Grooming Basics

[paddles]

I've just given my dogs a good brushover, and it occured to me, that I don't really know what I am doing.

I have all sorts of brushes, but I don't know exactly how I am supposed to use them, for instance, I brushed sophie down with the slicker brush, then thought to use the mars comb (Can you use the mars comb too much?) I just used it on the weekend, and removed heaps of hair. should I have used the mars first? do I need to use the slicker at all? do these get into the deep coat? (They are English springer Spaniels) I am wary of knots.

The dogs really hate being combed with the rakes etc, I presume it pulls. I don't like useing them on them. but I will if I should. They complain enough about the slicker brush.

the other things I have are rakes, combs and of course the standard double sided brush.

What is the most effective way to brush these dogs? with what?

They are just pets.

[~*Shell*~]

If I'm brushing Zero out (he's a sibe so his coat is a lot different to your dog!) i'll brush him with the pin brush first to get any knots out of the coat, then if he's blowing coat I'll use the furminator (like the coat king but a little different). If he's not blowing coat, I'll just use a slicker brush after the pin brush to get his coat to shine.

If he's right in the middle of blowing coat of if he's just had a bath, i'll line comb him with a metal comb - makes him look great and gets all the dead and loose hair out of his coat.

With the english springer spaniel, i would definitely make sure there are no knots in the dog's feathering before you run the coat king through it. The coat king cuts the hair so if it has a knot in it, you could cut more hair out than you intended to and end up with a little bald patch and you might hurt the dog tugging on a knot. When I'm doing my friend's ESS (Seymore is only a puppy though), i'll use a pin brush which gets down to the dog's skin and through the feathering when it's held away from the dog and a slicker brush but so far he hasn't needed his coat thinned out.

ETA: Yes, you can use the coat king too much - the same as you can use any brush too much. If you go over and over the same spot you'll irritate the dog's sensitive skin. Hope this helps!

Edited November 10, 2009 by ~*Shell*~

[paddles]

Thank you for your help, this is what I wanted to know. I'm assuming that the pin brush, is the wire brush on the back of the other brush... if that makes sense, looks like a mass of pins.

[becks]

i'd use a slicker on the feathers and a bristle brush on the body and strip out the fur when necessary.

double sided brushes are usually totally rubbish.

[ellz]

Actually for most Spaniel breeds, the grooming routine is "slicker, pin, comb".

Use the slicker on a small area at a time, no more than 5 strokes in any one spot. Follow it with the pin brush to remove any twizzles left behind and then comb through each area after you have finished.

The Coat King or Furminator can be used to help any long hair that is sticking up on the top of head and tops of ears, neck, shoulders and sides, back and down the front and sides of the back legs to lay flat but don't gouge it in because used incorrectly it will cut in. If you wish, the bristle brush can then be used on the back coat to help remove any dust, dirt or loose skin and massage the skin to help the natural oils to the surface for shine.

If there are any knots in the feathering, use the end teeth of the comb and your fingers to pull them gently apart and then use the slicker and pin brush (followed by the comb again) in the above order to remove completely.

And NEVER allow your dog to get wet if it has knots in its feathering because they will tighten and become almost impossible to remove.