The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

Ed, I'm not a very good groomer, but it's because of that that I answer - you don't really have to be an artist like Julie Hydro to do OK grooming. I just use clippers and shears and blending shears to correct glaring errors. Isabel stands on the kitchen counter (yes, I know - my mom would have had a fit!), and I make a little loop for her head using a leash attached to the upper cupboards. I groom Isabel maybe every third week and bathe her one of the weeks I'm not grooming her, so she doesn't have to do both on the same weekend. We keep a little basket with brushes and scissors right by where we often sit together in the evening so I can do a little brushing often - she seems to like that a lot. Jim's video is great to start out with (especially for giving you confidence), then I found a Jody Murphy video that had good suggestions for a puppy cut (she calls it a "Suburban Cut" I think). We still go to Petco for nail trims, and the groomers there always seem to think Issa looks great. Good luck!

Hi Ed,

What works best for me is to do something every Sunday night. That makes it more regular and it doesn't take very long on any particular Sunday so I am less likely to decide I am too tired and skip it. Generally one week I bathe Jasper, the next week I clip or trim his body, the week after that I shave his feet and do his nails and the week after that I shave his face and strip his back.

I will admit it means he never looks "perfect" (or even as close as my skills could make him look), but he usually looks decent.

Essential tools:
good clippers
coat king
sharp scissors
comb