How to Wash and Groom Your Cocker Spaniel

© Chris Chamberlin

A shaggy cocker spaniel may take on the appearance of several varieties of crossbred dogs – but a properly groomed cocker spaniel is truly beautiful.

Grooming Materials:

• Shampoo and conditioner
• Clippers #10, #7F, and #30 blades
• Slicker brush
• Comb
• Thinning scissors
• Curved 7" scissors
• Nail clippers

Begin with a clean and mat-free dog. Use a good conditioner to remove any tangles. Have your dog lie on his side so you can blow dry his coat one layer at a time. If you hit tangles, use a slicker brush to work from the ends of the hair to roots. Brush dry each layer of the dog's coat starting at the top of his side and working down to his toes.

Grooming the Head and Face

Begin clipping when the dog is dry and tangle-free. Using a # 10 blade on your clipper, trim the top half of his ears inside and out, towards the top of his head. Using the same blade, clip from under his ear along his cheek and face. Switch to the #30 blade and clean out between his eyes and along the top of his muzzle to his nose. Give the head a soft domed effect by rounding off the top knot with thinning scissors.

Grooming the Body, Legs, and Feet

The #10 blade placed just above his breast bone and run up to his chin will give him a smooth line to blend in the neck with the thinning scissors. Use the #7F blade to blend the front of the dog's neck to the sides and even as far as the back of the neck to the top of the shoulders.

It is common in a pet clip to use the #7F blade down the cocker spaniel's back, blending in the sides to the top of the rib and cleaning up the tail. However, for a more natural look and for a show dog, thinning the hair to blend from the top of the neck, down the back, blending over the ribs and croup to the tail, is a must. Don't be too hard on yourself as you learn to handle the thinning scissoring. Practice makes perfect and before long you will learn just how much hair to thin out for the look you want.

Trim the hair between the foot pads before shaping each foot into a bell. This can be done by holding the dog’s foot and trimming the hair flush with the bottom of the foot. Then while he stands still, trim the excess hair so the closest to the toes is the shortest, becoming gradually longer as you go up the leg creating a bell look.