JackJoe Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) Hallo, I have recently taken on a six month old male English cocker spaniel from living in an apartment (no balcony, home alone 6/7 days). Lovely lovely dog. A neighbour who used to breed cockers (her son was Junior Champion handler at RAS Sydney a long time ago supposedly) told me I had to do two things: 1 pull out the whispy bits of fur on the crown of his head otherwise it will grow down over his face (she suggested I use rubber finger stalls to pull it out) 2 get rid of the fur between his toes otherwise he will get splayed toes I have looked at a number of cocker websites and haven't seen these mentioned.... should it be done?? Edited July 3, 2009 by JackJoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke W Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Hallo, I have recently taken on a six month old male English cocker spaniel from living in an apartment (no balcony, home alone 6/7 days). Lovely lovely dog. A neighbour who used to breed cockers (her son was Junior Champion handler at RAS Sydney a long time ago supposedly) told me I had to do two things: 1 pull out the whispy bits of fur on the crown of his head otherwise it will grow down over his face (she suggested I use rubber finger stalls to pull it out) 2 get rid of the fur between his toes otherwise he will get splayed toes I have looked at a number of cocker websites and haven't seen these mentioned.... should it be done?? Pulling our the hair is called 'hand stripping'. Some people also use latex gloves. Most people just clip the head with clippers. I don't cut the hair between the toes, I just cut it level with the pads so he doesn't skid around to much on my floorboards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Yes get rid of the hair between his toes, but not because he'll get splayed toes, if you leave it he'll pick up grass seeds and balls of mud which will harden and may cause lameness. Some dogs will also develop a dermatitis because the area is constantly wet. The hair under the pads should also be trimmed. Take out the hair on the top of his head and remove excess hair from inside and underneath the ears otherwise he's likely to develop ear problems. There is actually a fair amount of grooming involved if he grows into a heavily coated dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vehs Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I clip the little v shape in the paw (between the main pad and toes) because it seems cockers and cavs are prone to getting knots and gunk stuck in there, I also trim the hair, as luke said, flush with the paw to stop them sliding. If they have really hairy top feet, and you like the look of short hair, you can trim that as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) Most people just clip the head with clippers. Once you've clipped the top of the head it will always need to be clipped because the hair grows back differently and it's much harder to control. You are actually better off hand stripping the head or using a stone or thinning scissors. You can also use a Mars Coat Stripper against the lay of the hair. ETA the same thing goes for the topcoat, don't clip it you'll ruin it. It's far better to strip out the top coat with a Mars or a stone than use clippers. Edited July 3, 2009 by Miranda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJoe Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 thank you! We have a rough collie who needs regular grooming ..... have to say I was unaware that a cocker needed the head work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJoe Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 thank you! We have a rough collie who needs regular grooming ..... have to say I was unaware that a cocker needed the head work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJoe Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 thank you! We have a rough collie who needs regular grooming ..... have to say I was unaware that a cocker needed the head work. I will wait for the warmer weather to come around and then take him to a dog groomer (will have to find one who is skilled in cocker spaniels or do most dog saloons know this art?) and watch what they do.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 It really isn't that difficult. Perhaps your neighbour could show you what to do....or alternatively, do it for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cockerlover Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 NO, not all groomers know how to do a cocker cut !!, be sure to find one that does & dont be talked into stripping the back ,unless that is what you want . Once a cockers coat is clipped off ,it will never grow back the same ; I suggest you find a breeder of cockers & ask their advice , Making sure the hair inside the ears is kept clipped though ,to provide an air flow ,or u will have ear problems ,also as has already been said ,keep the hair between pads of feet trimed aswell. Come join us in the cocker pics /chat thread ,lots of friendly advise there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 NO, not all groomers know how to do a cocker cut !!, Very true, a lot of groomers only know how to do a 'one size fits all' cut and will clip off everything except a bit of fringing on the ears and tail. There are some good groomers out there who know how to groom the different dog breeds, but they are few and far between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I suggest you find a breeder of cockers & ask their advice , OP said neighbour was an ex-breeder which is why I suggested they ask them. If they are unable to help, then they may be able to suggest somebody locally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJoe Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 I suggest you find a breeder of cockers & ask their advice , OP said neighbour was an ex-breeder which is why I suggested they ask them. If they are unable to help, then they may be able to suggest somebody locally. the neighbour is down at my holiday house so when I go back down there in a month's time I will ask her to demonstrate the hair plucking on the head procedure.. I still find it hard to think about doing! Besides Collies we have always had short coated JRTs and foxies so this cocker boy is going to be a total change. I hope I haven't taken on more than I can handle. I will try and find the cocker group thanks again folks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJoe Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 NO, not all groomers know how to do a cocker cut !!,be sure to find one that does & dont be talked into stripping the back ,unless that is what you want . Once a cockers coat is clipped off ,it will never grow back the same ; I suggest you find a breeder of cockers & ask their advice , Making sure the hair inside the ears is kept clipped though ,to provide an air flow ,or u will have ear problems ,also as has already been said ,keep the hair between pads of feet trimed aswell. Come join us in the cocker pics /chat thread ,lots of friendly advise there could you please tell me where I can find this thread?? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Ccckers ideally need to be groomed every 8-12 weeks at a salon unless you are going to be a very dedicated owner. IF the dog has a good top coat then buying the right tools to handstrip is well worth the effort. Although its important to understand a groomer cant do it alone.You need to do alot of the work in between professional grooms. The feet are trimmed because they get hairy,they start to stink & often its an area people dont brush.We groom weekly cockers with bad matts between there toes especially over groom feet. To miantain a nice cocker coat CAN be easy but you need to do the work otherwise you will end up clipping the dogs top coat. We groom alot of cockers because we hand strip & show the owners how to do it & the best equipment to buy without going overly expensive or over the top but it comes down to your effort in the end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke W Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 (edited) We groom alot of cockers because we hand strip & show the owners how to do it & the best equipment to buy without going overly expensive or over the top but it comes down to your effort in the end you're not in Melbourne are you? PM me if you'd prefer. Edited July 3, 2009 by Luke W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I think I would be using a Mars Coat King with a No. 20 blade for the back coat, shoulders and thighs for a pet cocker, and thinning the hair on the head/ears, and legs, front and back with thinning scissors. You could then cut the hair from the inside of the ears. This will save having to buy clippers. If you have them already, you can clip the head, tops of the ears, and the neck down to the chest for a pet cocker. This will give you "the look" without the work of plucking. Toni Dennis-Harm, who lives in Bathurst, and breeds and shows cockers under the Tarrendayle prefix and is a groomer has put together a comprehensive guide to trimming and grooming a cocker spaniel, which will give you step by step instructions on how to do it. I think it's well worth reading, and probably worth printing out and putting up on the wall when you do trim the pup!! Here's the llink to the informaton. Hope it helps. http://www.geocities.com/paws_with_style_grooming/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redarachnid Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 This is all excellent advice guys, but as a groomer of 20+ yrs, I've yet to see ONE pet cocker owner who is prepared to do this grooming at home. They can't even be bothered to brush them... let alone plucking and raking. So if the OP is prepared to do this work (and to us "doggy" people, it's no effort, but to the average pet owner it is a mountain of work) then please follow the great advice given on here. But if the OP or any other pet cocker owner doesn't put the work in then I'm afraid it's off to the groomer for a clip off and don't blame the groomer for the short clip. I find all my cocker owners prefer to be clipped off anyway for easy maintainence and odour control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke W Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 This is all excellent advice guys, but as a groomer of 20+ yrs, I've yet to see ONE pet cocker owner who is prepared to do this grooming at home. They can't even be bothered to brush them... let alone plucking and raking. So if the OP is prepared to do this work (and to us "doggy" people, it's no effort, but to the average pet owner it is a mountain of work) then please follow the great advice given on here. But if the OP or any other pet cocker owner doesn't put the work in then I'm afraid it's off to the groomer for a clip off and don't blame the groomer for the short clip. I find all my cocker owners prefer to be clipped off anyway for easy maintainence and odour control. I prefer the look of my cocker's coat, rather than the clipped look I see at the park...I'm happy to put in the 10 minutes a night effort I'd be an unusual pet cocker owner though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redarachnid Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 . I prefer the look of my cocker's coat, rather than the clipped look I see at the park...I'm happy to put in the 10 minutes a night effort I'd be an unusual pet cocker owner though Yes, you are!! Wish there were more like you. I had 2 show cockers in the 80's and have a soft spot for blue roans. I adore your picture!! It really is not a lot of effort but it's amazing how some owners spend $1000 on a dog and then don't ever brush it. I put bows in my grooming clients ears and an alarming amount of them come back 3,4 or 6mths later with the bows matted in the filthy ear. Last week I had a shih tzu come in... with her christmas bows still in!!! So I hope you see why I have little faith in a lot of pet owners when it comes to regular home grooming. (not you OP, just saying in general). They have the best intentions but don't see it through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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