Grooming a dog is never an easy feat – especially when the dog is covered in thick curls like the Cavapoo. Many owners find the face particularly challenging as they worry that they will hurt their dog in some way.
To cut your Cavapoos facial hair, you’ll need some dog grooming scissors, a comb, and a steady hand. Plenty of treats to keep your dog still also won’t hurt! The scissors are rounded to give you that seamless look.
You might be worried about this step if you’ve never cut your Cavapoos hair before.
If you mess up, not only will your dog look strange, but they also might get scared of grooming sessions! Don’t worry, though – we’re going to walk you through it right now.
Why Is It Important To Groom Your Cavapoo?
This cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Poodle often has a double coat, which means they have a wiry layer of hair on top of a softer undercoat. Double coats keep your dog warmer and prevent as much hair from shedding as it gets trapped in the curls.
While there are plenty of benefits to a double coat, there are also some drawbacks. For starters, it takes longer to groom. Hypoallergenic dogs require more grooming than others because their hair gets trapped and needs to be removed somehow. If it’s not shedding on its own, you’ll need to brush it out.
Otherwise, your dog might suffer from tangles and matts, which can lead to infection.
Matts on the face is particularly painful for dogs because the skin is more sensitive. It is also more difficult to remove them without causing any more pain. Cavapoos often also need grooming around the face to ensure that their hair doesn’t grow too long and start poking them in the eyes.
Regular grooming also prevents food from building up around their snout which can start to smell.
Tools Needed For Cavapoo Facial Grooming
Here is a list of things you should collect before beginning your grooming session:
Grooming Your Cavapoo’s Face – Step By Step
Step One: Ears
The first thing you should do when grooming your Cavapoo’s face is check its ears.
Cavapoos are known for getting blocked ears which can lead to other health conditions, so their ears need to be cleaned regularly.
Use a vet-safe ear-cleaning solution to do this. Squeeze a little into the ear canal and massage the base of the ear for around 30 seconds. This works to remove any build-up and leaves the ears nice and clean.
If there is a lot of build-up, use a towel to gently wipe it away. Never poke anything into your dog’s ear as this can force debris further down the canal.
For a full step-by-step guide, check out our blog on How to Clean a Cavapoos Ears.
Step Two: Wash
Use a dog-friendly shampoo that is safe to use on the face and around the eyes, and wash your dog’s face.
Lather an amount of shampoo in your hands and massage it all around the face, eyes, mouth, snout, and ears. Make sure you get right in there to loosen up as much of the oil and dirt as possible. Rinse this thoroughly until the water runs clean.
Now use a dog-friendly conditioner all over their hair. Conditioner ensures that the hair is easier to brush and work with after the wash, as well as offers a deodorizing benefit. Again, rinse this out thoroughly.
There are loads of different dog shampoos on the market, each catering for different conditions and coat types.
For a review of the best dog shampoos available, look at our recommendation guides:
- Is there a dry shampoo for dogs?
- What effective tick shampoos are there for dogs?
- Best Antibacterial and Anti-fungal Dog Shampoo
- Shampoos to relieve itching for dogs
- Best Hypoallergenic Dog Shampoo
Step Three: Comb And Dry
Gently comb the hair around your Cavapoos face and dry it with a towel or bathrobe. You could allow their hair to dry naturally or you could use a hairdryer on low heat.
Make sure that you don’t have the air blasting straight into their face, though.
Now your dog should look lovely and fluffy and be ready for their trim!
Step Four: Shear
You might think that you shouldn’t use shears or clippers around your dog’s face as they’re unpredictable and sharp. However, as long as you’re using a large guard, the blade won’t go close enough to your dog to hurt them.
Shears speed up the grooming process and make it easier to use your dog’s scissors later. For information on the best clippers for Doodles, click here! Use the shears to trim all of their hair around their ears and around their snout.
Start at the base of their skull and comb the shears down their neck. Continue this pattern as you slowly move up their skull to the top of their head.
Cut as much of the hair off as you can so that you have less work to do with the scissors in the next step. Use the shears to trim around the entrance of the ear. Flip the ear over so you can see within it.
Put your finger over the flap covering the entrance so that the shears don’t cut it, and trim the long hair around the ear.
This keeps everything clean and prevents bacteria from entering the ear, which can lead to infection. Brush the cut hair away so that this doesn’t get lodged in the ear canal.
Step Five: Trim
Now’s time to use your dog grooming scissors. These are curved for a perfect teddy bear look. The classic Cavapoo look keeps their face looking round like a bear, giving them a cuter appearance.
Comb the hair out around the snout. Take your scissors and trim the left side of their snout in a diagonal fashion. This should give the appearance that your dog is smiling! Repeat on the other side.
Slowly and carefully trim around the eyes, snout, and top of the head until you’re happy with the shape. Since every dog has a differently shaped face, a part of this process is trial and error. Keep taking small pieces off of the head until everything looks blended and trimmed.
You can also use blending shears to create seamless lines from the ears to the head, snout to the neck, and more.
Cavapoo owners love when their dogs look like teddy bears. To get this look, keep working around their head to create a round look. Cut in a circle shape so they look fluffy yet presentable from the front.
You could also cut the sides of the snout down completely to create a more sophisticated look, although this isn’t as popular. Check out on blog on Cavapoo haircuts to take to the groomers for inspiration for your next Cavapoo cut.
No matter how you want to cut your dog’s hair, make sure that everything is blended. Take the time to blend – you’ll regret it if you rush that final step!
Try and keep both sides of the face as symmetrical as possible for the best results.
Summary
Thank you for taking the time to read our article – we hope that it’s given you some insight into the proper way to groom your Cavapoos face.
It’s no easy process and will take some time to perfect, but the results are more than worth it. Plus, you don’t have to worry about the expensive professional groomer’s bill!
Make sure that you use products that are safe to use on the face so they don’t burn your dog’s eyes.
Use dog-friendly scissors and shears, too, as these have been specifically made with dogs in mind. Good luck!