MASTERCLASS

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

NICKY WALLACE

BELLA

Tiny Bella usually wears her beautiful Cavalier coat long and natural, so this is a lovely example of a very light tidy. Nicky isn’t trying to reshape her into something else, just neatening the areas that need a little attention while keeping all that unmistakable Cavalier softness. Nicky and little Bella take us through the steps of the CKC pet trim. Bella is very vocal! But she is like that with everyone. Be assured that she is very well cared for and loved.

Part 1 | Those beautiful Cavalier ears

Nicky starts by brushing and combing both sides of Bella’s ears, checking for the little whip knots that can appear during drying before she begins trimming.

Rather than holding the ear and cutting straight across it, Nicky lets the coat fall naturally and uses her hand to separate the ear furnishings from the surrounding body coat. She takes only the tips, lightly shapes the corners and checks both sides for balance.

There’s also a handy owner tip for long-eared dogs: a snood at mealtimes can keep all that lovely hair out of food and water bowls.

Part 2 | Feet & skirt

Nicky finishes Bella’s groom with a tidy of her feet and skirt, keeping the overall finish soft and natural to suit the rest of her coat.

A little technical gremlin got to the audio on this one, so Part 2 is silent. Sorry about that! You can still follow Nicky’s technique on screen as she works through the finish.