Hi everyone, I need a little advice if anyone can help. I had a new grooming client in recently with a 7 month old show cocker spaniel. They werent sure what they wanting doing regarding grooming but I recommended the best technique was handstripping.
I have done handstripping in the past mainly border terriers but unfortunately I wouldnt say im a pro at it as not many people want handstripping done (we have ALOT of wool breeds where my salon is based!)
The puppys coat was exploding with soft, fuzzy coat all over which I understand cant be handstripped yet, I done a small patch test and tried plucking but it wasnt ready. I advised the owner to wait a little longer for the coat to develop more to avoid discomfort etc. So I need to know with the coat being that soft and fuzzy will it ever get to a handstripping point? Or is it possible sometimes the coat wont be correct at all for stripping due to breeding etc.
Ive been doing some research and read up a few times about starting off just brushing out dead coat using rake comb or simular, will this help in getting the coat ready for stripping?
Like i say I dont have alot of experience when it comes to stripping cockers especially from puppy so i just want to make sure I do the correct thing and not cause damage to the coat in future.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Yes definitely should be carding the coat rather than trying to strip at this point.  That will remove dead fluff and prepare the coat for stripping.  I use a miki knife (blue) which is fantastic.  Just comb through the coat with blade flat to the body. It is amazing how much fluff comes away and wire will then start to come through.  Carding can be done by the owner every few days prior to coming in for a strip.  Just be careful with rakes they can cut the hair.

Great thank you for the reply. Also how often would you recommend to card or strip?

I have schnauzers so card every 3/4 days and strip every 7/10 days to roll the coat so hair is always at different lengths with some wire always ready to come out.  You would be doing a full strip I assume so I reckon every 4-6 weeks but I defer to those who understand the cocker coat as I am not familiar with it.

  As I didn't have the vaguest idea what 'carding' is, I searched and found this website

https://groomwise.typepad.com/grooming_smarter/2014/03/what-is-carding.html

I've not looked at the vid. on this article.

I think I'd advise this new client to take her puppy back to the breeder who, if she's into showing, should be able to advise how to get this puppy ready for the ring, again if this client intends to show?

Thank you for the reply. No they not showing the dog, they didnt know what handstripping was either.
Ive just never dealt with such a fuzzy coat at a young age when it comes to handstripping, so wanted recommendations on how to start the process best for the coat

Carding is very simply running a particular stripping knife through the coat and it removes the undercoat when you have a double coated dog like a cocker.  If you search Mikki stripping knife - it is the blue one for coarse hair.   You will be amazed what comes off when you use it particularly on a blown coat.

Have they had the pup spayed yet? I only ask as that as we know can change the coat of many breeds and not for the better