# Spaniel Grooming Tool Recommendations



## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I'm preparing to get my Welsh Springer Spaniel puppy in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to get some grooming supplies. I need thinning shears and blunt ended shears, but I'm not sure which ones to get. On Amazon I've found a huge price range (up to $200). I don't mind spending a bit more money to get good quality shears that will last, but I don't need fantastic $200 thinning shears when I'm grooming only one dog. Any recommendations for a good mid-priced model or brand? How much should I expect to spend?

Are there any sites I should be checking other than Amazon and the big pet stores (PetSmart, PetCo, etc)? I will ask my breeder the next time I talk to her, but I'm not sure she'll know where to look online.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Go with Geib shears, straights and thinners. Even their cheapest will be a great shear, and better than most. You dont want super cheap shears because you will spend more money sharpening them than you did on the shear. You can find Geibs direct thru Geib or thru Petedge. Dont buy shears from Petco/Petsmart. Junk and will dull after a use or two. If you are going to groom the coat properly you will need stripping knives for the back coat. A Magnet stripper is great for sporting breeds.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Graco, thank you so much for the help. I don't need super professional products, but there is a chance I'll be showing my boy so I'd like to get at least mid-range quality supplies to start out on the right foot. I grew up shaving down my pet schnauzers, so sporting dogs are a whole new thing for me.

I took a look at the Geib shears and the pairs under $100 seem to be 40-tooth. Is that ok? I read that Welshies are generally done with a 46-tooth, but I'm not sure if it makes much of a difference. 

What makes a magnet stripper different from the other types? There seem to be a lot of different types of stripping knives, plus the Mars coat king, and I'm not sure what to get. What are the differences and benefits of each? Is there a good site that describes what each is used for?


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

If you may be showing your boy, I would not use a coat king, tho some breeders and handlers will, I would never. The setters I used to groom for one breeder that used them had trashed coats. Frizzy and wouldnt lay, from being cut with coat kings. There are tons of stripping knives, but you need the carding type, like the magnetic, classic or others that are more for carding sporting coats and not terrier coat. Different kinds of stripping. As for thinners, the more teeth, the softer the finish. A 46 tooth is generally for finish work and blending, and less teeth is more for debulking under the coat. Ideally, you have both. But if you could only do one, go with a finishing shear. And make those a splurge, because a good finisher can make a huge difference in the groom. 

With the knives and carding, you are NOT cutting the coat. You are "raking" out the undercoat, making the coat lay flat and close to the skin. You can pull the longest hairs also, with the knife. The more hair you cut tho, the more the hair will stick out and up and with a welsh, you will get a lightening of color, which you dint want for a show dog. Is your breeder close enough to help you get started in the right direction? You can also learn from any setter, springer or cocker videos, as its the same process you will be doing. NO clipping of the bodycoat.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Thank you! That was so much help.

My breeder is 2-3 hours away, so not terribly far. I'm hoping she can help me the first time, but I'd like to get some of the basic supplies so puppy can get used to it all from the beginning. I wanted a dog for obedience, but I found out I'm actually getting the show puppy (show puppy buyer fell through) and my breeder hopes I'll show him a little bit while I'm out doing obedience. Now I feel like there's more pressure to get this grooming thing right


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

That is awesome! It is so much fun to show! You should give it a try, since you will be there for obedience anyway, I agree.


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## Cashmier (Oct 2, 2012)

There is a great video by Eric Salas on you tube for Springer grooming. 

A 48 tooth thinner will be more forgiving to you as you learn what you are doing - a good thinner really is worth a bit of investment, but a mid range one will probably do just fine for you. 

For knives, I would actually avoid a magnetic as it is too fine (at least the ones I always see are). The Classic or Mars coarse knife will do 80% of the stripping for you. You don't want the coat too short or over stripped on a Springer. The Greyhound Carding knives by Ashley Craig are really very nice for Springers - but they cost quite a bit compared to a Classic. I have a number of knives, but I still use my Classic coarse and fine knives 90% of the time. Another tool you may want is a blending stick - they are tapered stones that you use for fine detail work along the neck, shoulder, etc or to clean up stray hairs. Ashley Craig sells them, but Chris Christensen has a 3 pack of little ones that will also do the trick and cost much less. 

I have a friend with an English Springer and she was getting a lesson in grooming at one of our local shows - because I show English Setters we did a lot of comparing between what I do and what she should be doing. The biggest difference in the stripping is that you want to leave more length and avoid breaking too much top coat - you just want to get the bulk of the undercoat out. 

Another thing you will find REALLY handy is a dog robe - a towel one and a show one. Mary's Dog Robes are really nice - you use the towel one after baths and the show robe will keep the top coat lying nice and flat for shows. You can also just use a towel and dress or blanket pins for the same effect, but getting the pinning down right can be tricky (don't use regular safety pins, they aren't strong enough).


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Thanks for the response! Lots of stuff to think about.

How does the ESS grooming differ from WSS? I haven't found many resources for grooming Welsh, but there are a lot for English so if I know what the differences are I can adapt the info I find.


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## Cashmier (Oct 2, 2012)

Looking at pictures from their national, from a basic level not much is different. Some dogs appear to have their ears totally clipped down and others looked to have just the top 1/3rd cleaned up. This could be a regional thing - check with your breeder. Most seemed to have the necks done from base of throat to just above the sternum - there should be a cowlick/ ridge to guide you, you would then use your thinners to blend. The biggest difference would be that the welsh looks more natural with less trimming to the feathers.

A great resource will be breeders, local breed clubs and the national breed club.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that I love and highly recommend the Chris Christensen wood pin brush and the fusion pin brush. You shouldn't have to use a slicker for much beyond taking loose hair out after stripping or removing small burrs, so don't invest in a slicker. A good comb and pin brushes are essential though. A bristle brush is also useful for blow drying top coat, but I actually really like my soft horse brush.

Good luck!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I keep hearing good things about the CC pin brush. I bought a super cheap one from the petstore, just to get my puppy used to grooming while I figure out what I need, but I think I'll add the CC brush to my Christmas list. I already have a small slicker for my rabbits, so I can use that for the dog if I need to.

My breeder is 2-3 hours away, so she's close enough to help me the first couple of times. I'm hoping to get my pup used to the basic procedures at least, then she can show me more of the specifics.


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