happy, healthy, well-mannered
cocker spaniel
Essential Dog Grooming Tips
Dog grooming isn't just about brushing and bathing your Cocker; it’s about much more than that. Grooming your dog also involves checking his ears, eyes, claws and teeth and is essential for your Spaniel's health. Read on for the best grooming tips for Cocker Spaniels.
Cocker Spaniel Grooming And Health
Cocker Spaniels are made for grooming, don't you think?
It's probably those tantalizingly long ears, you just can't help but want to stroke and brush them because they're so soft and silky!
Copyright: Lilun at DreamstimeIf you groom your Cocker Spaniel often it will help to keep his coat clean, shining and manageable - from the tip of his nose to the tips of his toes, or should that be paws?
But dog grooming isn't just about keeping your pet looking good; it's also essential for your Spaniel's health because it gives you the ideal opportunity to look for fleas and ticks, grazes, sores, grass seeds, matting, cuts, lumps and skin problems and be able to deal with them before they turn nasty.
It's also a great opportunity to examine those beautifully pendulous ears for signs of excess bacteria or infection, and to check his eyes for early signs of problems.
Groom Your Puppy Early!
Unfortunately not all dogs enjoy being groomed so it will be far easier if you begin grooming your Spaniel when he's a puppy to help him get used to it.
Grooming puppies early is so important, so begin now if you haven't already.
Get him used to each dog grooming activity before he gets any older and it will make it much easier for you both later; it will be a walk in the park, with no surprises!
Apart from health and the obvious visual benefits to your dog, grooming has a few additional benefits for owners too.
It helps us to relax and unwind and can also strengthen the bond between us and our pets.
It also (subconsciously) helps us to reinforce our position as the alpha male or female because dogs don't normally allow other members of the pack, lower in rank to them, to groom them.
Your Cocker's grooming session will be made up of many activities as you'll soon discover below.
Essential Dog Grooming Tips
You'll find lots of helpful dog grooming tips below. Simply follow the links to the right of the relevant photos to find the page you're looking for. Once you've read the article, come back here and read the next one.
Basic Grooming ToolsYou'll need the essential dog grooming tools to help you get the job done quickly and professionally. You don't need a lot; you can get away with only the basics if you're on a budget!
Just Groomed!There's nothing more beautiful than a freshly brushed Cocker Spaniel.
Learn about brushing your dog and the best way to remove tats, tangles, and matting from your Cocker's coat.
Yippee - Bath Time!Bath-time can be and should be fun.
Learn how bathing your Cocker Spaniel doesn't have to lead to tears or tantrums (either from you or your pet!)
Bathing Your Puppy!Don't traumatize your puppy by putting him straight into the bath, you may scare him and put him off bath-time for life.
Here's a step-by-step guide to bathing your Cocker puppy for the very first time - take it slowly and gently!
Nail ClippersLearn How To Clip Your Pet's Nails
Get this wrong and he'll never let you near his paws again - get it right however and it will be a snip!
Dew Claw? What's that?Most breeders have their puppies dew claws removed when their puppies are very young and so you may not even realize that your pet had an extra claw.
Learn more about dew claws here.
Look, Clean Ears!This step-by-step guide to cleaning your Cocker Spaniel's ears is a must and can save you money by keeping him away from the vets.
Look - Clean Teeth!Dental hygiene is an essential part of your Cocker's grooming routine; not only will it keep his breath sweet, it can help keep him healthy too.
Learn why brushing your dog's teeth Is important.
Oops! I Ate A Sweetie!As new puppy owners we should get into the habit of cleaning our puppy's teeth. Understand why it's important and the best way to brush puppy teeth.
Doggie Bad BreathIf your dog's bad breath isn't caused by poor dental hygiene, it may be a symptom of an underlying health problem. Learn more about doggie bad breath and how to cure it.
My Glands Are Fine!Learn about your dog's anal sacs; what they are, what can go wrong with them and how to spot the signs when these anal sacs/glands become infected.
My Glands Are Blocked!How To Clear Your Spaniel's Anal Glands:
If your dog's anal glands are impacted, you can easily learn how to express them yourself or you could ask your groomer to do it for you.
Please Choose A Good GroomerYou wouldn't trust your Cocker Spaniel with any old groomer would you?
Know what to look for and which questions to ask.
Dog Grooming: Summary
Grooming Cocker Spaniels can be hard work and fairly time-consuming, especially if your dog enjoys a daily romp around the fields.
Copyright: Tony LanciabetaCocker coats seem to be a magnet for burrs, seeds, bits of twig (in fact, anything that's not attached!) so their coats need to be brushed
regularly if they're to stay looking beautiful.
Okay, so it might be a little time-consuming, but apart from making your Cocker Spaniel look great, regular grooming will also help to keep his skin, nails, ears and eyes in excellent health too.
And as an added benefit, it helps to reinforce the bond with your Cocker! Now, I think that's definitely well worth
the effort involved - don't you?
Great Video of a Cocker Being Groomed
Why not take a look at this Cocker Spaniel being groomed?
It will give you a flavor of what you're in for. Unfortunately, not all Cockers are as patient as Arrow and the groomer makes it look so easy!
I hope you enjoy it...and don't forget to leave feedback below and let us know what you think about this page.
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Photo Credits: Dog Grooming
1. Liliya
Kulianionak at http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-couple-english-cocker-spaniel,-image23622081
2. Tony Lanciabeta
at Flickr.com
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