It’s no secret that cockapoos have amazing, low shedding coats. However, these coat types also require more upkeep because of the very fact that the hair doesn’t actually go anywhere. Anyone wanting to clip their cockapoo between trips to the groomers will naturally want to know what the best dog clippers for cockapoos are. As luck would have it, we have tried out a number of cheaper and expensive options for our own cockapoo, so are well placed to recommend the best clippers for your cockapoo!
Before diving in though, please know that this article is not just a list of random dog clippers. Instead, we recommend just two of the best dog clippers for cockapoos that we actually own and use to clip our cockapoo, Ziggy.
Why coat type matters
The typical look for cockapoos is one of tight, curly hair that gives them a really cute teddy bear look. That said, cockapoos come in all different shapes and sizes and the coat type is no different.
There are three main categories of cockapoo coat type. These are:
- Curly coats, where the coat is made up of lots of tight curls and feels bouncy to the touch.
- Wavy coats, where there is a combination of curls, but most are looser and winding.
- Straight coats, where the majority of the coat is made up of straight, loose hair.
Cockapoo coat type matters when clipping your cockapoo because the tighter the curls, the more powerful a dog clipper you’ll need. To put it simply, this is because there is just more hair for the clipper to cut through.
What you’ll also find is that cockapoos with curly coats will have lots of micro-knots in their fur caused by the curls looping around each other. Often, brushing won’t detangle these, so when you come to clip, your clipper will have even more work to do to bust through these smaller knots. Find out more about getting rid of your Cockapoo’s knots here.
If your cockapoo has a looser wavy or straight coat, then you can normally get away with a less powerful clipper. However, if your cockapoo has any areas of tight curls or a combination of all the coat types, then you should look to get a clipper suitable for curly coats.
Dog clipper buying tips
Price
When choosing the best dog clipper the most important thing to bear in mind is that the old saying of “buy cheap, pay twice” is true.
Unfortunately, for us, we learnt this through our own experience – we ended up going through three cheap £20 clippers before realising we needed to invest in something that would last us more than just a few clipping sessions!
The best way to think about the cost of dog clippers is to compare them against the cost of going to the groomers. In the UK, the average price of a cockapoo grooming session is about £35. So, if your clipping at home means you can space out trips to the groomers, then it really won’t be very long before you make your money back.
Noise
All dog clippers will make some noise, but, if you look for a low vibration, low noise model, you’ll find that your cockapoo will be more tolerant to let you groom them. This, simply, is just because the clipper won’t be making as much vibration when it touches them so won’t be as off-putting.
That said, often the easiest way for a manufacturer to lower the noise and vibration of a dog clipper is to just use a less powerful motor, and you’ll find that this isn’t very helpful when trying to cut through the thick fur and it will take much more time to clip your cockapoo. You’ll often find that almost all cheap clippers are low vibration – again, learn from our experience and avoid these!
Generally, if you choose a better made type of dog clipper, you’ll find that the motor is powerful enough to cut through thick-fur and the clipper is well made enough to avoid unnecessary vibrations.
Corded vs cordless
Cord free models of dog clippers are great because they allow you to easily get under bellies, and in other hard to reach areas like armpits; however, their batteries do run out and if you only rely on a cord free clipper, you’ll find that you’ll have to keep stopping to recharge – especially if you are clipping your cockapoo for the first time.
As a result, we tend to use a corded clipper for most of our cockapoo grooming and then use a smaller, cheap cordless model to get the hard to reach areas.
Attachment combs
Don’t stress too much with these – the important thing to know is that your chosen dog clipper comes with at least two lengths of comb. This is simply because to achieve a decent effect, you’ll need to use a longer comb to clip away all of your cockapoo’s body, and then the shorter comb attachment for focus areas like the belly and chest area.
Generally, a cockapoo can look more like a new-born lamb than a dog if clipped too short, so try to get comb attachments that allow for at least a 10mm clearance!
Best clipper for cockapoos with curly coats
Our own cockapoo has a mixed coat, with very tight curls and thick fur across his body. As a result, we tried many different types of clippers out before settling on this one.
Wahl Basic Pet clipper
Without a doubt, this is our personal clipper of choice. This is, in our opinion, the best dog clipper for cockapoos hands down. After purchasing a number of cheaper (and not very good) brands, we took the plunge and decided to go for this absolute beast of a trimmer. Within just six months it had already paid for itself!
We absolutely love this for a number of reasons, including the fact that it:
- Is low noise
- Has self-sharpening blades which easily cut through Ziggy’s curls
- Is corded, which means not having to spend a whole Saturday grooming and charging!
- Has a lever arm, which is great for when you have to chop through a big knot!
In all, we’re coming close to having had this particular clipper for around two years, and it really has proved its worth time and again. Sometimes, the wire can get in the way, which can be a little annoying, but the fact that you never have to worry about the battery dying mid-way through a cut more than makes up for it!
You can see the most up-to-date price for the Wahl Basic Pet Clipper on Amazon. This is without a doubt our recommended best dog clipper for cockapoos!
Best clipper for cockapoos with wavy coats and straight coats
If your cockapoo has a wavy or straight coat then there’s a clipper that will get the job done for your at around half the cost of the Wahl!
Cordless Dog Grooming Clippers
Generally, if your cockapoo has more waves than tight curls, then this dog clipper will absolutely do the trick. As spoken about above, we have this version to help us with the trickier areas under Ziggy’s armpits and around his paws. It’s ideal for this because it’s cordless and, unlike cheaper models we’ve used, it holds its charge pretty well.
We should say that we haven’t ever relied on this for a full haircut (the Wahl is just so good there’s no need to), but compared to the cheap £20 models we’ve used in the past, we’re pretty confident that this clipper could last a full cockapoo haircut (provided you know what you’re doing).
Also, the fact that this model comes with so many extra accessories is a real bonus, and means you won’t be shelling out extra for things like thinning shears (although, to be honest, we don’t really use them all that often!).
The only drawback on this version compared to the Walh is that it doesn’t have a lever arm on it, so sometimes we’ve found that if a knot is present then it can be kind of tricky to wiggle the clipper enough so that it can cut through. That said, if your cockapoo doesn’t have a thick, curly coat, then you should be fine!
You can see the most up-to-date price for the Cordless Dog Grooming Clipper on Amazon.
Summary
Hopefully, this short guide into the best dog clippers for cockapoos has helped you to understand a little more about what you should look for when buying a dog clipper. If you take away anything from this article, though, please don’t make the same mistake we did and opt for buying the cheap clippers that are out there. For us, this led to lots of frustrating moments where batteries died, and Ziggy came out from a haircutting session looking a little uneven to say the least!
Recommended article: How to trim a cockapoo face
Recommended article (nuber two!): How to cut your cockapoo’s nails
