Haircuts

If you have had your Cavachon for at least 6 months……probably 9 or more in most cases……your puppy has probably had a haircut by now or in need of one.  I originally thought I would be performing that task myself, I even bought clippers.  I have two boys that I had given haircuts to for a very long time.  But, when the time came for a trim for Kasey, I was fearful of approaching this pooch with clippers!  He was so darn cute, I just could not do it!  I had been trimming his toenails all along, and had no problem with that.  The haircut though, I (wisely) chickened out on!  I found a local groomer, was very happy with her, and still use her to this day.  We now are on a schedule of getting a haircut about every 9 weeks.  Kasey looks cute with the long hair, but it gets difficult to keep up with, as the longer it gets the more frequent combing is required.

Combing

The baby puppy hair is not very difficult to keep up with but I still recommend you brush or comb your puppy frequently right from the start. Trust me, they will come to love that time with you!  Later on you will be grateful you got them used to it.  As your puppy gets older, the hair gets thicker and tangles more easily.

As Kasey got older, I found using a metal comb worked best.  Here is the one we now have:

The description for it said “recommended by professional groomers, the smooth rounded teeth on this comb are gentle to the dog’s skin.”  The teeth are wider at one end and closer together at the other.  The wide teeth work well for a quick comb.  The closer teeth make his coat fluffier and softer.

Kasey is now 3 years old.  Right after grooming we can go at least a week and as much as 2 weeks without combing if we want to.  Then, it is once every 4 or 5 days for a couple weeks, getting any “snarls” in between as they come up.  When we are about 4 – 5 weeks out from the last grooming….our combing will happen every couple of days when all goes well.  If it is longer than that, we usually have to use our “mat comb” in a couple of places, which is an awesome tool and totally saves the day- painlessly!  I just recently got this and am so glad I did.  There were times in the past that I would have to resort to cutting out a mat to save Kasey the pain of trying to comb it out.   Here is what it looks like:

The description on this was “Mat Removing Comb has multiple stainless steel blades for quick and easy removal of severe mats and tangles.”

Kasey tends to gets “mats” in the arm/leg pit area, and, sometimes, in his long ear hair.  As much as I think I do a really good job keeping up with the tangled hair, I can find a giant tangle the day after we spent a couple of hours on the couch getting combed (if there is something good on TV, we are very content and I just keep combing him J ).

On the area around his eyes I have found that using an eyelash comb works great.  I can easily comb that area and the small comb makes it much safer.  I bought a new one that I use only on Kasey, that should go without saying!

I have to say when I bring out the combs, I call Kasey, I take off his collar, and he is great on my lap for as long as I want to comb him.  However – when I give him the word that we are done – he is out of there and waiting at the treat drawer!   After treats, I call him back for his collar, and he is there, again!  Usually this all takes place late evening, and he is then a happy guy and off to bed.

A Cavachon is probably more high maintenance in the grooming department than many other breeds.  You will need to comb him often to keep his coat looking its best and tangle free.  Always comb your Cavachon before a bath.  As I said in the beginning I started with combing Kasey very soon after we got him.  He has never looked at this time as anything but a bonding time for us.  He has never resisted or balked at me when I bring the combs out.  In fact, he jumps up on the couch knowing it is “Kasey/mommy time!”  I have, however, found that it does take the right tools to make the experience comfortable for your dog, especially once the hair starts getting longer.

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