How to Groom a Cocker Spaniel's Feet

Cocker spaniels originated in Europe as the smaller siblings from the same litter as English Springer spaniels. Both are hunting dogs, except the cocker spaniel was specifically used for hunting woodcocks, thus ̶0;cocker̶1; spaniel. The evolution of the cocker spaniel in Europe and America has created the smallest dog breed registered with the American Kennel Club in its ̶0;sporting group.̶1; The AKC recognized cockers in 1878. Small, compact dogs, purebred cocker spaniels are under 16 inches tall, with a medium-length, curly coat. They must be groomed at least every two months, if not once a month. The feet, however, should be groomed and cared for more often.

Things You'll Need

  • Grooming table with an overhead leash arm
  • Grooming clippers with a blade guard
  • Round-edged scissors
  • Nail clippers
  • Tweezers
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put the dog on the grooming table, and put its head through the leash. The leash arm and leash look like a hangman̵7;s noose. The leash arms are also available by themselves. The overhead leash keeps the dog still during grooming.

    • 2

      Understand that cocker spaniels have sensitive feet. Much debate revolves around why. Neither veterinarians nor dog groomers can come to a conclusion whether it is genetic, a breeding defect, or simply a bad grooming experience as a puppy.

    • 3

      Inspect the dog̵7;s feet. Cockers chase anything they find curious. Besides being dogs, they are hunters and will wade through brush or weeds. The hair all over their bodies accumulates burrs, sticks, thorns and ticks.

    • 4

      Remove any foreign objects from the dog̵7;s feet with tweezers or your fingers. Cocker spaniels might be smaller dogs, but they have big feet. The pads of their paws have deep crevices which can have burrs or even ticks.

    • 5

      Put a blade guard on the clippers to trim the hair around the feet, and from between the paw pads. The hair around the feet should match the width of the leg, according to national certified master groomer Kathy Salzberg on her website, Dog Channel. Some cocker spaniels don̵7;t like the sound of the clippers when used around their feet. In this case, use the round-edged scissors.

    • 6

      Use the round-edged scissors to trim any hair the clippers cannot reach.

    • 7

      Clip the nails. Nail clippers for dogs do not resemble those for humans. The dog version normally has a gauged length for the specific breed to keep the groomer from cutting the dog̵7;s nails to the quick. Dogs suffer more than humans when a nail is cut to the quick. The nail freely bleeds as well.