English springer spaniels require some grooming. Their thick, wispy locks don’t stay that way unless they are groomed. Grooming your English springer spaniel is crucial to preventing tangles and matted fur. So, how do you groom an English Springer Spaniel?
English springer spaniels need a weekly brush with a dog comb to remove tangles and matted fur from their coats. Many people also trim their English springer spaniels for a well-groomed look. You should use suitable shampoo to prevent tangles and matting when washing your English springer spaniel.
English springer spaniels aren’t high-maintenance dogs. However, you must follow some basic grooming guidelines to ensure your English springer spaniel’s coat is healthy and manageable. Therefore, we will discuss everything you should know about correctly grooming an English springer spaniel.
How Do I Groom An English Springer Spaniel?
English springer spaniels have medium-length hair and a double coat. Their soft undercoats are designed to keep them warm and isolated, while their coarse topcoats are meant to keep them dry. English springer spaniels were initially used as gun dogs; they needed this double coat system to keep them warm and dry when chasing birds in the wood.
While this double coat system perfectly serves its purpose, it leads to additional grooming. English springer spaniels require regular brushing, occasional baths with special shampoo, and seasonal trimmings to keep their coats healthy and maintained. This is how you groom an English springer spaniel.
How To Brush An English Springer Spaniel
The first part of grooming an English springer spaniel is brushing it once a week. As English springer spaniels have medium-length hair, it can get tangled and matted quite quickly, especially if your dog has been swimming or walking in the field.
You have many brush options to choose from for an English springer spaniel. However, we recommend using a brush designed explicitly for double-coated dogs, such as this one. A double-coated brush has two sets of teeth. One set targets the undercoat to remove any debris that could be stuck in there and any loose hairs and dander.
The brush’s second set of teeth is designed to untangle the topcoat and prevent it from matting. These teeth also remove any grass and debris stuck in the topcoat. English springer spaniels are moderate shedders, so a weekly comb will help control their shedding around your house.
In addition, brushing an English springer spaniel also helps spread the natural oils and protective coatings on their coats, keeping them waterproofed and well maintained. Start by brushing your English springer spaniel’s body. Then brush the neck and face. Finally, brush down the legs where the hair is longer and more prone to tangle.
A slicker brush, such as this, helps remove tangles from your English springer spaniel’s fur without applying too much pressure. You can comb your English springer spaniel weekly or every second day, depending on the season. They shed more in spring as they lose their thick winter coats.
How To Bathe An English Springer Spaniel
You don’t have to bathe your English springer spaniel too often to keep it well groomed. An English springer spaniel’s topcoat is self-cleaning and repels any built-up dirt and debris from their coats. Their topcoats also make English springer spaniels waterproof, which leads to longer bath times.
We recommend only bathing your English springer spaniel more than once every 12 weeks or when their fur looks particularly filthy and matted. Bathing them more often will strip the natural oils from their skin, causing the skin to dry and become itchy and flaky. This also puts your English springer spaniel at greater risk for skin infections.
When bathing your English springer spaniel, use lukewarm water and give your dog a generous soaking. The undercoat will take some time to get wet, so be prepared to wait. Then, use a sensitive and moisturizing shampoo, like this one, to wash your English springer spaniel. When satisfied that your dog is clean, rinse the shampoo thoroughly out of its coat to avoid irritation.
Then, pat your English springer spaniel dry with a towel or blow dry it on a low setting. Once dry, gently comb out all the knots and tangles to ensure your English springer spaniel is squeaky clean.
Fortunately, English springer spaniels enjoy the water and therefore won’t put up too big a fight when bathing them. Ensure your English springer spaniels are completely dry before letting them outside, or they will certainly roll around on the grass or dirt.
How To Trim An English Springer Spaniel
We’ve mentioned that you should also trim your English springer spaniel once in a while to keep it clean and tangle-free. English springer spaniels have longer hair on their abdomens and legs, creating a skirt-like effect. These areas are particularly prone to matting and can become smelly if not trimmed because urine and feces may get stuck in this hair.
You can give your English springer spaniel a basic trim at home, or you can take it to a professional groomer to have it trimmed in one of three ways:
- A natural trim. Only the vital areas are slightly trimmed, and the rest is left long and wavy.
- A puppy cut. The entire dog is trimmed to one length. This is a low-maintenance cut and ideal for summer.
- The show cut. With this cut, the ears are left longer, the body is trimmed shorter, and the skirt and feathering remain to showcase your English springer spaniel’s build.
When trimming your English springer spaniel at home, take care when trimming around the dog’s muzzle and eyes. You can trim the ears or leave them longer. Use thinning shears to thin out the thick hair around its skirt and clean your English springer spaniel’s bum and stomach area for hygienic purposes.
This is the essential grooming required by an English springer spaniel. However, other grooming steps must be followed once in a while to ensure your dog is in tip-top shape.
Other Grooming Tips For English Springer Spaniels
In addition to combing, bathing, and trimming your English springer spaniel, you should also often check its ears, nails, and teeth. English springer spaniels are more prone to ear infections than many other dogs. Therefore, you must clean its ears and inspect them weekly to determine if there is a problem.
Clipping an English springer spaniel’s nails is another crucial grooming step. If their nails are too long, an English springer spaniel can experience discomfort or pain when walking. Don’t clip away too much of the nail at once, as you may nick the nerve endings in their nails. Instead, clip away a small piece of nail more often.
Finally, you must also regularly monitor your English springer spaniel’s teeth to check for signs of tooth decay. Tooth sticks help remove enamel from their teeth and assist in healthy gums. Feed them a tooth stick once a week. You can also brush your English springer spaniel’s teeth with a finger brush. However, not all dogs like this process.
Conclusion
English springer spaniels are low-maintenance dogs that don’t require too much grooming. However, you must comb your English springer spaniel weekly to detangle its hair. Bath it once every three months to ensure its coat is healthy, and trim it occasionally to help prevent matting. You must also regularly monitor the condition of your English springer spaniel’s teeth, ears, and nails and address any problems that arise. Following these grooming tips will give you a happy and healthy English springer spaniel.
