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