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Trimming
Neatening up the hair coat is helpful to maintain typical Field Spaniel appearance, whether the dog is a household companion or show dog. Trimming even for the show ring should only enhance the natural appearance of the dog. The choice of tools to use for trimming the hair coat has considerable variation. · Thinning shears are used to blend the hair and remove fullness. The tooth density controls how much hair is removed in one cut. Our all around favorite at Calico is called a “44-20” shears. · Straight shears come in a variety of sizes. · Short-blade, snub nosed shears are useful for trimming the foot pad and beneath the tail. This is an absolute necessity so that the dog is not walking on hair, thereby losing the natural traction supplied by the pad. · Long, curved shank shears are useful for trimming hocks and other areas where the trimming angle is difficult. · Long, straight shank shears are useful for furnishings.
Stripping knife
It is safe to say that the stripping knife is utilized world-wide to remove dead coat as well as to blend coat or remove excessive length.
Grooming stone
A grooming stone is used to smooth and blend, and remove fuzzy coat. It is easy to use and does a great job of simple neatening of the coat.
General trimming
In general, the hair on the upper one-third of the outer ear is shortened to enhance the appearance of the set of the ear, allowing the ear to gracefully frame the face. This may be accomplished by use of the stripping knife, used to blend the hair to lay flat thereby creating a gradual transition from skull to ear to neck. Hair from the lower jaw an area about two finger breadths above the prosternum of the chest may also be shortened with a stripping knife to enhance the neckline of the dog. Again, the key is to remove just enough hair to neaten the appearance and blend well into the longer body coat. Excessive facial hair may be carefully stripped by use of a small stripping knife for that purpose.
For general trimming, a quality electric clipper with easily detached blade is used by most fanciers in the United States, though rarely in Europe. With investment in a quality clipper and routine maintenance, electric clippers last for years. Clipper blades (or comb attachments) of various size control the amount of coat removed. The larger the number of the blade, the shorter the haircoat. We have found #7F and #10 blades are used most often here at Calico, with the #7F being the one we prefer. A #5F and #15 are helpful, though used infrequently. Blade wash should be available for disinfecting and lubricating the clipper blades. It will also prevent rust and helps keep your blades sharp and clean.
Go to Kylie’s Pictorial show of grooming Field Spaniels ►
Download the Basic Grooming Information as a pdf file
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