# Sophie has her first grooming



## Alittlepoo (Apr 29, 2015)

At 6 months old I decided it was time for a visit to the groomer. Sophie has always liked a bath at home and is easy to comb and brush. She even lets us use a Pedipaws on her nails without much fussing. Ear cleaning is not very enjoyable but she tolerates it for a couple of treats.

I have used the same groomer for years with our Springer Spaniels and she is a wonderful dog person. She raises Golden Retrievers herself. She grooms in her home and lives less than 5 miles from my home, perfect! I love the long coat and asked Pam to just even it up a bit, not taking any length off. Trim a tiny bit above her eyes, nothing on her nose/ face, absolutely nothing off her lovely ears. Trim the bottom of her fuzzy fuzzy feet. And please leave the swirling tail tip as is, Sophie has a docked tail. 

I am very happy with our first visit, Pam said Sophie was an angel and very sweet. Extremely easy to groom. She found no matting and advised me to continue to comb and brush as I have been doing. She is a fuzzy fluff ball in these pics but I know the curlies will return shortly. She smells sooo yummy! Here is a before pic and a couple after our groom.


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## Alittlepoo (Apr 29, 2015)

*After grooming*

These two pics are after grooming. I can only load one at a time.


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## Alittlepoo (Apr 29, 2015)

*Another pic.*

The front of her head is the only area that looks funny to me, just a lil too short.


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## Goosey (Aug 22, 2014)

Looking lovely Sophie, not too short she retained some of that lovely puppy fluff! Sid is six months and off to the groomers next month


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Sophie is such a sweetie, I love her look before and after


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## Alittlepoo (Apr 29, 2015)

Thank you both! The puppy fluff is so precious I hate to see it go but it is definitely on its way out. Sophie has been sporting a darker red stripe down her back for several weeks and it is getting wider. The fur is not as fluffy soft but the darker red is fine with me. She is usually more curly than these pics after her groom. Here you can tell the "racing stripe" running down her little back. She is the sweetest little girl.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

She is yummy, like a butterscotch and toffee swirl.


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

How does Sophie compare to your memories of Springers regarding energy levels and trainability?


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## Alittlepoo (Apr 29, 2015)

Hi Marzi, I think Sophie has more energy as a puppy than any of our three Springers had. They were very frisky, playful and fun but Sophie is a little nut! She is a mad hatter, running most of the day. Her doodle dashes are hysterical to watch and the more we laugh, the more she goes! She is just so busy. She crashes for short periods but is up and ready to play or go for a walk soon. I put her into her crate so she will get a good nap, otherwise she will sleep on the floor and pops up as soon as anyone moves. She doesn't want to miss a thing. She absolutely loves to go in the car in her booster seat and she is very good to take along. 

My Springers were more energetic as they got older, as young pups they were lazy and goofy. They all loved outdoors and were very fast runners. They were awesome retrievers and loved to play. They are certainly people dogs and seem to live only to please you. Two of our Springers were girls and maybe it was just the dog itself but they seemed easier to train than the one male we had. He was stubborn and almost defiant at times. He was also sweet and the most beautiful of the three. 

Sophie is very easy to train in most ways. She is still excitable on leash when we are away from home and wants to pull. We are working on that. I use an EZ dog harness with her where I always used collars for my Springers. She is best with good smelly treats and I know she will be a delight on leash as she gets older. I've had Springers since 1989, love them but this time I wanted a dog I could hold. Our last Springer could ski me down our driveway in the snow. Anyone wanting a Springer Spaniel should get one, they are awesome dogs. Cockapoos seem to be sweet, smart and wonderful family members. And I now have a little lap dog. We are really enjoying our Cockapoo!


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## Lindor (Feb 3, 2014)

She sounds like you've got a lovely little girl and beautiful too.


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

We definitely would have had a springer spaniel as our breed of choice if my husband hadn't had asthma, it was because we generally like gundogs that we went for a cockapoo rather than another non shedding breed, we liked Irish water spaniels but decided they were perhaps larger than we wanted.


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## Alittlepoo (Apr 29, 2015)

Irish water spaniels are beautiful dogs! Springers had always been my husbands breed of choice and they are wonderful loving and very smart. I decided on a Cocker Spaniel this time around then decided the non shedding of a Cockapoo would be a nice change. The small size is very different for us but we are happy with our little fluff-ball.


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

The small size is such a treat after years of a dog taking up a full place in the car. Rufus can go on anyones lap, be carried into no dog establishments if need be and doesn't take up half the bed.


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

There were springers -English and Welsh on the farm that I practically lived on as a child. They were all gun dogs and very well trained - although the Welsh were demon hunters if not actually working. The English springers I can still see in my mind's eye - piled on their beds in the gun room, slightly stinky but always surprisingly tolerant of a dog mad child (me) who would happily sneak in and climb into their beds with them. They actually slept out in a big kennel at night - full of sweet smelling straw and I was quite happy to burrow in there with them too and I loved letting them out in the morning 
I think part of the reason I love little Molly's spotty knees is because they remind me of Springer legs 
A lady who lives close to us now has two show springers - who are much bigger than I remember the farm dogs - with more extreme coat. They are also both rather nervy - nothing like the outgoing constantly wagging dogs of my childhood.


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