Grooming of the american cocker spaniel.
By Jean-Georges Léonard,stockbreeder and international champion of grooming.
I don't agree with the article of Doctor Richard on the fur of the american cocker spaniel
1°Washing.
Never brush your dry dog.
1°Grooming.
To take your electric mower with a blade of 10, to put your american cocker spaniel facing at you,
Then ears always with against direction; to take a reference mark with semi-ears(Fig.2)
and to go up to top of the head, to turn over the ear and to release well the pavilion always with
grains
not to leave tuft of hair at front; follow the shape of the head.
For the neck, to take your mower in the direction of the hair : to leave the base of head and to go
down to
the neck must be well release to emphazie it; to equalize with the scissors to carve between the
marking
The back must trimmed or depilated with the finger; if your dog has much thickness of hair on the
coasts,
For the front legs, to take as locates the height of four fingers, to start to cross
with your curved scissors
Any total or partial reproduction is prohibited.
(Spaniel n°102).
In France, the fur isn't too abundant.
Yes, some dogs have a bad fur. Yes, some dogs have the shaven back.
How many people know groom and to maintain the hair their dogs?
The majority of the stockbreeders are not occupied of grooming after the sale of the
puppy or do not incite people to do it.
Unfortunately for the race, one can count on the fingers on the hand the professionnal
grooms who can make a grooming "show" on a american cocker spaniel.
How much example I had dogs; the shaved back, the cut fringes, the interior
of the ears shaved; as for round-off of the legs let us not speak about it.
I recognize well honestly that the owners don't brush as it would be needed,
that for the professional grooms time it's money and that to disentangle an
american cocker spaniel takes much time, with them to make pay the price and
explain to people to take care of their dog.
After these few lines, let us return to the subject : "Grooming".
After ten years of experiment, I allow myself to give you my way of making.
I know that there will be some grousers to criticize, but my dogs are there
in "show" to show ad with one's own eyes what I will explain.
Once per week or every ten days, a good washing with a shampoo according to the
hair of your dog; for the blacks and black and red, a shampoo for clear dogs,
a shampoo for fair or white dogs.
If the hair of your dog is damaged, use a shampoo with proteins, well to rinse,
then use the disentangling to cream, don't dilute it too much, to make it penetrate
in the hair, to let act five minutes while massing the hair and rinse abundantly.
Dry your dog in a terry towel; before you will have prepared your table with
a terry towel above.
Place your american cocker spaniel on the table facing at you, dry the head, then
the back always in the direction of the hair, then the ears, then lay your dog on
the side, dry the fringes as well as the legs with grains hair; if you meet nodes,
vaporize on the node one disentangling containing JOJOBA.
Do the same thing on the other side.
When the dog is dry to give it on its legs; with a comb to comb it well on all
the body to equalize the hair.
to start with the forehead, to pass the electric mower against direction of the hair(Fig.1).
hair on the top of head then to equalize with your curved scissors(Fig.3),
For the cheeks, to leave the ear to the forehead while passing on the eye to cut the lashes then on
the chops but in the direction of the hair, for the neck to leave the sternum while going up to the
chops to against direction of the hair(Fig.4).
the shoulder while taking as locate the palm and the hand, to support at the base of the neck
of your dog(Fig.5),
down of the neck and your depilated back(Fig.6).
to thin with the scissors to thin so that the fringes fall quite right.
For the tail, to cut the hairs which exceed each side like below, to release the anus,
to make the round-off in end of tail.
On the thighs, to take the same reference mark as for the shoulder (the palm of a hand)
and to release well with the scissors sculptor(Fig.7).
by the top and to go down while making a bowl; previously, you well will release the bearings of the
hairs which are there and will have cut the rather short nails.
For the back legs, even principle of reference mark (four fingers) but to always start with the back
of the leg
while going forwards, to very often the comb because it always leaves the not cut hairs (Fig.8).
