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grooming

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What You Need to Know About Grooming Whether you groom your Cocker Spaniel yourself or take your dog to a professional groomer, you need to be aware of routine Cocker care and maintenance that you should can either do yourself or have your groomer or vet do for your Cocker.  Keeping up with Cockers ears, teeth, toe nails, anal glands, bathing, and haircuts is not only important to a Cocker’s appearance but vital to their overall health.  Cocker Spaniels have many of the same concerns of all dogs, clean ears, clean teeth, healthy eyes, short nails, empty anal glands, clean skin, and, because of their long hair and very heavy, long ears, your Cocker will need extra vigilant attention by you to prevent skin and ear problems. 

You are your dog’s first line of defense.  Touch Your Dog Everywhere and Often and This Means Feet Too!  Please don’t rely on the vet or groomer to identify problems that your Cocker is having.  Get to know your dog and their body better than you know your own by making an every day habit every day of running your hands over their body, looking in their eyes, ears and mouth so that you will notice anything different or unusual the moment it starts. 

Handling your dog every day and getting them used to being touched, poked and prodded will also make it much easier for the vet, groomer, or emergency technician to examine them safely and can save their life. Don’t hesitate to run your fingers through their hair, stick them in their ears, massage their gums and feet.  Handle their feet daily, massaging the pads, checking them for cracks, splinters, mats or rocks stuck in-between their toes, and check each toenail for breaks and splits.  You may just find that your Cocker becomes so relaxed that they fall asleep.  If you want to learn full body massage for your dog, which is an excellent way to bond, here is a great video on canine massage techniques, Bodywork for Dogs - Connecting Through Massage, Acupressure and Intuitive Touch.

If you intend to groom your Cocker yourself, I suggest that you first watch your groomer give your dog a haircut from start to finish.  The groomer can show you how to handle your dog and how to restrain them while you groom them so that you don't hurt them with the scissors or the blades. It is not as easy as you think, and without experience, it is very possible to cut or injure your dog with scissors, blades and the grooming table itself.  Even professional groomers have occasion accidents cutting ears or burning a dog with hot blades and cutting too close to the skin.

I personally find that watching groomers and grooming videos is the best way to learn to clip your dog, and, at the same time, learn to handle your dog properly without harming them.  If you have any doubts or fears about grooming or if your dog is difficult, absolutely don’t do it! 

Things that you can do and should have your vet and groomer show you how to do are: how to bathe your dog, how to clean your dog's ears, eyes, and teeth, how to cut their toe nails and how to express their anal glands (it’s icky but very important).

Here are some top-of-the-line resources, respected in the Cocker World, that will show you how to groom your Cocker Spaniel.

  • Grooming Star is a website created by Debi Hilley, owner of A Cut Above Pet Salon in Albany Georgia. She has filled this site with with hints, tips, photos and directions on many aspects of everyday grooming. Debi was the Gold Medal Winner at Intergroom 2007 in the Sporting Class, Rising Star Competition!
  • Notes From the Grooming Table: An All-Breed Grooming Guide for the Professional Pet Stylist is a must own book for anyone that wants to groom their own dogs
  • DVD: Grooming The American Cocker Spaniel by Mike Gadsby which shows you how to groom, trim and finish an American Cocker with a show coat, and also how to trim a retired show dog or pet Cocker.
  • DVD: Grooming the American Cocker Spaniel with Joan Anderson and Sarah Hawkes

How Often Should You Groom Your Cocker? © Kelly Ladouceur For the face, a Cocker can go up to 4 weeks before needing a trim.  Because I have the equipment at home, I prefer to go no longer than every 3 weeks.  It is a personal preference, but remember that the more often you do it, the more proficient you will get and the easier it will become.

A Cocker Spaniel should be bathed a minimum of every 6-8 weeks. If you groom the dog yourself, it is best to give the dog a bath prior to grooming, in order to keep the clipper blades sharp for as long as possible. Clipping a dirty dog does dull the blades more quickly. That being said, if you have a severely matted dog, you should shave it prior to bathing it. Water causes mats to tighten, and the mats become nearly impossible to remove once they are wet.