How To Groom A Cavapoochon [Step By Step Guide]

Have you recently got yourself a Cavapoochon, the gorgeously cute hybrid breed of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Toy Poodle, and Bichon Frise? Then you can expect a plush, curly coat! But that certainly means you must remain on top of grooming. And today, I’m going to be explaining exactly how to do so. 

So, how do you groom a Cavapoochon? Grooming your Cavapoochon includes brushing, bathing, tooth brushing, and nail trims. While brushing should be done daily, the other steps need to be completed less frequently. Setting up a schedule for when you complete each step – will keep your Cavapoochon clean and cuddly.

I’ll be covering all you need to do from home, but it’s also important that you plan to have your Cavapoochon professionally groomed every six to eight weeks.

That will keep the coat in tip-top condition.

So with this in mind, let’s take a closer look at the coat of the breed before turning to what it means for grooming (and all the steps you need to take). 

What Type Of Coat Do Cavapoochons Have?

Carefully bred Cavapoochons should have what is known as a fleece coat. Fleece coats are known for being extremely soft and are normally quite curly or wavy too.

A Cavapoochon’s fleece coat means that the coat is single-layered – with no dense undercoat of hair like that of a Golden Retriever or Husky.

This means that Cavapoochons are not heavy shedders.

Due to the fact that Cavapoochons do not shed much, they are considered by many to be hypoallergenic dogs. 

People who find themselves allergic to many dog breeds are often happy to find themselves unbothered by the low-shed, low-pet dander coat of a Cavapoochon.

Even though a Cavapoochon has a very soft single-layered coat, the hair can tangle and mat into tight knots near the skin if left unbrushed.

The hair also grows throughout a dog’s life and stays healthy and neat with regular trims.

The tendency for the hair to form tangles and mats means that Cavapoochons are dogs that need regular grooming – especially around their face, paws, and hygiene areas.

Cavapoochons often have a warm apricot (golden-red) coat color. Others may have a blend of apricot with white patches on the chest, feet, or ears.

Cavapoochons may also be found in black, sable, black and white patterns, chestnut, and shades of cream.

Finding a Cavapoochon with a coat color you adore shouldn’t be a difficult task!

How Often Should You Groom A Cavapoochon?

At home, daily grooming is the most important part of keeping your Cavapoochon’s coat shiny and healthy. Even with at-home grooming, Cavapoochon owners should plan for their dog to visit a professional groomer on a regular six or eight-week schedule for a deep cleansing bath, full body hair trim, and to make sure no mats are forming in their soft curly coat.

Gentle bathing is often necessary at home about three weeks after professional grooming.

This helps your Cavapoochon to keep smelling its best and lowers the chances of stained fur on lighter-colored dogs.

Puppies will need to have their nails trimmed more frequently than adult dogs. Toothbrushing on a regular schedule will help prevent tooth decay.

Some owners may also choose to trim their Cavapoochon’s facial hair at home.

Let’s look more closely at how often these steps should be on your care calendar and why.

Brushing

There is a lot to love about a Cavapoochon’s soft velvet coat of curls, but to keep their coat at its best, you will need to plan for daily brushing.

When a dog is gently brushed each day, mats and tangles don’t have a chance to grow into hair that is so twisted it must be cut or shaved.

Daily brushing also helps you keep an eye on the health of your dog’s skin and make a note of any sore spots or cuts your dog may have.

By brushing your Cavapoochon every day, you can keep your brushing sessions short and pleasant.

Making brushing into a positive experience for you and your dog reaps the rewards of becoming a healthy bonding time for you and your pup.

A Cavapoochon that knows your routine and can learn to expect to brush as part of its daily routine will be more relaxed for all aspects of grooming, whether it is brushing, bathing, or nail trimming. 

If you do need to miss a day of brushing, or your schedule only allows for every other day brushing, don’t panic; your Cavapoochon will be just fine.

Going much longer than 2-3 days between brushings on a regular basis could lead to tangles that are hard or painful to remove.

Need a brush for your Cacapoochon? -> Best Brush For Cavapoochon [My #1 Pick And Buyers Guide]

Bathing

When your Cavapoochon goes to their six or eight-week grooming appointment, they should be given a full body deep clean by a skilled professional.

At home between appointments, you may find that a gentle bath every 3-4 weeks keeps your Cavapoochon smelling fresh.

Cavapoochons, like almost any dog breed, enjoy outdoor play and may get quite dirty. It is okay to use water to rinse off your Cavapoochon more frequently than once every 3-4 weeks, but you will want to hold off on using soap too often.

Over shampooing your Cavapoochon’s coat can make the coat brittle and dry, as well as irritate your dog’s skin.

If you notice that your Cavapoochon is regularly getting their paws or belly muddy and dirty, try using a warm wet cloth to give them a spot clean in place of a full bath.

Nail Trimming

Some owners will choose to leave nail trimming to a professional groomer. However, young dogs can have nails that grow quite quickly and need to be trimmed every three to four weeks. 

The best plan is to inspect your Cavapoochon’s nails closely every two weeks. Check for any extremely sharp points that may harm your floors and furniture.

Also, look for nails that may be curling under and making it hard for your dog to walk normally.

If you notice that your Cavapoochon has nails that need attention, you certainly can file or trim them at home using tools designed for dog nails.

Other owners will choose to get in touch with their groomer, who will often offer “nail only” appointments for a smaller fee than a full groom.

At a minimum, you should plan for your dog to receive nail filing or trimming every six to eight weeks.

Tooth Brushing

Dental disease is more common in small breeds, such as Cavapoochons than in large breeds.

Brushing your Cavapoochon’s teeth at least once a week can greatly lower the risk of dental problems.

Many owners will brush their dog’s teeth daily as a start or finish to their brushing routine.

It may seem silly to brush a dog’s teeth, but this is a routine they can get used to and receive benefits from.

Trimming Facial and Paw Hair

Trimming a Cavapoochon’s hair every six to eight weeks is recommended.

This is often done by a groomer, but more frequent touch-ups (every 3-4 weeks) can also be done at home.

Smaller Toy and Spaniel breeds have a surprising amount of facial hair. The hair on the face of dogs such as Cavapoochons can grow long on the top of the head, around the eyes, and across the muzzle. 

Trimming this hair on a regular basis helps these dogs to see well and keeps their hair from getting a build-up of food and tangles around their mouths.

Hair on Cavapoochons can also get long around their feet and the pads of their paws.

Trimming this hair helps keep dirt from clinging to the bottom of your dog’s feet and keeps up a neat and tidy appearance for your pretty pup.

When To Begin Grooming Your Cavapoochon

Daily brushing of your Cavapoochon can begin as soon as your first day home. Gentle brushing is a great first bonding experience even if your dog spends more time trying to play with the brush than letting you complete your task.

The earlier you start introducing routines such as hair and tooth brushing, baths, and nail trims the easier it will be for your dog to find relaxing predictability in your grooming plan.

Cavapoochons should be introduced to your groomer of choice shortly after their first puppy shots, usually by about 12 weeks of age.

The first visit should be short and an opportunity for your dog to meet their groomer, see the grooming space and be introduced to grooming tools in a non-threatening way.

Starting grooming practices as soon as possible sets both you and your Cavapoochon up for a positive life of health, happiness, and beauty!

How To Groom A Cavapoochon

To groom your Cavapoochon at home, you will want to know how to brush their coat and teeth, safely give them a bath, and trim their nails and facial hair.

Each grooming step is best done in careful order to ensure your dog’s coat is clean, soft, and tangle-free.

At first, grooming may seem like a big task, but if you follow the steps below, you will find grooming to be a breeze in no time.

Brush Your Cavapoochon

Daily brushing should be a part of your Cavapoochon’s regular care.

Daily brushing helps you bond with your dog, builds a positive relationship with other grooming steps, and prevents their coat from becoming impossibly tangled.

Another important time to brush your Cavapoochon is before a bath. When doing a full grooming session at home, brushing should always be the first step.

When a dog’s fur gets wet, any tangles or mats can become tighter and hard to remove. Brushing these out before bathing will keep your dog from needing painful mat removal later.

A slicker brush, like this particular one on Amazon, is the perfect brush for grooming Cavapoochons. 

The closely packed pins will remove debris and loosen knots in your dog’s hair.

This is great for use across all of your dog’s body. Though, if using near the face or other sensitive areas, you will however, want to use gentle strokes.

This brush will not only effectively remove tangles, but also smooth and shine the hair, bringing up oils and distributing them evenly throughout your Cavapoochon’s coat.

If you find tangles that do not easily release with your brush, you have two options.

If the tangle is at the ends of your dog’s coat, away from the skin, you may use shears to carefully trim out the tangled pieces.

If the tangle has formed a mat near your dog’s skin, you will want to contact your groomer for assistance in carefully shaving the mat away.

Continuing to brush out heavy knots and mats can cause your dog pain and may make the tangle worse.

To help make brushing a positive experience choose a time and place where both you and your Cavapoochon will feel relaxed and unrushed. 

After the tangles are removed and the coat is smooth, you are ready to give a bath.

Give Your Cavapoochon A Gentle Bath

The second part of grooming a Cavapoochon involves a gentle bath to remove any built-up mud or dirt in the dog’s coat. 

Young Cavapoochons may be nervous or flighty during their first few baths.

Once they have had several baths with you, they will usually settle into a more relaxed bathtime routine.

Consider bathing your Cavapoochon in a deep-sided bathtub or sink. This will encourage your pup to stay in their bath instead of trying to escape.

Choose a location that you can easily reach into with your hands and arms to access your dog.

To start bathing, you will want to wet down your dog’s body from their neck out across their body and tail.

You will also want to make sure their legs and paws are thoroughly rinsed with water.

The best bath water for a dog is warm to the touch. Test the temperature of the water with the back of your hand before using it on your dog. 

Warm water is more effective than cold water at removing mud and dirt, but water that is too hot can cause burns, while water that is too cold simply isn’t comfortable. 

If you prefer to soak your dog in a tub of water, fill the tub only to the middle of your dog’s chest. This water level will wash the dog’s body but keep water from getting into their ears or eyes.

One useful tool for bathing is a spray nozzle. When bathing your dog, you can use the spray nozzle to focus on specific areas of your dog’s body that need to be scrubbed or rinsed.

Be careful not to spray your dog in the face as this could scare them or put water into their sensitive ears.

Once your dog’s body is wet, you can use a soft, damp cloth to gently wipe their face around the mouth, eyes, and ears.

Now that your dog is wet, you will want to apply soap to their coat.

Squirt soap into your palm to about the size of a quarter, lather to create bubbles, and then use your hands and fingers to massage the soap into the coat.

Applying the soap in order from the shoulders, down the legs, and across the body and tail helps to make sure you have given attention to each area of the dog.

Use only shampoo that is designed for dogs, like this bestseller on Amazon.

These shampoos can be found at major retailers and specialty pet stores. Human soaps may contain chemicals that are too harsh for your dog’s skin.

Finish off bath time with a final careful rinse. This rinse should be continued until all of the water coming off your dog is running clear.

Leaving soap behind on your dog can create a residue build-up that makes your dog itchy and uncomfortable.

Dry Your Cavapoochon With A Towel

After the rinse water runs clean, you are ready to dry your Cavapoochon with a towel.

Taking your dog from the tub directly to a towel helps them stay warm and can lessen the amount of coat shaking your Cavapoochon does.

It can be tempting to grab a hair dryer to help your Cavapoochon dry more quickly, but these can pose some risks for dogs.

Home hair dryers can get very hot and may burn your Cavapoochon’s body or cause overheating. They are also loud and can end a bath with a scary instead of a pleasant experience.

Towels do a great job of drying small fleece-coated dogs such as Cavapoochons and will not put your dog in harm’s way.

Brush Your Cavapoochon’s Teeth

Some owners may already do daily teeth brushing, but if you don’t brush daily, bath time is a great chance to help your dog fight off tooth decay.

Apply a pea-sized amount of toothpaste designed for dogs (like this from Amazon) to a small soft toothbrush.

Use your fingers to part your dog’s lips and begin brushing in small gentle circles from the back to the front.. Repeat this on the other side of your dog’s mouth.

Many dog toothpastes are designed to not need rinsing.

Your dog can simply lick away any toothpaste left behind during brushing. If you prefer, you can use a rinsed wet toothbrush to go over the teeth and remove toothpaste after brushing.

Make sure to purchase your toothpaste from a pet store that sells paste designed for dogs.

Human toothpaste is not safe for dogs and may cause an upset stomach or other signs of illness if used on a dog.

The best toothbrush is often a simple toddler or baby toothbrush from your local pharmacy or home store.

When first brushing your dog’s teeth, you may find that they want to chew on or lick the brush.

This is normal as they explore this new process. Over time they will become used to this process and will usually make toothbrushing an easier process.

Care For Your Cavapoochon’s Ears and Eyes

Take care of your Cavapoochon’s ears and eyes by inspecting them for signs of infection (ears) and wiping down the fur around them with a wet cloth (eyes). 

Use a warm wet cloth to wipe along your Cavapoochon’s eyes and nose. Small dog breeds often have eyes that water easily, which results in stained hair on the face. A frequent wipe with a wet cloth can remove these marks. 

If your dog has heavy stains, talk with your groomer about a safe solution for stain removal.

Lift your dog’s ears and look inside of them.

The inside of a dog’s ear shouldn’t have visible dirt and should be a light pink. If the inside of the ear is red, waxy, or has a bad smell, talk to your vet about a possible ear infection.

Consider Trimming Your Cavapoochon’s Nails

Your groomer should trim or file your Cavapoochon’s nails at each appointment.

Your Cavapoochon may need additional nail files and trims between appointments – especially if they are a puppy with sharp, quick-growing nails.

When you bathe your Cavapoochon take a minute as it dries to inspect its nails.

Feel the tips to check for sharpness. Very sharp nails can scratch floors, furniture, or people.

Even if your Cavapoochon’s nails are not sharp, they may overgrow and curl under, making it hard for your dog to walk.

If you notice your dog’s nails curling, it is time for a trim.

Pet stores sell nail trimmers that are designed to easily clip the unique size and shape of dog nails.

Many stores also sell electric files that can be used to gently grind down sharp points on dog nails.

When trimming at home, you will want to only trim about 1/16th of an inch off your dog’s nail.

This is enough to take off sharp points, but not so long that you risk cutting into the quick, which can lead to bleeding.

If you accidentally cut too far back and notice bleeding, use pressure with a cotton ball on the nail to stop bleeding.

Applying a powder such as corn starch to the spot can also help stop bleeding. Call a vet for any bleeding that lasts longer than 5 – 10 minutes.

Give A Post-Bath Brush

Now that your Cavapoochon is smelling wonderful from a bath and has clean ears and eyes, it is time to wrap things up with one more brushing.

Brushing with the detangling pins of your brush after a bath removes any tangles that formed during washing and fluffs back up your pup’s cute coat. 

Using the soft bristle side of your two-sided brush will encourage your dog’s coat oils to spread evenly through the fur and keep your dog shiny and soft. 

How Do You Groom A Cavapoochon Face?

To groom a Cavapoochon face, you will need a fine tooth comb, a pair of sharp round-tipped hair trimmers, and a patient, gentle touch.

Start by combing the hair on your Cavapoochon’s muzzle.

Many Cavapoochon have longer hair around their muzzle/mouth that makes a soft fluffy beard. A fine tooth comb does a good job of removing tangles from this hair.

The top of your Cavapoochon’s head and any long hair over the ears will need to be combed as well.

Go slowly and carefully along the direction of the hair to avoid accidentally causing your dog pain and discomfort.

Sometimes a Cavapoochon’s face and head hair can get so long it is hard for them to see. Trimming this hair will keep it out of your dog’s eyes. 

Run the hair along the top of your Cavapoochon’s hair between your middle and index finger, lifting up and away from your dog’s face.

Use your remaining fingers on this hand to gently cover your dog’s eyes. 

Slide your fingers up the hair until you reach the desired length.

With your free hand, trim any remaining hair sticking out past your fingers by flat across your fingers. Allow the hair to fall down flat to check its length. 

Start with small trims to avoid accidentally cutting the hair too short. If you do cut the hair shorter than desired, take a deep breath, it will grow back before you know it.

You may also want to trim the hair around your Cavapoochon’s muzzle.

If this “beard” hair is getting long and stringy, you can use your trimmers to trim back gently along the jawline. Shortening this hair keeps it from getting wet when drinking and dirty when eating.

If your dog resists facial trimming, let them take a break.

A dog that is trying to escape grooming could get harmed with the comb or shears.

Consult your groomer for ways to help your dog adjust to grooming at home.

What Is The Best Cut For A Cavapoochon?

The cut you most often see on Cavapoochons is known as a “teddy bear” cut. This cut is popular among curly fleece-coated breeds because it truly does make your pup look like a living stuffed animal.

Teddy Bear Cut

You should expect a teddy bear cut to be short (but still fluffy) across your Cavapoochon’s body and legs.

The head is the centerpiece of the teddy bear cut and is trimmed into a full round shape that is as adorable as any teddy bear.

Lamb Cut

For something with a bit more variety, an owner can opt for a lamb cut. This cut has a very short body with fluffy longer legs and rounded paws.

Many owners like this cut during the warmer months. The lamb cut will give your pup a more Poodle-like appearance than a teddy bear cut.

Puppy Cut

The third most common option, but one that requires the most grooming to stay tangle free, is the puppy cut. 

The puppy cut keeps hair length the same over the entire dog and can be set to different lengths depending on the amount of grooming you want to do at home.

This look is popular because it does help a dog keep their innocent young puppy looking for quite some time.

Summer Cut

Owners who want the most low-maintenance cut will love having their Cavapoochon trimmed into a summer cut.

A summer cut keeps hair very short over the entire body. This cut is easy to clean and rarely tangles but does lack some of the cute, cuddly factor of other cuts. 

Grooming – An Act Of Love

It’s true, grooming a Cavapoochon at home requires a commitment to routine and some patience to learn.

However, once you have found a plan that works for you and your dog, the time spent grooming is one of the best ways to bond with your pet.

Grooming shows our dogs that we love them as we spend regular time with them and help them to stay healthy.

Grooming also helps us monitor our dogs for any other signs of injury or illness.

I hope that you will love having a Cavapoochon and spending time with them through grooming at home.

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