I have to be honest; I did not realise how much you have to keep on top of grooming a Cockapoos coat! So, Lottie is not as curly as some Cockapoos, but she can get VERY matted very easily if her brushing is not maintained regularly! I brush Lottie every couple of days, for as long as she will allow me! And it takes a lot of bribing! I have a dog chew toy (which can also be used for brushing their teeth) that I smother in peanut butter that I hold whilst we brush her, and we’ve found that keeps her entertained for the longest! She makes it known when she’s had enough and that’s when I stop.
We have also just started using a tangle tamer and the tangle teaser, these are designe for human hair but found they work wonders on Lottie and has been the best hair brush we have found, they are really easy to use and also beacuse of her sesative skin, they dont scatch or hurt her at all!
I have 2 types of brushes that I use on Lottie, a comb and I use this first to get out cots, and then a flat head brush which I use after to go over her coat which leaves her coat looking lovely and smooth. Both of these brushes were from pets at home, from their Groom Room range, we bought them when she was a puppy and they also came with a flea comb which I use on her in the bath
I also have some detangling spray which is also from Amazon Pro Pooch, and I use this on her when her coat is particularly matted
It has a lovely lemon scent. It helps, but sometimes when the cots are really bad, I have to resort to cutting them out!
When do you need to groom a cockapoo?
Lottie has a groom with a professional groomer every 10 (ish) weeks. This is long enough for her, as I say due to her fur growing too long and becoming matted and difficult to maintain. Also, with Cockapoos, the fur on their face can grow so long that it covers their eyes and so it’s good to keep up with regular grooming so that they can see!
We use a lovely groomer right by where we live, she has a lovely set up with a garden space so that the dogs can run around and play outside also. I know that you can buy home grooming kits and clippers, but I personally wouldn’t consider grooming Lottie myself, I’m happy to leave it to the professionals!
We bath Lottie around every 2 weeks-ish in the summer but in the winter when everywhere just seems to be a mud bath! And she gets so dirty every time we take her for a walk, we have to bath her more frequently. We use Pet Head life’s an itch watermelon shampoo which helps soothe their skin which can be good for cockapoos with their allergies!
We also use wipes on Lotties paws after she has been out for a walk, to give her paws a quick clean when she’s not muddy enough to need a bath, we use these wipes as they are Hypoallergenic and are really soft on the skin, I would 100% reccomend these to anyone who’s cockapoo suffers with allergies of any sorts.
We also went through a period where Lottie would get dry, cracked paws. It didn’t last long, and we can’t quite put our finger on the exact cause, we would just notice small spots of blood coming from her paws after a walk.
After doing some research I came across a paw butter which we used that really helped Lottie and healed her paws quickly. This is not a reoccurring problem for Lottie but if you too find this problem with your dog, here is the link
We use a finger brush to brush Lottie’s teeth. Lottie does not like her teeth being brushed so it’s a real struggle, we found the finger brush to be easier to use than other types of brushes. The finger brush is just a small rubber brush that sits on the end of your finger and it comes with meat flavoured toothpaste.
We try and brush Lottie’s teeth as much as we can manage as we understand the importance of their dental hygiene, but it’s not an easy task! The brush we use it –
I recently came across a grooming glove which you can purchase from lots of online retailers (Google dog grooming glove) and I thought this was a really good idea, so I’ve added it to my list! It’s a glove that you can wear and it has a rubber material that you use to brush over your pet, giving the effect that you’re stroking them too so for dogs, like Lottie, who is not too keen on brushing, I thought they could be more receptive to this! I’ll try it and review once I’ve purchased it!
So if you are considering getting a Cockapoo, please be aware that you will have to keep on top of the brushing of the fur very regularly (every couple of days for us), and a regular full groom (Every 10ish weeks for us, but this will all depend on the type of fur your Cockapoo has and the type of look you like to go for, as we know Cockapoo’s really do vary so much!)
UPDATE – I have purchased the grooming glove! (from Amazon) – and have used it a couple of times on Lottie, she’s not falling for it! Cockapoos are too clever! I have managed to get away with it a bit more than the brushes however she’s not completely accepting it, I’ll keep persevering! I also think it would be really handy to use in the bath.
