1st groom

Paula N.

Paula N.

Member
Owned by
1 cocker
So, off Angus and I went to the groomer on Saturday. She actually taught me how to do it and I'm to go back for his next groom to make sure I remember what she told me. She was a bit on the nutty side and told me to grab Angus by the scruff of the neck or the muzzle to get him to stop moving around the tub but I'm not sure if I will go that far. I hope to be able to do this myself since I'm planning on keeping him in a puppy cut forever. She told me to go with a 5/8 blade all over and a surgical blade on his face and under his ears. I went out a bought a middle-priced clipper as I'm not sure if I will keep it up or not. If I do, I'll invest in the Andis or Oster A5. Although the groomer was nutty, she did give me some good advice and tips. She's a master groomer so I guess she knows what she is doing.

Here's some before and after pictures...
 

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Thanks for sharing your pics. Angus looks very cuddly after his cut. ^_^ Surgical blade? That can't be right. It should be a #10.
 
Trust me Paula, you do NOT need to use a surgical blade on Angus' face or inside his ears! You run a high risk of him getting irritated skin from using such a close blade. The shortest I take my dogs is using a #15 blade . . . and sometimes I just use a #10 blade. It depends on how thick (or thin) the dog's hair is.

She did an okay job on Angus, but I see she didn't shave the top third of his ear . . . that's common in Cockers. You can see it in pictures of my dogs . . . the tops of their ears are shaved. Otherwise I think he looks cute.
 
YIIKES.....

write this down.

DON'T EVER USE A SURGICAL BLADE ON YOUR DOG -- only a vet should be using them.

#10 on a pet cockers face, 15 blade if they are show dogs as they have more fur than most pet cockers.

OMG -- that's not exactly how a cockers ears should look.. she's a master groomer? OMG but I do like how she did his back not too short.
 
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I'm pretty sure she told me to use the surgical blade on face and ears but I'll go by what you guys tell me. I know cocker ears are supposed to be cut closely for the 1st 1/3rd and then flowing the rest of the way but I don't know if I want to do it that way for a puppy cut. I think she did suggest I do it the way you suggested but I didn't want it. What length in inches is a 10 blade?

Kelly, I guess I didn't make myself clear in my original posting, she taught me how to do it by having me do it myself with her guidance. I guess that is why it is an "ok" job...it was actually me! lol.

I'll look through all of your photos and see how your dogs are. Manuel, I liked Hoshi's lastest pictures at a lake. Very cute.
 
you did a fine job - -but I can see under his ear/neck area how short that is.. and it just stops -- no blending.

The shortness might be a surgical blade -- try a #10 instead. Now, just so you know, the HIGHER the number on the blade, the shorter the cut.
 
Oh Paula, I didn't realize that YOU had done the trim . . . in that case it's excellent! The first time I groomed a Cocker it didn't look anywhere NEAR as nice as that.

For the ears, it's totally your choice . . . but either way, keep the inner ears cleaned out with at least a #10 blade. I'm not sure of the length in inches . . . but it's what is typically used on Cockers' faces and ears by most groomers.

I commend you for wanting to learn to do it yourself . . . it will be a lot less stressful on Angus if you can groom at home. And you'll save a fair chunk of change as well, even with investing in the right grooming equipment up front.
 
Thanks guys. I got a laugh at your comments.

She had me using a 5/8 comb on his body whereas you guys seem talk "blades". I get the concept of switching out the blades to get the desired length...is this better than just switching combs or will it give the same result?

Like I said, I bought a middle priced clipper set but I'm wondering now if I should go straight to a professional clipper? She will set me up with her wholesaler so I won't have to pay retail? Any idea what a wholesaler would charge for an Oster or Andis clipper? I see them retail around $150-200 Cdn. I'm the cheap one in the family, my husband would rather me buy the professional clippers up front and get a good one from the get go.
 
I agree with your husband, you get what you pay for.

I don't use the clip on attachments, so can't answer your questions about that.

It's not so much the clippers that are the biggest investment, it's the other stuff that adds up.

Grooming table/arm/noose

good set of thinning shears 44/20 (some are over 100.00)

Good set of straight scissors (ditto)

brushes, nail trimmers, good shampoo's and conditioners, etc.

Blades that you'll need. Looks like perhaps it's about a #4F or #5F blade all over... instead of the clip on attachment plastic blade.

For blades, I recommend a #10 (comes with a good set of Andis), a #7F, #5F and #4F -- the F stands for finish -- I think it gives the best cut, not everyone agrees on that though.

So, investment could be pretty high at first
 
Paula
I think you did great for your first time. I have owned and done my own cockers for 20 years and I'm just feeling now that I am doing okay.
I always follow Linny & Kelly's advice in grooming. You can read Kelly's excellent steps in our grooming section. There are also wonderful videos/cd's available on grooming the Cocker Spaniel. ^_^
 
Paula N. said:
I'll look through all of your photos and see how your dogs are. Manuel, I liked Hoshi's lastest pictures at a lake. Very cute.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Gina, one of our members and Hoshi's breeder has been trimming him.
 
So, I emailed the groomer last night and it turns out I used a 5/8 blade on his body and face and the surgical only on the inside of the ears. In future, I will use the #10 for his ears as you guys have suggested. I didn't use a comb at all either, just the blade. Amazing how much I forgot but it was all a whirlwind!

I'm really at a loss to figure out which way to go in buying clippers. I'm not sure, at this point, if I'm going to continue this forever so I don't really want to spend around $200 on really good clippers and then the blades on top of that. There are various sets at my local pet stores ranging from really cheap
($35) to around $100. All of these sets come with one blade and then different length combs. What is the advantage of using a blade directly rather than a comb attachment? Keep in mind, I'm just a regular pet owner and just want to keep Angus' fur under control - I'm not worried about the breed standards etc. I've looked online for used clippers via ebay but they all seem to be in the US, no one in Canada seems to want to sell their clippers, lol.

Thanks to everyone for all of your help. You guys really are a great bunch and I really appreciate the wisdom you possess.
 
Paula
Buy a pair of clippers that is in expensive for you that the blade is detachable. By that I mean you can change the blade size by removing it without taking off the screws. DO NOT buy the cheapest pet pair like at your local walmart as they will only last a few groomings and not worth your money. Here at the local feed store merchandiser I can buy a pair for uner $100. You might look at http://www.petedge.com and see what they have. I'm not sure if they ship internationally or not but it won't hurt to look. Good luck.

I too am a NDGAA National Certified Master Groomer. Sometimes that title doesn't mean anything so take it with a grain of salt until you really get to know this person and see that she truly knows what she's doing.

As far as Angus' ears, if he's prone to ear infections, you might opt for clipping that outside 1/3 to help lift the weight a little bit to allow more air to get to the canal to dry it out.

Good job on your first attempt!
 
Paula, check http://www.renspets.com and http://www.petsupplyhouse.com for really reasonable prices on clippers. I don't think I paid a WHOLE lot over $100 for mine, and I've had them for years. You want clippers that have A5 compatible blades, so that you can choose the length(s) you want to use. And trust me, actual clipper blades are a LOT easier to use than clipper combs.
 
Thanks Kelly. Ren's is in Oakville and I'm in Etobicoke so it's actually pretty close to me. They are also having a tent sale on the weekend and I intend to go!
 
Ren's is what I call the happiest place on earth :D I LOVE it there! I stay in Scarborough when I visit Toronto (my best friend lives there) and we always hit Ren's so I can stock up. You can't beat their prices, and the staff is excellent.
 
Ok, so now I'm obsessing over a grooming arm. Do I need a 32, 36 or 48" arm? I'm certainly not getting a table at this point! I imagine I don't need the 48" so how tall is Angus likely to get?
 
The 36" will easily be tall enough. When I buy crates, they're no taller than 22" tall, and my dogs can stand up in them.
 
Kelly,

I just looked at the pics you posted of your pups with their bling. What blade length did you do Farley in. Angus seems to be dying of the heat and I wonder if I should shave the poor guy right down. He is panting like a banshee at the end of our walks and I feel so bad for him.
 
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