6 Steps to Groom Your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels require quite a bit of grooming. Their coat can be prone to matting, eventually leading to sores if you aren’t careful. Luckily, this problem can be prevented with some basic preventative steps, such as daily brushing.

We’ll go over everything you need to know about grooming your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel below, and we’ve included a complete grooming schedule at the bottom.

1. Daily Brushing

Brushing your dog every day is vital to prevent matting, and these spaniels need a lot of grooming. It removes tangles before they get serious and spreads the natural oils in your spaniel’s coat around, keeping it shiny and healthy.

It is possible to brush your dog too much, so don’t go overboard. Brush until all of the tangles are gone.

Use a slicker brush, preferably. Don’t choose one designed for “shedding” if you can avoid it. These may be too harsh on your spaniel’s sensitive coat.

We recommend starting with the longer, fringe parts of your dog’s body. Then, you can gently work your way through the rest of their fur as necessary. These fringy parts typically have the most tangles.

If necessary, you can use a detangler to remove the matted areas. Preferably, if you brush your dog daily, this won’t be necessary, though.

2. Bathing

If you keep up with a regular brushing routine, your Cavalier must only be bathed every 6 – 8 weeks. Of course, if your dog gets visibly dirty (such as after rolling around in the mud), you may need to shorten this timespan.

Brushing helps remove dirt and debris from your dog’s coat and detangle. Therefore, if you brush your dog daily, you’ll also remove much dirt and dust from their coat. If you don’t brush your dog as much as we recommend, you may have to bathe them more often.

Be sure to use a gentle shampoo, even if your dog doesn’t have particularly sensitive skin. You should also rinse them thoroughly to ensure no leftover shampoo is on their skin, as this can cause irritation.

After bathing, be sure to towel dry your spaniel as well as possible. You can even use a canine dryer on a low setting. Human hair dryers tend to be too hot for dogs, but they can also be used if you hold them far enough away from the dog’s skin.

3. Trimming

Cavalier spaniels don’t need tons of trimming. They aren’t long-haired dogs, technically, so you don’t have to trim them like a long-haired dog. It’s important to clip hair around their eyes and paws. Otherwise, it’s easy for them to get exceptionally dirty and irritating.

For instance, fur around their eyes can collect dirt and bacteria, leading to eye infections.

You may also want to trim the sanitary areas, such as their groin and stomach. These areas tend to be more prone to matting but are also sensitive. Therefore, brushing them can be problematic. Trimming excessive hair is often recommended if your dog will handle it. Some dogs won’t let clippers anywhere near their stomach.

You can do this basic trimming at home. However, professional groomers will also work with these dogs, providing some extra shaping to their legs and tail. We highly recommend having a professional groomer shape up your spaniel at least every few months.

4. Ear Care

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have hairy, floppy ears. While these are very cute, they tend to trap dirt, debris, and moisture. Without proper care, these can lead to ear infections pretty quickly.

You’ll need to keep your dog’s ears cleaned and trimmed. Removing fur from inside their ears helps prevent ear infections, but you may still need to clean them with wet cotton balls.

5. Trim Nails

Trimming your dog’s nails is also important. If they get too long, they can be painful to walk on and mess with your dog’s gait. In severe cases, their nails can split and cause serious pain or even infections.

You can trim your dog’s nails yourself at home. Be careful not to cut them too short, or you may cut the quick, which can cause bleeding. Luckily, this is pretty easy. That said, you can also have the groomer do this if you feel uncomfortable doing so.

While these dogs typically need their nails trimmed more often than their fur, many groomers provide very inexpensive appointments for nail trimmings only. In some stores, they may even allow walk-in appointments for nail trimming.

6. Dental Care

Sadly, dogs are very prone to dental issues. Dental problems are one of the most significant issues facing dogs. Around 80% of dogs over three have dental disease, which tends to worsen as they age.

Caring for your spaniel’s teeth is vital. We recommend brushing their teeth at least every three days but every day is much better.

Be sure to use a dog-safe toothpaste, as cleaners designed for humans aren’t recommended. They aren’t always safe for dogs.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Aksana Zavadskaya/iStock via Getty Images