Cocker Maggie & Co

Something most people (hopefully) consider when they get a Cocker Spaniel is the coat care. It is an essential part of the Cocker Spaniel’s life, and as written in a post earlier: Wise Words With Maggie 9: The importance of the coat, the coat indeed has a purpose for the Cocker Spaniel and is essentially a part of taking care of your dog’s health. But the question always comes up: what to buy and where to buy it. So here are my tips for the essentials for your ‘Cocker Spaniel Coat Care Tool Box’.

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1. A good brush (slicker brush)
Is, to me, the most important tool for keeping the coat detangled. Some days, this is the ONLY tool I use in our daily/weekly routines. I would definitely advise you to buy a good brush, as they will last for a long time. Also, the quality matters, as they can be quite pointy and scratch your dog’s skin. The one from Chris Christensen I cannot imagine life without. Be patient with it, as it is a bit stiff in the beginning. But you need to get used to it and it needs to be used a couple of times. It is a very good detangler and gets deep into the coat, which is often the difficult part. In Denmark, you can find it here at DreamCoat. I use it in size M and the current price is 549 DKK. Alternatively, if you find this product a bit too expensive, then you can go with the Doggyman brush, which can be bought in many different shops; you can find it here at Hooked4Pets. You need the large version, and the price is a more reasonable 179 DKK.

2. A good comb
Here, I find it a bit easier to find a good comb at a reasonable price. The most important thing is that the teeth are strong and do not have flexibility in them. Spratts is a well-known brand, and I find the quality good. You can find one here at Alttilhundogkat. I would go for no. 70, currently priced at 169 DKK, so find one with some distance between the teeth; otherwise, they are too difficult to use.

3. A Coat King
This tool is relatively “new” on the market (meaning it became popular within the last 20 years or so – hated by some, loved by others), and I find it very useful, but you really have to be careful when using it. This tool is only used to remove dead hair on the back and down the thighs, so the areas you don’t clip the hair off. I would use the coat king as the main tool, but also use hand stripping on some areas. It also depends a lot on the coat your Cocker Spaniel has. Some barely need dead hair removed from these areas, some have a lot. Don’t overdo it and don’t use this tool too much if it isn’t needed, as it is a bit hard on the coat. Be aware, this tool IS NOT A DETANGLER, and don’t use it for that, as you simply risk it cutting the hair instead. Many different brands make coat kings, and there are also many different variants of it. I would advise sticking to the type of coat king you can find here at Loppetjansen with 20 blades, currently priced at 179 DKK. This one is from Show Tech – the same as I have myself – but you can find both cheaper and more expensive ones out there as well.

.. So for now you have the tools for the daily maintenance of the coat. But if you would like to be able to groom your dog, some more tools are needed.

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4. A straight and a thinner scissor
The straight scissor is very important for the paws and naturally the length of the hair. I would buy one straight scissor in a medium size and use this for everything, but you could also buy two different sizes. One smaller scissor for the paws, as it can be very difficult to clip in between the paw pads with a larger one. Another great thing about having two, is that you will quickly feel that the scissor you are using for the paws will be damaged when the dog has sand and stuff in the hair here. So if you buy a more expensive scissor, it is naturally a shame to wear it down right away. The thinner is used around the body to either thin out or to smoothen out lines in the coat.
You can buy really, really good and very expensive scissors, and the annoying thing is that it is easier to buy when you are actually holding them in your hands. It depends on what you find comfortable. But here you have an example of what I find very reasonably priced scissors at Dreamcoat. First, you have a straight scissor in a medium size at 649 DKK. On top of that, you could buy a small scissor just for the paws. Here you have an example of the thinner scissor priced at 749 DKK.

5. A clipper
This is needed for the head, the ears, the front chest, and the back of your Cocker Spaniel. Mine is the good old classic from Oster, and honestly, this is just my favorite. We have tried many different brands during the years, but these just last forever. The one I have, I inherited from my mother. No idea how old it is, but at least 20 years, and it works perfectly well. I would advise you to go with one that has a wire, as they, in my experience, are better machines, and the wire is not really a big deal. A machine like this is, of course, an investment, as they are not cheap. But if you want to groom your Cocker Spaniel on your own, they are a necessity. If you decide to go without, you will have a lot of work to do with the thinner scissor.
For mine, I use blade 15, which I find reasonable for Cockers. The blades you need to change once in a while or you can sharpen them as well a couple of times. You can find the clipper here at Zooplus at the moment priced at 1.359 DKK

6. Conditioning or detangling spray
Honestly, I still haven’t found one of these, which I swear by. I’m trying out some different brands at the moment and will return to you when I have found the miracle!
For now, you could just mix some conditioner with water and put it in a spray bottle. Easy and cheap – remember to use the dog’s conditioner and not your own.

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Last but not least, I just want to mention that you will come a long way by buying quality products. Owning a Cocker Spaniel means a lot of grooming, and both you and your dog will thank yourselves for choosing products that are good to work with and easy on your dog’s skin and coat.