Brushing your Cocker Spaniel puppy regularly from an early age plays an important role in gaining your dogs trust and acceptance.  Your dog will come to trust you as he becomes familiar with you handling him while grooming, and you will become to know what to expect from him when he is handled.

Grooming is also the first step in training.  Using commands to "sit", "lay down" and "roll over" will enable you to access areas such as underneath the arms, and at the same time introduce him to the basic commands that will be needed as his training and socialisation progress.

First, teach the dog to lie on his side for grooming.  Brush in layers starting at the feet/belly and work up toward the spine.  After you think you´ve got it all brushed, go back with a metal comb and comb through to check your work.  Any knots will show themselves with the comb.  Also the sound of the brush going through the coat will tell you if there are knots.  The sound of the brush going through the coat will be harsher when matting is present.

There are many types of brushes available, but we would recommend a medium length bristle brush for most of the coat, and a small short bristle brush for underneath the arms (armpits).  A dematting comb can be useful when your dogs coat becomes tangled with thistles.

Besides the trust and strong bond that regular grooming can give you both, your Cocker Spaniel will look fantastic and feel great to!

Try these web sites for grooming products:

• The Dog Inn
• Crazy Dog

If your dog is getting to look more like a "Wooki" (from Star Wars) instead of a Cocker Spaniel, contact Paige for a pampering session which includes a cut, wash and blow dry.