The Cocker Spaniel Show Trim
The following pages I hope will be of some interest and help. The main page deals with the individual areas as depicted
below which also incorporates some other relevant topics. Please bear in mind this is my interpretation.
Please click on to any relevant section of interest.
Before You Start - Preparation - Puppies - Bathing
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The head is hand stripped but be careful not to overdo it. Remember the head is one of the first and last parts of the dog the
judge looks at. Long hairs can be removed from between the eyes to give a defined stop.
Hair around the muzzle can be carefully hand stripped. Long whiskers and eyelashes can be trimmed with sharp scissors. This is
my own preference.
I know, what’s this have to do with trimming. I thought it should be mentioned, make sure they are clean. There is nothing worse
than dirty teeth.
Using thinners, trim in a random motion. Try not to concentrate on any one area too long. You could end up with an uneven finish or
bald. The area that joins onto the front chest feathering should blend in as a continuation of the neck.
This is shaped with the scissors into a gentle curve. If you leave this part too long it flaps about and can be distracting to a Judge who
is trying to assess movement. Start taking a little off at a time.
The front legs are generally lightly hand stripped at the front. Try not to leave a line down the side. What I mean by that is a distinct
“line” giving the appearance of a separate front and back portion. The hair should sweep around from the front to the back as one.
The inside of the legs are shaped with the thinning scissors. Too much left on the inside, when moving, can obscure the movement.
Likewise too much length left on the feathering has the same result. Add the two together and we have a lot of flapping hair. If the
feathering requires to be trimmed this is carried out by using the scissors. The thinners can remove bulk from the feathering. To
achieve this you place the thinners beneath the outside feathering roughly half an inch from the leg, and then one cut at a time lightly
thin. Remember and always brush any surplus hair out after every cut. This way you will not take too much out. It’s easy to take it
off, but much harder to stick it back on again. Finally the shape from the foot is cut using scissors at an angle. This also cuts down
on the hair flapping when walking.
For many the hardest bit to get right. Using scissors trim any hair at or near the pads. With the foot placed on the table cut the shape
parallel around the foot using the scissors. Once you have achieved this lightly thin the top so as to have a slightly rounded finish.
No hair should be removed from between the toes as this will give the wrong appearance.
As a rule the length of the ears should never need altered. However the ear requires to lie flat to the head so some trimming is
required to achieve this. The tops of the ears require to blend into the head and ear and by using the thinners lightly you should achieve
this.
Hand stripping is the answer. The coat prepared this way will always look at its very best. Carried out in any other way may make
the coat difficult to manage in the future. Again try and not to concentrate on one spot as you inevitably end up with an uneven coat.
Pick up the coat and pluck out the long hairs first. The areas that should be tackled in this way are behind the head, neck, along the
back, down the sides a bit and finally finishing off at the tail. A lot of time and effort is required but it is worth it in the end.
In this area we are looking for a flat, square finish achieved with the thinners. The feathering is shaped to form an inverted "V" shape.
We are looking to form a tube shape. Scissors or thinners will do the trick. Hold either the scissors or thinners straight up and down
to the hock area and take small amounts off at a time. Take too much off and you will be left with spindly, weak looking hocks. Leave
too much on and it may interfere with movement.
Feathering on the back legs can be trimmed with scissors at an angle to show off the angulation. Tummy feathers if left too long can in
certain circumstances make the dog look as if its lacking in height. See “Legs” for information on feathering.
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