my 2yrs old ckcs goes in long grass, water, mud the lot and has a lovely time.  I have to groom her after every walk practically.  Any advice on brushes.  No matter what I do she gets matted fur behind her ears, under arms and recenctly on her chest at the front.  It happens so quickly.  What am I doing wrong.  She's off today for a bath and trim round her toes at the dog parlour, but I'm so tempted to have it all clipped off.  I'm sure it is uncomfortable for her when I snag on all the knots I find. I won't have her clipped all over because I've been told it makes matters worse when it grows back.  The groomer will sort out her ears for me today.  I'm sure they must think she is neglected.

I wouldn't have her clipped off, but if the knots are too difficult to gently comb out after using a detangle spray, then a dematting tool or a pair of scissors can be used to cut through the knot away from the body will allow you you to tease out the knot without cutting a big chunk out of the coat

I would also brush her before you go out as well as on return it is a good way of building a closer relationship with your dog

If your dog isnt a show dog & its happening all the time I dont see why you cant still have a breed cut but only shorter. We have a lot of gun dogs in our shop & and they request this. There is nothing worse than de-matting a dog & putting it through pain. With a shorter breed cut it wouldnt be as bad.
Hope this helps.

Sorry <a breed cut>? what is the breed cut for a cavalier  There is no breed "cut"& clipping a cavalier damages the coat & it will grow back woolly & fluffy, my friends dog in Germany was "given a breed cut"(clippered in other words)by mistake at a groomers & we managed to salvage it enough to get her finished, but her coat was never really right & had to be cut for the rest of her life. She had to wear a coat in the rain as her coat was so bad

Removing knots the way I advised is not painful & leaves the dog with the coat as natural intended. With a breed like cavaliers I really do not understand the average owner needing to take the dog to a groomer, they are an easy breed to keep tidy & grooming is part of dog ownership & relationship building IMHO.

A breed cut for ckcs would be scissoring & thinning scissors. totally different to clipping. you just take feathering a lot shorter & thin wisps on body. Behind ears depending on how matted they are you could thin out or clip. We have a lot of cavi's come in for clip offs mainly for benifit of owners but we do have a lot of owners asking for no clips just scissoring. I wouldnt put any dog through torture of dematting because the owner doesnt want dog to be clipped.
As for Cavaliers not needing to go to groomers, well im sorry you have not seen some of the states of cavi's that comes in to our shop. I can only go by what I see on a daily basis.

Well you are a groomer so clipping & scissoring rather than educating the owners how to groom a fairly low maintence breed is good business I suppose, especially clipping as the damage done means the dog has to be clippered for the rest of it's life

What makes you think I have never seen a matted up cavalier ? You must have some very odd ideas about someone you have never met

As for dematting being torture well ok I torture my show dogs on a very regular basis & still they line up to be tortured very unusual dog behaviour as they usually avoid pain

Sorry clipping is the easy way of grooming a breed that should not be clippered due the permanent damage it does to the coat

Dogs have coats for a reason & shaving it off for the owners benefit is IMHO cruel & totally unacceptable

Our local Ag College does dog grooming courses & one of the students was going to be failed for nor clippering one of my show Cavaliers. The tiutor was aware he is a show dog & that he would be groomed out as if for a show. She told the student to clipper him to show the others how it should be done & only my arrival stopped the tutor taking the clippers to him to show the students her"breed cut". She was miffed the student who borrowed my dog had texted me for help & like you told me I was torturing my dog for not scissoring or clipping any knots he had & "there were lots"I was told in front of the students, actually he had none as the student had fully groomed him out the night before with my supervision(this dog is always the first to get on the grooming table own his own when I get out my grooming box & loves being groomed)& I checked him before she collected him the next day.

This tutor is a groomer herself & will only clipper cavaliers in her shop(actually she clippers 99% of dogs that go to her so she told me), should be interesting as I have just enrolled on one of her courses next year as the above student wants to do dog grooming full time but is too nervous of the tutor to enrol alone so we are doing the course together. I'm doing it for something to do rather than learning any new techniques or getting a qualification

I think you are totally mis-understanding what I'm saying, If an owner is keeping a dog in good coat that is great. As I said in previous post we get a lot of people  wanting scsoring & clipping. In an ideal world it would always be scissoring as its better for the coat. Today I had a 12 yr old c/span. who's owners couldnt care a less basicly. Every one of its nails were curled under and into pads! had a huge abcess on one of its toes. gunge coming out of its eyes and a yeast infection that made my partner go into back room & weep. All Im saying is if an owner hasnt got time (work etc.) then its an option to clip. I have the greatest respect for show dogs & there owners & we do many show dogs & wouldnt Dream of clipping. We have many Bishons come in,1 owner loves the breed but insists on a clip off it still looks cute but not what I would recommend.
I too think you have odd ideas about someone you have never met.
Your show dogs are never gonna be as matted as the ones I see. You seem like the kind of person who treats you dog like I do, but not everyone is the same about there dogs. It's not neglete r anything just some people dont have the time. By the way is breeding not a good business? A lot more money I suppose.

As I have helped & still help with Beardie rescue I certainly have seen dogs matted to the skin(one was a puppy I bred(back in 1985 I must add)that was 9 months old & had never been groomed since he left me despite his owners' sister being a groomer, so please do not tell me I have never seen dogs as bad as the ones you get in your shop

<By the way is breeding not a good business? A lot more money I suppose. >if that is aimed at me you are way way way off the mark as I have only ever personally bred around 30 puppies in 47 years of dog owning & never made a penny from breeding as some of my dogs were imported & went through quarantine & this was back in the 1970's & 1980's when puppies sold for £50 for a show puppy & quarantine cost £1,000 plus per dog. Add in the fact that my bitches only ever had one litter each & I kept at least one from each litter & all my dogs whether they were shown or not never left me the cost of the dogs far out weighed the vast "profit"from the litters I bred(edited to add had some litters of ones & twos as well & these were GSDs & Beardies I bred NOT cavaliers)

I have only had male entire dogs for over 15 years(& all of these were bought in)so I am not making money out of my dogs(none are used at stud)

If you think the website on my profile is mine wrong again, it is the site of the breeder of my new MALE puppy who will arrive shortly

Are you saying that you are a groomer for the love of dogs & not the business side ? You must be one in a million if you are

As for the c/span -Cocker ? Clumber ? Charlie ? Cavalier ? I hope you reported the dogs state to the RSPCA(as all the cruelty cases the rescues I help with do plus take photographs before & after I or a friend grooms tham out))as it is cruelty & the owners should not have a dog or did you groom it & return it to it's owners ? I would be interested to know

You have done nothing but pick at EVERYTHING I have said. GET A LIFE! IT is alright for YOU to judge me but not the other way round. Im not in grooming for the money, which when you break down the costs is very little! I DO THIS FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS! How dare you imply anything else as you saidf "you have never met me" so what the hell do you know.  You dont obviously know anything about my job so get on with whatever it is you do & leave me alone I havent got time to waste.
As for the matted dog with the infections, YES I DID REPORT IT & ITS IN THE HANDS OF THE RSPSA!
How dare you think & suggest to others on this board that I woudnt.
WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE.
BACK OFF.
Never looked at your profile or website (not interested) Not bothered about what you breed either. AS for Dog Groomers, most of them are the most caring people I know. We do have to put up with a lot, so if it isnt love, What is!
Please dont answer that.

Oooh hit a nerve so you groom for nothing then ? Good for you you are the only groomer I have every heard of who grooms dogs & does it for nothing no profit that is The nearest ones to me certainly don't & clipper everything that enters their shops, including dogs like English Setters taken there for a pre show bath & that end up looking like funny looking pointers

Edited to add you don't read my posts either I do not breed any breed & haven't for other 20 years

I have staff to pay. & no I dont do it for nothing as ~Im sure you dont do your job for nothing either! But I do shelter home dogs    FOR NOTHING EVERY WEEK.
I couldnt care a less what you say anymore as you a arguementetive ***** & obviousley nothing else better to do.
As I said get a life.

:O

It's not neglete r anything just some people dont have the time.
Sorry to disagree macey, but the RSPCA does consider it an offence to neglect grooming to the point where the dog is suffering.  I have reported a number of dogs received in the parlour in such a state, including one belonging to a vicar!! :(

I will clip off a matted dog ONCE for the dog's comfort and then teach the owner the correct way to keep their dog in good condition.  It's up to the owner to either make the time to care for their dog or to find the money for a regular 8 week trip to the parlour.  I really don't mind either, but continually clipping a matted dog is supporting the owner in their neglect.

>It's not neglete r anything just some people dont have the time.<

If you don't have the time to groom, why get a dog that requires it? There are plenty of low maintenace breeds available. I have two dogs and work full time. One of the dogs requires daily grooming and I took this into consideration from day one. To me, grooming is as an important aspect of her day to day care as feeding, exercising, training etc. I'm doing my best to learn as much as I can about looking after her coat myself so I can limit (or avoid) trips to professional groomers but I guess professional groomers don't want to hear this as there's little profit to be made from people like me ;)

To be honest I think its great you take time to do your dog yourself. Im fortunate that i dont have work, BUT i chose to because I love dogs. Feels like im getting hounded here. no pun intended. I for one groomer show the owners how to look after the dogs, what to use combs rakes & slickers, I even tell them to get them at the cheapest place wilkinsons. No matter how hard you try there will always be some who come back & say "oh he / she just wont let me brush them.
Go back to the original post to see what im saying.
It works for some, not for others.

MM, I have yet to find an Ag College with what is IMO a good grooming course.  Unfortuately, the last time I read a C & G exam, it asked for a 'clipped spaniel'!!

LOL Val that is one reason I'm going with the young student who wants to be able to groom dogs properly but needs the bit of paper for the insurance peeps

She is really worried by the tutor we  live too far away from any really good groomers who like you are willing to teach their clients the day to day maintenance so we are going together LOL no doubt there will be a few discussions !!

Moonmaiden is TOTALLY correct. Cavaliers that get matted easily usually only do so for one of two reasons: 1. They have been clipped, which totally ruins the coat. 2. They have been neutered, which often (not always) makes the coat a lot heavier and woollier and harder to manage. Cavaliers were bred to be totally natural coatwise, not requiring anything but combing and brushing (and of course bathing now and then!) and is NOT at all a high maintenance breed as far as grooming goes. Matting is most likely to occur if the dog gets dirty and wet, and in the case of having more than one, if there is another dog hanging on to its ears a lot of the time making them soggy and matted. ;)

Marianne (Had cavaliers for 10 years and have also worked as a dog groomer)

I never clip mine..and never would it can make to coat thick and woollie as said a above...i bought a mikkie matt slpitter to help with the behind the ear knotts and it works great ............I once years ago used a stripper on one of mine and the coat grew back curly would never do it agian

Hi guest.  Ask your groomer to show you the best brush for your Cavalier.  I would suggest a Universal Slicker deluxe for the body but more importantly, a medium fine comb for anything long - including the ears.  Ask your groomer to clip off the hair under the ears  This will help to ventilate the ear canal and also remove the straggly stuff that tends to knot. 
Apart from that, you are quite correct not to have her body clipped.  When you come back from a walk, run the comb (not brush) through her furnishings.  If you do it on a daily basis, it really won't take you more than a minute and you'll have a CKCS who has a wonderful doggy life, is knot free AND looks like her breed!!  Enjoy! ;)