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Welsh Springer Spaniel Grooming.
Informtion on how to groom your Welsh Springer Spaniel
DBT highly recommends the How To Professionally Groom Your Dog At Home ebook when learning to groom your dog or pet.
Welsh Springer Spaniels are also called Welshies and Velcro dogs. Their straight or slightly wavy soft and silky coat requires variable levels of grooming. The Welsh terrier, with its red-freckled muzzle, has begun to be shown so grooming requirements are still in flux. A grooming plan of a similar dog, the English Springer Spaniel, is described at the end of this article.
Regular brushing is one of the best things you can do to keep your pet healthy and happy. You should always brush in the direction of hair growth.
It's very important to brush a dog with an undercoat as mats can develop that harbor fungus and create infection. If the mats develop to the point that the dog needs shaving, it can create problems for the dog.
Its seasonal growth cycle is disturbed. It will have problems regulating its temperature, it can get windburn or sunburn and shaving completely changes its coat texture.
Brushing:
. Removes dirt and debris
. Invigorates the skin
. Spreads oils to moisturize skin and keep its coat shiny
. Prevents mats and tangles which are irritating and painful and can harbour bacteria, fungus and other infection
. Keeps your house cleaner especially during shedding seasons
. Bonding, massaging, loving interaction
. Early detection of fleas, ticks, eczema, infection and smells
Tools: Pin brush, Slicker, Medium-toothed comb, Fine-toothed comb, Curry comb, Spray Conditioner.
Use a soft brush or curry comb on your Welsh Springer spaniel's face and head.
Use the rest of the tools to work out mats and tangles on the chest, haunches, hocks, ears and belly. Be sure to brace one hand against the dog's skin when working on knots.
Line brushing consists of holding hair up and out of the way and then brushing/detangling a small amount of hair, a row or line, at a time from underneath.
Always work from the inside out on a coat and from the bottom to the top of the hair.
Tough places to brush will be under the pits and haunches.
The objective is to be able to comb through your dog's hair with the medium-toothed comb on the body and the fine-toothed comb on the ears and feathers.
Eyes: Check your dog's eyes daily.
Debris is flushed to the corners of the eyes and daily wiping with a wet cloth or paper towel can prevent the build up of bacteria.
Ears: Check ears once a week.
All drop-eared spaniels are prone to ear infections. Your dogs ears should be pink and healthy inside. If not, don't do anything to them until you see a vet. Keeping your dogs' 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 are solutions 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 ear and rub and massage to loosen wax. Swab out with cotton wool balls or cloth.
Ear Hair Plucking: 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 all optional.
Lift the dog's ear and lay it back. Grasp the hair along the inside of the ear between thumb and forefinger and then pull firmly. This hair should come out easily.
Use tools to help grip slippery hair.
Teeth: Regularly.
80% of 3 year old dogs have periodontal disease due to lack of brushing. Cavities and gum disease are painful for your dog; they diminish its pleasure and ability to eat. Bacteria that develops 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.
Never use human toothpaste. It is not edible.
Progress to touching the teeth with your finger.
Get some meat-flavoured toothpaste and apply with your finger.
Then introduce the brush. Clean a few teeth at a time and soon you will have a routine that takes just minutes.
Brush in a circular motion and get under the gum line.
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 accumulation is on the outside of the teeth and on the back molars. This won't be so much fun for your spaniel or you though. Lots of bones and hard, crunchy foods can minimize plaque but not to a truly effective degree.
Nails: Every two weeks.
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.
Sit beside your dog and put your arm around its shoulders if you can 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 soon let you know. Use Styptic pencil or Kwikstop to staunch the bleeding.
Buff the ragged edge with a file or Dremel.
Some dogs can handle their nails being buffed by the Dremel regularly, rather than clipping.
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 look close enough. Clip using tiny snips at a time.
Don't forget to check for dewclaws: an extra claw dogs may have farther up on the leg that works like a thumb. It is better to clip your dog's nails frequently as this encourages the quick to recede farther away from the tip.
Paws: Check daily/Trim every two weeks.
It is very important to Check between your dogs pads for foreign objects that may have wedged there and check the pads themselves for cuts, scrapes and infection.
Tools: Small, blunt scissors, straight scissors, slicker brush, comb.
Welshies have hair that grows between the pads that can mat and trap bacteria as well as becoming painful to walk on for your dog.
Trim hair around the paws to keep them clean. Only do this when the dog is standing on the paw.
Then, Push the feathers growing on top of the foot down through the toes and trim to pad level.
Lift the paw from the back, brush or comb out the hair and then trim to pad level.
Push feathers back up through the toes and trim from the top.
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. Welsh Springer Spaniels also benefit from clipping around the mouth.
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 odour, excessive licking and chewing of the behind and worst of all, scooting (when your dog drags its bottom along the floor or carpet).
There is no risk of overly expressing these glands so it's best to get accustomed to doing it regularly as it will lessen dog odour.
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 and press inward and squeeze to expel.
Bathing: As needed
Most dogs do not need regular bathing. They have natural oils that moisturize their skin, keep their coat glossy and resist dirt and water. Stripping these oils with frequent bathing dries out the skin and prevents your dog having a healthy coat.
The Welsh Springer Spaniel, however, with it's long silky hair and outdoor lifestyle, will need more frequent bathing to keep tangle, debris, fleas, ticks and infections at bay. Bathing can also help get rid of a large amount of hair during the shedding seasons.
Tools: Non-slip mat, sprayer hose, dog shampoo, conditioner, leash, towels.
Choose a place where you can block escape routes and expect 1-3 water-spraying shakes.
A leash tied to a higher point than your dog's head will keep it standing and prevent it from escaping. This is highly recommended as it's really difficult to hold a slippery dog.
Never bathe your dog in standing water. A sprayer hose is a must.
Wet your dog using your hand so as to massage and lift the hair to get to the undercoat.
Avoid getting water into the eyes, nose and ears.
Massage lather down to undercoat.
Rinse thoroughly as leftover shampoo can severely dry out and irritate your pet's skin.
Condition the feathers well.
Squeeze out excess water by running your hands along its body and pressing.
Dry with a towel.
Comb and blow-dry feathers.
The Salon Treatment:
Varies by preference.
Spaniels for show require specific grooming. Check with a professional.
Many pet owners shave their spaniels for ease of care.
This is the English Spaniel Basic Grooming.
Tools: Slicker, Medium-toothed comb, Fine-toothed comb, Thinning Shears,
Straight Scissors, Electric Clippers, Clipper wash, #10 Clipper Blade, Optional stripping/plucking tools
Spaniels are plucked or hand-stripped to get rid of dense and thick hair growth, straggly hairs and other issues that can interrupt the flow of the coat.
Hand Plucking or Stripping:
Hand plucking or stripping is pulling out dead hair from your dog. Clipping this hair alters the texture and color of your dog's coat. Your English springer spaniel will probably have a lot of this hair and it tends to ruin the shape and form of its coat. Stripping is a way of thinning this hair.
Always pluck or strip before a bath. Wet hair is impossible to grasp and it's a good idea to bathe away irritation and clean any cuts or abrasions that may occur.
Perfectionists always hand pluck. This involves holding the pelt of your English springer spaniel down with one hand, grasping some hairs between thumb and forefinger, and giving a fast tug.
Dead hair should come out easily.
Never twist the wrist. This cuts the hair rather than pulling it from the root.
If needed, apply powder or chalk to the dog's fur or your own fingertips for better grip. Some swear by a rubber glove.
Stripping is plucking with a tool. Stripping knives come in many different sizes. A common one for the thick hair of the English springer spaniel is the Mars stripper.
Consult a professional groomer to determine which is right for your dog.
Make sure this knife is dull. The purpose is not to cut the dog, the hair or yourself but to grip the hair.
Grasp the stripper and hold it perpendicular to the dog's hair growth. Grab some hair between the stripper's teeth and your thumb, rotating the blade away from the thumb and give a quick pull.
Hand plucking and stripping are time and labour intensive. Work in sections as your dog can only tolerate it for a short length of time.
Basic Grooming:
After brushing, bathing, and brushing again.
Pluck ear hair. Use clippers to trim inside ear, top1/3 of ear, around and behind the ear. Use thinning shears and comb to blend. Use straight scissors to neaten outer line of ear.
Pluck or strip dead hairs from the head. These will show up as longer hairs of a different color.
Use comb and thinning shears on throat, chest hair, hocks (the feathers behind the front legs) and rump.
Use clippers and #10 blade to shave neck and under chin.
Shave head and face from cheek to ear.
Use thinning shears and clippers to blend.
Comb out haunches (the feathers on the back legs) and use straight scissors to cut off in a straight line up from the back of the foot.
Comb out and neaten the feathers-line of the hock with the straight scissors.
Comb tail hair over to one side and cut with straight scissors. Comb back over to the other side and repeat. Trim the end of the tail. Trim under the tail.
Follow paw instructions to groom the feet.
