How to groom a Cavapoo

Keeping on top of grooming is essential when you have a Cavapoo, as the Poodle fur can make their coat prone to tangles and knots. And depending on how much King Charles Cavalier Spaniel your pooch has inherited; will determine how much hair they are likely to shed.

Poodle haired dogs require quite a bit of coat maintenance, so it is important that you know how to groom a Cavapoo. Learning the basics, such as how to brush and trim their takes time and skill from a Cavapoo owner.

Although you can take care of the basics with a regular home grooming routine, in order to keep your dog’s coat in tip-top condition, you should visit a professional groomer every few months.

Below we provide some top tips for brushing and trimming your Cavapoo at home, as well as advice and information on where to go for a professional groom and the important questions to ask.

Tips for grooming your Cavapoo at home

It is strongly recommended that you start grooming your Cavapoo puppy regularly from the minute you bring them home. This will give you plenty of time to get them desensitized to the feeling before their adult coat comes in (at around 7-9 months of age) and is a great opportunity for you both to bond.

Here are some simple steps to remember when home grooming your Cavapoo:-

• Invest in a two-sided pin and bristle brush. In order to groom effectively, you need to remember to constantly brush your Cavapoo to keep their coat under control. A two sided pin and bristle brush works well as the metal side assists with tangles, whilst the other side smooths out the coat. For information on our favourite brushes for Cavapoos, check out our reviews of the top products available at Amazon.
• Brush before and after a bath. This way you can de-matt the coat before shampooing and ensure that their fur dries without frizzing. Also, brushing when wet not only helps to prevent tangles but will assist with getting rid of the dander that comes from shed skin cells and any excess fur. To find out how often should you bathe your Cavapoo, read our informative blog.
• Make sure you check the ears. This may sound slightly strange, but Cavapoos actually have hair inside their ears as well as out. Therefore, it is important that you check inside for any knots or dubious smells, caused by infections or ingrowing hairs.
• Give your pooch a pedicure. Walking your Cavapoo on hard or rough terrain does help with filing their nails, however, they do still need a regular clip. Failure to do so can cause a lot of discomfort for your dog.
• Remember to wipe the eyes. Cavapoos are among the breeds that commonly develop reddish-brown tear stains beneath their eyes. Therefore, you will need to wash the face daily, carefully wiping beneath the eyes to prevent stains from setting and to keep them clean and healthy.

Ways to brush your Cavapoo

The best time to brush your Cavapoo is when they are feeling calm and relaxed. I prefer to brush Rosie after her evening walk when she is starting to chill out and is happy to indulge in some pampering.

Remember to brush small sections at a time and if your Cavapoo has a double-layered coat, remember to separate the top from the bottom.

Start at the head and work your way down the body remembering to do the legs and tummy. Make your sweeps gentle and controlled as brushing too vigorously may upset your dog.

If you are finding your Cavapoos coat challenging to brush, then it may be that you are not grooming them regularly enough. A well-groomed coat should be relatively easy to move a brush through. Alternatively, use a metal brush with fine bent wires like this one from Amazon, as these are designed to penetrate deep into the undercoat without scratching your dog’s skin.

You can also invest in a detangling spray (also avaialble on Amazon) which will tease out tangles and leave your Cavapoos fur with a fantastic sheen.

How to trim a Cavapoo?

Some people are brave enough to take on the challenge of giving their Cavapoo a home cut.

This is great if you have a dog that is willing to stand still and will tolerate a trim. Dogs that are nervous or fidgety, however, should be handled with caution – especially when you are brandishing scissors close to the eyes and ears.

You should ensure that you not only have the right equipment before starting but that your dog is bathed and brushed beforehand. Here are some more handy hints for trimming your Cavapoo yourself.

The head

1. Try and place your dog somewhere where movement is restricted. This could be in the sink or a laundry bin, but the last thing you want is for them to jump around or try to escape.
2. Make sure you have a good pair of grooming scissors as these often come with safe rounded tips. Clippers are not a great idea as they come with the risk of injury.
3. Just like brushing, you should start at the head and work your way down your dog’s body – but remember to go slowly.
4. Start by pinching the hair on the bridge of their nose and cut parallel upwards. This will enable you to trim all the hair around the eyes. Use one hand to cover the eyes so that you can trim the hair above them. Keep the hair around 1/4-inch in length.
5. Keeps grooming in between cutting. This will allow you to see how you are progressing and will get rid of any tangles as you go.
6. Brush the muzzle and trim around the cheeks. Try not to worry too much about the whiskers. These are generally located on the chin, nose, above the eyebrows, and above their upper lip. Trimming them is not going to cause your Cavapoo any pain or long-term problems. Plus, they will soon grow back.
7. For most Cavapoo owners, their dog’s afro is their cutest characteristic. Therefore, to ensure that it remains their key feature try and cut it so that it sticks up.
8. Lastly, remember to trim around the base of your dog’s ears. Follow the natural curve but be careful not to cut too close as you don’t want to nip the skin.

The Body

1. You can use clippers for the body if you prefer but it is always worth checking beforehand how your Cavapoo reacts to both the sound and the vibrations. If they appear scared, then it may be best to stick with scissors.
2. Before you start you should decide how short you want to trim the coat and what style you want it to be (see below).
3. Start by cutting the coat at the neck and sectioning it as you go. Make sure that you travel down in a straight line, taking off the same amount of fur each time until you reach the tail. Keep repeating this process from neck to tail until the entire body has been cut to the same length.
4. Then move to the sides and legs, before trimming their belly. Take plenty of time in the more sensitive areas to avoid snipping more than just a few hairs and don’t forget to trim the end of the tail.
5. Once you have cut the coat to your desired length, make sure to give them one final and check for high or low spots. This will allow you to perform any final touchups.
6. Remember to give you dog a well-deserved treat for a job well done.

How often should your Cavapoo have a professional groom?

If the thought of a home trim feels you with dread, then you may want to consider a professional groom.

There is no fast and hard rule as to how frequently you should trim your dogs’ fur, however, Cavapoos coats continue to grow so a professional groom every 6-8 weeks will really benefit their overall health and wellbeing.

We knew that our Cavapoo was overdue a professional groom when she was struggling to see through her fringe. We booked her in for a puppy groom at 15 weeks old and we could not have been happier with her refreshed look.

How to find a professional dog groomer

The best way to find a professional groomer is to go on recommendations. This is exactly how we found our parlour for Rosie. If they are any good, then demand will be high so remember to factor in plenty of time.

You should always make sure that you understand the types of services they provide and check that have previous experience in grooming Cavapoos. You may also want to check which products they use to ensure that they do not contain any harsh ingredients or toxic chemicals.

Once you have found the perfect professional groomer, most people remain with the same one throughout their dog’s life. This allows the groomer to get to know your Cavapoos personality, your personal style and allows the environment to become familiar to your dog.

The benefits of using a dog groomer

Although a good at-home grooming and bathing regime can keep mats and dirt at bay, a professional groom will ensure that your dog’s coat looks healthy and remains at a sensible length.

Most groomers will offer a number of additional services for your Cavapoo including:

• Ear cleaning. This is a specialized skill and you should never attempt to stick anything into your dog’s ears without being taught beforehand. Most vets can give you a lesson in basic ear cleaning, but in order to ensure that you do not cause injury or pain to your Cavapoo, it is often best to leave it to your professional groomer.
• Teeth cleaning. Most breeds of dogs are prone to teeth decay, so it is important that you brush them frequently. There are a number of different dog toothbrushes on the market, but if you want to know the best toothbrush for a Cavapoo, then click here. As dogs do not like having their teeth brushed it is always good to get a professional to clean and scale them for you.
• Nail trimming. This is one of the hardest parts of the grooming process for your Cavapoo as most dogs do not like it when people touch their paws and will yelp or cry when you trim a nail. A professional, however, will have the right tools and equipment to make it seem effortless and stress-free.

Different Cavapoo haircuts

It is important when you visit the groomers that you specify clearly what kind of cut you would like your Cavapoo to have. Here are some hairstyles you may want to consider: –

Teddy bear

This is by far the most popular cut for a Cavapoo and the one we plumped for with Rosie. To achieve this super cute teddy bear look, the fur on your dog’s body and legs is kept fairly short and the face is trimmed into a rounded shape with scissors.

Neaten

Another highly requested hairstyle for Cavapoos as looks good on double-coated breed. This cut is achieved by trimming the feet, sanitary areas and featherings such as the backs of the legs, belly lines and neck or chest.

Puppy

Similar in style to the Neaten but without the feathering, this cut requires the coat to be a short uniform length all over which requires little grooming for owners afterwards.

Lamb

Popular with Poodles and curly-coated Cavapoos, this style of cut is achieved by clipping short the fur on the body and neck whilst leaving the head and legs long.

Lion

This cut replicates its namesake, with the body hair shaved short with the hair on the neck and head left longer.

We got Rosie groomed for two reasons. (1) because she was struggling to see through her Chewbacca fringe and (2) because we were experiencing a heatwave. What I didn’t realise, however, was that a short coat does not actually keep our Cavapoos cool.

This is because your dog’s fur regulates their overall body temperature, so a shorter hairstyle does not necessarily make warm weather more tolerable. In fact on certain breeds who are not meant to have short fur, it can put them of risk of sunburn.

How much does a professional groom cost?

The cost of a professional dog groom will depend on the size of your Cavapoo and the amount and condition of their fur.

On average, however, you can expect to pay between $40-$75 or around £40 in the UK for a standard grooming service. Teeth and ear cleaning and nail trimming may be added as an extra cost.

Conclusion

Cavapoos are a charming breed of dog, but their high maintenance coats do require regular grooming. Whilst this can be undertaken at home if you feel confident enough, many people prefer to visit a professional groomer. I am no Edward Scissorhands, and as someone who loves to visit the salon regularly for myself, I think it is only fitting that our Cavapoo has a pamper too.