trimming my cocker spaniel

[punttheduck]

I have a five month old cocker spaniel with lots or hair. I live in ohio so summer is coming on fast and I want to trim his fur so that he is cooler in the summer heat. I've never trimmed a dog's fur before and I was hoping to get some tips, especially since he is really still a puppy. Any recommendations about clippers, length of fur, what areas to avoid trimming and the like would really be appreciated.
Thanks
p.s in case anyone was planning to recommend professional grooming that is not an option since we're still working on his nasty habit of biting everyone and everything he can get his mouth on.

[Dax]

invest in a good muzzle and take him to a groomer. Have the groomer show you how otherwise your dog is going to have a bad hair day. It is a lot harder than it looks especially if you dog is cooperative. most groomers will allow you to help with an aggressive dog.

[Ken Nielsen]

Good for you for beginning grooming your dog's hair. Have your dog professionally groomed and ask the groomer to show you how you can maintain the cut, which clippers you should use and which clipper numbers you need. You might also want to invest in a clipping table which is very handy.

[erdog3]

First of all you need to get him used to the sound of an electrical appliance, as you are going to need to trim the back of the ears especially some will freak out at the noise, I always recommend putting a hairdryer near them to start off with, that way you aren't actually touching them with anything as yet, so they don't get a full on attack, just put it on low and gently let the air go all over him, under the chin, and back of neck especially. You don't need to do a full trim to a cocker if you don't want, just trim up the length on the sides, the feet and back of the ears, keep the length of the ears short too, and look out on the inside of the ears, it gets tangled and matted at the bottom of the ear.

[darby]

As a professional groomer i would never show an owner how to clip a cocker. grooming should start as a puppy 12 weeks after their last set of shots. I wouldn't suggest muzzling either. You need to fing a CMG, certified master groomer, that will work with your dog to get them used to the grooming process. If they do a little at each session by the 3rd or 4th session they should be used to the fact that nothing bad is going to happen to them.