Cockapoo grooming doesn’t seem like an easy task once they reach adulthood, but when you’ve got the tools and instructions you need you’ll find that taking care of their hair at home is actually pretty easy.
Contents
- Cockapoo grooming for different coat types
- Do Cockapoos blow their coat?
- Step by step grooming instructions
- Cockapoo grooming tools
The Cockapoo Coat
The Cockapoo’s parents are the Poodle and the Cocker Spaniel. This dog is known to be smart, sweet, typically a non-barker, easy to train, happy-go-lucky and generally sports a low to non-shedding coat.
The advantages of having a dog with non-shedding or low-shedding coat are obvious – less time spent vacuuming hair off floors, wiping it off surfaces, and picking it from your clothes. They are not, however, hypoallergenic – no dog truly is. But non-shedding coats often need more brushing and grooming care than their shedding canine counterparts.
Grooming vs Coat Type
The Cockapoo coat is interesting. The Cocker Spaniel purebred dog typically has a double-layer coat that consists of a long, straight or slightly wavy outer coat. The undercoat is thicker and has very soft insulation.
The Poodle, in direct contrast, typically has a single-layer coat that is quite coarse, medium-length and very curly. This means your Cockapoo could have a variety of fur types in adulthood.
There are three basic coat type categories that most adult Cockapoos display.
- Single coated coarse and tightly curly: this coat tends to shed out little if at all.
- Single to double-coated and wavy to loosely curly: this coat tends to shed out minimally except for seasonally, especially if an undercoat is present.
- Double-coated and straight to slightly wavy: this coat will shed the most out of the three coat types, especially seasonally.
How Often Should You Groom a Cockapoo?
For straighter coat types, plan to brush your dog’s coat at least twice per week. With wavy/curly coat types, two to three times per week is a good frequency. And for tightly curled coat types, you may need to brush your dog daily to keep tangles and mats from forming.
One of the reasons the Cockapoo hybrid dog is so enduringly popular is because this dog doesn’t tend to shed that much whether the coat is straight, wavy or curly. However, for Cockapoos that inherit a straight or softly wavy hair coat, they may also inherit the double-coated Cocker Spaniel parent’s seasonal shed.
Combating the ‘Coat Blow’
The coat blow, also called the molt, is where many new Cockapoo owners get caught by surprise. When the coat blow starts, the majority of the shed hair does not actually visibly fall to the ground.
Instead, it gets caught by the surrounding fur and stays trapped in the coat itself. This can cause massive tangles and mats to form near the skin in fairly short order.
So once these twice-annual sheds begin, you have to make time to brush your dog daily to remove the dead, shed hair before it can start to tangle.
Sometimes, with unsuspecting first-time Cockapoo owners, the seasonal coat shed sneaks up on you. Then the tangles form before you discover them.
The only option is to shave your dog down to the skin to avoid the discomfort it would cause to try to work the tangles out.
Cockapoo Grooming Tips
The exact method of grooming will remain essentially the same regardless of the coat type your Cockapoo pup has.
However, what may change is the grooming tools you choose to use for each step of the grooming process.
Step 1: Spritz some detangling spray onto your dog’s coat or onto your grooming tools.
- Grooming tools to use: detangling spray of choice
Detangling spray will make the job of working out tangles and mats easier and comfier.
Step 2: Do an initial gentle comb-through, section by section, to locate tangles and mats.
- Grooming tools to use: stainless steel comb, slicker brush or pin-side brush
In this step, you are using the stainless steel comb to make sure you can reach all the way down through your dog’s coat to locate tangles and mats.
Step 3: Use your brush of choice to slowly and gently work out each tangle or mat you find.
- Grooming tools to use: pin-side brush or slicker brush or de-matting rake
Step 4: This is de-shedding time.
- Grooming tools to use: Slicker brush as needed
When all tangles and mats are gone, brush your dog section by section to remove any dead, shed, trapped hair that remains as applicable.
Step 5: Trim your dog’s nails and coat as needed.
- Grooming tools to use: Nail clippers, trimming scissors
It is important to trim away too-long hair around eyes, hind quarters and paw pads to make sure your dog can see and stay sanitary and sure-footed.
Step 6: Do ear checks and ear cleaning, tooth brushing, and other tasks as applicable.
- Grooming tools to use: Talk to dog’s veterinarian about right products and frequency of use
Cockapoo Grooming Tools
These basic Cockapoo grooming tools do represent an initial investment into your dog’s health and wellness. They will last for years and, in most cases, you only have to purchase them once.
Detangling Spray
Crown Royale Ultimate Detangling Spray* is a unique and popular spray that can detangle wet or dry coats.
Mane ‘n Tail Detangler* is a cult product that was originally developed for use on horses!
De-Matting Rake
Hertzko Undercoat Dematting Comb* is great for tough tangles and mats. The long blades look formidable, but they are designed with safety in mind – only stubborn knots need fear them!
Safari Dog De-Matting Comb* is a slimmer tool for working near the face, on paw pads and near hind quarters.
Slicker Brush
The Safari Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush* features a unique curve to follow the contours of your dog’s body.
The GoPets Professional Slicker Brush* has a self-cleaning brush and a comfy gel-filled silicone handle.
Pin and Bristle Brush
The AtEase Accents Eco Friendly Grooming Brush* has a nice feeling natural bamboo wood handle. The pins are rounded, and the bristles are nicely spaced nylon.
Wahl is a trusted name in pet grooming. Their Premium Pin and Bristle Brush* can double as a de-shedding rake for shorter coats.
Stainless Steel Dual Comb
Andis Premium Steel Grooming Comb* has a rounded grip for ease of use.
They also make another equally popular comb with a straight-back grip*.
Trimming Scissors
This ALFHEIM Grooming Set* with a handy carry case might be a smart investment if you want to learn to do more of your dog’s grooming and haircuts at home. You get cutting scissors, thinning scissors, up-turned scissors and down-turned scissors, plus a steel comb and safety-smart case.
Nail Clippers
These Boshel Nail Trimmers and Clippers* have 3.5 mm stainless steel blades and a secure, safety-grip handle.
Affiliate link disclosure: Links in this article marked with an * are affiliate links, and we may receive a small commission if you purchase these products. However, we selected them for inclusion independently, and all of the views expressed in this article are our own.
Amanda MacIntire says
We just adopted my son’s female Cockapoo, Anabelle. Four years ago, they were in a terrible car accident where my daughter in law lost her life and Anabelle suffered a broken back leg. Despite the vets best efforts, the break did not heal and her leg had to be amputated. My son recently remarried and his new wife has two older dogs, so attention for Anabelle has not been as exclusive as it once was. Jealousy caused issues, so instead of having Anabelle go to strangers, she lives with us. What a joy she is; sweet, feisty and intelligent. We look forward to learning how to groom her.
Hugi says
I usually get my darling cockapoo done by a groomer but during these hard times I did it very poorly by shaving him to the skin because of bad matting.
Will it grow fast enough for summer? Will he be alright?
Jade says
Hello,
We have a dog grooming company and found this article as a cockapoo is a bit different when it comes to grooming.
Your piece was really informative and we liked how you broke down all three coats and how they affected how often you should groom the different types.
Thank you for writing this, it was very educational and fun.
P.S. We love a cockapoo!!
Gary and Angie Woodward-Smith says
We just adopted a 7 year old Cockapoo that her owners could not pay much attention to. Wonderful dog in all ways but we do need to learn more about the breed. Thank you for your great article. We are looking forward to viewing the video on grooming and then buying the grooming tools necessary. She has just had a “puppy cut” and will have her teeth cleaned next month. She has made herself a great new member to our family.