Please help...To clip or not to clip?

[Chefjon]

hi all,
 i have a 3 year old working cocker and he still has his bits!!
pepper is black with a white chest and has a very shiny coat, and at the moment very very long, he is booked into a trusted groomer on monday, normally i have him cut just with scissors (stripping?, forgive my lack of terminology).
question is that in this heat and his active nature, should i have him shaved all over just like one of his brothers, he looks better than his brother having a short back and sides but id rather do the right thing for him rather than what looks best,
i am also worried that his lovely shiny coat may grow back dull!
any comment or suggestions welcome please
yes i am new to this forum
thanks
jonathan

[Jane S]

Your boy sounds like he has a lovely coat so I personally wouldn't have him clipped all over unless the coat is woolly/matted and that's the only way to keep on top of it. Some Cockers with thick woolly coats definitely would be cooler if they are clipped but this isn't necessary at all with a flat, shiny coat that just needs a tidy up

[julie1]

Your boy sounds like he has a lovely coat so I personally wouldn't have him clipped all over unless the coat is woolly/matted and that's the only way to keep on top of it. Some Cockers with thick woolly coats definitely would be cooler if they are clipped but this isn't necessary at all with a flat, shiny coat that just needs a tidy up

My own thoughts on this (from observing my light coloured bitch) are that dark colours absorb the heat & light colours don't.   Kez is quite happy to lie in the full sun     I am also of the 'old school' & feel the coat is like the insulation in your loft space, it keeps the heat out if it's in good condition.

[chrisp]

A healthy coat that is well looked after of an un-neutered dog works as it's own thermostate. I have entire show dogs that I handstrip in full coat and they are no hotter than the rest. If anything my clipped neutered pets get hotter when it grows as it's texture has changed and gone like wool, so does not work in the same now anymore.

I think only you can decide what is best for your girl Bertie, but if she is spayed and her coat has changed it may be best. Clipping changes the texture of the coat over time yes, but then so does spaying. Hope that helps.

I saw this the other day which I thought was interesting of the coat when it's clipped.  I'm sure '6thSense' will let us know if this is correct?? 

[Jane S]

Don't think 6thSense is around at the moment but as I'm a groomer too, I'll reply   That graphic is a good illustration for double coated breeds like GSDs, Rough Collies & Golden Retrievers. Cockers are not a double coated breed but some of the same principles apply - it's not necessary to clip all the coat off to keep the dog cool usually (and sometimes a coat clipped very short actually can make the dog hotter as the sun penetrates down to the skin more quickly)

[chrisp]

Thanks Jane, I just wasn't sure how 'correct' it was. 

[6thSense]

Don't think 6thSense is around at the moment but as I'm a groomer too, I'll reply   That graphic is a good illustration for double coated breeds like GSDs, Rough Collies & Golden Retrievers. Cockers are not a double coated breed but some of the same principles apply - it's not necessary to clip all the coat off to keep the dog cool usually (and sometimes a coat clipped very short actually can make the dog hotter as the sun penetrates down to the skin more quickly)

Hiya. Thanks Jane for answering that. This pic is a pic doing the rounds with groomers on FB at present. Think it was actually designed by one to help explain to customers of double coated breeds who come in asking for them to be clipped off why it is best not to. Also as their coats don't grow in the same way as a cocker as in it grows to a certain length and then stops unlike a cocker who's continues to grow it can result in coat funk, which is basically a coat that does not grow back correctly. It is indeed correct for them, however as Jane says it does not necc apply to cockers in the same way. The principle of clipping an unneutered cocker down not making it cooler is correct, However when a cockers has been neutered &/or clipped the texture of the coat changes and then the air will not get through in the same way as a compacted double coat and as such clipping can then be more beneficial. I do hope that makes sense!? 

[Emilyoliver]

I think another important element is regular brushing of any coat - and right down to the skin. This prevents matting and build up of dander and dirt which inhibits air flow to the skin. So even if you have a neutered dog that has been clipped, they still need regular brushing in between.

[chrisp]

Don't think 6thSense is around at the moment but as I'm a groomer too, I'll reply   That graphic is a good illustration for double coated breeds like GSDs, Rough Collies & Golden Retrievers. Cockers are not a double coated breed but some of the same principles apply - it's not necessary to clip all the coat off to keep the dog cool usually (and sometimes a coat clipped very short actually can make the dog hotter as the sun penetrates down to the skin more quickly)

Hiya. Thanks Jane for answering that. This pic is a pic doing the rounds with groomers on FB at present. Think it was actually designed by one to help explain to customers of double coated breeds who come in asking for them to be clipped off why it is best not to. Also as their coats don't grow in the same way as a cocker as in it grows to a certain length and then stops unlike a cocker who's continues to grow it can result in coat funk, which is basically a coat that does not grow back correctly. It is indeed correct for them, however as Jane says it does not necc apply to cockers in the same way. The principle of clipping an unneutered cocker down not making it cooler is correct, However when a cockers has been neutered &/or clipped the texture of the coat changes and then the air will not get through in the same way as a compacted double coat and as such clipping can then be more beneficial. I do hope that makes sense!? 

Thank you also for answering.  Yes, that's where I saw the diagram so was hoping for a groomer to confirm.  In my ignorance I'd been told cockers had a double coat and not knowing what this looked it -  assumed it was correct.  So thanks for clarifying that too. 

[6thSense]

Don't think 6thSense is around at the moment but as I'm a groomer too, I'll reply   That graphic is a good illustration for double coated breeds like GSDs, Rough Collies & Golden Retrievers. Cockers are not a double coated breed but some of the same principles apply - it's not necessary to clip all the coat off to keep the dog cool usually (and sometimes a coat clipped very short actually can make the dog hotter as the sun penetrates down to the skin more quickly)

Hiya. Thanks Jane for answering that. This pic is a pic doing the rounds with groomers on FB at present. Think it was actually designed by one to help explain to customers of double coated breeds who come in asking for them to be clipped off why it is best not to. Also as their coats don't grow in the same way as a cocker as in it grows to a certain length and then stops unlike a cocker who's continues to grow it can result in coat funk, which is basically a coat that does not grow back correctly. It is indeed correct for them, however as Jane says it does not necc apply to cockers in the same way. The principle of clipping an unneutered cocker down not making it cooler is correct, However when a cockers has been neutered &/or clipped the texture of the coat changes and then the air will not get through in the same way as a compacted double coat and as such clipping can then be more beneficial. I do hope that makes sense!? 

Thank you also for answering.  Yes, that's where I saw the diagram so was hoping for a groomer to confirm.  In my ignorance I'd been told cockers had a double coat and not knowing what this looked it -  assumed it was correct.  So thanks for clarifying that too.

It is hard to explain. Cockers do have some undercoat. The purpose of carding a handstripped breed is to remove some of this to help the top coat to lie flatter. However some breeds that are classed as double coated shed their undercoat out and it can then become impacted or 'felted' if not removed by brushing or combing the coat out regularly. This is what the picture is describing. A handstripped coat when 'blown' will shed their top coat. Basically the coat we are stripping that is more than ready to come. A neutered or clipped cockers coat tends to change & go thick & wooly in texture and is then no longer strippable & does not shed. This then tends to have to be clipped. Do hope I am making some sense! 

[julie1]

For novices, like me     Would it be better to say use a fine comb it gets down to the skin, by brushing some may think they are doing it correct by using a soft brush, which really does nothing     You really do need to get right down to the roots to do any good, I make lots of fine partings in the long fur so that I can achieve this.

[Emilyoliver]

I use a spratts 76 on mine which strips out some dead coat (very fine teeth)z But for daily grooming I use a tendercare slicker brush which works well. Julie1 - what you describe sounds right. You need to brush the oat in sections and lift it to ensure you are getting down to the skin rather than just raking over the top. A comb will help to check whether you've got through all the coat - if there are knots/matted bits then more brushing required. Difficult to explain - hope that helps a bit?!

[6thSense]

Yes you need to get right down to the skin. I also use a Tendercare slicker brush, greyhound comb & Spratts comb, which is just basically a soft slicker brush, a long comb with teeth all the way along and the Spratts is a make of comb good for cocker coats. I also always use a conditioning spray whenever I brush.