Cockapoo Grooming Guide: Coat Types, Brushing and How Often to Groom
Dog LoveThe Cockapoo grooming guide, from a groomer's chair
A Cockapoo is a Cocker Spaniel crossed with a Poodle, which is the same cross most Australian breeders sell as a Spoodle. One arrives with silky hair that falls flat and almost looks after itself; the next arrives in tight curls that have already locked up behind both ears. We groom the whole range every week in Tranmere, and the routine that works is the one that matches the coat in front of you.
Groom the coat, not the cross
Work out which of the three coats your Cockapoo carries, then follow that coat's routine. Whichever one you have, the ears come first.
- Silky or straight coat (Cocker side): brush twice a week, ear feathering every second day. Salon every eight weeks.
- Wavy fleece coat (the most common): brush every second or third day. Salon every six to eight weeks.
- Curly or wool coat (Poodle side): brush daily. Salon every four to six weeks.
- Somewhere in between? Follow the curlier routine.
In this guide
Cockapoo or Spoodle? The same cross under two names
If you came here after reading about Spoodles, you are in the right place. Same cross, same coat, same grooming routine.
A Cockapoo is a Cocker Spaniel crossed with a Poodle, which is exactly the cross Australian breeders usually list as a Spoodle. Overseas the word Cockapoo won, here Spoodle did, and on our table they are one and the same. What neither name tells you is the coat, because a cross hands down whatever it likes from both sides.
The name tells you the cross. Your comb tells you the coat.
Three things do shift what lands in front of us:
- Which Cocker parent. An English Cocker brings a bigger frame and a longer muzzle. An American Cocker brings a rounder head and heavier feathering on the ears and legs, which means more brushing.
- Which Poodle parent. Toy or Miniature, and that decides the finished size more than anything else. Most Cockapoos we see settle between four and twelve kilos.
- How many Poodle crosses back. A first cross can land anywhere. A dog crossed back to a Poodle is usually curlier and mats faster, so the brushing goes up rather than down.
Not sure which coat you have? Our guide on telling a fleece coat from a curly coat walks through a hands on test that takes about thirty seconds, and our Spoodle grooming guide covers the same cross under its Australian name if that is the word you use at home.
The three Cockapoo coat types and how each one behaves
Two parents, two completely different kinds of hair, and a cross that shuffles them freely from one puppy to the next.
The silky or straight coat
Fine hair that falls flat against the body and shines rather than springs. The least work of the three on the body, and the most work on the edges.
- It sheds, and that surprises people. A Cockapoo that takes after the Cocker side drops hair steadily all year, so brushing is about loose hair as much as knots.
- The feathering is the real job. Long fine hair on the ears, chest, the backs of the legs, the belly and the tail. That is where every knot on this coat starts.
- It knots quietly. Flat hair hides a mat against the skin beautifully, so you find it with a comb rather than with your eyes.
- Thinning loose hair out? A brush, a deshedding comb and a release spray. Never a rake or a blade tool, because those cut the top layer and leave the loose hair where it was. Our guide to what deshedding actually is covers the rest.
The curly or wool coat
Tight springy curls close to the body that hold their shape when pressed. It sheds almost nothing, which sounds like a gift until you learn where the shed hair goes instead.
- Loose hair stays in the coat. It cannot fall out, so it twists around the curls holding it and locks, usually close to the skin where you cannot see it.
- It mats everywhere. Not only at friction points: across the back, down the legs, over the whole chest.
- Damp is the danger. A curly coat felts fastest while it dries, so comb it through after a wet walk or a swim once your dog is properly dry.
- Daily brushing is the truthful answer, with a full groom every four to six weeks.
- A dematting rake earns its place here. Used lightly, and only on a knot you can already slide with your fingers.
And the coat in the middle
The wavy fleece coat is where most Cockapoos land, and it is the one people picture when they picture the breed. Soft and open enough to part to the skin, curly enough to knot if a week gets away from you, and usually carrying the Cocker feathering on the ears and legs. Brushing every second or third day and a full groom every six to eight weeks keeps it comfortable.
Cockapoo coat types compared: shedding, brushing and grooming
One table for the fridge. Work down the left column, see which column your dog keeps landing in, and take that routine as yours.
| Checking | Silky or straight | Wavy fleece | Curly or wool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shape of the hair | Flat, falls with gravity | Loose open wave | Tight defined curl |
| Feel in your hand | Fine and slippery | Soft, almost cottony | Springy and dense |
| Shedding | Steady all year | Light | Almost none |
| Where it knots | Feathering only | Friction points | All over |
| Brushing at home | Twice a week, ears every second day | Every second or third day | Daily |
| In the salon every | Eight weeks | Six to eight weeks | Four to six weeks |
| What the salon does | Full groom, feathering tidied | Full groom | Full groom |
| Matting risk | Moderate, worst in the feathering | Moderate, at friction points | High, and fastest when damp |
The five places a Cockapoo gets matted first
Whichever coat you have, trouble starts in the same handful of spots, and on this cross the ears are in a league of their own. Comb these every week, in this order, and you will catch almost everything early.
- The ears, inside and out. The Cocker side gives long low set ears carrying heavy feathering, and that hair rubs against the head all day. The ear itself can knot underneath, where you will not see it unless you lift it and part the hair.
- Behind and under the ears. Warm, soft hair that rubs against itself all day. This is the single most common mat we cut out of this cross.
- The armpits and the chest. Hair that moves against itself with every stride, plus whatever a harness or collar rests against.
- The leg feathering and the trousers. Long fine hair down the back of the legs and around the back end, which picks up damp grass and holds it.
- Under the collar and wherever gear sits. Steady friction in one narrow band, hour after hour.
A Cockapoo grooming routine at home, and the Adelaide bits nobody warns you about
The tools are the easy part. The method, the ears and the local hazards decide how the coat looks in six weeks.
Three tools for every coat
- A slicker brush to open the coat.
- A metal comb to check your work.
- A detangling spray so the hair slides instead of snapping. Our Dogify Detangling Spray is what we reach for on the table, because a dry coat is where most breakage happens.
- Fleece or curly coat? Add a dematting rake for stubborn spots, used lightly.
The comb has the final say
Work in small sections and brush from the skin outwards rather than skimming the top. Finish every section with the comb. If it reaches the skin, that section is done; if it stops partway, the knot is still sitting underneath.
Our guide on how to brush an oodle properly at home walks through the sequence, and how often to groom an oodle sets the salon rhythm around it.
What the week actually looks like
Ears and face
Lift both ears, look underneath and comb the feathering through. Wipe the eye corners. Two minutes, and it saves the most coat.
The friction points
Armpits, chest, behind the ears and the back of the legs. A curly coat wants the whole body at this pace.
The full once over
Whole body in sections, nails and paw pads checked. Knots found on a Sunday comb out; knots found in a fortnight do not.
The salon
A full groom, or a Tidy Up in between: a bath and blow dry, plus eyes cleaned, paws shaped, paw pads shaved and the sanitary area cleaned.
The ears deserve their own paragraph
This is the one place a Cockapoo genuinely differs from most other oodles. Long heavy ears sit flat against the head and hold warmth and moisture in, and the Poodle side can add hair inside the canal. None of that means your dog will have a problem. It means the ears are worth a daily look.
Keep them dry after baths, swims and rain, lift them and let air at them while you are on the couch, and comb the feathering so it is not matting against the opening. We only pluck hair from inside the ear when a vet has advised it for that particular dog. Head shaking, scratching, a smell or redness is a vet visit rather than a grooming fix, and our article on why dogs keep getting ear infections explains what sits behind the repeat ones.
The Adelaide bits
- Grass seeds. A real problem for this cross, because ear feathering and long trousers are exactly the shape that catches them. From spring to the end of summer, check the feet, between the toes, the armpits, the ear openings and the back legs after any walk through dry grass. Get a seed out the day you find it.
- Beach and river days. Most Cockapoos inherit the Cocker love of water, and salt and sand grind into the coat while it dries. A fleece or curly coat felts fastest at exactly that moment. Rinse, dry properly, then comb. Our Adelaide summer grooming guide has the rest of the warm weather routine.
Two more things the cross brings with it
- Tear staining. Pale faces show it most. Wipe the eye corners daily with a damp cloth and keep the hair there short enough that it is not wicking moisture down the face. Persistent weeping is worth mentioning to your vet.
- Teeth cleaning. A small daily habit is worth far more than anything done occasionally. Get a finger brush onto the outside surfaces while your dog is young and relaxed about being handled.
Cockapoo grooming questions we hear in the salon
Is a Cockapoo the same as a Spoodle?
Yes. Both names describe a Cocker Spaniel crossed with a Poodle. Cockapoo is the name used overseas and Spoodle is the one most Australian breeders use, and the grooming routine is identical either way. If you have been reading about one and your paperwork says the other, nothing changes.
Do Cockapoos shed?
Some do, and more than people expect. A silky or straight coat takes after the Cocker side and sheds steadily all year. A curly or wool coat sheds almost nothing, and a wavy fleece coat sheds lightly. Low shedding is a fair expectation for those two coats; no shedding is not, and no Cockapoo is guaranteed either.
How often should a Cockapoo be groomed?
A curly coat wants a full groom every four to six weeks. A wavy fleece coat sits comfortably at six to eight weeks, and a silky coat can usually stretch to eight. Whatever the coat, the ears and the feathering set the pace, because they need attention well before the back does.
How often should I brush a Cockapoo?
Daily for a curly coat, every second or third day for a wavy fleece coat, and twice a week for a silky coat, with the ear feathering combed every second day whatever the body coat is doing. If your dog sits between two coats, follow the curlier routine. Five honest minutes most days beats an hour on a Sunday, because a knot caught early combs out and a knot left for a week does not.
Where do Cockapoos get matted?
Five places: the ears inside and out, behind and under the ears, the armpits and chest, the leg feathering and trousers, and under the collar or wherever gear sits. Push a knot sideways with your fingers. If it slides, combing with a detangling spray will clear it. If it feels fixed against the skin, it is a job for a groomer.
Why do Cockapoos get ear problems?
Long heavy ears sit flat against the head, which holds warmth and moisture in, and the Poodle side can add hair inside the canal. Keep the ears dry after baths and swims, lift them to let air in, and comb the feathering so it is not matting against the opening. Head shaking, scratching, redness or a smell is a vet visit rather than a grooming fix, and we only pluck ear hair when a vet has advised it for that dog.
When does a Cockapoo's coat change?
Somewhere between eight and fourteen months for most dogs. The soft, forgiving puppy coat gives way to the adult coat, and brushing suddenly gets harder. If your Cockapoo has started knotting after a year of easy brushing, that change is almost always why. Nothing has gone wrong, but check the coat type again, because it may not be the one you started with.