Grooming my American Cocker Extremely frustrated.

M

Monica Marcott

New Member
My lil dog Holly is constantly getting matted. My other dog likes to "chew" on her fur ( I swear its his favorite hobby) In order to keep her mat free I would be at the groomers weekly with constant brushing. With 2 teenagers I honestly can't do this financially anymore. I am ok with a shaved Cocker rather than her being matted. Also I live in Florida so she really does not need to have a full cocker coat, if its chilly she will wear shirts.

I have tried at 3 three brands of clippers to do home grooming. Every single one has jammed up with her fine overcoat. I have actually been able to return 2 of them but one they would not even take back ( will not shop at that store again since it was their salesperson who said "OH that will work JUST FINE on an American Cocker")

In short, nothing I have gotten seems to work, I have had the Andis brands I see people talking about, 2 of the clippers were over $100.00 just to get clogged with fur after 3 little swipes. So either it's me or the it's the clippers.

I see I need a dematting tool, which I plan on getting today either at petsmart or ordering it on Amazon. I have all kinds of brushes. I have several hair cutting scissors, which I have tried hand cutting her....that does not go well! She's ok with just being there while I do it but I am not a hairstylist and so much fur!!!

Any suggestions on other tools that work well on the fine upper coat of a cocker but strong enough to get through the bottom layer are greatly appreciated.

Nails and Ears are not a problem at all. Holly will honestly stay there and let me do basically whatever I want to her provided there is not a loud noise (IE Vacuum, blow dryer or pedi paw noise she HATED that one.)

Thank you so much!
 
I'm sorry you're frustrated. First off, the various brands have models at different price points. So you might have gotten an 'andis' but not the 'right' andis if you know what I mean. Also, you need the right blades and (this was a surprize to me) you need to clean the new blades.... otherwise they dont cut well. Hopefully one of thse would solve the problem.

Is it possible that your groomer would give you a 'training' session? Offer to come in with an already clean dog before or after hrs. Otherwise, maybe you could advertise in the 'services' section of craigslist??

Finally, spraying a bit of bitter apple on her fur might discourage the other dog from chewing on it. Just be SURE to avoid the face/genitals.

If you post the model of the clippers and the blades you have, maybe someone could comment on it. Do you need a suggestion of a dematting tool to get at a reasonable price?

for a dematting tool, I've had this one for years
https://www.petedge.com/zpetedgemai...eSearchString=dematting+tool&wec-locale=en_US

This one is ok as well - I've seen it in person. https://www.petedge.com/zpetedgemai...eSearchString=dematting+tool&wec-locale=en_US

To get the undercoat out/get through a thick coat, I have this and really like it.
http://www.kvsupply.com/undercoat-rake-495/&gclid=COri8YeX2bwCFSbxOgodlioAtA

hope this helps
 
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As far as clippers, I have 2 different ones, I have my wahl chromado which is a cordless clipper, the blade is a 5 in 1 blade 9, 10,15,30 and 40. And it also has the 5 in 1 coarse blade you can get. Same size but the coarse blade is a "finishing " blade. I also have the Geib butter cut clipper BC 200, those are cordless as well. Great clipper very smooth cutting. That one you do have to change the blades. They do have a blade that is great for putting your dogs in a puppy cut. I am very happy with those 2 clippers. I only use them when my dogs are clean. I have never done a puppy cut on mine, they have their long coats. As for a dematting tool, I spray with a grooming spray and pull the mats apart with my fingers then use my pin brush and the slicker brush. The small tight mats I use a comb. I would suggest looking in a pet edge catalogue, they have many clippers there, prices are not bad either. Good luck with everything.
 
I have always used the old fashioned Oster A5 Golden clippers. I change the blades often, in fact, I own 3 Osters and switch them out. I have never had a problem with my clippers clogging or locking up. I use good clean blades, I take care of the blades, use them on reasonably clean dogs. Dirty fur doesn't clip as easy and it's very hard on the clippers. I keep my dogs in a longer puppy cut with a very short skirt or, no skirt at all. And, I brush them very often, bathe weekly or at the very least every other week. I use Oster or Andis blades.

I would also look at grooming vids if I were you. One thing I have noticed is that you must let the clipper do the work, if you force it, you can leave tracks, there are a lot of great vids on uTube or you can purchase some great grooming videos.

I have owned cockers for way over 20 years and have always done home grooming. I have never had any problem with my clippers. Don't buy the cheap ones, invest in good quality ones even if you buy used on eBay.
 
My Cordelia hates being groomed, or even brushed. Everybody's advice above has worked for me, plus one more. Kids' scissors from the dollar store. Nice and rounded. Yes, they need to be replaced often, and that creates extra garbage. But just getting right in there and fearlessly cutting out the big mats will help do much when you get to the clippers. I use an Andis clipper, big fat round cord. And lots of the blade cooling antiseptic spray. And watch a ton of YouTubes.
 
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