Cavalier King Charles Spaniel grooming in Gloucester, MA

The breed standard describes a coat of moderate length, silky and free from curl, with a slight wave allowed. The feathering on the ears, chest, legs and tail should be long, and the feathering on the feet is called a feature of the breed. The ears are long and well feathered, set high so they frame the face. The AKC rates shedding at two on its five-point scale, so the coat drops little hair, and what it does drop tends to tangle in the feathering.

Silky hair knots where it is rubbed or stays damp. On a Cavalier that means behind and under the ears, in the armpits, in the chest feathering where a harness sits, and in the long hair on the feet, which picks up sand, burrs and snow. The body coat itself rarely gives trouble. The ears are the other reason to keep a brush moving: the AKC advises checking them weekly for signs of infection and lists middle ear infections among the conditions the breed is prone to.

The AKC's advice for the coat is regular brushing, which it says keeps the coat shiny and tangle-free and doubles as a chance to check the whole dog for new bumps. A slicker brush followed by a metal comb is the pairing that reaches the skin under silky feathering: the slicker loosens, the comb confirms. Work in small sections and finish each session at the ears. Our guide to cleaning your dog's ears after the beach covers the ears themselves.

Cape Ann tests a Cavalier's feet and ears. Wingaersheek takes dogs on odd-numbered days from October 1 to April 30, wet sand packs into foot feathering, and long ears dry slowly after a swim, so rinse, then dry the ears and feet with a soft towel. In the woods at Ravenswood and on Dogtown Common the feathering collects burrs, and from April to November it can hide a tick, so comb the legs, chest and ears after every walk.

At 13 to 18 pounds by the AKC's figures, a Cavalier sits comfortably in our up-to-25-pound band: $75 for the full service with the trim and $55 for a bath. The final full-service price is confirmed at check-in after the groomer has looked at the coat. The face trim and the sanitary trim are $10 each, nail clipping is $16 and teeth brushing is $10. Every add-on is described on our dog grooming page.

Grooming fits easily around a daycare day. Once your Cavalier has passed the free evaluation, on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30, add the groom to a $33 half day or a $42 full day. Overnight guests can be groomed before pick-up, with 10 percent off on the Dogtown Classic bundle and 15 percent on the Deluxe. If the drive is the hard part, the Pup Van covers Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea at $10 in each direction.