Golden Retriever care calendar

Year-round routine

What a Golden Retriever needs on a repeating cadence, whatever the month.

• GroomingBrush through, including feathering2-3 times a week

  Line-brush down to the skin behind the ears, in the armpits, on the pants and under the tail. Brushing only the top coat leaves the mats forming underneath it.

• GroomingTrim feet, hocks and ear featheringEvery 6-8 weeks

  Tidy the hair between the pads especially; it collects grit, ice balls in winter and grass seeds in summer.

• GroomingBathEvery 6-8 weeks

  Dry thoroughly to the skin. A damp undercoat is where hot spots start.

• GroomingEar check and dryWeekly, and after every swim

  Same routine as any drop-eared retriever: check, dry, do not probe.

• GroomingNail trimEvery 3-4 weeks

  Include the dewclaws, which wear on nothing.

• ParasitesHeartworm preventiveMonthly, year-round

  The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round prevention rather than a seasonal course, because a missed shoulder month is how most infections get in. Give it on the same date each month.

• ParasitesFlea and tick preventiveMonthly, year-round

  Peak exposure runs spring through late autumn, but fleas overwinter indoors and ticks stay active above about 4 °C, so most vets now advise dosing through the winter as well.

• DentalBrush teethDaily, or at minimum three times a week

  Only pet toothpaste — xylitol and fluoride in human paste are not safe to swallow. Plaque mineralises into tartar in two to three days, which is why twice a week is the floor rather than the target.

• DentalCheck gums and back teethMonthly

  Lift the lip and look at the upper carnassials and the gum line. Red margins, a brown band, or breath that changed recently are the signs worth a call.

• DentalProfessional dental assessmentAt the annual exam

  Your vet grades tartar and gingivitis at the yearly visit and advises when a scale under anaesthetic is due. Most dogs need one somewhere between years three and five.

• WellnessAnnual wellness examYearly

  Book it in the same month each year so it does not drift. Twice yearly from about age seven, when changes move faster than a twelve-month gap can catch.

• WellnessCore vaccinations reviewedYearly review, boosters on your vet's schedule

  Rabies interval is set by local law; distemper/parvo combinations are commonly three-yearly after the initial series. Lifestyle vaccines — leptospirosis, Lyme, kennel cough — depend on where you walk and whether you board.

• WellnessWeigh and body-condition scoreMonthly at home

  You should feel the ribs easily under a thin layer, and see a waist from above. Weight creeping up is the single most common thing an owner can fix without a prescription.

• WellnessNail length checkEvery 2 weeks

  If you hear the nails on a hard floor they are long. Overlong nails change how the foot loads and, over years, how the joints above it are loaded too.

• WellnessLump check — run hands over the whole dogMonthly

  Work systematically: neck, armpits, groin, behind the knees. Note the size and position of anything new and have it looked at rather than watched for months.

• WellnessSenior blood panelYearly from age 7

  A baseline while the dog is well is what makes a later result interpretable.

Month by month

The dates that move. Shedding, parasite season and the annual checks worth booking in a particular month.