English toy spaniels have long, silky hair and require daily brushing and combing. If you do this regularly, grooming maintenance for this dog is pretty basic.

Regular brushing is one of the best things you can do to keep your pet healthy and happy.

Brushing:

. Removes dirt and debris
. Invigorates skin
. Spreads oils to moisturize skin and keep a shiny coat
. Prevents mats and tangles which are irritating, painful and can harbor bacteria, fungus, other infection
. Keeps your house much cleaner, especially during shedding seasons
. Bonding, massaging, loving interaction
. Early detection of fleas, tics, eczema, infection and smells

Tools: Pin brush or slicker, medium-toothed comb, spray conditioner

The English toy spaniel requires line brushing. This entails holding up the hair and pulling down a small row or line of hair at a time and brushing.

Always work from the inside out on a coat and from the bottom to top of the hair.

Always brush in the direction of hair growth.

Brace one hand against your pet's skin while working out tangles.

Knots tend to gather behind the elbows and in the haunches of this dog.

Eyes: Check this dog's eyes daily; they're prone to infection.

Wipe daily with a wet cloth or towel to remove mucous and debris.

Ears: Check ears once a week. This dog is also prone to ear infections. It helps to trim the hair inside its ear.

The ears should be pink and healthy inside. If anything looks wrong, don't touch or treat them yourself: see a vet.

Keeping ears clean minimizes odour, removes dirt, bacteria and mites trapped in wax. Never use a cotton swab on the inner ear.

Tools: Cotton wool balls or soft cloth and ear solution.

There is a solution made specifically for dogs but substitutes include: hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, mineral oil, witch hazel, and tea tree oil.

Place a few drops of ear solution in the ear, rub and massage to loosen wax.

Swab out with cotton wool balls or cloth.


Ear Hair Plucking: Clean your spaniel's ear hair every two weeks.

Hair growing into the ear canal can prevent the canal from drying properly and trap bacteria, causing infection.

Tools: Tweezers, powder, chalk, rubber gloves or rubber finger cap, all optional

Lift the dog's ear and lay it back.

Grasp hair along the inside of the ear between thumb and forefinger and pull firmly.

This hair removes easily and will not hurt your English toy spaniel.

Use tools as needed to help grip slippery hair.

Teeth: Brush everyday.

Brush your dog's teeth? Yes. 80% of 3 year old dogs have periodontal disease.

Cavities and gum disease are painful for your dog; they diminish its pleasure and ability to eat.

Bacteria that develop can infect the heart, kidney, liver and brain.

Really bad breath is usually a sign of gum disease.

Tools: Toothbrush/finger cap/cloth, doggie toothpaste, tooth scraper

If you don't want to brush everyday, use a tooth scraper to get rid of the plaque buildup once or twice a month.

Most of the accumulation is on the outside of the teeth and on the back molars.

Lots of bones and hard, crunchy foods can minimize plaque but not to a truly effective degree.

Nails: Trim every two weeks.

Nail care is very important to your English toy spaniel.

Nails that aren't trimmed can splinter and infect the quick or grow and curl into the flesh. This can be painful for your dog to walk on, affect it's gait, posture, and eventually it's skeletal and ligament health.

Nails should never touch the ground. When your dog is standing its nails should rest above the ground.

If you hear clicking on the kitchen floor, clipping is overdue.

Tools: Doggie Nail Clippers (Scissors, pliers, guillotine), Dremel or file, Styptic or Kwikstop.

Scissors are usually adequate to clip an English toy spaniel's nails and the Dremel can accomplish the same task very quickly.

Sit beside your dog so that you are clipping from underneath and at the right angle. Lift the paw and press on it to expose the claw.

If it has a clear nail you should be able to see the quick: a dark bundle of nerves and blood vessels.

Clip from underneath close to the quick but do not cut into it. If you do, your dog will let you know. Use Styptic pencil or Kwikstop to staunch the bleeding.

Buff the ragged edge with a file or Dremel. Ragged edges can hook and split.

Some dogs can handle their nails being buffed by the Dremel regularly rather than clipping at all.

If it has a dark nail, clip just under the curve of the nail and then you will be able to look inside and see the quick if you are close enough. Clip tiny snips at a time.

Don't forget to check for dewclaws: an extra claw dog may have one further up on the leg that works like a thumb.

It is better to clip your dog's nails more frequently as this causes the quick to recede further away from the tip.

Paws: Check daily/Trim every two weeks.

It is very important to check between dog pads for foreign objects that may have wedged there and to check the pads themselves for cuts, scrapes and infection.

Tools: Small, blunt scissors, slicker brush or comb.

English Springer spaniels grow hair between their foot pads which can mat and trap bacteria besides becoming painful to walk on.

Trim hair around the paw to keep them cleaner. Only do this when the dog is standing on the paw.

Push feathers growing on top of the foot down through the toes towards the pad.

Lift the paw and from the back, brush out hair and trim to pad level.

Push feathers back up through toes and trim from top, scissoring along the hair not across it.

Hygienic trimming: 2 to 4 weeks.

Tools: Thinning shears, electric clippers

Thinning, trimming and clipping at the ear opening, base of the tail, around the anus and privates keeps your dog feeling better as well as keeping it and your house cleaner.

Expressing Glands: Every 2 to 4 weeks

This is a task normally done when you take your dog in for professional grooming.

Your dog uses scent glands in the anus to mark its territory.

These glands also excrete when your dog defecates.

At times, they may get impacted. Signs of this include: increased doggie odor, excessive licking and chewing of the behind and worst of all, scooting. That's when your dog drags its butt along your carpet.

There is no risk of overly expressing these glands so it's best to get in the habit of doing this regularly. It will lessen dog odor.

Tools: Warm cloth

Lift the dog's tail and hold the cloth against it's behind. Place your fingers at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock. Press inward and squeeze to expel.

Bathing: As needed

Most dogs do not need regular bathing. Their coat contains natural oils that moisturize their skin, keep it glossy and resistant to dirt and water. Stripping these oils with frequent bathing dries out the skin and is a detriment to a healthy coat.

The English toy spaniel tends to be bathed more than other dogs due to the tangling of its silky hair and its size (it easily fits into your sink.) Keep in mind that over bathing can dry out its skin and that spot washing is easy to do with this dog as well.

A bath can also help to remove a large amount of shedding hair.

Tools: Non-slip mat, sprayer hose, dog shampoo, conditioner, towel, slicker, blow-dryer.

Never bathe your dog in standing water. A sprayer hose is a must and luckily this little dog can fit in the kitchen sink. Don't forget a rubber mat: slipping around on its nails is painful to the dog.

Wet your dog using your hand to massage and lift hair to get to the undercoat.

Avoid getting water into the eyes, nose and ears. You can place cotton wool balls in the ear canal to deter water.

Massage lather down to undercoat.

Rinse thoroughly as leftover shampoo can severely dry out and irritate your pet's skin.

Use a cream conditioner on the hair only; do not work this into the body.

Rinse and siphon off excess water by running your hands along its body and pressing.

Gently pat hair dry to avoid tangling.

Use the slicker and comb while you blow-dry on low heat checking frequently for overheating and drying of your dog's skin.

The Salon Treatment:

Tools: Straight scissors, slicker or pin brush, comb

The English toy spaniel is supposed to have a very full mane and feathers with very few signs of trimming. Neaten feathers only slightly. Trim tail feathers to 3-4" in length. Don't forget to trim feet hair.