When to clip coat ?

[sue15]

I have previously had 2 show breed strain cockers and they needed clipping every 10 weeks or so. But now I have a working strain cocker and wonder when and if he needs clipping. He is only 6 months old at the moment and I have trimmed his feet and his coat and feathers don't seem too long.

[Murphys Law]

Personally, I would not clip a dogs coat at all unless it is totally necessary. I don't think a dogs coat is ever the same again once it has been clipped.

My working cocker is 18 months old and is yet to have her coat touched at all, not even paws or feathers. It is still short and sleek which is exactly how I want it to remain.

[Mari]

I would not clip either. I used to handstrip my cocker the first years and even though that is a little bit of work, it is totally worth it. It looks great and it is easy to maintain. After I had my girl spayed her coat became woolly and I started clipping instead. I think that looks great too, but I would not choose clippers if I could get away with handstripping and trimming of feet and feathering. I definitely would not do any clipping before he lets go of the puppy fur in a couple of months and you can see what quality fur you are dealing with.

[sue15]

Thanks, I will leave and see

[elaine.e]

Because he's a worker he may not need to be clipped at all. Most workers have a lot less coat than show types and if that's the case with him, you'll probably be able to keep him tidy by using scissors on his paws and to keep his feathering at the length you like. A fairly wide toothed comb with a rubber band threaded through the teeth is a useful tool for removing dead hair, and hopefully that's all you'll need to use on his body.

[vixen]

My girls who are working cockers have never been clipped and they are nine now.  I like the natural look.  I do trim their paws and feathering during the winter as they do collect quite a lot of dirt.  They were spayed when they were about 2 and a half.  For a while there were no changes to their coats but over time they have altered.  My solid black's coat has definitely got woollier but her litter sister's coat has only slightly changed.  Until the change in their coats I was able to maintain them with a comb/rubber band but due to the wooliness on their tummies and feathering, I now also use a coat king.  As they still have their full coats they can look chubbier than they actually are though    especiallly when next to a clipped cocker 

[JeffD]

Teals stunning coat went down hill after her spay and she can look like a very hairy black bear, I purchased a coat king and was amazed at how good it was at bringing her back to look like a cocker again. I now use it on her for about20minutes once a month to keep the hair in check