Cocker Specific Discussion > Grooming
trimming the neck
Jane S:
Hi Diane
I can't really comment on how your breeder trims his dogs, except to say that clipping show Cocker coats goes against everything I was taught & you won't find a book written by a UK expert which recommends this severe method of trimming, although it is quite common in other countries & in American Cockers in this country (even then, the ones that have been properly handstripped stand out from the crowd). I can't really advise you what to do as my approach is so different from your breeder's, all I can say is that a properly handstripped Cocker always looks miles better to me than ones that have been scissored/clipped. How a dog is presented often makes the difference between being placed & not being placed at all, if the dogs being compared are all of a roughly similar standard conformation-wise.
I think you may mean a number 76 comb which is another name for the Spaniel comb & is v good for handstripping Cockers - there seems to be a shortage of them on sale at the moment (COL members have cleaned the suppliers out ;D) If you can get hold of one, it would be well worth having one in your grooming kit :)
PS The breeders I admire & who regularly produce top winning Cockers don't clip their dogs so it is not that widespread a practice thankfully ;)
cbabe:
EEEkk - i cheat and use the thinning sissors! I cant get this part to strip out without hurting Holly!
Is this going to be frowned upon in the ring??
Pammy:
This may sound daft - but can I clarify just what we're talking about here - ie the neck not the throat?
I take the neck to be from the top of the head down to the shoulders and back - on the top of the dog - the throat goes from under the chin down to the chest. I don't know any show person who clips the neck - but I do know some that do the throat, and several who use thinners on the throat - me included ???.
cbabe:
I'm talking about - what you refer to as - the throat.
metpol fan:
me to, maybe i should change my terminology not to confuse, SORRY :)
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