Acknowledgements
Thanks to Alan, Rob, Sue and Karen for researching and contributing their
knowledge to this project.
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Introduction
Like all dogs Cockapoos need to be groomed and if done with care
they all enjoy it!
Grooming should begin early, ideally as soon as you bring your puppy
home. It gives them a great deal of physical attention and gets them
used to being handled. Like training it also serves as fun early bonding
that dog and owner can both get pleasure from to gain trust for one
another.
Whether you groom your Cockapoo yourself or pay someone else to
do it it’s important to be aware of all the attributes to a good grooming
regime, and ensure it's designed specifically for your Cockapoo. After
all you want your pride and joy to look his best and feel great!
This book explains the most important information you need to know
about grooming your Cockapoo no matter what style coat he has.
You will learn a lot about his fur, ears and nails and how to keep him
at his best so you are proud when taking him out.
The American Teddy Bear Cut
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Table of Contents
Straight coats
Acknowledgements
The Puppy Cut
Introduction
The Cocker Cut
1. Grooming a Cockapoo Puppy
The puppy coat
4. Grooming and health
Ears
The puppy grooming Kit
Anal Glands
2. Nails
Fleas
Bathing
3. Grooming Adult Cockapoos
Improper Coat
5. Grooming tools
Brushes
Hair dryers
Proper Coat
6. How to Groom a Cockapoo in 10 Simple Steps
Woolly coats
7. Tips from professional Groomers
Tight curly coats
Wavy/ringlet coats
Satin coats
Traits
Smooth Cockapoos
Facial Furnishings
Coat length
Curl and texture
3. Cockapoo Styles
The American Teddy Bear Cut
The English bearded cut
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8. How to choose a groomer
Things to avoid
9. Get Started
1. Grooming a Cockapoo Puppy
The puppy coat
The Cockapoo has two main coat types: the Poodle type 'woolly' or the
Cocker type 'satin'.
The Cockapoo puppy coat is relatively easy to look after regardless of
the variations in coat your Cockapoo can have. If you are not familiar
with the Cockapoo cross-breed then the common Cockapoo colours
they are:
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Black
White
Cream
Tan, beige to buff
Red, including auburn and apricot colours
Brown, varying from light to dark
Sable, a brown colour with tipping and shading in black
Silver - rare
phantom (black, tan and white )
Brindle (subtle tiger stripped) - rare
Roan (an even mixture of white and pigmented hairs) - rare
Merle (commonly brown shades mixed with white or cream) only in USA
Two tone Cockapoos are often described as having a 'tuxedo'. For
example, if they are predominantly black with a white torso they are
wearing a 'black tuxedo'. Cockapoos can also have intricate markings
or a patchy coat. They can also have freckle type spots called "ticking".
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American Cockapoos can have a merle coat, inherited from the
American Cocker Spaniel and not yet seen in the UK. This makes the
coat appear to have a mottled affect.
A puppy only needs light grooming but it's good to be consistent so he
gets used to it. Keep sessions short (5-10 minutes) and give him a few
treats so he knows this is a special experience for him to enjoy.
The puppy grooming Kit
A simple grooming kit consisting of a comb, several brushes and nail
clippers (specially designed doggy nail clippers). That's all you need to
groom your pup until the adult coat comes in. The depending on what
coat type comes in 'wolly' or 'satin' you may then want to either learn
to groom an adult coat yourself or employ a groomer.
Losing puppy fur
After about eight months your puppy will lose or 'moult' it's lovely
puppy fur. This is when the adult coat 'comes in'. From now on you
will need to devote more time to grooming.
The moulting phase only lasts a month to six weeks but will vary
according to coat type.
If you don't take care to groom out the puppy fur that is making way
for the adult coat you will start to see a matting or a dreadlocking
effect. Obviously this is undesirable as it's difficult to comb out and
really it means you're not grooming him regularly enough.
2. Nails
Puppies need proper nail care from the early months of their life.
Starting early will get them used to years of stress free nail trimming.
Your Cockapoo's nails will need trimming every 2-3 months with
specially designed dog nail clipper. If you do this yourself be
conservative with the amount you cut off as his nerve ending are very
close. Just trim the very end hooks. If you don't feel comfortable doing
this any dog groomer will do it quite cheaply.
Bathing
Technique
Frequency of bath will vary according to how mucky your Cockapoo
gets. If he's mostly home bound once a month will suffice.
Hold your puppies foot and gently press down at the base of the nail.
Cut back a little at a time until you get close to the pink part. Snip off
the nail tips at a 45-degree angle being careful not to cut too far down.
Also use warm water and a puppy friendly shampoo. Be careful to
avoid getting the soap in his eyes and ears. Just use a damp cloth for
those sensitive areas.
If you trim to far you’ll catch the vascular quick, which will hurt the
dog and bleed profusely. Keep some styptic powder handy which will
help stop the bleeding if needed.
After the bath towel dry him thoroughly and leave him in a warm
room with the towel until he fully dry. Avoid letting him get cold as
this could bring on illness. For more read this article on the Cockapoo
For Life website, how to bathe your cockapoo for the first time.
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3. Grooming Adult Cockapoos
There are two main types of adult Cockapoo breed coats and if you
have not yet chosen your puppy you may want to think about this
before your choose your dog as well as your breeder.
Woolly pups have less dander and you will know their coat style from
the moment they're born. It means if you love the 'curly' look you can
easily choose your puppy.
This coat type requires grooming on a daily basis and also a trip to the
professional groomer for a clipper cut when needed.
Remembering the Cockapoo breed is a cross between Cocker Spaniel
and a Poodle the coat can come closer to curlier or straight/wavy.
Tight curly coats
Improper Coat
The tight curly coat absorbs 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. This clip can be brushed when dry.
All dogs lose hair at the end of each growth cycle but a Cockapoo with
an ‘improper’ coat is one with a thick undercoat that sheds seasonally.
This type of coat is more common in F1 Cockapoos (1st generation
cross).
Special attention must be paid to carefully removing the moulted
'undercoat'. It's a slow daily process.
Proper Coat
Taking your Cockapoo to a professional groomer every three months
or so for a full wash and clip is a really good idea to compliment your
own grooming routine. This will keep him smart and comfortable.
A ‘proper’ coat will have a thinner undercoat and will not shed
seasonally.
Wavy/ringlet coats
Woolly coats
The ‘woolly’ coat has tight curls and the ‘satin’ coat has little curls or a
wave and is smooth to touch. You might prefer a wire ‘woolly’ coat
rather than a silky ‘satin’ one as these are the light shedding variety
that has earned the Cockapoo the reputation as a hypoallergenic dog.
Woolly coats are completely curly with a wiry texture which softens
with good grooming.
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These Cockapoos can look glamorous with a full coat (up to 15 cms
long). 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.
TIP:
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 so it then
fluffs up into an 'afro' style. To prevent this the coat can be 'line'
groomed whilst wet and soaked in coat conditioner.