In this guide you'll read how often to brush, which brushes and combs are actually worth having, how to go about it, and when you're better off taking your dog to the groomer.
Why a cocker's coat takes so much work
A cocker doesn't have a simple, short coat. On the back and flanks the hair usually lies flat and silky, but on the ears, chest, belly and the back of the legs it grows long. That long hair is called feathering. Underneath sits a soft undercoat. Together they mat incredibly fast if they aren't combed out regularly.
That longer hair also hangs exactly where it drags along the ground, through the grass and through the water bowl all day. A cocker who has walked through the woods for an hour rarely comes back with a clean coat. Twigs, leaves, burrs from the verge and now and then something you'd rather not think about too long all end up stuck in it.
Coats also vary a lot from dog to dog. Show lines often have a richer, heavier coat. Working lines, the cockers bred more for hunting, usually have a shorter and slightly coarser coat that mats less easily. If you're not sure which type your dog is, you'll notice soon enough by how quickly tangles appear.
How often should you brush a cocker?
The honest answer: ideally every day. That sounds strict, but it doesn't have to be a long session. Ten minutes a day is far better than an hour a week, because small, early tangles are still easy to comb out. A tangle that's a week old is already stuck fast.
If daily isn't realistic, three to four times a week is a reasonable minimum for a cocker with a full coat. Less than that and you'll see things heading in the wrong direction. With a short working coat you can often get away with two to three times a week, but still check the sensitive spots regularly.
There are two periods that call for extra attention:
The junior coat. Somewhere between six and twelve months, a puppy swaps his soft puppy coat for the adult coat. Many owners are surprised by how fast it happens. Suddenly your dog looks dull and fluffy, and the tangles appear as if they were drawn on. In this phase, brush every single day, otherwise the old and new coat felt together into one dense mat.
Shedding and the weather. In spring and autumn a cocker sheds more. In wet weather the coat also picks up more dirt and moisture. Keep in mind that a wet dog who isn't combed out and dried properly is the perfect candidate for a tangle.
Which brush do you really need?
The range of brushes is huge, and not all of it is equally useful. For a cocker, a small basic set gets you very far.
A soft or medium-firm pin brush. This is your main tool for the smoother parts of the coat and for a first general pass. Make sure the pins have rounded tips so they don't scratch the skin.
A slicker brush. The fine, slightly curved pins remove loose hair and early tangles. Use it gently, with short, calm strokes. Many people press too hard, which irritates the skin. You should never have to use force.
A metal comb. This is your checking tool. After brushing, run the comb through the coat all the way down to the skin. If it snags somewhere, there's still a tangle the brush missed. A comb with both coarse and fine teeth is ideal: coarse for the first pass, fine for the ears and head.
A mat splitter. For the tangles you can't get out with the comb. You use it to cut the mat into small strips, which you then comb out. This is much safer than going in with scissors, because a dog's skin is thinner than you think and scissors slip easily.
A stripping knife (optional). Handy if you want to keep the coat tidy yourself, but certainly not a must. Only use it if you know what you're doing. Used badly, it pulls hair out instead of trimming it.
In our range you'll find the basic cocker grooming tools all in one place: brushes, combs and everything for tackling tangles. If you've just started with a puppy, you really don't need everything at once. A good pin brush, a comb and a mat splitter already cover most of it.
How to brush a cocker, step by step
How you brush matters at least as much as what you brush with. The most common mistake is brushing only the top of the coat. It looks fine, but underneath there's a compact layer that slowly felts. So always work layer by layer, also known as line brushing.
- Put your dog on a stable spot, for example on a non-slip mat, or on a table if he's used to it. Keep it calm and pleasant, especially with a puppy. The first few times are about getting used to it, not about the perfect coat.
- Run your hand through the whole coat first. That way you immediately feel where the tangles are.
- With one hand, hold a section of hair up. With the other, brush the hair underneath, from the skin outward.
- Let the held-up hair drop a little at a time and brush the next layer. This way you work through the entire coat.
- Check everything with the metal comb. If it catches, go back and work that spot out calmly.
- Finish with a few gentle strokes of the pin brush, for the look of it.
Start with the easy spots, like the back, and save the tricky areas for last. Many dogs don't enjoy having their legs, armpits and ears done. Reward your dog in between and he'll get used to it faster.
The spots where tangles always start
Anyone with a cocker knows them: the usual suspects. Check these spots extra carefully at least once a week.
- Behind the ears. This is number one. The hair is fine there and rubs against the collar or harness all day. Look closely when you clean the ears too, since that comes up anyway. You can read more about the ears in our guide to ear care for cockers.
- Under the collar or harness. The friction creates felt here. A harness that fits well and isn't too tight already helps a lot.
- The armpits and behind the elbows. Hidden spots, so often forgotten.
- The belly and the inside of the thighs. On long-haired cockers this hair drags through everything.
- Between the toes and under the paws. The hair between the pads keeps growing and picks up dirt. A quick trim keeps it clean and stops your dog from slipping on smooth floors.
- Around the tail and the rear end. Hygiene plays a role here, so keep the hair short and clean.
Bathing: how often and what to watch for
Your cocker doesn't need a bath every week. On average, once every six to eight weeks is a good rhythm, or sooner if he's really dirty or has rolled in something. Washing too often strips the natural oils from the skin and coat, and that causes flakes and itching.
The most important tip: always brush him out before you wash. Water and shampoo only pull tangles tighter. A small tangle before the bath is a knot after the bath. Use a shampoo made for dogs, because a dog's skin has a different pH than ours. Human shampoo is not a good idea.
Rinse thoroughly. Leftover shampoo dries on the skin and can cause itching. Then dry your dog well with an absorbent towel and, if he'll accept it, a hairdryer on a low setting. A coat that stays half wet quickly turns damp and can start to felt, and it doesn't smell fresh either. Brush while drying as well, which keeps the coat nice and soft.
When do you go to the groomer?
Many owners think a well-groomed cocker doesn't need a groomer. That's only half true. Even if you brush faithfully every day, a cocker needs a professional trim from time to time. A good groomer shapes the coat, works on the difficult spots and removes the dead hair that you can no longer get out of the undercoat yourself.
As a rule of thumb, a cocker goes to the groomer every six to ten weeks on average, depending on the type of coat and the length you want. Think of it as a haircut: some dogs need it more often than others.
You'll know it's time when:
- the coat visibly gets longer and thicker and more tangles form, despite regular brushing;
- hair hangs over the eyes or over the paws and bothers your dog;
- the coat on the belly or ears feels heavy and greasy;
- your dog smells, even though he's just been washed;
- there are stubborn tangles you can't get out yourself.
Expect to pay roughly fifty to ninety euros per visit in Belgium, though that depends heavily on the region, the size of your dog and what exactly is done. Feel free to ask about the price beforehand and what's included. A good salon will explain that without any trouble.
Matted too badly? Then shaving is sometimes the only way out
Sometimes a coat is so badly felted that combing out is no longer possible without hurting the dog. Then a groomer will sometimes choose to shave everything short. That's not a punishment, it's often the kindest thing you can do. A compact, matted coat pulls on the skin and can cause infections underneath.
Still, it's an emergency solution. Shaving a cocker to make maintenance easier is not recommended. The coat often grows back less nicely, sometimes woolly or dull, and the protection against sun, cold and dirt disappears. Prevention is better than cure, and you do that with regular brushing.
Choosing a good groomer
Trimming a cocker is skilled work. Preferably choose a groomer with experience with spaniels, who knows how the coat of these breeds should fall. Read reviews, ask other cocker owners, and feel free to look at photos of their work. Talk about what you want too: a practical trim that's easy to maintain, or a look true to the breed. A good groomer will think along with you.
Take your dog along while he's still young, too. A puppy who gets used to the salon from an early age experiences it later as routine rather than stress. A first visit can be very short, just getting used to the sound, the table and the touch.
A quick look at the rest of the grooming
A coat only does well if everything else is in order too. A few things that are often done together with coat care:
Nails. Trim them, or have them trimmed, when you can hear them clicking on the floor. Nails that are too long lead to poor posture.
Ears. Cockers are prone to ear infections because of their hanging ears. Check them weekly and clean them with a suitable ear cleaner if needed. See our blog on ear care for this.
Eyes. Gently wipe away dirt and sleep with a soft, damp cloth.
After every walk. Take a quick look between the toes and in the coat. In grass season, grass seeds can work their way into the coat, between the toes or into the ears and cause nasty infections. A quick check after walking saves you a trip to the vet.
Make it a fixed ritual
The secret to a well-groomed cocker isn't expensive products or complicated techniques. It's routine. Pick a fixed moment, for example in the evening on the couch, and make it something cozy. Many cockers even end up loving it, because they adore attention from their owner. A dog who has experienced brushing as something pleasant from a young age will let you do it later without any fuss.
Start small, keep it friendly and build it up. A few minutes a day, a good comb, a decent brush and a groomer nearby: that's really all you need for a cocker who looks beautiful his whole life.
Looking for the right brushes, combs, shampoo or towels to get started? Take a look at our range of grooming products, selected specially for the cocker spaniel.