Have you noticed that your Golden Retriever has short hair while other Golden Retrievers around you tend to have long hair? Do you want to understand why your Golden Retriever’s hair is short?
Well, look no further because we will be discussing reasons why your Golden Retriever’s hair is short and whether you should be worried or not. In cases when you should intervene, we will also be discussing ways to help improve the state of your Golden Retriever’s fur coat.
Table of Contents
Do All Golden Retrievers Have Long Hairs?
No, all Golden Retrievers do not have long hair. Golden Retrievers can have hair of different lengths. There are Golden Retrievers with long hair, medium hair, and others with short hair.
Can A Purebreed Golden Retriever Have Short Hairs?
Yes, a purebred Golden Retriever can have short hair. The fact that some Golden Retrievers have short hair does not mean that they are not pure breeds. Golden Retriever’s fur coats can indicate why they were bred; long-haired Golden Retrievers were bred to be show dogs, whereas short-haired Golden Retrievers were bred to be field dogs.
Can You Get Yourself A Short-Haired Golden Retriever?
A short-haired Golden Retriever does not constitute its breed; they are exactly the same breed as the long-haired or medium-haired Golden Retrievers. However, some Golden Retrievers are born with short hair, so yes, you can get yourself a short-haired Golden Retriever.
Why Do Some Golden Retrievers Have Short Hair?
Some Golden Retrievers have short hair because of their genes; if their parents had short hair, they are likely to have short hair. Other reasons why some Golden Retrievers have short hair are because of their nutrition, health, grooming, and the weather.
Reason Behind Golden Retriever’s Short Hair?
Nutrition
Do you know the saying, “You are what you eat?” Well, this saying applies to your Golden Retriever’s fur coat. Your Golden Retriever’s diet plays a massive role in determining whether their fur coats are healthy or not.
The first step to ensuring that your Golden Retriever’s fur coat is healthy is by feeding them high-quality dog food. High-quality dog food is nutrient-dense and includes several vital vitamins for your Golden Retriever.
Beyond feeding your Golden Retriever high-quality dog food, you should also include some fish oil supplements in their diet. Fish oil supplements contain Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids nourish your Golden Retriever’s skin and fur, as well as strengthen and support their hair follicles.
Health Conditions
Since the health of one’s hair is closely associated with their overall health and immune system, it means that when your Golden Retriever is ill, their hair will also suffer. These illnesses will significantly reduce the quality of your Golden Retriever’s fur coat, and they may even start shedding excessively.
On the other hand, you have illnesses that are distinctively characterized by their hair-loss effect. Such diseases include alopecia. Alopecia causes dogs to wholly or partially lose their hair. In mild cases, it may create the impression that your Golden Retriever has short hair.
Age
If your Golden Retriever puppy has short hair, that does not necessarily mean that they will always have short hair. Golden Retrievers only acquire their mature fur coats when they are at the age of one year and a half. Hence, if your breeder told you that your Golden Retriever’s parents had long hair, then it is likely that your Golden Retriever will have long hair, too; they are simply still growing.
When your Golden Retriever begins to acquire their mature coat, their fur coat typically grows from their tail. This growing process will move over to the rest of their body until their bodies are completely covered in their matured fur coat. You should also remember that all dogs are different, and your Golden Retriever could be a late bloomer.
Weather
When considering why your Golden Retriever’s fur coat is short, the weather plays an undeniably crucial part. If you stay in a hot area, then your Golden Retriever may have drier skin and hair. As your Golden Retriever’s skin and hair dry, their hair will fall out or break. This will give you the impression that your Golden Retriever has short hair.
Genetics
Your Golden Retriever’s short hair is likely hereditary. If your Golden Retriever’s parents had short hair, then it is expected that your Golden Retriever will have short hair as well. Although some Golden Retrievers with short hair may be mixed breeds, some Golden Retrievers are purebred but are simply born with shorter hair.
When Golden Retrievers are bred, they are typically bred for specific purposes. Golden Retrievers bred to participate in dog shows are bred from long-haired parents because their long hair is more appealing in dog shows. In contrast, field Golden Retrievers tend to be bred from Golden Retrievers with shorter hair.
Grooming
If your Golden Retriever’s parents had long hair, you feed your Golden Retriever well, and they are not ill, then the grooming routine you have implemented for your Golden Retriever may not be adequate. To maximize the health and luster of your Golden Retriever’s fur coat, you need to ensure that they have an adequate grooming routine.
The primary and quite effective way to groom your Golden Retriever is by brushing them frequently. You should typically brush your Golden Retriever at least thrice a week. When you brush your Golden Retriever, you should use a dog brush that has metal bristles. Such a brush will allow you to effectively remove tangles and remove loose hair.
Along with brushing your Golden Retriever, you should use a de-shedding tool. This tool can get to the lower levels of your dog’s fur and remove the loose hair and mats there without harming your Golden Retriever.
A healthy grooming routine includes bathing your dog only when necessary. If you over-bathe your Golden Retriever, you would be robbing their skin of essential oils. When you bathe your Golden Retriever, you should use a moisturizing dog shampoo and conditioner. This is especially crucial if you live in a hot area like Florida, Arizona, where your Golden Retriever’s fur tends to dry up quite easily.
Different Types Of Golden Retrievers Having Shorter Hair
There is only one Golden Retriever breed. Golden Retrievers are not split up into different breed variants that distinctively have short hair. With that being said, it is worth noting that Golden Retrievers have been bred for several purposes.
Working and hunting Golden Retrievers tend to have shorter hair because the Golden Retrievers that have long hair were typically used in dog shows. Long hair was a desirable characteristic that gave the dogs an advantage in dog shows. Therefore, when you see a Golden Retriever with short hair, they are probably working dogs or their descendants.
How To Get A Golden Retriever With Shorter Coat?
The length of Golden Retrievers’ fur coats is dependent on their heritage. This means that if you want to get your hands on a Golden Retriever with short hair, you will need to locate a breeder that has Golden Retriever parents that have short hair. Their infant will most likely have short hair too.
Breeds Like Short Haired Golden Retrievers
Flat-Coated Retriever
Flat-Coated Retrievers generally look a lot like Golden Retrievers. The significant difference between Golden Retrievers and Flat-Coated Retrievers is the fur color. Flat-Coated Retrievers have black fur coats.
Curly Coated Retriever
The Curly-Coated Retrievers are built similarly to Golden Retrievers; however, their coat color and texture make a sharp difference. As their name suggests, Curly Coated Retrievers have curly fur that is rough compared to the silky fur of the Golden Retriever.
Labradors
To an inexperienced eye, the Labrador and Golden Retriever might as well be the same breed because they would not be able to tell the difference. These breeds indeed look pretty similar; however, there are several differences between the two breeds. The main difference is the hair length. Labradors tend to have shorter hair than Golden Retrievers.
Chesapeake Bay Retriever
The fur texture of a Chesapeake Bay Retriever is different from that of the Golden Retriever. Chesapeake Bay Retrievers have shorter and wavy fur coats. Their fur coats typically manifest in red, dirty gold, and brown.
Short Haired Golden Retrievers Mixes
As previously stated, the short-haired Golden Retriever is not a breed. Short-haired Golden Retrievers are simply Golden Retrievers that were born with short hair. However, there are several Golden Retriever mixed breeds that feature short hair.
Some of these breeds include the Goldendoodle, a mix of the Golden Retriever and the Poodle. The Goldador is also a popular short-haired Golden Retriever mixed breed. The Goldador is a mix of the Golden Retriever and the Labrador.
Golden Retriever Shedding
Golden Retrievers are considered to be moderate shedders during the summer and winter. However, Golden Retrievers tend to shed heavily during the spring and fall. Since Golden Retrievers have thick fur coats, they are typically prone to shedding a lot.
If you want to stop your Golden Retriever from shedding so excessively, you should brush them frequently, bathe them as often as you need to and ensure that they are eating a well-balanced diet.
Don’t Shave Your Golden Retriever For Short Hair Purpose.
Shaving your Golden Retriever is a terrible idea. In general, you should allow professionals to give your Golden Retriever a haircut rather than trying to do it by yourself because there are so many things that could go through.
The Golden Retriever breed features a double fur coat. When you shave a dog with a double fur coat, you interfere with its body’s ability to regulate temperature. This means that when it is hot, your Golden Retriever will find it exceptionally difficult to cool down, and when it is cold, they will have trouble keeping warm.
Aside from that, shaving your Golden Retriever will compromise the quality of their fur coat. More often than not, when Golden Retrievers are shaved, their fur tends to grow back shorter, fragile, and coarse. Trying to regain the health of your Golden Retriever’s fur coat will be incredibly challenging. You should spare yourself all that effort by simply not shaving your Golden Retriever.
FAQ
Are All English Cream Golden Retrievers Short Hair?
No, all English Golden Retrievers do not have short hair. Like other Golden Retrievers, English Golden Retrievers can have hair of various lengths. The factors that influence whether your English Golden Retriever has short hair or not include their genetics, diet, age, and health.
When Do Golden Retrievers Get Their Full Coat?
Golden Retrievers typically reach their peak height at the age of one year. However, their fur coats usually reach maturity at the age of a year and a half.
Conclusion
If your Golden Retriever puppy has short hair and you are afraid, there might be something wrong with them. Do not worry about it because they typically would not be at the age when their fur coat reaches full maturity, and their short fur could also be a result of their genetics.
However, if your Golden Retriever’s fur coat suddenly becomes shorter and coarse, then it is cause for worry. That indicates that you may have to change their diet, grooming routine, or they may be ill.
