How do you have your spaniel groomed?

[SuperheroesForKids]

Probably a really silly question. But what do you ask for at the groomers? She's had a trim before and a short cut when she had a skin condition and she looked like a fat sausage dog. But the cuts never look right.

So we've let her fur grow and it's quite long now imo and she's just such a typical cocker she's always in any mud or puddles she can find.

Even after a brush she looks scruffy.

Yet most other spaniels I see are beautifully groomed and tidy.

[MaddyHatter]

my moms is a king charles, but they have similar feather and long ears..etc.

We get his paws trimmed, his chest and ears trimmed, and then we get a bit taken off his feathers on his legs, sides and tail.

[Florin]

I think she looks beautiful as she is. We have a working cocker too and she has gone quite long haired recently. We have thought about trimming her but I have heard too many scary stories of them being given a really short cut including ears so that we never build up the guts to get her done as if she was cut short all over I think we would both cry!

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

Have a look on Facebook for any recommended groomers near to you. The lady I used to use for my working cocker had her own Facebook page. She used to give him a lovely clip, he looked so smart. We've got a lab now so don't really need her so much.

[Claraoswald36]

This is my spanner. The first time he went to the groomers I asked them to tidy him up. He came out looking like a right eejit with his ears cut in a straight line and all his fur still long and daft looking. I hated it and that put me right off. The second time dp put his foot down when his fur got all matted and we went to the groom room inside pets at home and I asked them to clip him short. He came out looking like a ginger beagle. I hated it. Dp loved it. I let it grow out until it matted again so last week he went back to the groom room and said please can you trim him all over but not make him look like a twit so they clipped his tummy and just trimmed the rest. This time I am happy he looks lovely

[davos]

My cocker is too young for a full groom. But when our other cocker was with us, we went for all off.

Short as possible all over. She reminded me of a seal

We found it best for use as on walks, all sorts got stuck in her hair and it got all matted.

People have all different ways. I saw one the other day, that the tummy hair so long it looked like a skirt, the hair on the ears really long and everything (back and neck) as short as possible.

It looked very high maintenance

[SuperheroesForKids]

Thanks florin. I do like her hair longer but the fur on her legs seems to be quite thick and I'm sick of her covered in sticky weed ball things and seeds and general leaf litter. I've never seen such a scruffy cocker

That's a lovely cut for your golden boy too but I've always been told that if you clip the fur rather than snip it it grows back curly. Is that true?

And what brush do you find best. I have a padded round one which has the little balls on the tips of the bristles. Should I have a different brush?

She's had a bath this pm as she came home from the country park walk covered in seeds etc and she was in the lake water too so she was whiffy.

She looks nice and groomed....for now. Def needs a trim though

[Claraoswald36]

Hi super - the full clip of anything improved his coat - it grew back really quite luxurious and less fluffy more glossy.

[eandh]

We go to groomers and she's fab although last time I said cut him as short as. Possible as was hot and he is in every bit of water possible! dd2 cried at his ears being too short so now we have rest of him but short but let him keep longer ears (but not too long as he loves to roll in poo 😡) This was his before and after photos he is due to go back in few weeks (he goes every 3 months )

[Joydgreen88]

I've got a working cocker, we get her ears, paws, belly and leg feathers trimmed. Leaving the rest of her as is. My mum has a Welsh Springer and he gets a full on shave and I think he looks awful for weeks after! Spaniel are meant to have a bit of length to their fur.

[SuperheroesForKids]

He's very cute eandh - we've had our dog cut that short (after pic) and she just looked like a huge sausage dog. But when it's long, as it is now she's the scruffiest cocker ever.

Going to try and get her in today for a trim somewhere, see how we go!

[WeAllHaveWings]

Consider whether to ask them not to remove their whiskers. My SIL gets this done to her dog when at the groomers and I always think it cant be nice for them.

[puffylovett]

I had a spaniel like that. It didn't matter how much I brushed her and bathed het, she always looked super scruffy!
I used to get her body trimmed and left some feathering on the legs, tail and ears if she wasn't too matted.

The key is to find a groomer who does a lot of spaniels, and ideally have her hand stripped / scissored rather than clipped. It makes a big difference imo.

The funniest is when they go ballistically crazy after a long to short clip, and run around like loonies

[dudsville]

I get mine done every two months. In summer I go for short body and legs bit leave the ears and tails. In winter I only have under belly and feet trimmed. I prefer the way they look in winter, with beautiful feathered wispy bits, but it looks hot in summer.

[orangeyellowgreen]

Why buy a dog with long hair then have it all shorn off? Spaniels look awful with close clipped hair. Just trim the long feathers yourself.
Next time buy a beagle.

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

Beagles aren't quite so good at flushing out and retrieving pheasants. It's not their natural skill. They're not quite as easy to train as spaniels either, bit high maintenance. Easy enough to keep their coat nice though by sending them off to a groomer every so often.

[SuperHeroesForKids]

Orangeyellowgreen - because I like her and if you rtft she's not got hair like a 'normal' cocker but thanks for your help and input as I've never seen a cocker with short hair before

[willfuckformichilenstarfood]

I do mine myself with scissors, I hate how much the groomers take off and it always looks blunt. Whereas I don't cut straight lines, I pull the hair up and cut vertically so it feathers itself and looks natural X

[ExitPursuedByABear]

BastardDog goes every three months for a full groom. Comes back looking a right eejit but gradually turns back into monster hound.

He is very embarrassed when clipped but gets over it b

[DramaAlpaca]

Really fascinated to read this thread. Lots of lovely spaniels on here.

I have two working springers and it has never entered my head to have them groomed.

They regularly get really muddy, but we just rinse them off then brush out their coats thoroughly when dry. Once a week I comb out any mats from their long leg feathers and the backs of their ears, trimming with scissors if necessary. I occasionally go over them with a furminator and remove the equivalent of a small rodent

Both were at the vets for kennel cough vaccine last week & the vet complimented them on their lovely coats

[ExitPursuedByABear]

My boy turns into an overgrown sheep if not clipped. I look at other silky spaniels and wonder where ive gone wrong.

[davos]

I don't want a beagle. If I wanted a beagle, I would have got a beagle.

My cocker was always loads happier when he was clipped. She loved it.

I might look into doing it myself, with dpup. Never dared do it myself before.

[StubbleTurnips]

She gets a No2 all over at home with the dog clippers, exit I love seeing all the silky cockers - unfortunately ours has a more bouffant Afro look when she's got long hair.

[dudsville]

Orangeyyellow, I didn't buy mine. They were older girls from a rescue. We bonded, and then I thought about how to look after their coats! Also, fwiw, as I'm sure a lot of know, there are still a lot of variations in cockers and I've seen some working cockers that have naturally shorter coats and ears that would not tangle nearly as badly as mine. we went for a walk in the woods today followed by a 30 minute brushing session to get all the crap out of their hair.

[2kids2dogsnosense]

We have a working cocker and a working springer. Don't have them clipped but do keep very much on top of the grooming - three or four times a day around the ears, tail and feathering, once a day at least all over. Otherwise I pluck out their head hair (the bit that grow on the top like a pineapple) and strip out any dead fur. Trim feet, feathers, tail and ears (not too short) when required.

To be fair, working types aren't as heavy coated as the show ones. I doubt I could be bothered to keep a show type in full coat.

[2kids2dogsnosense]

Clara - What's a "spanner"? Is this another -overpriced mongrel- designer dog I haven't heard about?