Cocker Specific Discussion > Grooming

Staying on top of knots.

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JohnMcL:
Hi, would you please share your grooming routines? I think I must be doing something wrong here as keeping tangle/knot free is FAR harder than I thought it would be. Various books state that a 10 minute daily brush is enough but that’s not my experience. It’s taking me ten mins per ear twice a day to stop the tiny tangles turning into knots which then seem to grow to big mats rapidly if left. I’m using a slicker, wide comb and then a much finer comb, I rarely have to cut a knot out as I try to catch them at tiny stage.
Luckily Peanut (13 months) is pretty good on the table now so practice has worked thankfully. Fortunately the armpits are easy nowadays (thank the stars!) but I don’t understand how ears tangle so blinking fast!

Is there a magic trick to keep on top of this in less than an hour a day please? I can’t imagine a family with kids and jobs having time to win this battle!

How an earth do you guys keep a longish coat and walk in forests and keep yours looking so tidy?

Cheers.
John.

bizzylizzy:
The first groomer I went to recommended an Aktivet Pro Brush, they’re very expensive for what they are but they’re really useful, I‘ve had mine for nearly seven years and consider it the best piece of grooming equipment I‘ve purchased and wouldn’t want to be without it. Its a good idea to watch the youtube video on how to use it properly, it has a flexible head so you don’t use the normal brushing movement but used correctly its brilliant for detangling.
I always start with the big comb, then the brush where needed and then the fine comb.
Combing Humphrey’s ears sends him into a drunken stupor  :lol:, so I always start there first and then he‘s anybody’s,  :005: the rest I do while he‘s lying down.
I keep the hair around his ear holes short so I use the clippers and then clip the inside of the ear flap to about halfway down. It keeps the volume of hair down without having any effect on the overall look and is just easier to maintain. I don’t bath him very often but I do wash his ears now and again as I find the dirt and dinner  ;), seem to accumulate and make combing harder. 
There are detangling and conditioning sprays on the market, I did buy one once but either I bought a poor quality one or I used too much, I don’t know but it seemed to make his coat feel claggy and I wasn’t mad about the smell either.
I need on average about half and hour twice a week, depending on the time of year and how much undercoat he’s producing but I do agree they need a LOT of grooming compared to many other breeds and I do wonder how busier people manage, - possibly they have their dogs clipped regularly?
i don’t really mind grooming Humphrey, its quite relaxing but then being retired, I do have the time and that makes a big difference.

JohnMcL:
Thanks for replying Jayne and for so much info. I really enjoy grooming her, I think she’s starting to enjoy it too and it’s nice to have time with her when she’s chilled out - not going full pelt. She’s a different dog on the table!
I knew Cocker’s need a lot of grooming but I didn’t think the hair tangled as quickly as it is doing. There’s no way I would have had time to groom to this extent when the kids were younger and building a career. I can see why owners choose to clip.
Clipping around the base of the ears underneath is something I need to learn as this is the hardest area to de-tangle. I’ll try and find a course or ask a groomer if I can pay them to show me the basics.
I’ve found the Activet Pro brush, there’s a range of them, what colour is yours please? Not a cheap brush but if it does the job and lasts then it’s worth it in my opinion. I’m about to watch a video showing how to use it.

Good tips about clipping on the underside of the ear too as apart from making grooming easier, getting more air to the ear is probably healthier. I’m definitely going down this route as it’ll save loads of time. I might even be able to groom the whole of Peanut in one session!

Thank you!

John

Finvarra:
I use a stiffish bristle brush initially, all over, and then go in with a wide tooth comb, seems to do the trick. I also clip out the inside of the ear, it takes the weight of it, and allows a better flow of air. After Milo's ear trouble I pay particular attention to the inside of ears. I find under the front legs the worst bit to keep knot free, and it's such a tender area. I use a coat king every so often - Dylan is a very hairy dog with a very thick coat that grows like smoke, so it needs thinning a bit. His brush takes about ten minutes every day.
Milo was a blue roan but with a lot of white, and a black patch on his back -this patch grew more thickly than the white fur. Dylan is a very dark roan, I wonder if black fur grows more thickly than white? 

Lesley and Dylan

bizzylizzy:
Hi John, I have the small green aktivet for Humphrey as that was the one my groomer recommended at the time, - unfortunately, as is the case with a lot of the international products, the range of products available in Germany isn’t always the same as in UK, it could be there are more available to you. I just watched an American sales video where  they also have a „matt zapper brush“ for example, which I haven’t seen here. I can only suggest you google around and see what’s available. I can‘t find the original video I watched unfortunately, it might even have been in German, I can’t remember but I‘m sure you’ll find something.
There are lots of videos on grooming as well, I found the ones by Pro Groomer really helpful, there‘s one for a clipped dog and one for a hand stripped dog, Humphrey doesn’t really fit into either category, I use a sort of combination of both. Let me know if you can’t find it and I‘ll copy the link.
We‘re just off out now to buy shoes  :005: - Humphrey’s walking a lot further now but still drags his foot quite a lot and I noticed last night that his claws have worn dangerously low. The physiotherapist thinks if we put a shoe on the bad leg, he‘ll probably resist using it at all, so we need to buy two!!   :shades: ph34r !, Wish me luck!!  :lol:

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