Growing out a show coat

ApolloShadow

Senior Member
Owned by
2 cockers
One of the girls I work with would really like to get her Master Groomer certification but she was having trouble finding clients that want traditional breed cuts or are willing to let her grow them out. One of the other girls I work has a standard poodle, and one of her clients with a Wheaten is willing to let her use it, but she has no one in the sporting category. She asked me if I would be interested in growing my two out into a show coat for her to groom.

Obviously this would require upkeep on my end but I think I'm willing to try. I've let Apollo get floor length hair before, but he had a shaved back that was blended down --- a pet cocker cut essentially.

She said one of the things she would show me how to do (and would do for free as needed) is carding for the top coat. She explained it to me a little but I was wondering if anyone here does it for the top coat.

I think we're going to do both dogs and see which one looks better.

Apollo's coat is very thick and grows quickly but can get wavy, also his coat has never been extremely lustrous.

Artemis' coat has always been very black and super shiny but it's much silkier and more sparse than Apollo's. My friend has a mentor that's willing to come in when their coats are long enough to kind of do a "pre judge" and make sure she and the dog are ready for the exam (as I understand it)

Sooooo, rambling aside, show coat tips!
 
Yes I hand strip the backs on mine. I brush daily. I first go through with a pin brush, then I will use a slicker. I have a comb, I use in case of mats. I bathe mine weekly, I find that it really helps the coat. Even though they might not be totally dirty, I can tell, the cost is not as silky. What I do with mine is I will strip the backs weekly and work on their top knots. I will do the full grooming monthly. I will take pictures of my equipment and post a little later.


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That's pretty much brush/bath wise what I do with mine currently. It's the stripping that I'm worried about, to be honest.
 
The stripping takes a little while to get used to. It will probably take a little while for the back coat to grow. It will be pretty fuzzy. Because of the under coat growing in. What you are doing when you strip the back is taking out the undercoat. The important thing when you strip the coat to do long strokes not short and choppy.


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The Mars coat king. This is very easy to use. Great for when there is a lot of under coat. This will be great to use when you start stripping the back.
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The classic coarse stripping knife.this is a good one as well.
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Greyhound strippers. Medium, fine and extra fine. These are good when there is not a ton of under coat.


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Thank you so much. I'm so excited for this opportunity to grow their coats out! I've been watching videos and studying on how to do it.

Apollo has had a full skirt/beveled feet before but his back was always shaved. Artemis has never had a very long coat so it'll be a learning experience.
 
You are welcome. It is work to maintain but it is fun as well.


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I paid for hand stripping with my groomer but they still shaved his back. I kind of like the look of the shaved back with the longer coat at the bottom, but am I foolish for paying extra for a service I might not be receiving? Does anyone have any recommendations on whether to grow out the back and how to make sure my groomer is doing what I request? Also, at the beginning of the appointment they asked me if I wanted to keep the crown but when I got him back they had cut it back significantly.
 
I paid for hand stripping with my groomer but they still shaved his back. I kind of like the look of the shaved back with the longer coat at the bottom, but am I foolish for paying extra for a service I might not be receiving? Does anyone have any recommendations on whether to grow out the back and how to make sure my groomer is doing what I request? Also, at the beginning of the appointment they asked me if I wanted to keep the crown but when I got him back they had cut it back significantly.
I suppose she didn't understand. Tell her you prefer the back stripped and show her this video:
 
It depends on what your preferences are, really, if you are going for a show coat on an English Cocker, it is not appropriate to shave anything other than the dog's face neck (on the front only)and ears (top only of the outside and the inside) and maybe between the pads of the bottom of the paws. On the torso, the Mars Coat King can be used in place of hand stripping to thin down and somewhat shorten the coat. This should not be done weekly, or even frequently, for it can break the coat and give it a choppy appearance (especially in neutered animals). You can do the torso yourself with the Mars Coat King for free and take the dog in to get her shaved and scissored (both regular scissors and thinning shears are used) where, and when appropriate. It is my personal observation that hand stripping is both an art and a science. If the groomer has no experience stripping, it can hurt the dog more than necessary. With a wire coated dog, the hair of the topcoat comes out easily, this is not the case for a silky coated dog. The idea is that the entire coat of the dog should done in a manner that the dog appears entirely natural and silky coated. There should be no shaving of the top of the head at all......you may scissor, thin or hand strip but it should be "clean," in appearance because the topline of the head and the proportions of the head are of critical importance to judging the quality of the dog from a conformation standpoint. I hope this helps.
 
If the groomer has no experience stripping, it can hurt the dog more than necessary.
It does look uncomfortable.

Alan, don't worry about the hair because it'll grow back fine. Let the groomer know his crown was trimmed shorter than you expected so she knows next time.
 
It also might help to bring a picture of how you'd like your dogs cut. Sometimes even groomers can use a visual aid, especially if they don't cut very many cockers.
 
Yes I hand strip the backs on mine. I brush daily. I first go through with a pin brush, then I will use a slicker. I have a comb, I use in case of mats. I bathe mine weekly, I find that it really helps the coat. Even though they might not be totally dirty, I can tell, the cost is not as silky. What I do with mine is I will strip the backs weekly and work on their top knots. I will do the full grooming monthly. I will take pictures of my equipment and post a little later.


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I really admire your dedication. I am very lazy and only bathe Fi every couple of months but she needs a comb out every couple of days. My sister is teaching me to do the grooming end of it because it is good insurance that I know how to do it as well. I am a dab hand with the clippers but an absolute hazard with the scissors but she assures me I will improve with practice.
 
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