When my dog was approximately 7 months old the coat was between 3-3.5 inches in length and it was continuously dirty, rather smelly and he looked very warm with this thick wavy coat, so I decided it was time for a trim.
I love the Cockapoo coat and the lovely long wavy shaggy hair appearance is one of the reasons I love this breed so much, but it is also important to think about how practical the longer coat actually is for both owner and dog. We enjoy lovely long walks in woodlands and fields with our dogs, therefore mud and dirt is part of daily life.
At this point I had a two options, my first option was to take my dog to the local professional groomers who advised me they could clip the coat to 1 inch using a clipper or use scissor if I wanted to leave it longer. I must admit I was a little nervous as I didnt want a very short cut and what if I really hated the look when I collected my dog. I knew they would have done a very professional job, but the whole experience felt so out of my control and I was just worried it would not be the look I desired.
My second option was to trim my dog myself but I had no experience of dog grooming so therefore I needed to research if this was something I felt capable of doing. I researched online and in various dog books to find out what type of cut the Cockapoo could have and how these cuts could be achieved. I felt comfortable trying to achieve the cut I wanted at home so I didn’t waste any time getting started.
I decided I wanted a puppy type cut and wanted it to be approximately 1,5 inches in length all over. I liked the idea a scruffy Cockapoo looking coat but at a more practical length which gave a neater appearance. I used a set of Wahl home clippers and purchased a 1.5 inch attachment for this set to achieve a longer look. Grooming was not as hard as I initially thought, as I took my time to bath, comb and then to clip the coat. Like I said I am not a professional but I managed it and the outcome was shorter, more practical and had the overall look I wanted. It looked neater although not perfectly clipped and to a trained groomer’s eye I am sure the cut would have look a little shabby, but I loved it, it wasn’t too short, the undercarriage was clipped using a 1 inch attachment and the rest of the body was clipped using a 1.5 inch attachment (size 12 attachment).
I will continue to groom my dogs at home as I enjoy the bond and trust, plus the overall look is how I want it, but if I ever did feel they needed a more professional groom I would do the best thing for my dogs and take them to the groomer, however a trim and a tidy up cut is possible at home without too much expense or professional equipment.
I feel I would like some professional equipment at some point, and I will be adding professional dog clippers and a doggy dryer to my wish list, although it isn’t essential and the Wahl home clipper set has served my grooming needs perfectly, as I wanted to make sure I was happy to do the grooming myself without the big expense of all the professional equipment to begin with.
Do you home groom or take your dog to the professional groomers?
My second option was to trim Oakley myself but had I had no experience of dog grooming so therefore I needed to research if this was something I felt capable of doing. I researched online and in various dog books to find out what type of cut the Cockapoo could have and how these cuts could be achieved. I felt comfortable trying to achieve the cut I wanted at home so I didn’t waste any time getting started.
I decided I wanted a puppy type cut on Oakley and wanted it to be approximately 1.5-2 inches in length all over. I liked the idea of Oakley still having a Cockapoo looking coat but at a more practical length which gave a neater appearance. I used a set of Wahl home clippers and purchased a 2 inch attachment for this set to achieve a longer look. Grooming Oakley was not as hard as I initially thought, as I took my time to bath, comb and then to clip his coat. Like I said I am not a professional but I managed it and the outcome was shorter, more practical and the overall look I wanted. His coat was neater although not perfectly clipped and to the trained groomer’s eye I am sure his cut would have look a little shabby, but I loved it, it wasn’t too short, his undercarriage was clipped using a 1 inch attachment and the rest of his body was clipped using a 2 inch attachment.
I will continue to groom my dogs at home as I enjoy the bond and trust, plus the overall look is how I want it, but if I ever did feel they needed a more professional groom I would do the best thing for my dogs and take them to the groomer, however a trim and a tidy up cut is possible at home without too much expense or professional equipment.
Now that I have groomed Oakley a few times at home and Honey once too, I feel I would like some professional equipment at some point, and I will be adding professional dog clippers, a doggy dryer and a grooming table to my wish list, although it isn’t essential and the Wahl home clipper set has served my grooming needs perfectly, as I wanted to make sure I was happy to do the grooming myself without the big expense of all the professional equipment to begin with.