Advice for a complete novice!

[JerryBerry]

Just wondering what is the best way of sorting Jerry's coat out? He is an 8 month old working cocker and he's looking a bit bedraggled! His once cute mohican is now getting beyond a joke and the liver patch on his back is soft and smooth in the middle of the patch but much lighter and dry (like its dead fur) round the edge of the patch - it looks to me like it wants taking off but Im not sure of the right method to use.

Sorry if it sounds like a rediculous questions but my other dogs have all been easy maintenance lab coats or mungrals who just neeeded a good brush now and again!! 

[ladylola]

You could try handstripping. Pluck the fur out by hand if it's ready to come out. If not you could use a coat king they remove tons of dead hair. Or get a metal wide tooth come and weave an elastic band through the teeth. Comb with it laid flat on the body.

[JerryBerry]

Are they called coat king mars curry comb? if so how big? - just googled it and ebay came up and there are loads!!!!!!

[ladylola]

http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=5949.msg59055#msg59055

They are called Mars coat king.  They are very good at stripping out the hair but they do cut.

[joanne_v]

You're quitwe lucky in that Jerrys white bits will stay nice and silky smooth. Itd the liver bits that go fluffy. Handstripping or using a coat king will do the trick. Dont over use the coat king (I do it once every 6-8 weeks) or it can make the coat go a bit wiry. I havent found this yet though after using it all over on a spayed 2 yr old black cocker. You'll need a no.20 coat king if you go down this route.

[Nicola]

If he's not neutered I wouldn't really do anything beyond combing out some of the dead hair if it'll shift. Rodaidh went through a fluffy phase at about that age and his coat went dry and wispy in places but I just left it other than a bit of a comb through now and then and now he has a really gorgeous coat even if I do say so, he's soooooooo soft, silky and shiny.

He went from this...


... to this



and I did nothing

[JerryBerry]

If he's not neutered I wouldn't really do anything beyond combing out some of the dead hair if it'll shift. Rodaidh went through a fluffy phase at about that age and his coat went dry and wispy in places but I just left it other than a bit of a comb through now and then and now he has a really gorgeous coat even if I do say so, he's soooooooo soft, silky and shiny.


Thats unbelieveable!!!!! is that just because he was neutered? - I am thinking of getting Jerry 'done' after christmas so perhaps I should just wait a while before messing about with his coat!

[Beth]

Thats unbelieveable!!!!! is that just because he was neutered? - I am thinking of getting Jerry 'done' after christmas so perhaps I should just wait a while before messing about with his coat!

No, it's not being neutered that keeps the coat nice, once they're done the coat goes really rubbish in most cases (am still sulking that my nice sleek black boy is now fuzzy with ginger bits )

[Nicola]

No, Rodaidh's not neutered which is why his coat is so nice as Beth says. Neutering has the opposite effect on their coat! Alfie used to be silky all over as well but since he was castrated his white bits have stayed ok but his black bits have gone all fuzzy and fluffy and his topknot is getting bigger by the day!

[JerryBerry]

***big deflated sigh*** Oh. Right, back to plan A then - coat king here I come!

[millrace]

Tia is an 11 month old working cocker who still looks fluffy, people have confused her with an afghan in the past... The dead puppy coat is coming off slowly but surely, I just give her a brush and handstrip little bits every now and again.  We were told it could take a few months yet!! Her new coat is coming through lovely and glossy so she will be even nicer eventually.  Just perservere a while longer.

[JerryBerry]

TBH his coat has never really bothered me and I quite liked his quiff - although it is getting a bit out of hand now! But a woman that goes to the same training as us with her springer always say he looks a scruff     I laughed it off for a few weeks but its got to me a bit now!! Really he is getting a bit fluffy but to me its like saying one of my kids needs a wash!!!! She always says hes too pretty to be a boy aswell but I can live with that -  he is pretty   

[Helen]

check out the old Furminator thread - I think there are still 'versions' to be had via the springer rescue on the link  (please don't clip him, there is really really no need    )

we of course never ever had a fluffy stage...oh no, never 





(Jarv, 7 months)

PS hey jerree mayte, that wumun at trayneeng is jus jellis of yr gud luks - I woz allweighs corled 'gurlee' too as a pupsta - not ennee maw ...frum jarv

[jaymac]

I usually manage to keep Poppy reasonably neat but I've had my arm in plaster for nearly two months so she had to go to the groomers on Friday.  Her feet were beginning to look like Hobbit feet.  Her head looks so different now, the white is much more obvious now her topnot has gone.

[Helen]

I usually manage to keep Poppy reasonably neat but I've had my arm in plaster for nearly two months so she had to go to the groomers on Friday.  Her feet were beginning to look like Hobbit feet.  Her head looks so different now, the white is much more obvious now her topnot has gone.

is she a working cocker?

Just asking because they *generally* don't need to be clipped or go to a groomer