I have a 14 month old speyed cocker spaniel bitch. She has twice been cut before,once by a cocker spaniel specialist, but she looked awful, very "bitty", and although I was told she had been hand pulled, i think clippers were used. The second time she went back to her breeder and a much better job was done, but she lives 40 miles away, so this time i took her to someone who had been recommended to me, whose cocker i had seen after her clip, but the clippers were used all over. She looks sleek, but not like a cocker at all. Can anyone help me to do it myself? I surely couldnt make a worse job of her than she is now, luckily hair grows!! I realise by having her speyed her coat will be different to one that hasnt, but all i want is a shorter version of a show dog. I live in Whitstable in Kent.

Hi Guest

It's not normally possible to handstrip a spayed Cocker & most groomers, whether experienced Cocker owners or not, would opt for clipping. But as you've found out, there's clipping & there's clipping :-) A good groomer should be able to clip your Cocker but still leave her looking like a Cocker with a skirt of feathering (shorter than a show dog but still smart) Unfortunately, some groomers clip everything off & you're left with a dog that looks like a shorn sheep. The only way to avoid this is to check with the groomer first before you book your Cocker in - tell them what you want them to do & ask if they will do this. If all they offer is an all-over clip with no feathering left on, then take your custom elsewhere. You could certainly learn to clip your Cocker yourself, many owners do these days, though it helps if you could find someone to teach you (perhaps your breeder?) If not, there is a grooming video available on Cockers - you can buy it from here This video illustrates handstripping & clipping. If you do decide to have a go yourself, you'll need to buy good quality equipment - the pet clippers on sale in pet stores etc are generally not very good. Basically, you'll need good clippers (around £100 or so) plus other items like straight-edged scissors, thinning scissors etc. Such items can be bought from companies like Diamond Edge If you need more info, then why not register with the board? There are lots of us Cocker people on here who will be happy to help :-)

Jane