Grooming Tools

You can spend a fortune looking for what works best for you. Here are some of the most popular ones used and recommended by our club members.

Brushes and Combs

Slicker Brush
One of the most common tools used. The slicker brush helps to remove mats and tangles and also removes any loose hair. With regular use the slicker brush will also help to reduce shedding.

Pin Brush
The pin brush  is used more often with the longer coated cocker. It helps to lift out loose hair and debris. Brushing distributes natural oils, leaving a shiny, healthy coat. If the coat tends to be heavily matted, a Coarse toothed comb, rake, or slicker can be used to break up the mats. The Pin Brush can also be used to fluff the coat by brushing against the direction of hair growth.
 

Mars King Coat
Great for stripping, dematting and detangling the coat. Can strip (thin) a large area fast (especially with a thick undercoat).  Very poplar tool for a longer or show coated cocker.

Greyhound comb
The long teeth penetrate to the root of the hair.

Rake
The Heavy Duty Rake helps break up mats and remove tangles. For best results use with a slicker brush to thoroughly groom breeds with an undercoat.
 

Dematting Comb and Mat Breaker
The demating comb is great to get down deep and help break up those mats. You can also use a mat breaker that has razor blades on it. You use it to slice through the mats so you can work them out. Great to use with the slicker brush.

Clippers

The two most common clipper brands are Oster and Andis. People have their preferences with both, so it's hard to recommend just one. The best advice we have is you really get what you pay for with clippers. If you are plan on doing a lot of home grooming both of these are worth the money.

Oster

Andis

Clipper Blades

Click here for a chart of blades sizes and their uses.

Scissors

Thinning Shears: Used to blend in areas of the shorter hair with longer. Also can be used to thin out a thick area or to strip the back (if you didn't shave it).

Curved Scissors: Mostly used for beveling (rounding) the feet.

Most people have least one pair of straight scissors for fine tuning.

Stripping Knife

The stripping knife has various uses. It will remove dead hair and undercoat and use for plucking on show coats or longer coats. The stripping knife is used to take off the longer hair on the back of a cocker spaniel. Too much use of this tool at one time can cause the skin to get red or bleed. Best to have someone show you how to use this tool. We hope to soon have instructional videos on this site to help out. Many show groomers have both the Coarse and Fine stripper for different purposes.

Nail cutters
For the cocker spaniel the smaller nail cutters with the safety bar (to make sure you don't too far) will be fine. If you are a little nervous about uses cutters have your vet or a vet tech show you how to not take off too much. If you go to far you can cut the "quick" and cause the dog a lot of pain and bleeding.

File

A file can be used after cutter the nails to smooth them down. Nail cutters sometimes leave jagged edges.

Grooming Table & Arm
A must have! A grooming table or at least the grooming arm is so helpful in restraining your cocker and allowing you to work your magic. You can always buy the grooming arm and put on a normal table too. Just make sure the table isn't slippery for the dog.

Blow Dryer

When you are first starting out more than likely you will be using your own hair dryer to dry your cocker. Of course the longer and thicker the coat, the longer it takes to get dry. Ideally you'd eventually will want a table type dryer (to use on your grooming table) or the larger (much more expensive and heavy duty) floor type with arm and stand.