The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

Finally got it uploaded. Sorry about the poor lighting, I didn't realize the sun was glaring in the window. I have another one of Snow White with better lighting I'll upload another day. This darn thing took forever to upload. I'll have to do it overnight so I don't use up our wireless capacity. The fam was getting irritated with Netflix loading over and over
http://youtu.be/yQleMDhqQH8

Julie!

Awww, I love his sweet face at the end. He's such a good boy. My job would be much easier if Mulligan wouldn't fight me so much. I think he's experiencing the terrible twos. He's gotten really squirmy lately. Thanks for the video Julie!

Thank You THANK YOU! The trick about combing forward and cutting bangs is going to really help with Abbers!!! She is wearing a visor quite often or no topknot at all...poor baby

I'm guessing Abby and Ava are not going to be happy girls in 3 or 4 days!!!

Pirate is beyond CUTE!

THANK YOU, JULIE!!

Cricket's getting a haircut in the morning!

Thank you Julie. Fantastic video and tips!!!

Julie...

You make it look so easy! Thank you!

Thanks, Julie, that was really helpful! Guess I will be buying a better pair of curved scissors. Right now, Emma's topknot looks like the wind shield on a semi - it sticks up too much. What I wouldn't give to be able to cut legs like Pirate's, too. And you can even use the clippers in your LEFT hand and make it turn out right. Argggghhhhh. I am hopeless.

Very nice video and explanation...thank you very much for sharing this with us! I'm going to try it out today!

I can't wait for the messes on my girls' head to grow out so I can give them proper topknots.

of course, all the forum babies will be sporting beautiful topknots now...right?

Your timin is perfect, Julie! I just received the Wahl Bravura clippers in the mail yesterday and am planning on doing Gromit's head tomorrow.

I have a question for you, though. I've been letting Gromit's back go natural rather than shaving it because her coat is so thick that she ends up with a tu-tu look around her skirt. It's finally starting to lie in soft waves now that I've gotten so much of the fluffy undercoat out. But I'm not sure how to groom her neck...in particular the top part of her neck from where the top knot ends. Is that just carded, too, or is it shaved?

Thanks for your help!

I cover that a little in the one I did with Snow White. The back of the neck is carded as well and you blend that part in with the thinning shears too. You can see on Pirate how his neck looks so fluffy on the sides, it's because I hadn't blended it in yet. Promise I'll get that one of SW up soon, it's virtually the same as Pirate's with a couple extra little doo dads in it.

Oh boy have I been doing things wrong.

Thanks!

Thanks, this also helps those of us who only trim up if we can't get to the groomer's. Pirate is a great model too.

Not Julie here, but yep, a #4...any clipper. I've tried everything and have come to the conclusion using the 4 blade is as good as it is ever gonna get for me. I am not good with scissoring a crown/top knot. Poor Abby has spent much of her life without one because of me insisting to scissor hers.

Wow! Very helpful video. I just returned home from a new groomer. After watching your video I realize that this groomer clearly does not know how to properly groom a cocker. I couldn't figure out why the dog just didn't look like a cocker spaniel. They shaved her face and absolutely nothing else on her head or neck. Very frustrating and it cost me almost $60.00!

Sentiments like those you've just expressed here are what led many, many of us to do our own grooming. I figured I couldn't do any worse, and it would probably be better, plus I'd spend the time with my dog instead of worrying about what someone was doing to her!