Have I done wrong?

[west]

We have a 3/4 bred working cocker (the other 1/4 is show type).  She has inherited the soft coat of the show type but maintains the instinct of the working type.  She used to get terrible trouble with burs and seeds sticking in her paws and feathers.  I used to sit in the kitchen pulling them all out and then brushing her to keep her comfortable.

As we walk her twice each day though fields and in and out of hedges, she started to get sores from chafing from burs next to the skin.  We took the decision to clip her completely and have kept her coat very short ever since.  It is great and trouble free and it causes her less pain.

She is a practical dog whose coat isnt built for practicality so I get rid of the coat!  Seemed logical!

I was walking her the other day and stopped to chat to a lady who had two show-type springers on a lead.  She turned her nose up and told me that whoever cut my dogs coat should be shot!  I was quite taken aback.

Have I done my dog an injustice?

[JeffandAnnie]

Your dog's comfort is what matters, not what some ignorant woman thinks  My two get clipped off in the spring and kept short all summer so they're cool and streamlined and I let their coats grow back over the winter.

[vixen]

I wouldn't worry about what anyone else thinks.   She is your dog and if a short clip suits her and you, that is fine.
I have two working girls and I do keep their coats long.  They can look quite shaggy and tubby and someone once remarked on the fact that they look fat.    I know they aren't as when wet, you can really see their shape.  
Just don't worry what other people say or think.  You have chosen your dog to have a clipped coat to suit her life style and your preference.  I think it was rather rude of the woman with the springer to comment on your dog.    I may have opinions on other dogs but I keep them to myself.  

[elaine.e]

No you haven't

You've done what is sensible and suitable for you and your Cocker and frankly the woman with the Springers was just plain rude.

[Pudding]

you have done what is beast for you and more importantly your dog
who cares what she thinks

[Clare B]

No you haven't

You've done what is sensible and suitable for you and your Cocker and frankly the woman with the Springers was just plain rude.

Yes rude   why do some people think they can give such inflammatory comments?

[west]

Funny really... her dogs were on a tight lead and they looked very preened.  Our dog, Gretel, had just dived into the river after a moorhen (til I called her back).

I guess people who show dogs often have opinions as they know what is 'best practice'.  I don't blame people for wanting to spread knowledge but it really does suit me better to clip her right back (she looks like a pointer)

Funnily enough - My wife was behind a chap in a queue who was buying chocolate buttons for his dog at the garage. She really wanted to tell him that they were really bad dogs but felt she couldn't.  The chap obviously didn't know (easy mistake to make if you don't know) but it would not have been appreciated if she had have said something.  That really is a dilemma!

[Clare B]

 I do keep their coats long.  They can look quite shaggy and tubby and someone once remarked on the fact that they look fat.    I know they aren't as when wet, you can really see their shape.  :lug:

[/quote]

Same with Flo (show type), had had a stranger say "oh your mummy doesn't hold back on the food does she"....I know he was being chatty ...and meant no harm, but Flo is not overweight just has a lot of fluffy coat.
Another time a friend said to my sons, obviously you don't help mum with the walking cause Flo is looking porky? I didnt want to say when she's wet you can see her slenderness because that would seem too reactionary....but really!  I would never say that to anyone about their dog.

[karen488]

How rude  was just saying to the groomer that the advantage of cockers is that you can have them with as much coat as you like. My mum and dad had no interest in grooming theirs. Her ears used to look like chamois leathers. But she was v happy and well looked after 

[ebony girl]

do you know what.....i have two full show type girls, both black with the thickest of coats my groomer reckons hes ever seen....its a full time job to keep them brushed, seed and thistle free, admittedly they look stunning when we take them out and we often get lots of admiring glances and comments.

My girls are still allowed to be dogs, they swim in the lake, run in the mud, and i just assess the damage when we get home.

the point im trying to get to is that if a short clipped cut is right for you then sod what anyone else thinks, perhaps someone would say im doing wrong by keeping them in full show coat all year round and i sometimes wonder if im doing it more for me than for them, cause they would probably be more comfortable (especially in the summer) with a lovely short cut.

but im too vain to cut them, i love my beautiful long coated doggies...

[lisalh]

Your dog- your choice, nuff said!!

[Neon]

No you haven't done wrong at all.  It's your dog and your choice to clip right down if it is more practical and comfortable for you both. Dont forget, it's your dog.   This lady is far too rude to have opinons that matter. 

[ejp]

Totally your choice, I keep my doggies short especially in summer as they are  more comfortable.  Rude woman!  If she disapproved of your haircut would she have said?!! Hope not, but you never know 

[Dinah]

My two go in the woods everyday, find the muddiest stinkiest ditches and have a whale of a time.  I clip them back throughout the year, just keeping & thinning out the feathers on their legs and 'skirt'. Their show cocker ears are thinned underneath; these do sometimes collect burrs but it's a quick job to comb them through.  Quicker too to rinse the mud off clipped coats.  I'm happy with this, and my dogs are happy - 'though we wouldn't win a beauty contest! 

[Dozy bird]

Not at all, it's your dog and your reasons for keeping her coat that way are actually very sensible and what you feel is best for you dog.

I wish I had it in me to "give some back" to rude people in instances like this and without being rude express myself and make them understand how off hand they are but sadly I cant, and kick myself afterwards for letting people carry on as though speaking to people in such a way is acceptable  Grrr I hate rude and ignorant people!!!