, and while we have taken him for some generic grooming (bath, ears, toenails) we finally found a really capable groomer who only does Goldens and has some amazing client champion show dogs as well as her own two lovely boys. The good news is that both of our boys were good boys- our old boy James just was told to lay down for his grooming and he literally just laid down on the table and nearly went to sleep. He got a nice snuggly to wear and a comfort hood. Stig however- that wavy coat is going to be a problem, I think. This was most definitely correctly blow dried. Ugh. Oh well-🤣
From the breed standard: Coat — Dense and water repellent with good undercoat. Outer coat firm and resilient, neither coarse nor silky, lying close to body; may be straight or wavy. Untrimmed natural ruff; moderate feathering on back of forelegs and on under-body; heavier feathering on front of neck, back of thighs and underside of tail.
I know several show dogs with wavy coats. It’s not a fault at all! Eevee’s top coat is naturally a little wavy, it just looks straight because she gets a bath and blow out every week. If I let her air dry or she misses a couple baths, the waves come back. I don’t blow them out on purpose. It just kinda comes with the territory of frequent blow outs.
Logan has waves. I blow him dry about once a week also — mostly because of the field training and frequent swimming, which straightens them out. If I don’t blow him dry, his hair looks like mine and my hair has a mind of its own.
Your dog's wavy coat is absolutely correct and my favorite type of coat on a Golden. I am not a fan of the fads in the show ring. Golden coats should be wash and air dry.
Looking at the first pic (close up of topline). That ripple along his topline may go away in the next 2 years (by age 2.5 they get their serious big boy coat). Or it may not. It looks fine either way. Have seen plenty of young dogs win with similar ripples. I'd want to add a little leave in conditioner to help add moisture back to the coat. As well, you might want to add a protein rinse type thing for baths between grooms, or ask the groomer to do that to help repair coat and help it grow.
If you are planning to show, I would suggest absolutely doing the protein rinse + not cutting feet so short.
Pardon me for the weird comment - but I was looking at the pictures and puzzling over the 2nd pic (the one where he's looking out the window) and the 3rd pic (standing on the table). They look like different dogs?
Nope definitely the same dog - I was just trying to show how his back looks. He has a giant head right now (pict attached pre- grooming) my vet and trainer both say he is definitely still growing- and he certainly has a great deal of filling out to do. he is our first intact male- so my understanding is that everything happens a little more slowly? As noted- my poor groomer- oh, she definitely DID use a leave-in conditioner- she’s pretty savvy and her lovely boys have the titles to prove it. I’m afraid Stig just definitely isn’t a conformation dog and that’s okay. Thank you very much for your suggestions!
It may have been the lighting perhaps tricking my eyes....
in the picture below -
What I was looking at (arrows) - I see as dry or damaged coat. This is why I'd suggest working with the groomer (if you trust her) to heal up that coat and really make it shine in about 2-5 months.
For showing your dog, ripples or waves are not a huge issue. But you want a healthy coat.
It may have been the lighting perhaps tricking my eyes....
in the picture below -
What I was looking at (arrows) - I see as dry or damaged coat. This is why I'd suggest working with the groomer (if you trust her) to heal up that coat and really make it shine in about 2-5 months.
For showing your dog, ripples or waves are not a huge issue. But you want a healthy coat.
I think it may be the lighting- his coat is super well conditioned- salmon oil every day and I use a product made for my horse by Stubben- contains no silicone and highly moisturizing- let me see if I can find a better picture. trying to photograpg this pup is like trying to catch the wind! Nonelthess- I know zero about conformation but enough to know that I don’t think he has anything like that “look.” He has other redeeming qualities Thanks very much again for your suggestions.
Hawthorn's dad, Pinyon, has a straight coat. Funny thing: Before I chose a puppy, I sent swabs to PawPrint, primarily to test for ICH carriers, but also asked for the test for straight/wavy/curly hair. All five pups, according to Paw Print, had straight hair. I've been meaning to send them a pic of Hawthorn's fur and suggest their hair test needs some, ahem, refinement!
This is dad Pinyon's coat, which is very straight:
Our 12 year old has a lovely coat like this- even though he is altered- he has always had an amazing coat. Stig is about 7 months in this picture- James had just had his yearly bloodwork (thyroid) that’s why is forearm is clipped.
Gotta share with a smile here - if you check Westminster out, they are out showing in the rain right now. Anyone who thinks the dogs would melt if you get them wet, should take a look.
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