Without the proper equipment, grooming your Clumber is a very difficult task. But here are some pointers.

Buy the best equipment you can afford. Take good care of it, and it will last for years. Start with a good pair of 7-inch straight-edge shears with a fine point, and fine-tooth (44 teeth) thinning scissors. (I prefer 5-inch thinners.) Look for shears made of carbon or stainless steel - it does not rust and holds its edge longer. You will need a long-tooth and a medium tooth comb, stripping knives and stone, pin and slicker brushes, and a nail clipper or grinder. It is also beneficial to have a grooming table. All these items are available by catalog.

I teach my young puppies to lie quietly on their sides on the grooming table while I initiate scissoring. (You can groom an older dog while it is standing - whatever is most comfortable for you and the dog.) I take off the hair on the pads of the feet, removing as much as possible from between the pads. Do not remove any hair from the top of foot at this time. Lift the ear and remove any excess hair under it with the thinning scissors. Removing this hair is necessary for aeration of the ear and preventing infections. Remove hair along the line of the neck under the ear, until you get to the throat area. Work the medium comb through the hair, and make the coat stand up while you use your thinners parallel to the back of the comb. This will prevent you from removing too much hair and will also make an even cut.

The hair toward the inside and on the back of the ear is particularly prone to matting. Removing this hair prevents mats. However, the trimming is not readily visible when the ear is hanging down. Thin the hair on the front of the ear so that it is not hanging much longer than the ear itself. If the hair is curly, thin it closer to the ear. Remove hair along the line of the lip, and cut off the whiskers if you wish. When the dog is standing, check for unwanted tufts of hair and, again, clean up the outline of the ear and neck.

Cut the nails by holding the dog's foot lightly in your hand and locate the quick of the nail where the pink blood vessel will show. Cut or grind the nail as close to the quick as possible and along a diagonal, shorter on top. I prefer to use a Dremel grinder that leaves a soft, rounded nail that will not scratch. If you cut into the quick, apply some styptic powder and continue. Nails should be cut at least monthly.

Hold the shears perpendicular to the table,and cut around the foot as close to the nails as possible. Fluff up the hair with the slicker brush, and trim off the excess hair on the top of the foot with the thinning scissors, following the contour of the foot. Do not trim around the individual toes or cut hair from between the toes. Leave enough hair to give a nice arch to the toes. Cut the hair over the dewclaw area close to the leg with the thinning scissors. Trim the feathering on the front leg by combing the hair straight down. While grasping the leg and hair tightly in one hand (or the hair between two fingers), cut off the excess feathers at the point of the pad. The feathers should clear the table by one-half inch.

Neatening the feet and rear. Pick up the back foot and lay it in the palm of your hand. Usethe long-blade shears to cut the hair from the back of the pad, lightly placing the shearsagainst the bottom of the pad. Do not cut from near the tip of the shears. Set the foot down perpendicular to the table and comb the hock hair straight out. Pinch the hair betweenyour fingers and cut a single, straight line. Comb the hair away from the hock on eitherside and remove any straggling hairs. When the dog is viewed moving from behind, no hair should stick out to the sides of the hock and give the appearance of a close rear.

Next, trim the hair on the end of the tail. Comb the hair down and use shears to trim off the excess under the tail in a diagonal manner to the end of the tail. Leave several inches of hair toward the rump.

Stripping and dematting.  The Clumber Spaniel should never be shaved. The hair on the back, rump, chest and topskull should be left natural. Use a thinning knife or stone to remove dead, dry hair. Drag a coarse stripping knife through the coat as you would a comb. Grasp the skin with one hand, and stretch it toward the dog's head while stripping toward the dog's tail with the other hand. When you have removed all the dead hair you can, switch to the medium stripping knife or the fine one. I use a stripping stone and mythumb to pluck out the dead hair on the topskull. The outline of the dog can be greatly enhanced if you strip the fuzzy hair off the front of the legs, over the elbows and along the side of the neck.

Longhaired dogs should have all mats removed before bathing and grooming. Use a dematting comb which will cut through the mats, or use a silicone-type dematting spray or diluted creme rinse and gently work a long-tooth comb through a section of hair. Work small areas at a time to avoid major hair loss and discomfort to your dog.

Bathing your Clumber. If you use the proper pH-balanced shampoo, you can bathe yourClumber as often as you like. Use a shampoo containing blueing to brighten the Clumber'swhite coat. Dilute the shampoo appropriately with soft water. Stuff cotton balls in the dog'sears to prevent water from leaking into the ears and causing future problems. Always usecomfortably warm water when bathing. Lather the coat with a sponge, working the soapalong the grain of the hair, and use a squirt bottle to apply shampoo. Rinse the dog thoroughly to remove every trace of soap.

Next, pour about one-quarter cup of creme rinse into a small pail and mix it with warmwater. Apply this to the entire coat and do not rinse it out. Using creme rinse reduces static electricity and makes the long hair more manageable between groomings. Blot the excess water out of the coat, and put the dog in a crate lined with dry towels to soak up the water.

Drying and toweling. Put the dog on the table and comb out the coat in the direction you want the hair to lie. Dry the dog with a blow dryer on medium heat until it is nearly dry. Comb the hair down flat and straight.

Fold a cuff of about 4 to 6 inches on a large towel, and place the cuffed part of the towel around the dog's neck, laying the remaining portion of the towel on the back of the dog without messing up any hair. Carefully pin the towel ends under the dog's throat using big horse-blanket pins, then pull the towel backward over the dog and fasten another large pinunder the belly, just behind the rib cage. The towel should extend over the rump.

When the towel is removed in the morning, the coat should be straight, flat and clean.

The secret to a good coat is keeping your dog healthy and free of internal and external pests, feeding a superior diet and keeping the coat clean.

The Clumber is overall a natural breed and grooming should be minimal. To protect the soft coat texture hand stripping is discouraged but can be beneficial on the spay and neuter coats to remove the peach fuzz coat that develops. For pets, the furnishing on chest, belly and rear can be trimmed shorter to help reduce maintenance and matting but the body coat should never be shaved below length of guard hair which is approximately 1 1/2 - 2 inches. For pets you could use a MARS #10 tool to help strip out the undercoat and reduce matting.

Get a good shampoo for white dogs and a good conditioner. Bathe before shows and as needed between shows. Dirt and other debris typically falls out of their coats and they do not require constant bathing. Brush regularly and this will help maintain their coats.

Front leg feathers-Gather front leg feathers in your hand and stretch the leg forward pulling the feathers forward. Trim the leg feathers going across the paw pad. Have the dog stand and check the length. It should be just above the grooming table. Touch up as necessary to be sure straight. Stretch toward front of foot again and repeat if too long.

Feet-trim hair off the bottom of the pads and cut around the foot. Foot should look round like a cat's paw. You should not see individual toes. If the hair is not laying down flat on the top of the foot, take your comb and comb the hair between the toes up and use thinners and cut the hair you pulled up two or three times and then comb down. It should lay smoothly. If you comb up a mat, again, use thinners on the mat 1-2 times and comb it out.

Tail-whether docked or long, twist hair at end of tail and cut after the twist. Be sure you have a finger between the end of the tail bone and where you cut to be sure you do not cut the tail bone. Then feather the tail and be sure it is even and feathers nicely. Touch up as needed.

Ears-trim around the ear. Using thinners trim the hair on the neck under the ear. Do this gradually over a period of time so it lays flat. For pets or dogs no longer showing, you can use your straight scissors and trim down in one session. The ears need to be able to breathe. Clean inside of ears weekly using a cotton ball and good ear cleaner.

While trimming of whiskers is optional for show dogs, it does accentuate the muzzle. Trimming can be done with scissors or carefully shaving. The whiskers should be trimmed to the same length as the facial hair.

Toenails-grind or trim weekly. They should be kept short and not show below their hair. You should not hear their toenails clicking on the floor.

Teeth-brush regularly using a toothpaste made for dogs. In between brushing you can wrap gauze around your fingers and rub on the teeth.

Red stains could be caused by red yeast if you are seeing red tear stains, red around the mouth, red on the chest and red hair on bottom and top of feet or any combination of these. Tylan powder is a low dose antibiotic powder you can get from Chewy's but will need vet's authorization. Using size 0 capsules make up a bunch and give one capsule twice a day. Powder can be added to food but likelihood of dog eating it nil due to bad taste. It can take 2-3 months for red to go away. Chest hair may have to grow out. Once gone you can maintain by using Seebreeze astringent around mouth weekly, Angels' Eyes wipes-wipe eyes daily and check their diet. Some foods are known to cause the red.

 

The Clumber Spaniel is meant to have an overall natural look.  Note that only one grooming feature is deemed worthy of being penalized. 

The only specific grooming indications in the Standard are:

1. Coat dense, straight, flat… soft to the touch, not harsh.
2. Ears slightly feathered with straight hair.
3. Trimming of whiskers
4. a good neck frill: on no condition should his throat be shaved. Evidence of shaving is to be
5. Feathering on the legs and belly moderate.
6. The rear legs may be trimmed up to point of hock.
7. Hair on feet should be trimmed neatly to show natural outline.
8. The tail well feathered… trimming minimal, serving to tidy the feathering for a natural appearance and outline.