Cocker Spaniel
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One of the most common subjects that people write to me about is Cocker Spaniel grooming. People want step-by-step instructions on how to give a good Cocker haircut, and suggestions on what equipment they need to do the trimming. I kept getting emails asking what electric clippers I recommend, and wondering if there's a video they can buy that shows how to give a proper Cocker Spaniel hair cut. I finally got so many of these dog grooming questions that I decided it was time to make my own DVD about how to groom Cockers!
In January of 2007 I spent about a month putting together our Cocker Spaniel grooming DVD. It was a complicated project! I had seen other videos about dog grooming, and some were very amateurish. I wanted this to be one I could be proud of. I tried to pay special attention to lighting and especially to the audio. For example, I find it very annoying to watch videos that got their sound from the little microphone built in to a camcorder! We used external microphones and got much better sound! I also spent a lot of time editing the raw videos down, so on the DVD you don't watch a bunch of footage that doesn't need to be there. In the end, I think I managed to come up with a video that is both educational and entertaining. It's certainly been a lot more popular than I expected, and people have been saying a lot of nice things about it!
Here's a brief synopsis of what you'll see on our Cocker grooming DVD:
(followed by information on how to order it)
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My wife, Kellyn, and I start the show off by giving a brief introduction. I figured it would be more entertaining to do this somewhere scenic... so we headed down to the beach with two of our dogs playing off leash at our sides. |
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Following the brief introduction at the beach, school is called in to session... with yours truly leading the class on the basic pieces of grooming equipment you need to do the job. For a classroom, we use our living room... where one of the students has this annoying tendency to doze off in the middle of class. (That would be Dodger.) One fun part about this little grooming lesson is that by using a technology called "thought bubbles" we can read all of Dodger's thoughts! |
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Now it's finally time to fire up the electric clippers and let the fur fly!
I put Joanna up on the grooming table, and talk you through the process of trimming her with the electric clippers. I show you where to shave things short, where to not shave at all, and exactly how to make a natural looking transition from one to the other. Also, you see my little secret for how to keep a dog from sitting down when clipping around the tail. |
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I happen to think that this segment is the highlight of the DVD! Kellyn and I pack up all of our grooming equipment and head down to Los Angeles to give a haircut to Pismo, one of our pups from a recent litter. His owners had warned us that he didn't like to be groomed... they said they had to wear oven mitts to keep from getting bit when they tried to brush him. So, I thought he would be a good dog to demonstrate the techniques to be used when grooming a difficult pup. With my grooming table set up in their back yard, see how Pismo learned that "resistance is futile"!
I also had some fun with Pismo's owners. Watch a little sample of our interview, where the journalist in me digs deep to reveal Jennifer Grove's dirty little secret! (But you'll have to get the DVD to hear what the secret is...) |
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Next, we get a lesson on how to groom a show dog. Even though our grooming DVD is aimed at people who want to groom their own pets, there are valuable lessons to be learned from seeing how the show groomers do it. For this lesson, we bring in a pro... Julie Hydro, a former professional dog groomer. She shows us some of the equipment and techniques that are used in clipping show Cockers. Just seeing her clip around the feet is worth the cost of the DVD, and she has a lot more than that to share. Heck, even I learned a few things from watching this segment of the DVD!
For a good chuckle, look carefully under the grooming table in the picture on the left! |
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Julie also shares her technique for grooming a pet Cocker. She does what I call a "cut first, bathe second" technique... where you do a quick rough-cut of the coat before giving the dog a bath, so that you aren't blow-drying a bunch of hair that you're just going to cut off anyway. Watch a little sample of Julie at work. |
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Finally, Kellyn gives us a demonstration of how to mix together our world-famous ear cleaning solution... including a neat little trick for pouring the boric acid without making a big mess or creating a toxic spill! After Kellyn makes up a fresh batch of ear cleaner, I bring out Dodger for a demonstration of how to properly apply it to the dog's ears.
Following the ear cleaner information, I say a quick good-bye and then we roll the credits. Be sure not to turn off your TV until the end, though... because I have one fun little surprise up my sleeve for anyone that stays awake all the way to the end! |
The total running time of the grooming video is 1 hour and 54 minutes. For some reason, my DVD recording equipment wouldn't let me put more than one hour of video on a disc, so the grooming video will actually come to you on two DVDs.
Our Cocker grooming DVD is available now for a cost of $30, and that includes the cost of shipping, even to countries besides the USA. A European version (in the PAL video format) is also available.
To order the grooming DVD, just click on the "Buy Now" button below and follow the instructions to make your payment via credit card or Paypal. If you want the PAL version of the DVD, please be sure to make a special note of that in the "message" section of the order form.
| For payment by credit card or PayPal |
The grooming DVDs are shipped via first class mail via the United States Postal Service. I will send you a confirmation email within 24 hours of receiving your order, and typically ship the discs out on the next day after receiving the order... except on Sundays or holidays, when the post office is closed.
To addresses on the west coast of the USA, they typically arrive in a few days. For the rest of the USA and Canada, they usually arrive in 1-2 weeks. For locations outside of North America, they do go via air mail... but how quickly they get to you will totally depend on the postal service in your country. A good rule of thumb would be to figure on about two weeks or possibly a little more for those international orders.
While you're waiting for the grooming DVD to arrive... you might want to prepare by getting a few essential grooming tools. Here's what I recommend:
Essential Grooming Equipment | |
| Having the right kind of electric clippers makes all the difference in the world. Years ago, when I had my first Cocker of my very own, I had very little money so I bought the least expensive pair of electric trimmers I could buy. Big mistake! Those cheap dog grooming kits you see in the discount stores are horrible. They don't cut well, and they don't last very long. The blades are not replaceable, so once the blade gets a little old and rusty, you're totally out of luck.
If you want to have the easiest time trimming your dog, and you want to do a professional looking job, and you don't want to have to replace your clippers again in a few months... what you need to do is buy a quality pair of electric clippers in the first place. Based on my personal experiences grooming many Cocker Spaniels over the years, what I recommend is the model AGC-2 clippers by Andis. This is a high-quality electric clipper that you will not be disappointed with. It comes with a #10 blade, and is compatible with both Andis and Oster blades and snap-on combs. |
Another item that I consider a must-have for Cocker grooming is a grooming table with a metal arm and a noose. The table puts the dog at a comfortable height for you to work on, and the metal arm and noose help keep the dog under control so that you have both hands free to work with.
On my grooming DVD, you will see me take a dog whose owners could barely even brush without getting bit... and he will become a real pussycat once I use the metal arm and noose to get him under control. His owners expected that I would have a real problem getting him to sit still for grooming... but I had very few problems thanks to the grooming table and the noose. When you see it on the DVD, you will see why I consider a grooming table to be essential equipment for anyone planning to give their Cocker a haircut. |
| Keeping the clipper blades properly lubricated is absolutely vital. The two metal pieces that make up the blades rub together metal on metal. This creates heat and eventually dulls the blade over time. To keep the blades in the best possible condition for the longest possible time, you need to keep them lubricated.
The clippers do come with lubricating oil to do this, but there's an additional product that is also very useful. It's called Cool Care, and it's an inexpensive spray-on lubricant that you apply to the blades every so often. It's quick and easy to use, and if you do it every ten or 15 minutes during your grooming session you will keep those blades working well. One can of Cool Care typically lasts me several years. |
One final thing you'll need is a good dog grooming brush. For Cockers, I recommend a two-sided brush with soft bristles on one side and rounded metal pins on the other.
You use the soft side to get the dog used to being brushed, as well as for brushing off loose hairs from the coat. You use the metal pin side for the long hairs... such as on the ears and legs. |
The electric clippers, lubricant, grooming table, brush, and a nice sharp pair of scissors are all you really need to do basic Cocker grooming.
Copyright ©2009 Jim Zimmerlin, Grover Beach, California. All rights reserved.
