Springer folk-a question regarding coats! Grooming

Right you springer folk...how on earth do you keep your doglets clean and tidy?!?!?!
We walk a lot of fields...they vary with what sorta *terrain* (sounds wrong considering we live partially in the city) they are, but its your pretty usual sorta fields (tall grass, loadsa bushes, river/stream with off ponds etc. I walk all the dogs over there..but Ralph only has to be out five minutes (bear in mind he covers a pretty vast amount of distance at full speed in five minutes:wink:) and he is in a state, bits of grass and bushes stuck in him, wet, muddy etc...and THEN if we go in the river he gets a right state. I'm not talking about wet and muddy...wet and muddy i can cope with-but he gets all these little brambley things in his longer fur (like on his legs)..oh and when he runs out in the fields wet he has a right habbit of getting EVERYTHING stuck to him-the worst being the sticky weed balls, his ears seem to attract them.
So upon returning home-i have two moderatley mucky dogs (but still looking presentable) and then one who looks as if he has been through a hedge backwards And i guess it will get worse as his coat grows
So any tips/advice?
I know springers take a fair deal of grooming..but didn't know they get in such a mess as this!

yep thats part of being a Springer owner.....they cannot stay clean or dry. Even a ten minute walk means a half hour cleanup. I clip Zack really short which helps, not pretty but it does make a huge difference - especially at this time of year with the hedges full of teazels

Wait til it snows, then you'll have problems!

Hiya I would recommend investing in a coat king if the dramatic effect after clipping is not for you,I find given a good raking through,all the fuzz is gone and you are left with a harsher coat which doesn't attract so much mess and dries quicker too.Get a good pair of thinning scissors for feathering/ears and get chopping!the serated edge means you wont get scissor marks and it will look much more natural even if you go short.Use a small pair of scissors to clean out the feet pads and take it steady they are fiddly and it takes a while to perfect the look.Hope this helps

The coat king is brilliant i use it on Luna all the time it really gets all that dead hair out.I dont want to clip her as i like the long hair look on Cockers.
Its really worth investing in one Luke it makes a big difference in the coats apperance and helps to stop all them knots .

I use Cowboy Magic (detangler/conditioner) on my Field Spaniels - and it helps keep those 'stickums'/teazles etc at bay, - those that do manage to hang on, brush out easily at home.
Its a product I wouldnt be without, given I can often be working the dogs on a saturday and showing them on the sunday;-)

I dont mind running a brush through them all when we get home, because it gives me the opportunity to check them over, with special attention given to eyes, ears and feet.

anyway I hope this helps a bit.

thandi

i have had 3 springers now.....and it's pretty impossible to keep them clean and tidy esp in winter!!!! at the moment my girl is clipped so she keeps pretty clean, but my boy thats a different story!!! he likes sticking his head in bramble bushes....and those sticky bud things!!! i'm forever finding them all over the house . i must pull about 100 off him each night when i stroking his ears!! and the grass seeds are a night-mare esp in their eyes. i use a horse spray-on conditioner for mine called canter coat gloss which de-tangles and smells lovely!!

Hi.
Im the same as springergirl, i'v got a show springer and dealing with his feathering after a walk was a majer task!

I use canter mane and tail on his feathering, although its ment for horses, it works wonders on dogs! Be carfull though,, too much and your will look greasy! and be carfull if your dog has any skin conditions, as it may irrate it.

Coat king or getting them handstripped is my preference to clipping as I don;t like the after effects when it grows back but that is personal choice. I just sit them down when I watch telly and at this time of year about 4 times a week give them a good bruch and comb and if I see stuff stuck I work on it then and there, also I keep up with their ears vigilantly as i can not bear thos matts they get behind them.

Personally I find it theraputic brushing them