The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

Good clippers ($130)
Jim's DVD watched ($30)
Cool Lube ($4)
Officially INexperienced and too embarrassed to post photo (priceless?)

Her head looks so choppy it looks like we whittled it!

Bell puppy doesn't look like a puppy anymore but rather a mini full-size cocker. Where did our baby go!?!!


UPDATE! (sheepishly adding photo)


Forgive photo quality... did this all from Droid X and I still don't have this phone (mini computer) figured out.

It's a forum rule that you must post all first owner groom pics. Just thought you should know

Looking forward to the pics. Thank you

C'mon, you can't bring it up and then not show us. I am thinking of grooming our pup and would love to see pics.

I will post a picture, but the only photos I have are on my phone. (Still trying to figure out how to use the mini-computer-cell-phone-droid-X).

Stay tuned -

My first grooming attempt wasn't that great either! Rudy looked so grown up at only 15 weeks old
It broke my heart - my poor puppy! We left him with a topknot for a while, then we shaved it off, and it was in between for a while, a small topknot instead of his usual big one, but just recently i shaved it off again.
I think Kelly (KLAD Cockers) posted a good top knot reference. But i agree, we need pictures!!

Hey don't worry about it!!!! It always grows back : )
Thank God cause I've hacked Reesie !!!!

Uhmmm... yeah, it's that bad.

April it is really not that bad. I just started grooming Molly and Lexi. Lexi HATES to be groomed, especially her face and ears. Molly does great now. When I screw it up and it looks like my 6 year old groomed them....I just tell myself they are not show dogs and hair grows back....

Don't be so hard on yourself -you still have a completely beautiful and adorable puppy. And PUPPY is the key word here. The point is that you are starting to groom her while she's a puppy, which is really good except for all of the wiggling they do. I've never tried to groom a puppy, but I'm sure it would be hard to not whack off a big chunk of hair when they are in constant motion. Just keep practicing and you'll have it down in no time. Bell is still SUCH a beauty.

I don't think it looks bad. Crimony, I have no idea how you did it with scissors and her being a puppy. Good job!

What clipper blade did you use on her head? IF you use a number 4F or a 5F then the hair will be a little longer. Just start at the front and go back over the head to the neck area. You can take a pair of thinning shears and clip as well to fix the area's you think are not so great. I've had to shave off the top knots on both of my poor boy's because one would move and the other wiggled so much I just said to heck with it and did what was easier..shaved it all off lol.
By the way...it does NOT look bad at all ..as a matter of fact...you have a very cute puppy there.
And remember...Hair grows back and they dont know how funny they look..they only know we love them

I think she looks so cute and if you do not let her look in a mirror, she will never know what you did!!!

Buff coloring can make it look much worse. Abby or Ava's head have never LOOKED really choppy, because they are predominantly black, but you wanna bet they have been? Heck they have probably been far even worse. You could fix that easy enough if, you wanted to, by using a shorter cutting blade, but honestly, I wouldn't worry about it. I think she's a natural beauty and that beauty/cuteness going to shine out no matter what.

Practice makes perfect, or so I've been told. Each time I groom my girls they look diff. Sometimes they look better than the last time, sometimes not.

I think she looks pretty cute! I wouldn't be too worried - it is hair, and will grow back faster then you think.

That looks fine - just a tiny bit more blending with thinning scissors, if a wiggly puppy will hold still, and you'll be there. Great job for a first time!