Hey everyone, I managed it! well almost. I handstripped a bit of the head, and used the thinning scissors on the rest of it. The Coat King was brilliant for the back, I got loads and loads of his puppy hair out, but gosh, it took a long time, about three days (not non-stop!) It's weird you can actually see his original markings, and he seems almost puppy like again. I've attacked the legs a bit with thinning scissors, but I'm not that happy with the result, I think they're still a bit woolley.
I really, really enjoyed myself though, and the hours just flew by
Flynn was far better than I expected him to be, in fact he slept through most of it! I'm so relieved, I now don't have to worry about finding a groomer, I'm not sure I'd feel that happy about dropping him off somewhere anyway.
I shall send in some photos of him when I get a spare minute, he's not totally finished yet, and I still haven't managed to get a knot out under his leg yet, but he's getting there
Thanks to everyone who recommended all those combs and scissors and advice, I wouldn't even have attempted it without this board