Grooming/trimming a working cocker

[L&M]

My partner has bought a delightful working cocker bitch who is 9 mnths old, but boy is she hairy, smelly and a full on mud magnet!!! (my dogs are a whippet and a smooth fox terrier, who seem to keep clean with very little effort, so the cocker a real shock to the system)!

She is predominately a pet and lives in the house, although my partner is doing gun dog training with her as hopes to take her on some rough shooting days.

My partner is rather lax at grooming her, or wiping her down before coming in the house, and can only imagine the horrors winter will bring, so might it be a good idea to have her coat trimmed?

If so how often would we need to do it?

And lastly any suggestions for mud proofing the house, bar kenneling which we are not keen om?

Many thanks

 

[Karran]

My biggest regret is clipping Mrs Spaniel. It turned her coat really wooly and fluffy and made the mud collecting so much worse!
If you can get her hand stripped, that will remove lots of the dead fluff!

 

[deb_l222]

I’m struggling to comprehend just how hairy and smelly a 9 month old cocker spaniel puppy can be???? You sound like you don’t really like her too much just because she’s a normal spaniel and likes to get a bit mucky!!

Invest in a good vacuum cleaner, rinse her off after a walk and buy a drying coat for her but mainly just try to accept that dogs have hair and most spaniels like to get as filthy as possible.

 

[L&M]

My biggest regret is clipping Mrs Spaniel. It turned her coat really wooly and fluffy and made the mud collecting so much worse!
If you can get her hand stripped, that will remove lots of the dead fluff!

Thanks - that is my fear as my friend has a cocker whom she has clipped and has a very odd coat, it almost looks like felt and feels matted and dense......I will look into stripping instead, or maybe we will just have to learn to live with the hair!

 

[L&M]

I’m struggling to comprehend just how hairy and smelly a 9 month old cocker spaniel puppy can be???? You sound like you don’t really like her too much just because she’s a normal spaniel and likes to get a bit mucky!!

Invest in a good vacuum cleaner, rinse her off after a walk and buy a drying coat for her but mainly just try to accept that dogs have hair and most spaniels like to get as filthy as possible.

What an odd reply, of course we like her!?

We have both owned dogs all our lives, so are well aware that 'dog's have hair'.

We are also aware that they smell and get mucky, but if you compare a full on hairy cocker with a sleek coated whippet, I bet even you would notice the difference!

It was meant as a light hearted post just asking for advice on how to keep her clean, and whether to trim/strip or not as have not had a spaniel before.......

 

[Griffin]

I agree with hand stripping.

I think that the key with muddy dogs is to stop the mud arriving in your house in the first place if possible. You can get a Hozelock portable shower fairly cheaply and fill it with warm water to give her a wash off before bringing her in, even if you just do paws, it helps. When I had dogs, I had large doormats inside and outside, plus cheap blankets on sofas and chairs (easy to wash). I am sure you do all of these things already though.

More expensive options are to have a tiled hallway and to plumb in a large enough sink outside to enable dogs to be washed outside first.

 

[L&M]

I agree with hand stripping.

I think that the key with muddy dogs is to stop the mud arriving in your house in the first place if possible. You can get a Hozelock portable shower fairly cheaply and fill it with warm water to give her a wash off before bringing her in, even if you just do paws, it helps. When I had dogs, I had large doormats inside and outside, plus cheap blankets on sofas and chairs (easy to wash). I am sure you do all of these things already though.

More expensive options are to have a tiled hallway and to plumb in a large enough sink outside to enable dogs to be washed outside first.

Thank you - just invested in a dry bag and giant noodle mat for the inside of the porch - she may just have to stay in there after a walk until she dries off as normal towelling doesn't quite do the trick!

 

[Karran]

Tbf I have really noticed the difference since collecting Mrs Collie. The dirt falls off of her coat but Mrs Spaniel is like a sponge! We moved yard last July from a place that had a sand school and yet despite twice weekly hoovering whenever I move a rug a small portion of what looks like the Sahara desert is uncovered. I don't even know how she managed to bring so much back when she was barely allowed in it

 

[scats]

I groom a lot of working cockers. Some simply have a bath, brush and trim of feather, feet and tail. I have a red one who the owner likes doing on a comb guard. He gets very wiry hair sticking out but doesn’t tolerate hand stripping.
I also do a couple who the owner likes clipped right off and the coat grows back fine. Personally I find it’s the neutering of bitches that makes the worst change to the coat.

The hairy toes and feet can be a real issue with an outdoors lifestyle. Grooming one the other week I found load of seeds stuck inbetween his toes that his owner hadn’t noticed because of the hair.

 

[GinaGeo]

Mine has a sleek coat along his back (was neutered late which I think helps). But I do trim his feathers, toes, underbelly and ruff as that is where he collects the most dirt. And it means he dries off quicker.

I also find it easier to remove the sticky buds and locate grass seeds before they cause any issues.

 

[L&M]

Thanks all I am going to have a look around our local area for a groomer who is used to cockers and see what they advise

Mine has a sleek coat along his back (was neutered late which I think helps). But I do trim his feathers, toes, underbelly and ruff as that is where he collects the most dirt. And it means he dries off quicker.

I also find it easier to remove the sticky buds and locate grass seeds before they cause any issues.

I groom a lot of working cockers. Some simply have a bath, brush and trim of feather, feet and tail. I have a red one who the owner likes doing on a comb guard. He gets very wiry hair sticking out but doesn’t tolerate hand stripping.
I also do a couple who the owner likes clipped right off and the coat grows back fine. Personally I find it’s the neutering of bitches that makes the worst change to the coat.

The hairy toes and feet can be a real issue with an outdoors lifestyle. Grooming one the other week I found load of seeds stuck inbetween his toes that his owner hadn’t noticed because of the hair.

Yes the toes and ears are our main worry, her feet are like hairy mops and may well miss any bits stuck between the toes.

 

[Spotherisk]

Clip her off and rug her when chilly, drying bag for wet mucky dogs, if the porch is chilly put an electric heat pad under her bed, they are gently warming.

I have a lurcher puppy (had a lurcher before), both short coated, clean dogs. OH has gun dogs. Our cocker needs a a full on groom and trim up but our groomer friend has retired from grooming so on the hunt for someone new, he’s so manic there is no way he can be done without being on a bench!

 

[Mouse19]

Sorry purists but I’m also one for clipping.
Mine never lost his puppy fluff apart from gaining a sleek dorsal stripe. He looked ridiculous and he overheated in hot weather. I always ask them to leave his tail and top knot on. But the rest goes. Even his feathery legs. ?.
Find a groomer who’s experienced with the breed. Luckily mine owns spaniels so she’s used to the breed.
He’s so much easier to clean and groom. He’s always out and about with me with the horses or on the farm so he does stink after a couple of days depending on where he’s been. Bathing when necessary is now super quick and he dries in record time.

 

[iknowmyvalue]

I use a Mars coat king for regular grooming, just to keep on top of shedding/undercoat, try and do that once a week or every other week. Then I use clippers with a comb guard to do her legs, and trim her feet quite short, but only do that every couple of months. Luckily she’s not a very fluffy one though!

 

[Mynstrel]

Keep the feet trimmed, underneath particularly and if I were you I'd try stripping before clipping, using clippers can do odd things to coats so I'd try the other option first. They are like sponges so a drying coat is a very good idea, and a regular brush/trim of the ears, they get quite knotty, especially under and behind.

 

[Penny Less]

Can I just brag that I have a spaniel that doesnt like to get wet and muddy

 

[AmyMay]

A friend has a working bred cocker. He’s clipped short, and his coat is absolutely none the worse for it.

 

[ihatework]

I’m sure the purists will hate me too but I keep mine clipped, all off other than ears (and even those are graded). She is small, gets plastered in mud/burs/thorns. Is really neurotic about grooming and removal of anything stuck so in addition to being quicker/cleaner in the house, it’s also much better for her overall. She doesn’t get a particularly fluffy coat, and in cold/wet weather wears a neoprene hunting/shooting jacket

 

[SpottyTB]

I’ve got 5 springers, I trim two and clip the rest (in the summer months only. They are left to grow coats when working and we just trim them up then). If the dog has been “done” the coat comes back different, thicker, the two I have that aren’t done, their coats have come back fine. I do wish we’d stripped their coats though instead of clipping.

On top of this, we have an outdoor hot shower, 2 ruff and tumble drying coats per dog and a utility for them to dry off in.. and a good vacuum cleaner!

 

[druid]

I hand strip all 7 Springers here. Never felt the need to clip. Although I do clip between toes/pads with a toe blade for ease of seed/burr detection.

 

[AmyMay]

What in all that’s holy is a toe blade???

 

[rextherobber]

What in all that’s holy is a toe blade???

Was wondering that too!

 

[druid]

What in all that’s holy is a toe blade???

Andis Toe Blade - link. A narrow blade specifically for clipping feet, I think they originally came from Poodle grooming but they're ideal for cleaning out hairy spaniel feet.

 

[AmyMay]

Andis Toe Blade - link. A narrow blade specifically for clipping feet, I think they originally came from Poodle grooming but they're ideal for cleaning out hairy spaniel feet.

Thanks ?

 

[L&M]

Thank you - you have all been so helpful.

Since last posting we have 'trimmed' her ourselves (just don't look to closely...). We have done her ears, leg feathers and paws and the difference is amazing, and she came back from a romp in the field with far less grass seeds and burrs attached to her. Jury's out on whether she goes to the groomers, will see what winter brings before we make that decision.

We have invested in a towelling rug, a drying bag and a waterproof rug, plus a variety of shampoos and scissors.....we have a hot horse shower so my partner is going to rig up a washing station at the weekend. And the porch is now decked out with a portable heater and a giant drying mat.

Who would think one small cocker could be such high maintenance!!!!????