Grooming

Puppy Coat

The puppy coat of the Cockapoo is relatively easy to look after regardless of the coat type variations. So for the first six months a very simple grooming regime of regular brushing sessions of 10 minutes or so, four to five times a week should keep your puppy in good order. A simple grooming kit consisting of a comb, a brush, nail clippers and a slicker brush will be all the tools you will need for these first months. Intermingle treats and praise with the grooming to make this a pleasant experience. Even though your puppy may not really need this recommended amount of grooming, it will later on when the adult coat 'comes in' so it's a valuable time to familiarise your puppy with being groomed. All dogs nails will need trimming every 2-3 months with nail clippers. If you do this yourself be conservative with the amount you cut off, just the very end hooks is sufficient. Alternatively any dog groomer should be able do it for you at very little cost.

An extra pair of hands to bath a puppy

If you use puppy shampoo that is free from soap and detergents (examples on the Links page) then you can bath your puppy as often as you like without drying out the skin. All dogs react differently to being bathed but familiarity at the early ages will pay dividends later. A calm approach and an extra pair of hands to help should make the experience a positive one.

Cockapoo puppy at about 6 months old

At this time accustom your puppy to having you touch the membranes around the entrance to the ear canal, as later in life the ears may need to be plucked of excess hairs to prevent a build up of wax.

Adult Coat

Natural unclipped straight coat

Natural unclipped wavy/ringlet coat

Wavy/Ringlet coated dogs can look glamorous with a full coat but that look comes at a price. The price is extra grooming and extra grooming tools. For those who wish to keep the coat long they will discover that twice a year the coat will moult over about a two week period. You can feel the moult happening before you can see it. When you stroke the dog you will feel the matting and not easily be able to feel the skin through the long hairs. Special attention must be paid to carefully removing the moulted 'undercoat' at that time. It is a slow process and could involve maybe three grooming sessions lasting several hours each. If you brush this full coat when dry it reacts rather like frizzy human hair as the brushing damages the hair shaft and breaks it to some degree and it then fluffs up into an 'afro' style. So to prevent this the coat can be 'line' groomed whilst wet and soaked in coat conditioner. Starting at the paws and working upwards, the entire coat needs to be systematically groomed through from root to tip by using a combination of a rake, such as a rigid Nobby Starline Soft Grip Disentangler Medium/long Coats (as pictured below) to grab the undercoat and slightly dislodge it an 8 or a 10 blade tool should be ideal. This is then followed by using a flexible Oster Premium Flexible Slicker Brush (as picture below) to grab the loosened undercoat and tease it down the long wet hair shaft and away.

Oster Premium Flexible Slicker Brush

Nobby Starline Soft Grip Disentangler Medium/long Coats

Taking your dog for a walk on a fine day will air dry it within an hour.
Alternatively you can use a human hairdryer and your fingers to 'scrunch dry' your dog. If dried in this way you avoid the 'hair bear' look and the hair quickly forms back into luscious waves/ringlets. Clipping or cutting a 'runway' off the tummy of a full coated dog from its groin to between its front legs will both keep it cool in summer and easier to keep clean in winter.
For those who don't have the time or inclination to groom their dog in this way, this coat can be trimmed into a Teddy Bear trim, which is in the 'Notes from the Grooming Table' - a reference book that most groomers have. It looks neat and is practical to keep your dog in good shape. More details of clipping are outlined below.

At any age soon after 8 months old the Cockapoo coat changes and the adult coat 'comes in'. Suddenly a comparatively easy care coat will start to matt. What is happening is that your dog is starting to moult its puppy coat to allow the adult coat to grow through. In actual fact all dogs moult, including Poodles, but not all dogs shed. Most Cockapoos are those dogs that don't shed, or if they do, it is a minimal amount. Great as this trait is for allergy sufferers, it does mean that if this moult is not groomed out then the coat will matt and/or form dreadlocks. An adult Cockapoo can grow a coat up to about 15cms long so it does take some knowledge of grooming and confidence to keep it full length.
Straight coated dogs can keep the length au-naturel with a thorough brush 2 to 3 times a week and bathing every 2 - 3 months. However, it may still be necessary to trim back overgrowing hair from between the eyes and fringe area with thinning scissors, to provide your dog with clear vision and so that you can see their pretty eyes. Some people will also choose to trim off the beard from the bottom jaw as it does get water logged when drinking...that wet face often then gets offered up to its owner for a cuddle!

Thinning scissors useful for trimming the face

Natural unclipped wavy/ringlet coat

Wavy/ringlet coat with a Teddy Bear Trim

Once you are satisfied that the whole coat, or the section of the coat you had planned to work on in that particular sitting, is smooth and clear of matts then it is time to do a final rinse of the coat. Remove the excess water with a Dog Blaster, keeping the nozzle at a distance of more than 30 cms from the hair as any closer will create whirlwinds amongst the hair shafts and knot the hair, or by blotting with an Easi Dri Towel. Importantly - don't brush the coat whilst it is drying.

Easi Dri Towel

Tight Curly coated Cockapoos present an almost impossible task to keep them with full length coats as they matt very readily, so most are clipped into a Teddy Bear trim as mentioned above. The tight curly coat seems to absorb dirt and mud so clipping the coat back to about 3-4 cms long makes it easy to rinse off and dry after fun times on muddy walks.
Taking your dog to a Professional Groomer every 3 months or so for a full wash and clip, with you doing routine grooming inbetween will keep your Cockapoo smart and comfortable. This clip can be brushed when dry.
Attention will also have to be paid to inside the ear canal as, like poodles, some Cockapoos grow excess hair inside the ear that will trap ear wax. Pluck-it or Thornit canker powder can be used to help grip these hairs which need to be plucked out of the ears either with yours or your groomer's fingers.

Tight curly siblings, one unclipped and the other with a Teddy Bear clip.

Tight curly coat absorbs dirt and mud

However, going to a Grooming Salon is an expense that some owners choose to bypass by learning how to groom and clip their dogs themselves. Some people really enjoy this intimate time with their dog and it forms an enjoyable part of their dog owning experience. Some colleges and groomers run weekend courses to teach the basic techniques required for home grooming.