Considering having her clipped

[Becky and Wilson]

I've always been against clipping, just a personal choice but I prefer the look of a full coat, but since Isla was spayed her coat has just got more and more sticky outy and fluffy!  She mats so easily too and shakes like a leaf when I brush her as there's always tiny mats in her fur that tug and pull and obviously that hurts her!

They're all going to the groomers this friday and I wondered if I should just ask her to clip Isla off, will she be more comfortable?  Will she have to be done more often?  (Currently I get them trimmed every 3 months).  Will it grow back even worse than it is now?!

If I do decide to get her clipped I don't know if she's look stupid having the feathers on her ears and tail still?  Her ears and tail are manageable, neither of these places has gone fluffy!  Should I keep them long?!

Please help!  I don't know what to do for the best!

[aliceandlouis]

Hi there Becky.  Our Alice came to us in full show coat and looked absolutely stunning    However we knew we wanted to add a boy puppy to our family and I also did not want the hassle factor of Alice being in season anyway, so she was spayed.  Sadly this affected her coat and it 'turned' just like you describe Isla's - denser, woolier and very sticky-outy    We therefore had to have her clipped but by going to someone who was sensitive to the appearance of cockers, she trimmed her as shown in a photograph on the link below, which I personally feel is a wonderful compromise - Alice still looks like a cocker with feathering and skirts (to hide her baby belly!) but her back and sides are clipped close - especially important in the heat of summer as she does not tolerate heat very well at all when her coat is quite so dense.  Alice, being aged 8, has a docked tail so cannot really comment on what to do with that I am afraid.  She is now clipped about every 6 weeks (because of not being happy when very warm) - and I confess I am hankering after maybe learning how to do it myself ...

Hope that helps 

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=64690.msg942441#msg942441

[supergirl]

Misha was clipped for the very same reason.  Prior to spaying had a lovely shiney coat, after spaying she started to look like a woolly bear.

I clip her myself and try to keep skirts and feathers if I can (however they are getting shorter and shorter  )
Just some images of her clipped.
http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo60/littlebudha/DSCF0071.jpg
http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo60/littlebudha/Nessr%20Calender/DSCF3260-1.jpg

and Roly who is also clipped
http://i361.photobucket.com/albums/oo60/littlebudha/Nessr%20Calender/DSCF3446-1.jpg

A lot of groomers will clip part way down the ears, I try to avoid this as it tends to make the ears go curly so my lot tend to have quite bushy ears

[Max X 2]

I was thinking about posting a very similar thread Becky, every time I trim Max lately I consider clippers, my woolly bears hair just seems to get thicker & thicker & if not coat kinged most weeks it's difficult to keep on top of.
He adores being brushed etc but gets very bored being trimmed & prefers to lie down

I bet your groomer would still do a lovely job as she knows cockers, I can't imagine her scalping Isla

Misha & Roly look beautiful  
Sorry to hi-jack Becky   but can I ask what size blades you use Karen?

If I do decide to get her clipped I don't know if she's look stupid having the feathers on her ears and tail still?  Her ears and tail are manageable, neither of these places has gone fluffy!  Should I keep them long?!

With Max my plan was to just clip his back, side & front of his legs & to keep feathers, including his curly ears 
I've been looking at the sticky that Michelle did & thought maybe the 7f blade would be OK on those bits 

[Becky and Wilson]

Thanks for the pictures!  Roly's coat looks amazing!

I already have Isla trimmed very short, including feathers, as she gets everything caught in her fur.....especially this time of year when the thistles have dried up they really get caught in her fur!

The groomer said the coat king doesn't touch Isla's back!  It's true, you can go over and over her back and nothing much seems to come out!  I think I will go for the clippers!  I might even be able to do that myself once I learn how!

[supergirl]

I just used the Grooming guidelines given under the grooming section here on the COL.  Printed off the pictures and tried to follow them as best I could - they are very good.

I have an Andis 2 speed - I use 7fc on the backs and 10fc on the head.  Unfortunately for Misha I accidently forgot to switch blades and now she gets a 10fc all over which is very close (I tried letting it grow back so that I could re-do with a 7fc but just couldn't get her coat smooth again), but in the pictures she's been done with a 7fc.  Roly hasn't been neutered, but I struggled to keep his coat looking good, plus he doesn't really have very good skirts (very thin and I never really have to trim them). As I mentioned before I don't clipper down the ears so they have more of square looking head rather than the show domed head, partly because it seems to curl more and I also noticed that the colour of the fur changes (gets lighter). I do clip underneath the ears to help with any matting.

A friend who is a groomer told me I should clip the dogs, then bath and blow dry and then re-clip clipped bits (using same blades) to get the best finish - smooth.

There are combs that you can get to attach to clippers to give a more natural finish - and there is posting under grooming somewhere.

[Dunton4]

I have used Michele's helpful clipping blade guide for some years and have found it very useful.  Tilly's coat got extremely woolly after spaying and the coat king didn't touch it.  I use the 7f or 5f blades for her back and legs, 10f for the top of her head, top bit of her ears and down her front and 15f for a nice smooth face (she gets very unfeminine whiskers!) and inside her ears.  I leave her feathers on her belly and ears and a "modesty curtain" around her nether regions  .

Surprisingly, about three weeks ago I thought I'd have a go with the coat king and it worked wonders on her back and sides, leaving a much smoother finish.  I was surprised it worked as previously it hadn't managed the job at all - I guess her coat is changing as she's getting older.  Her coat is very thick and quick growing though, so she starts looking scruffy within about 4 weeks of clipping.  Maybe if I took it shorter it would last longer, but I prefer the look with the 5f blade.

I've heard the tip about the double clip, with a bath in between too and keep meaning to try it.

She is a good girlie and puts up with my poor efforts with never-failing patience 

Sue and Tilly

[silke]

I always wanted Charlie to have a long coat, but after he was neutered, it was beginning to be such a struggle, it was virtually unmanageable.  He is clipped now, and he's much happier, and seems to have far more energy for agility, flyball, running etc, and appears more comfortable.

[bluegirl]

You could have her clipped in show style still but ask for the tummy feathers to be shaved (underneath only so from both sides she still looks like she has full feathering). She will still have the feathering look but the whole of the middle bit will be gone so can't knot up. The feathering on legs and tummy can also be thinned out and cut shorter to keep knots from forming so quickly and if you continue to brush her between cuts it may be the solution rather than all off.

[Liz F]

You could have her clipped in show style still but ask for the tummy feathers to be shaved (underneath only so from both sides she still looks like she has full feathering). She will still have the feathering look but the whole of the middle bit will be gone so can't knot up. The feathering on legs and tummy can also be thinned out and cut shorter to keep knots from forming so quickly and if you continue to brush her between cuts it may be the solution rather than all off.

I wanted to keep full coat but after Diesel was castrated his coat suffered, my groomer suggested what Bluegirl said.  You can only tell when he rolls over, its much better for him and me.  
Sorry I dont know how to put link  so photo will come up