Cavapoo haircuts: teddy bear, puppy, summer and spaniel
A teddy bear cut, a puppy cut, a summer cut or a spaniel look with long ears. The lengths for each, and how your cavapoo's coat decides which one holds up.
The common cavapoo haircuts are a teddy bear cut, a puppy cut, a short summer cut, and a spaniel look with the ears left long. Your dog's coat decides which one holds up. A curly coat mats fastest and is easiest to live with short. A straight, silky coat mats less and can stay longer, the way a Cavalier's does.
| Cavapoo cut | Body | Face and ears | Brushing at home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teddy bear cut | 1 to 1½ inches | Face full and round, ears blended in | Several times a week |
| Puppy cut | ½ to 1 inch, even all over | Short and rounded | A few times a week |
| Summer cut | About ¼ inch | Short | A quick once-over |
| Spaniel look | Short and neat | Ears, chest and leg feathering left long | Ears and legs most days |
Why the coat decides the cut
A cavapoo is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel crossed with a poodle, and the parents have opposite coats. The AKC breed standards describe the Cavalier's coat as silky and free from curl, with a slight wave allowed, and the poodle's as curly, harsh and dense. A cavapoo's coat can be straight, wavy or curly, and puppies from the same litter can come out different.
Curly coats mat fastest and need brushing close to every day. Wavy coats need it three or four times a week. Straight coats tangle least, though the long hair on the ears and legs still knots. If you can't brush that often, ask for cavapoo haircuts short enough that brushing stays quick, like a puppy cut or a summer cut.
The four common cavapoo haircuts
The teddy bear cut and the puppy cut both clip the body to one even length, with the teddy bear a little longer. If you're weighing a cavapoo puppy cut vs teddy bear cut, the face is the main difference. A teddy bear face is scissored full and round with the ears blended in, and that longer face hair needs combing to stay free of tangles. Puppy cut vs teddy bear cut compares the two on any breed.
A summer cut takes the body down to about a quarter inch. Ask your groomer to leave at least that much rather than shaving to the skin, since the coat shields the skin from sun and helps with heat and cold.
The spaniel look keeps the body and the top of the head short and neat. The ears, chest, belly and backs of the legs stay longer, where a Cavalier grows its feathering. Those long ears need combing most days, or they knot.
How often to groom and brush a cavapoo
Most cavapoos need a full groom every 4 to 6 weeks, and a short puppy cut or summer cut can often go 6 to 8. Between visits, brush down to the skin with a slicker brush, as often as your dog's coat type needs. Preventing matting between grooms walks through the routine.
Where cavapoo mats start
Mats start where hair rubs: behind and inside the ears, in the armpits, under the collar or harness, where the legs meet the body, and around the sanitary area. A mat pulls on the skin and can hide irritation underneath, and a coat matted to the skin usually has to be clipped short, whatever cut you had in mind.
Expect more mats while the puppy coat changes to the adult coat, usually between 6 and 12 months, because the two textures tangle together. Brush more often then, or keep the coat shorter.
A cavapoo puppy's first groom
Most puppies can have a first groom at about 12 to 16 weeks, once their vaccines are up to date. Ask your vet when yours is covered. That visit gets a puppy used to the table, the dryer and having its paws handled, so it's usually a bath, a nail trim and a light tidy of the face and feet rather than a full haircut. Your puppy's first groom covers how to get ready at home.
At Barky Mountain in Lone Tree, we groom cavapoos along with doodles and other poodle mixes (doodle grooming). A full groom starts at $85 for a dog up to 20 pounds and $110 for 20 to 50 pounds, and the final price depends on coat condition. You can request the same groomer every visit. Book a groom.
Common questions
What types of cavapoo haircuts are there?
The common ones are the teddy bear cut, the puppy cut, the summer cut and the spaniel look. A lamb cut, with a short body and fuller legs, is another option on a curlier coat.
What are the best cavapoo haircuts for summer?
A summer cut at about a quarter inch, or a puppy cut at half an inch. Don't shave down to bare skin, since the coat protects your dog from sunburn.
When should a cavapoo get its first haircut?
Its first groom can be at about 12 to 16 weeks, once vaccines are current, and that visit is mostly a bath, nails and a light tidy. A shorter body cut helps most once the adult coat starts coming in, usually between 6 and 12 months.
How often does a cavapoo need a haircut?
About once a month to every six weeks for most cuts. A very short cut can stretch to about eight weeks, as long as it gets brushed at home.
