Cockapoo Grooming Guide: Step by Step!

Cockapoos inherit quite a bit of their Poodle parent’s genes, so they’re low-shedding and hypoallergenic.  Cockapoo grooming is relatively simple if you do it on a consistent basis and your dog gets used to all the grooming tools, including the hair cutters, scissors, and nail clippers.

If you do not groom your Cockapoo, he will get a significant number of tangles and mattes – you may end up needing to shave him. Of course, some matting and tangling is normal but should be kept to a minimum with regular brushing. This will keep your pup looking his best, year-round! 

We hope you enjoy our DIY Cockapoo grooming guide. In the beginning, the process may seem overwhelming – even frustrating! But don’t worry – as you become accustomed to grooming your dog, it gets easier and it’s a huge money saver, too! 

If you are only searching for different Doodle Haircut Styles, check out our Goldendoodle or Labradoodle haircut styles.

Cockapoo Grooming Tools

Cockapoo Grooming can be very difficult if you don’t have all the right tools.  For your convenience, we’ve included a list of tools that you’ll need to have on hand. 

Must-Have Cockapoo Grooming Tools

1. Slicker Brush: This really is a must-have for every Cockapoo owner.  A great everyday brush that also will be used after bathing.
2. Shampoo and Conditioner: You want to get a shampoo with a conditioner that detangles so it will help remove all knots, mats, and tangles in your Cockapoos coat.
3. Dog Hair Clippers:  The most popular Cockapoo hair clippers would be the Andis Proclip 2.  These are a terrific investment, used by professionals, and will help you save money and time in the long term.  
4. Grooming Table or Pet Leash: Invest in a grooming table or puppy leash to keep your Cockapoo from moving as you groom.  If you don’t have one of these, it’s almost impossible to groom.
5. Grooming Scissors: Invest in a good, sharp pair of scissors to avoid mistakes!  
6. Steel Grooming Comb: This is utilized for clearing out mattes. Steel combs are cheap and each Cockapoo owner needs to have one.
7. Cutting Shears: Shapes areas of the dog your razor can’t get.
8. Dog Nail Grinder or Dog Nail Clipper:  Low-sound nail grinders function the greatest and make certain you don’t cut too much nail off your pet and cause them to bleed.

Optional Cockapoo Grooming Tools

1. Blade Coolant and Lubricant: Many puppy hair clippers will include a little bottle.  You will need more after your initial Cockapoo grooming session.  
2. Bully sticks: Bully sticks are excellent treats to provide a distraction for your dog.
3. Thinning Shears: Most people have scissors, but thinning shears even out the short and long hair together.
4. Quick Dry Dog Towel: Quick-drying towels are best so you don’t need to wait forever after washing your Cockapoo.  
5. Detangler: Just brush and spray.  Helps remove mattes.
6. Pet Grooming Gloves: These are fantastic for bathing and grooming.  

How to Groom a Cockapoo?

Let us get started grooming your Cockapoo.  If this is the first time, I would allocate at least three full hours to groom your Cockapoo from bathing to hair cutting to nail trimming.  You are going to get faster the more times you do it.

Tips to Groom your Cockapoo

1. Let your Cockapoo observe and smell the equipment.  They need to get used to the equipment or they will squirm, squeal, and wiggle! 
2. Have a great deal of patience. The very first time grooming your Cockapoo is probably going to be hard.   Don’t worry, it gets easier!   
3. Always have tons of dog treats ready.  We recommend the bully stick to distract your dog for 30 to 45 minutes. 

Check out this video tutorial for Cockapoo grooming:

Cockapoo Bathing

Cockapoo grooming is always going to start with a bath. Bathing with a shampoo and conditioner makes it much easier to brush and comb through your Cockapoos tangles and mattes.  You likely have given your dog a bath before, but if you haven’t then spray some water on your dog’s hair and get the shampoo and conditioner prepared!  Simply wash your dog and lather shampoo into your dog’s hair.  Try to avoid your dog’s eyes since they’re usually sensitive to shampoo. Then rinse off the shampoo from your Cockapoo and apply the conditioner.  Once you rinse your dog, be sure to dry them off with a towel.

Setup Cockapoo Grooming Equipment

1. Attach your Cockapoo to the pet grooming table or puppy leash. Using an elevated surface helps a lot because it is going to stop your dog from jumping off the table. Additionally, you won’t need to bend over for a substantial amount of time.  
2. Place your gear on the table so your Cockapoo can view it.   As soon as they begin recognizing the gear they will slowly become more cooperative over time.  
3. Give your dog some long-lasting treats such as a bully horn or stick whenever they aren’t cooperating.  This usually lasts 30 to 45 minutes if you can have a partner hold the treat.

Occasionally Cockapoos do not cooperate too well and you’ll have to use a muzzle to stop them from nibbling at you. Positive reinforcement is helpful, though – your dog can be convinced to work with you, not against you! 

Cockapoo Brushing

You are going to want to brush your Cockapoo prior to using the dog hair clippers. If you don’t get the mattes and tangles out, then you definitely won’t be able to shave through them.  In addition, the hair length won’t be even if you don’t remove all of the mattes. Once you eliminate the majority of the mattes then you can get prepared to groom your Cockapoo.

Grooming your Cockapoo

1. Attach the blade to the hair clipper.  In general, always begin with a longer blade because you can cut the hair shorter if needed.  I personally like to begin with a blade size #5 (¼ of an inch).  In case your Cockapoo’s hair is super tangled and matted, you are going to need to use a smaller size because the blade won’t be able to go through mattes.  
2. Put your Cockapoo in the sitting posture. This is the easiest position to groom their backside.  

Grooming a Cockapoos Back

1. When your Cockapoo is in the sitting posture, begin at the top of their back and work your way down to their behind. Always go in this direction as it is easiest for your blades to cut.  Your Cockapoo back and sides will be all one size so that you don’t have to think about altering the blade dimensions.  
2. If your Cockapoo has been cooperative while you’re grooming, try cutting their leg hair in a downward direction.    

Cockapoo Belly Grooming

1. Move your puppy to a standing posture. This normally involves pushing up their buttocks or giving them a saddle to sit on.
2. Most people like the belly hair extremely short size since people do not see it and it prevents debris, mud, and mattes from developing in the stomach region.   In addition, during the summertime, your Cockapoo will probably get hot so it’s a good idea to cut their tummy hair shorter.  I typically change out to a blade dimension #10 (1/16 of an inch) or if you would like it longer you can switch to a blade size #7.  
3. Reduce as much belly hair as you can starting from the torso region and working your way down.   Be sure to not harm your dog’s private parts.  You can switch shaving directions if needed since the stomach hair is generally not as dense as the back hair.  

Cockapoo Leg Grooming

1. It’s usually a good idea to keep your Cockapoo’s leg hair shorter. When he plays outside, dirt, sticks, grass, and more will stick to his fur. Your dog is likely to stay cleaner with shorter hair.  I prefer using blade dimensions #7 (⅛ of an inch) or #5 if you want it longer and combine this shorter hair in with the longer body hair.  
2. Set your puppy in the standing position.  Use a dog saddle or puppy stand to help your puppy stand up if they constantly want to sit down.  
3. When trimming your dog’s hair, always start from the top of the leg and work your way down to the paw. This helps to make certain you aren’t “pulling” at the hair as much and cutting it even.  Pulling the hair will create a great deal of distress and your Cockapoo won’t wish to be groomed.  

Cockapoo Paw Grooming

1. Underneath your Cockapoo’s paw could be among the most matted areas since this area is tough to brush on a daily basis.   I usually try to shave as much hair beneath the paw as possible.  With a #10 blade size or utilizing no blade would be the smartest choice.  
2. In case your Cockapoo does not like its paws groomed and they’re continuously moving, you may have to use your shears or scissors.
3. Use the shears to cut around the sides of a Cockapoo’s paw.   This also gives the hair a nice uniform round look.  You can also touch up various places that you missed with the razor.  

Cockapoo Ear Grooming

1. The ears are one of the most sensitive areas in a Cockapoo.   In addition, the ears will also be among the easiest places to cut your dog’s skin so be extra careful when grooming your Cockapoos ears.   Start with a smaller blade around size #5 (¼ of an inch) or less.  Ear hair is usually shorter than the rest of the body.  
2. Start on the top of the ear (near the surface of the head) and work your way downward.  
3. Use scissors and shears near the ends of their ear to provide a uniform and round appearance the razor can not give. 

Cockapoo Face Grooming 

1. Make sure to shave underneath the ear as well.  A blade size #3 (½ of an inch) will work well when shaving a Cockapoo’s face.  Generally, the facial hair is left a little longer.
2. Start from the top of your Cockapoos face and operate the razor in a downward motion toward his mouth.   Be sure to hold your dog’s ear out of the way.   Utilize the ballpoint or dull finish scissors to cut the hair around your Cockapoo’s eyes.

Cockapoo Tail Grooming

1. If your puppy is cooperative then you can use the largest razor blade size you have to trim the tail. Start from close to the buttocks area and work your way near the end of the tail.  
2. If your puppy isn’t cooperative, you will probably need to use scissors or shears to cut your Cockapoos tail hair.  
3. A Cockapoo’s tail hair should be left a little bit longer. If you think it’s too long you can use the thinning shears to make it look shorter.

Cockapoo Nail Trimming

1. Since you cut the hair around your Cockapoo’s paws, there should be little to no hair to get in the way of nail trimming.   It is highly recommended you do the nail trimming after grooming your Cockapoo so that you don’t cut too much nail and make your dog’s nails bleed.  
2. Utilize the nail grinder or nail clipper to cut your own Cockapoos nails.  Silent nail grinders tend to work best.

Cockapoo Grooming: Finishing Touches

1. Brush all the parts of your dog using a slicker brush.  
2. Comb your Cockapoo.
3. Make sure all the hair length is relatively even.
4. Use a razor or shears to round out any areas that you think are not complete.

Conclusion for Cockapoo Grooming Guide

If this is your first time, Cockapoo grooming can be an an extremely difficult procedure that will take you a few hours.   Don’t worry, grooming your Cockapoo does get faster once you’ve got the proper tools and your pet gets used to grooming.  You can generally finish an entire grooming session in roughly an hour and a half once you know what you’re doing.   In my view, grooming your Cockapoo isn’t only enjoyable, but it also saves you a lot of money.  The groomers can cost $120+ per grooming session.  You can groom your Cockapoo anytime and save money following the one-time initial investment.

Other articles you’d enjoy:

1. Best Dog Food for a Cockapoo
2. Best Types of Cockapoo Haircuts
3. Best Horns for Dogs to Chew on
4. Best Onsie For Dogs

Frequently Asked Questions

Sabrina Kong, DVM, Veterinarian

Dr. Sabrina Kong graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in England in 2016 and has been working at a small animal clinic in Northern California since then. She grew up in the Bay Area and got her bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She also became a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner through a program at the University of Tennessee.

When she isn’t in the clinic taking care of her four-legged patients, she enjoys traveling and trying new foods with her friends and her three-legged dog, Apollo. She adopted Apollo from her clinic when he was a puppy with numerous health issues. Dr. Kong truly cares about taking care of animals.