by Jodi Murphy www.jodimurphy.web
The American Cocker Spaniel is the smallest of the sporting canines. It’s a pleased merry canine with a tail that by no means appears to cease wagging. Capturing its expression is essential as in any breed. It may be troublesome to keep up with out the coat matting as a result of their heavy coat and undercoat. Because of this suggest house owners to have them groomed on a daily 4, 5 or 6 week grooming schedule. The size of this trim could be modified primarily based on the situation of the coat when the canine returns for its subsequent grooming appointment. You will need to discover the appropriate size primarily based on the shopper’s life-style and grooming schedule. If the shopper agrees to have their canine groomed on a 4-6 week schedule, then you possibly can depart extra coat than a canine that solely will get groomed each 2-3 months.
THE HEAD
Beginning with the ears, clip the ear leather-based both towards the grain with a ten blade or with the grain with a 15 blade. A ten blade towards the grain offers a pleasant clear look. The sensitivity of the pores and skin will decide which blade to make use of.
Begin your clipper work on the backside of the ear leather-based fold. A superb level of reference as to the place the clipper work ought to go all the way down to on the ear is on the jaw line. If the canine has a excessive ear set the leather-based fold shall be above the jaw line.
On this case it could be essential to decrease the clipped space to the jaw line to offer the phantasm of an extended ear and higher ear set. The underside of the clipped space could be both in a “V” form which actually elongates the ear or a “U” form. Each of those are acceptable and a matter of non-public desire.
Clip the ear leather-based to the highest of the ear roughly one finger width into the cranium. Whichever sample is clipped on the surface of the ear also needs to be carried out the identical approach on the within of the ear leather-based. Clip the within of the ear with a 15 blade towards the grain.
THE MUZZLE, NECK & CHEEKS
Clip the cheek from the ear towards the attention with a ten blade clipping towards the grain. The clipped line needs to be from the surface nook of the highest of the ear to the surface nook of the attention.
Clip the throat from two fingers above the breastbone towards the grain as much as the chin with a ten blade. On delicate pores and skin a 15 or 10 blade can be utilized with the grain.
Clip from underneath the ear all the way down to the place the neck meets the scapula mixing off over the scapula. The whole throat needs to be clipped very clear with a ten blade.
Clip between the eyes within the cease space creating an inverted “V” with a ten blade. Utilizing a 15 blade, clip underneath the eyes to create chiseling.
Clip the muzzle with a ten blade calmly to offer an opulent look. A 7F or thinning shears could also be used on a canine that has a snippy muzzle to offer a fuller look. Clipping the muzzle too shut will make the canine look cheeky and the muzzle snippy.
Clip the flews with a 15 blade. The muzzle needs to be the identical width because the facet cranium.
Utilizing a 7F blade towards the grain clip from the place the ten blade work stops on the high of the ear up into the cranium to mix the ten blade work into the crown.
Use thinning shears to take away all hair on the eyebrows. This is a crucial step to capturing the breed’s expression. That is additionally the hair that falls within the eyes which is why most pet house owners don’t just like the crown.
As soon as the forehead hair is eliminated the crown will keep again out of the eyes. Brush the complete crown over to at least one facet and use thinning shears to mix into the clipped space of the facet cranium. Repeat for the other facet.
By no means comb the crown ahead and trim the lengthy hair as it will flatten the highest of the cranium. The perimeters of the cranium needs to be very tight and needs to be the identical width because the muzzle. Leaving an excessive amount of coat on the facet cranium will make the muzzle look slim.
The crown space consists of a semi-circle from the surface nook of the attention, excessive of the cranium to the other exterior nook of the attention. Some canines might have extra crown than others relying on their cranium and what’s wanted to create the dome. The highest of the cranium, between the ears, needs to be tight and well-blended with no apparent clipper traces. The again cranium needs to be thinned tight to the occiput.
THE BACK
This breed needs to be hand stripped, nonetheless, most pet trims are clipped. When clipping the again coat, a 4F, 5F or 7F blade can be utilized.
Mix off along with your clipper into the longer facet coat so no clipped traces are seen. By no means clip the again coat shorter than a 7F as it isn’t wholesome for the pores and skin and doesn’t look pure. It is extremely troublesome to mix the transition line from the again coat into the furnishings when a brief blade is used. Go over the complete clipped space with a stripping knife to take away undercoat. This may give a pure look and can hold the again coat wanting good and glossy.
Thinning shears could also be used to mix within the clipped space to longer facet coat and leg furnishings giving a pure look. When clipping the hip space create a delicate “V” to point out the hip muscle. To find out how a lot of the hip needs to be clipped, open your hand and place it over the hip, along with your thumb on the canine’s pin bone (or level of rump). The world between your thumb and index finger will create a “V” form. The world throughout the “V” of your fingers needs to be set tight.
THE TAIL
Clip the underside of the tail with a ten blade. Clip the highest facet of the tail with the identical blade used on the again.
Use a snap-on comb to set the size of the legs and skirt.
Clip the again legs following the form of the leg. Utilizing the identical comb clip the facet coat following the form of the rib cage.
Clip the again, the within and outdoors of the entrance legs with the identical comb. Go away the entrance of the entrance legs to scissor later. The dimensions of the snap-on comb that you just use shall be decided by what the pet proprietor prefers.
It is going to additionally rely on how typically the canine is being groomed. If the canine is groomed on a 4 to 5 week schedule a ¾” or 1” comb could also be used. Nonetheless, if the canine shouldn’t be on a superb grooming schedule it could be obligatory to make use of a ½” comb.
When you set the size now you can start to scissor every thing in.
Beginning with the again toes, scissor the bottom of the foot in spherical. Utilizing curved shears scissor the rear angulation. The tightest level of the angulation is the place the again leg bends on the stifle.
Scissor from the bend of the again leg to the hock. Comb the coat up on the leg and scissor from the hip all the way down to the toes creating parallel traces. Comply with the bend of the thigh muscle and stifle.
Scissor the toes so they’re good and spherical. Comb up the within of the rear leg and scissor it in the identical method making a parallel line.
Comb the facet coat down and scissor within the underline leaving a tuck up. Comb up the facet coat. Utilizing curved shears neaten the facet coat following the roundness of the rib cage.
Scissor the bottom of the entrance toes in so they’re additionally spherical in look. Comb up the coat on the complete entrance leg. Scissor the again of the entrance leg straight from the elbow all the way down to the again pad.
Scissor the surface of the entrance leg straight from the shoulder all the way down to the toes. Scissor the within of the entrance leg straight from the armpit to the toes.
Comb up the entrance of the entrance leg and scissor a straight line all the way down to the entrance toes. This may create a pleasant column look.
Comb up the coat on the chest and scissor it in to mix into the shoulders. Elevate up the entrance leg and scissor the chest to satisfy the underline.
Use thinning shears to neaten the entire traces the place the clipped again meets the longer coat. Trim the ears so they’re curved from the again of the ear to the entrance of the ear. The ears ought to by no means fall decrease than the purpose of shoulder.
The completed trim could be very flattering to this breed and is straightforward to keep up if you choose the appropriate size.
THE FIELD TRIM
For canines which have issues matting, particularly within the physique furnishings, clip the complete physique with the identical blade that was used for the again coat. Go away the legs the identical size because the earlier trim. Clip the complete entrance chest as properly. Go away a bit of coat within the tuck up space to transition the physique into the rear legs. It is a fashionable trim that could be very simple to keep up and appears very enticing.
