Regular Bathing

A cocker spaniel has natural oils in their hair/coat that weatherproof the coat. Excessive bathing can cause the protective oils to dissipate. This will dry out your dogs skin, promoting excessive shedding. We like to wash our dogs only once a month or so. When possible, we clean our dogs with a wet/soapy washcloth instead of a complete bath. We consider bathing as the last resort.

OK, so your dog is really dirty and leaning towards being that stinky dog we all love, it is time to bathe him. Try to use a good quality shampoo that is made especially for dogs. Some shampoos irritate a cockers’ skin. There are shampoos made especially for cocker spaniels. Be certain to follow the directions on the bottle (may seem a bit silly, but go with this). Try not to get water inside the ears. Cockers are very susceptible to ear infections if water is left inside the ears. We normally wash the body and the hard to reach places first, then we wash the head. Take much care in not getting any shampoo in your dogs’ eyes and rinse, rinse, rinse your dog out thoroughly. Rinsing usually takes longer than shampooing.

Dry that dog with a towel by rubbing him briskly back and forth until he is nearly dry. You may use a blow-dryer to speed up the process. We normally comb ours out and dry again several times without the use of a blow-dryer. When your Cocker is dry, give him a final combing and keep him inside until thoroughly dry.

Do not allow your dog to be around a draft of any kind until completely dry. We believe that they are more susceptible to disease when their skin and coat has been washed, let alone, their body temperature has probably been lowered.

Don’t simply bathe your dog for your sake. Please, always consider what is best for your dog first.

Have fun with your dog and remember that it is only natural for your dog to want to shake water off when they get wet. We usually end up very wet by the time our dogs are finished bathing.