Grooming a Cocker Spaniel's Face

The cocker spaniel's sweet expression and large doe eyes are accentuated by the cut on the dog's face. When show dogs are groomed, a small amount of hair is left on top of the head while the rest of the hair is shaved short. A "V"-shaped cut on the head adds expression through the eyebrows and accentuates the breed standard of a round head with a distinct stop before a square muzzle. Cocker spaniels that are not show dogs may vary in the coat length on the body for easier grooming, but most are kept with the clean cocker head that defines the breed.

Things You'll Need

  • Hair clippers (optional)
  • Thinning scissors
  • Straight scissors
  • Comb
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Instructions

    • 1

      Comb the hair on the head and muzzle and determine the desired length. Some cocker spaniels will have more hair on the muzzle than others, but the length and whether or not to clip depends on the look you desire.

    • 2

      Trim and thin out the hair on top of the head so that it lays smooth and flat on the skull. Using the thinning scissors, cut a few vertical lines from above the eyebrows to the back of the head. Thin out the between the ears if the hair is thick so that the hair will lay flat across the skull.

    • 3

      Clip with hair clippers from the base of the muzzle to the tip of the nose, working against the grain. Clip from the cheeks down the lip to the nose and underneath the muzzle from the neck to the mouth. You can also choose to only trim the hair with thinning scissors on the muzzle and cheeks if the dog already has a clean and neat appearance and the hair is not too long.

    • 4

      Use the straight scissors to cut off the whiskers.