Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

FOLEY

Foley’s owners like him neat. They want the beautiful Cavalier coat and character left intact, but with shorter furnishings that are easier to live with, so Michelle gives him a thorough pet tidy without clipping his body coat.

There’s a lot of lovely detail in this groom. Michelle tightens the feet, shapes the furnishings and underline, shortens those magnificent ears and then goes a step further with some light stripping and carding to remove soft dead coat and keep Foley’s colour and coat texture looking their best.

Part 1 | Short, neat & still very Cavalier

Michelle begins with Foley’s feet, creating tight little cat feet before shortening the hocks and rear furnishings. His owners have specifically asked for a shorter finish, so this isn’t about preserving every flowing bit of Cavalier feathering. Michelle takes coat away where it will make Foley easier to maintain, then softens the finish with thinners so he doesn’t look chopped.

She works her way through the rear, front furnishings and shoulder before setting the underline as one continuous shape from chest to ribcage, through the tuck-up and into the rear leg. Foley contributes mainly by attempting to fall asleep in Michelle’s hand.

Part 2 | Tail, ears & that fluffy head

Foley’s tail is shortened into a natural fan with the hair kept clear of the ground, then Michelle moves onto his ears. Cavaliers may be known for their long ears, but Foley’s owners prefer them shorter and easier to brush, so she takes off some length while carefully preserving their natural shape.

Then it’s time for the fluff on top. Rather than scissoring the soft dead coat on Foley’s head, Michelle strips it out by hand, revealing the richer colour underneath and allowing his lovely little head shape to show through. It only takes a few minutes, and she explains how doing a little at each regular visit can stop that fluffy coat building up in the first place.

Part 3 | A little extra coat work

For the final stage, Michelle gives Foley a light card and strip through the body. This is an optional extra rather than something every Cavalier tidy needs, and Foley doesn’t have masses to remove.

Using a coarse carding knife and some hand stripping, Michelle picks out the soft, fluffy dead coat around his shoulders, neck, skirt and other areas where it’s sitting above the healthier coat underneath. It’s a small amount of extra work that helps preserve the natural texture and colour without resorting to clipping or scissoring the body coat.