(Pictures are taken from 'The English Springer Spaniel ~ An Owners Guide'. Author: Mrs. Yvonne Billows ~ courtesy of 'HarperCollins': Mr. Davis Dalton was the photographer).

1 ~ USE THE COMB & SLICKER BRUSH ON THE EAR FEATHERING Use the combs & brushes to remove all dust, dirt, tangles & dead hair from the coat. The close toothed Spaniel Comb & the slicker brush are particularly effective on the ear feathering. Don't be rough with your dog when you are grooming it ~ remember there's real live skin under the hair!

2 ~ CAREFULLY TRIM INSIDE THE EARS WITH THINNING SCISSORS Inside of the ear around the entrance to the ear canal, the hair should be trimmed quite short to allow air to circulate freely into the ear. You should use the thinning scissors to do this. They can also be used to trim the hair on the outside of the ear flap. The hair from the top of the ear to about a third (1/3) of the way down should be thinned out. After thinning use the spaniel comb to remove all loose hair from the ear

3 ~ THIN OUT THE HAIR FROM THE TOP OF THE EAR TO 1/3 DOWN The hair from the top of the ear to about a third (1/3) of the way down should be thinned out. After thinning, use the Spaniel Comb to remove all loose hair from the ear.

4 ~ PLUCK OUT THE DEAD HAIR ON TOP OF THE HEAD The hair on the top of your dog's head is likely to go a lighter shade, fuzzy & stick up when it is dead hair & therefore it needs to be trimmed out. All you need to do here is pluck the dead hair out using your thumb & forefinger. This is where the rubber thumbs or a rubber glove is useful as they give you a better grip on the hair. You can use this action to remove any dead hair from the other parts of the dog's coat too.

5 ~ USE BRUSH TO REMOVE DUST & DIRT. TEASE OUT ANY TANGLES & KNOTS The hair on the chest & throat will, at some stage, need thinning out & you will once again do this with the thinning scissors & a comb.

6 ~ COMB THROUGH THE FEATHERING ON THE CHEST. TEASE OUT ANY KNOTS

As with any aspect of trimming, always work AGAINST the natural lie of the hair.

7 ~ TRIM OUT ANY HAIR GROWING BETWEEN THE TOES & UNDER THE FOOT

The feet should be trimmed using a pair of straight edge scissors; the aim is to make each foot look tight & rounded (like a cats paw). This also means trimming flat any hair growing up between the toes & any growing underneath the foot. The hair on the hocks should be trimmed close using the thinning scissors.

~ ALL TRIMMED & PRODUCED FOR THE SHOW RING ~