How to Groom a Cockapoo

The cockapoo is a breed of dog that is sometimes confused with poodles or cocker spaniels. They have loose, wavy hair and sometimes appear to have mustaches on their faces. Grooming a cockapoo can be a lot of fun. There are a few different things you can do with the dog to make the dog look cute and stand out in a crowd.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton ball
• Dog shampoo
• Towel
• Comb
• Brush
• Cotton swabs
• Scissors
• Dog nail trimmer
• Nail file

Instructions

1. Get down on the floor with your dog. You want to make the grooming process seem like it's not a big deal to your cockapoo. By getting on the floor with the dog, the dog may view this as play. You can easily bond with your dog at the same time.

2. Begin checking your cockapoo's hair for mats. These are sections of hair that have knotted up. This is common in cockapoos, because their hair is quite long.

3. Comb and brush out the mats. You will need both tools to work out the knots. Take your time and do this carefully so that you don't hurt your dog. Use the comb to start working the mat out from the bottom. Slowly work your way up. Never try to brush right through the mat. Once you get the mat out with the comb, you can brush the area. Make sure you do this once per week so that you don't have so many mats that you can't get them out.

4. Get two cotton balls and place them in your cockapoo's ears. Don't push them in too far. The objective is to give your dog a bath without letting water get in its ears. This is important because cockapoos are prone to ear problems.

5. Fill your bathtub with water that goes up to your dog's knees. Use a dog shampoo from your local pet store and give your dog a bath. Be careful not to get any soap in the dogs eyes. Rinse the soap out of the dog's fur and dry him off with a towel. Bathing should be done once per month.

6. Remove the cotton balls from the dog's ears and get out a cotton swab. Use the cotton swab to clean out any wax buildup. You will also need to check for any hairs that may have gotten in the ears and remove them. Just be careful you don't stick the cotton swab to far in to the dog's ears.

7. Trim the dog's hair once per month. You want the dog's hair to stay long, so make sure you keep at least 2 inches of hair flowing off of your pup. If you take your cockapoo to a groomer, make sure you instruct them not to shave your dog.

8. Trim hair away from your dog's ears and eyes, but keep your cockapoo's mustache and goatee intact and at full length.

9. Finally, you need to trim your dog's nails. This is done with a dog nail trimmer, which you can purchase at any pet store. Place the nail trimmer under the dog's nails, watching for where you see pink. Pink is the dogs blood vessels ,and you do not want to cut these. Squeeze the nail trimmers without twisting. Move on to the next nail until they are all trimmed.

10. File your dog's nails with a nail file if you think they are too sharp after trimming.

Tips & Warnings

• You can blow-dry your cockapoo's hair if you use a medium heat.

• Make sure you brush thoroughly underneath the cockapoo's curly waves. If you don't brush close to the skin, then your dog's hair is going to get mats. A lot of mats close to the skin are hard to remove. The only solution may be to shave off the dog's hair.