How To Trim Golden Retriever Ears

The good news is that golden retriever ear grooming is easier than it seems, and everyone can master it with a bit of practice.

But before you make your first ear trimming attempts, pick the right tools for golden retriever grooming, introduce your dog to the tools, and learn about mistakes to avoid.

However, if you don’t feel confident working with scissors near your dog’s face, consider a professional groomer’s services to guarantee the beauty and safety of your dog.

Choosing The Tools

To trim your golden retriever’s ears at home, you’ll need grooming scissors, shears, and a narrow-tooth comb. However, some golden retriever owners and professional groomers suffice with thinning shears alone.

Which tool to use to trim a golden retriever’s ears depends on the desired effect. Scissors enable you to cut the hair shorter, whereas thinning shears give a more natural effect.

Choose dog grooming tools from hard metal, such as stainless steel. Generally, professionals recommend using long-blade shears and scissors for trimming golden retriever fur, but ears are a small surface, so you may find medium-sized tools more convenient.

Dog thinning shears have two types of blades – beveled and convex. Beveled blades have tiny grooves that hold the hair in place while cutting, improving grooming efficiency. On the other hand, convex blades create a smoother edge.

Convex blades are better for inexperienced users because you may accidentally hurt your dog if you rush the grooming. Furthermore, they help to achieve neater results.

Professionals recommend using six-inch thinning shears with 46 or 48 teeth for a natural appearance and gradual blending.

Pick The Right Moment

Many dogs become anxious when they see a blade next to their ear, and we can’t blame them. Pick the right moment for the grooming session to avoid stressing your dog.

Ensure that your dog isn’t distressed from a vet visit, loud noises, or other distractions. If you attempt to trim your dog’s ears while it’s in a bad emotional state, it may develop negative associations with the process.

Don’t groom your dog when it’s full of energy because you want it to sit still. Walk with your golden for a good while before grooming to make it tired, but ensure it isn’t sleepy.

Trimming feathers all over your dog’s body at once may be tempting, but not every dog is patient enough, especially if you’re doing grooming for the first time.

If you’ve started grooming from the legs or tail and your golden retriever refuses to sit still, you may have to postpone the ear trimming until the next day.

Introduce Your Dog To The Tools

Don’t expect your dog to sit still while you’re trimming its ears if it has never seen grooming tools before. First, introduce your dog to the scissors and shears. You can skip this step if your dog is already acquainted with grooming tools.

Leave the grooming tools in your dog’s reach and wait until it approaches the tools to sniff them. If you start cutting your dog’s hair right away, without prior introduction, your pet may draw negative associations with the process.

Next, take the tools in your hands and touch your dog, but don’t trim the hair. If your dog appears comfortable around the tools, take the shears in your hand and your dog’s paw into the other.

Then, cut a little piece of hair and watch your dog’s reaction. If your dog is afraid, give it more time to get used to the tools, and if it appears alright, you can move on to trimming its ears. However, keep the first grooming session short.

After every step, give your dog a treat to create positive associations with grooming tools. Don’t rush the process – every dog is unique, and some may need more time than others to overcome their fear.

Prepare The Coat

Never groom a dirty dog. Start by bathing your golden retriever, paying special attention to the ears. Then, dry the coat thoroughly. Brush your golden retriever’s ears with a narrow-tooth comb to get rid of tangles.

If your golden retriever’s last bathing session was a while ago but not long enough to repeat it, brush the fur on the ears extra cheerfully, ensuring there are no knots or fleas.

Professional groomers recommend trimming golden retriever ears before bathing, then doing a finishing touch-up after the bath. This method may be too much of a hassle, but helpful for show grooming.

How To Trim Golden Retriever Ears Step-by-Step

Assuming that your dog is in a good mood and its ears are clean and brushed, get to work. Gain control over your dog – you don’t have to restrain it but ensure that it sits still throughout the procedure.

Start with the fuzzy hair behind the ear, where it’s the longest. Hold your dog’s ear by the end, gently pulling it forward and out of the way.

Hold scissors or thinning shears vertically and make several cuts, then brush the hair and evaluate the length. There’s no right or wrong length, so use your judgment.

Repeat this step until you’re satisfied with the fur length, constantly keeping the shears vertically. Then, take the ear by the flap and fold it over, exposing the inner part. Keeping the shears vertically, trim the fur on the inside.

Note that you don’t have to make the ear totally smooth, only to thin the hair and shorten it slightly. Then, move on to the front of the ear’s base, continuing to hold the ear folded back.

The trimming process is the same regardless of the ear area: brush, cut, brush, look, repeat. Ensure that hair doesn’t get into your dog’s ear canal.

Trim also hair under the base of the ear, on the dog’s neck, to smooth the transitioning. Make a few light shear strokes to remove hair in the front of your dog’s ear flap, still holding the ear folded back.

Now, release your dog’s ear and evaluate the result. You can notice that the hair on the ear’s top is naturally longer than on the bottom.

You want to maintain the natural look but make it neater, so trim the fur on the ear’s top but don’t go overboard. Do the trimming in small increments, and remember that it’s better to undercut than to overcut.

Reward your dog every so often for sitting patiently. Positive reinforcement is the best way to convince a golden retriever to sit still and be patient.

Mistakes To Avoid

Know the mistakes in golden retriever ear grooming before you begin. Don’t trim your golden retriever’s ears without brushing or while they’re wet. Don’t use clippers because shaving the ear fur creates a harsh look.

For the same reason, avoid trimming too much hair on the inside of the ear flap or cutting the hair at the ear’s top too short. Be patient – don’t trim the hair in large strokes because you may accidentally cut too much.

Don’t pluck hair inside your dog’s ears. Firstly, it’s painful. Secondly, it’s unnecessary for most golden retrievers. Thirdly, it creates an unnatural look.

Lastly, don’t discipline your dog while grooming, and don’t start grooming without introducing the tools first because your pet may draw negative associations with the process.

Is Trimming Golden Retriever Ears Really Necessary?

Golden retrievers have long hair all over their body, with slightly shorter fur on the ears and legs. Golden retriever coat is high maintenance as it requires regular bathing and brushing and can’t be cut short or shaved.

Since the grooming is so time-consuming, many owners wonder – do you need to trim golden retriever ears? No, ear trimming isn’t mandatory for golden retrievers, and your dog can be perfectly healthy and happy with long fur on its ears.

The purpose of trimming dog ears is solely visual. Trimmed golden retriever ears look neater and collect less dirt. Trimming is particularly beneficial for goldens frequently swimming in stagnant water where the fur collects pollutants.

Ear trimming is necessary for a show golden retriever because the coat quality and grooming can earn a dog many points. But for a pet golden retriever, ear trimming is optional.

Some owners are confused as to whether golden retrievers need ear plucking. No, healthy golden retrievers don’t need to have their ears plucked because they don’t grow much hair in the ear canal as some dog breeds do.

However, golden retrievers that frequently suffer from ear infections may benefit from ear plucking because hair blocks the ear canal, creating a perfect environment for thriving bacteria.

How Often To Trim Golden Retriever Ears

How often to trim golden retriever ears depends on the hair growth speed. On average, golden retrievers need to have their ears trimmed every eight to ten weeks, but some dogs may need grooming more or less frequently.

Use your judgment. If your dog’s ears don’t look as neat anymore or collect too much dirt, trim the hair regardless of when was the last grooming session.

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