all off!!

[sarahm2008]

Sandon currently has a full coat which is beautiful but getting harder to look after as it matts like mad, I have just got back from a walk with sandon and I have no idea where he went but he came back to me covered with these spiky brown things all in one leg and on his tummy, I hadnt quite realised the extent until I got him home (he was desperate to get home so obviously felt horrible) it was horrendous, the back of his one front leg was just covered in them all matted in hundreds of the darn things, I tried brushing them out but had no choice than to cut them out - not very sympathetically either im afraid as he is so wriggly and didnt really want me near them - anyway he is booked into the groomers on mon (was anyway) and I have decided enough is enough, I just cant cope with his full coat its not fair to him so im getting everything trimmed.
Th question is how do I get him cut so he still has his gorgeous cocker coat but its more manageable? can anyone point me in the right direction or have pictures of different cuts so I can work out what is right? I dont want his coat totally off but im thinking legs and tummy definately shortened ?

[julie1]

they sound like "teasels" & are horrendous to remove  because they are all small hooks,
I'm no help with the grooming though because I have a problem but put up with it because I don't like the shorn sheep look, I groom her myself.

[sarahm2008]

they were vile, I have come across them before but only in ones and twos, this was just awful.
Im not keen either on them being too short which is why upto now I have kept him long but practically I cant cope with it I dont think as he gets so matted  - I think I will try to keep top longish if possible but dont want it to look strange!!! how protective we get hey of our little fluff monsters!!

[julie1]

This is how Kez is at the moment (sorry no side views),  sort of in between.

[Macette]

That cut is lovely....is that what is called a puppy cut or maybe it's a longer version, but I really like it and the bit on her head , nice.....

[montydavies]

After several incidents just like this with Monty I now have him clipped. I too prefer a longer look, but practically his coat was a nightmare, really thick and matted if you looked at him.  He LOVES being clipped, and charges round like a  loon after its been done. I am no longer stressed about him getting filthy on wals, and he loves the shorter look. Before getting him I had visions of having a beautifully groomed Cocker with a full coat, but just not to be  Turned out to be a hooligan much happier with a skinhead!!

[sarahm2008]

aah lovely photo I may take it with me if you dont mind??!! I have no idea how to load photos on here or would I have only managed once!!!
HOw on earth do you keep your carpet so clean too!!!!!

[Holly2009]

Not a great pic but this is Holly, I do her myself, not the best but practise WILL make....a bit better hopefully look at her poor legs!   admittedly she looks different every time!

[elaine.e]

This is William about half way between clips

I had to give up on handstripping about a year after he was castrated, then used a coat king and a little clipping for a few years, but nowadays I clip quite a lot of his body every 6 to 8 weeks and keep his feathering at a reasonable length.

Head - I clip his head lightly (I'm not a topknot fan) but use thinning scissors on his face so that I don't cut his whiskers off.

Ears - I clip the inside of the ear flap short, which really helps keep his ears clean. I lightly clip the top 1/3 off the outside of his ears and use thinning scissors to soften the area where the clipping ends and longer hair starts.

Body - clip top and sides.

Front legs - clip the front of them, use thinning scissors to take some of the weight and thickness out of the feathering and ordinary scissors to trim the feathering to the length I like.

Back legs - clip the thighs and sides of legs but leave feathering at the front, which I trim to the length and shape I want. I use thinning scissors around the hocks to thin out a bit and either clippers or thinners down the back of the leg below hock level.

Neck and chest - clip down as far as the breastbone, then leave feathering below that.

Armpits - Clip (carefully) or scissor to help avoid matts.

I also clip an "air-conditioning strip" along the centre of his tummy. There's still feathering visible either side and on his chest and under his tail, but it helps him stay cool in summer and he dries quicker when it rains. If you look carefully in this photo (taken when he was due a clip but it will give you an idea) you'll see that he's been clipped short all round his little twinkle and immediately in front of that there's a narrow clipped strip with feathering either side..

[Macette]

How will I ever learn to do this... she is not even here yet and I panicking about how I'm going to learn to clip....

[elaine.e]

How will I ever learn to do this... she is not even here yet and I panicking about how I'm going to learn to clip....

Don't worry about it . Buy a soft brush before you collect your puppy and right from the start spend just a minute or so every day getting her used to being handled all over and brushed very gently. Find a comfortable non slip surface to stand her on (maybe a bath mat on a table), keep her safe on there so she can't jump or fall off and do things like touch and smooth her ears and look in them, gently open her mouth for a second and look in it, lift each paw up in turn and touch them as if you're looking at her claws or looking for a thorn that's got stuck, gently feel along her back, ribs and under her tummy, stroke all along her tail. You can do that in one mini session and brush her in another if it's all too much in one go at first.

Keep it all calm and stress free with quiet praise and a treat or two. If you can get other people to do the inspection bit sometimes and keep persevering you should end up with a Cocker that is relaxed about being handled by strangers like the vet and is patient about being groomed.

Sorry for the long off-topic post but it's what I was taught to do with my first Cocker and all of mine have been confident about being handled and groomed.

[saffysmum]

With Saffy, I do the opposite of William's cut.  I like to grow the top of Saffy but keep her feathers quite short.  I also shave (bald) up her tummy(with skirt hiding baldness) and in between back legs(again back leg feathers hiding baldness).  I also trim the front of her legs short with thinning scissors.  She walks in the moors and I can manage her quite easily this way.

Have you been told about oiling his coat? This helps with the knots and stuff collecting in his feathers and makes it all easier to brush out.  But it still takes quite a bit of work.

Ruby is 11 and has incontinence problems so she gets a 7f all over.  Everything off!  Only thing I like to keep is the hair on her ears.  I think this is the 'cocker look' and without the ear hair, they don't look the same.
Ruby was done yesterday(LOOOOOONG overdue) and it's so much easier.  Just straight in from her walk, a shoogle with a towel and that's her dry! Fab!!

[sarahm2008]

hi saffys mum!!! I would love to see pics if you have any?? Im trying to get as many ideas as poss so when I go on monday I dont just trust the groomer to know what picture is in my head!!
re oiling, no I havent heard this? what oil? I teach baby massage, will that oil do ??!!!

[sarahm2008]

BTW thankyou to everyone else, sorry im not ignoring you!!!
Love seeing all these photos as you are all so much braver than me, im hoping once I have seen him groomed a few times I MAY attempt it myself?! we'll see!!!!

[Macette]

How will I ever learn to do this... she is not even here yet and I panicking about how I'm going to learn to clip....

Don't worry about it . Buy a soft brush before you collect your puppy and right from the start spend just a minute or so every day getting her used to being handled all over and brushed very gently. Find a comfortable non slip surface to stand her on (maybe a bath mat on a table), keep her safe on there so she can't jump or fall off and do things like touch and smooth her ears and look in them, gently open her mouth for a second and look in it, lift each paw up in turn and touch them as if you're looking at her claws or looking for a thorn that's got stuck, gently feel along her back, ribs and under her tummy, stroke all along her tail. You can do that in one mini session and brush her in another if it's all too much in one go at first.
Thanks Elaine I will do all of that and hope for the best, I would really like to be able to keep her in reasonable shape lol. 



Keep it all calm and stress free with quiet praise and a treat or two. If you can get other people to do the inspection bit sometimes and keep persevering you should end up with a Cocker that is relaxed about being handled by strangers like the vet and is patient about being groomed.

Sorry for the long off-topic post but it's what I was taught to do with my first Cocker and all of mine have been confident about being handled and groomed.