Hand strip or trim?

[Richantsmith86]

What are the advantages/disadvantages of each?

Oscar is fast approaching 6 months and we have a few enquiries!

1. Should he be hand stripped or trimmed?

2. He has a lovely fluffy coat. Would trimming alter this? (Breeder said it would and he wouldn't be able to get it back if trimmed).

3. Would trimming affect his beautiful markings?

4. We have been told his coat will go 'wirey' following trimming. Is this true?

5. Is hand stripping uncomfortable for the dog?

6. How often should coat be stripped or trimmed?

Thank you!

[Miadanu]

1. This decision really comes down to you and what you want - both in terms of effort and look.
If you plan to show then you have to handstrip.
If you want minimal grooming effort then trimming may be for you (either learning to do it yourself or with a groomer who can do a sympathetic cocker cut).

Personally I don't show but much prefer the look of a handstripped cocker (more silky coat) and do that with Merlin with a touch of thinning scissors.

2. Yes, it would.  Theoretically it's possible if your dog has only been trimmed a couple of times to get the coat back but in practice this rarely seems to happen. 

3. It would perhaps highlight some of them in terms of contrast as the blending of the black and white wouldn't be as soft as it appears on a handstripped dog.  Take a look at some photos of people who have had their dogs clipped to see what I mean.

4. Varies - wiry, woolly... Either way - it's not nice and silky.

5. For most part, they get used to it - especially if you start early on.  Certain areas would be trimmed rather than stripped as be painful for them (e.g. You wouldn't strip under armpits but you would the outer back thigh).

6. I think clipping they say 6-8 weeks.  Handstripping you can get away with longer between.  Although if you do it yourself at home you find yourself doing bits and pieces when they're laying on you so kind of ongoing!

NOTE: I do not show so if you are looking at that please say and someone else can come and advise re handstripping.

[katie94]

We had Rufus hand stripped and we're very pleased with the results, his coat is lovely and soft and his markings show up really nicely. He is a show cocker and we may show him at some stage.

His headand  top of his ears we're trimmed using thinning scissors.  Initially when he was srripped we took him to the groomers every week until it was all out, now we will just go every month for a tidy up.

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Charlie is hand stripped but every couple of weeks I tidy him up.

It depends what you want out of it, how much time do you have for grooming (just brushing), then how much time do you have for trimming/tidy up. Could you afford tidy-ups monthly like Katie94 has? I bought the stuff myself to do at home - initial cost is high, but overal the cost is minimal.

Charlie doesn't like mud or water so he is really easy to keep on top of. It depends on what you want at the end of the day - look at clipped cockers - they can still have a show cut, completely clipped ones and then the hand stripped ones - see which you prefer.

[LynneB]

My show dogs are hand stripped, I do it myself and then use thinners in the more delicate areas. Phoebe is now clipped but still has her feathers and she looks gorgeous. Just to add, I was talking to a well known show breeder and she was told that if you clipper the coat the first time, it will come through better, neither of us has had the nerve to do it.

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

My show dogs are hand stripped, I do it myself and then use thinners in the more delicate areas. Phoebe is now clipped but still has her feathers and she looks gorgeous. Just to add, I was talking to a well known show breeder and she was told that if you clipper the coat the first time, it will come through better, neither of us has had the nerve to do it.

I clipped Charlie's coat first time, purely as I didn't look into hand stripping first time. Would I do it again - probably not, but only because I show Charlie, and now he lacks the length that other dogs his age have.

[Neon]

I prefer a show trim look and after trying to explain what I wanted to local groomers, I contacted the Cocker Spaniel Club for my area.  They put me in touch with a breeder / exhibitor and she is going to do Toby for me in a few weeks time.

I'm happy for her to use a coat king, rather than hand stripping, and over time, he should look better than he does after a visit to groomers who don't understand the cocker coat.

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

There's a big difference between "trimming", "stripping" and "clipping". I assume by trimming you mean clipping, as that's what supposedly ruins the coat. If you just trim certain areas with thinning scissors then this won't ruin the coat.

My local groomers does their "hand" stripping using a coat king, so not strictly hand stripping, but the effect is similar (although the coat king does tear the hair a bit).

I'm planning to use the coat king and scissors, and not have my dog clipped. I won't show him, but his coat should still look okay.

[Holly2009]

I'm doing the same as SophieBlueRoanCocker. We made the mistake of clipping our first cocker holly, ruined her coat. So for her 2 pups it's the coat king, brush & thinning scissors only....or until I'm sick of it and decide to clip them  

[chrisp]

I used the comb/elastic band method each day and it worked wonders for removing her puppy coat when it was ready.  She has a lovely sleek coat now.

[Archie bean]

I have Archie clipped (really short because it's easier for both of us    ) and when his fur grows back it is always stil lovely and soft and silky. Not wiry or wooly at all. My last cocker was the same.

[lettie10]

I have my 2 clipped but I like them to look like cockers so they keep all the feathers etc.  I don't show at all and would not be confident enough to do any grooming myself other than brushing/coat king once in a while.

I have to say that my groomers are very good with cockers and understand what a cocker should look like and although they go approx every 8 weeks they also get nails checked & cut if needed, teeth & lip folds checked and anal glands checked/emptied if needed all for £35 and I have always been very pleased with the results.

Both my girls have been spayed and both have (so far) glorious soft, smooth & silky coats.