How often should a Cockapoo be groomed?

Every 4 weeks for a full groom, with a brush at home most days. A Cockapoo's curly coat mats close to the skin, and once it has matted the kind thing is a short clip rather than a long brush-out. Six weeks is the longest most groomers will stretch it.

How often should a Labrador be groomed?

Every 8 weeks for a bath, de-shed and nails. A Labrador's short double coat does not mat, but it sheds heavily, and a de-shedding groom between moults keeps the house and the dog in better shape.

How often should a Golden Retriever be groomed?

Every 6 weeks. The feathering on the legs, tail and ears mats if it is left, and the double coat needs a proper de-shed twice a year on top of regular brushing.

Does grooming more often cost more over a year?

Usually less. A dog groomed every 4 weeks arrives in good condition and the groom is quicker. A dog that comes every 10 weeks arrives matted, takes longer, costs more per visit and is less comfortable through it. Most groomers charge extra for matting for exactly this reason.

Where do these intervals come from?

They are the defaults GroomRules uses to set recall reminders, built from common grooming practice for each coat type. Every groomer who uses GroomRules can change the interval for a breed, or for an individual dog, and many do.

Guide

How often should each breed be groomed?

A breed-by-breed table of how often a dog needs a professional groom, from every four weeks for a Cockapoo to every twelve for a Greyhound. These are the intervals GroomRules uses to remind owners when their dog is due.

By Owen Fleming, founder of GroomRules · Published 12 October 2026

The coat decides it. Curly and long coats mat, so they need a full groom every 4 weeks. Wire and medium coats go 6 weeks. Double-coated breeds go 6 to 8 weeks for a bath and de-shed. Short coats can go 8 to 12 weeks and mostly need a bath and nails. The table below gives a starting point for fifty common breeds.

The short version, by coat type

Curly coats (Cockapoo, Cavapoo, Poodle, Goldendoodle, Labradoodle, Bichon): every 4 weeks. These coats mat to the skin within weeks if they are not brushed daily and clipped regularly.
Long coats (Shih Tzu, Maltese, Yorkshire Terrier): every 4 weeks for a clip, or more often for a brush and tidy if the coat is kept long.
Wire coats (Miniature Schnauzer, West Highland White, Airedale): every 6 weeks, hand-stripped or clipped depending on the owner.
Double coats (Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Husky, Pomeranian, Bernese): every 6 to 8 weeks for a bath and de-shed. Never clipped short unless a vet says so.
Short coats (Labrador, Boxer, Beagle, Staffie, French Bulldog): every 8 weeks for a bath, nails and ears. Sighthounds like Greyhounds and Whippets can stretch to 12.

Lifestyle moves these numbers. A Cockapoo that swims every week needs more. A Labrador that lives indoors and is brushed at home needs less. Age matters too: older dogs often do better with shorter, more frequent visits.

Fifty breeds, with the interval GroomRules starts from

"Weeks" is the default gap between full grooms that GroomRules uses to send a recall reminder for that breed. Groomers change it for breeds and for individual dogs, which is the point: the default gets the first reminder out, and the groomer's judgement takes over from there.

GroomRules breed defaults. Notes are the groomer-facing summary stored with each breed.
Breed	Coat	Size	Full groom	Note
Airedale Terrier	Wire	Large	Every 6 weeks	Hand-stripping or clipping
Australian Shepherd	Double	Medium	Every 8 weeks	Thick coat, heavy seasonal shed
Beagle	Short	Medium	Every 8 weeks	Low maintenance
Bernese Mountain Dog	Long	Large	Every 6 weeks	Very thick coat, prone to matting
Bichon Frise	Curly	Small	Every 4 weeks	High-maintenance curly coat
Border Collie	Double	Medium	Every 8 weeks	Dense double coat
Boston Terrier	Short	Small	Every 8 weeks	Minimal grooming needed
Boxer	Short	Large	Every 8 weeks	Low maintenance
Bull Terrier	Short	Medium	Every 8 weeks	Simple grooming
Bulldog	Short	Medium	Every 8 weeks	Wrinkle care important
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	Medium	Small	Every 6 weeks	Regular brushing required
Cavapoo	Curly	Small	Every 4 weeks	Wavy/curly coat, frequent grooming
Chihuahua	Short	Toy	Every 8 weeks	Quick groom, minimal coat
Cockapoo	Curly	Medium	Every 4 weeks	High-maintenance curly/wavy coat, mats easily
Cocker Spaniel	Medium	Medium	Every 6 weeks	Feathering requires attention
Dachshund	Short	Small	Every 8 weeks	Simple grooming needs
Dalmatian	Short	Large	Every 8 weeks	Constant shedding
English Springer Spaniel	Medium	Medium	Every 6 weeks	Active breed, prone to matting
French Bulldog	Short	Small	Every 8 weeks	Low maintenance coat
German Shepherd	Double	Large	Every 8 weeks	Year-round shedding
Golden Retriever	Double	Large	Every 6 weeks	Dense feathering, mats easily
Goldendoodle	Curly	Large	Every 4 weeks	High-maintenance, mats very easily
Great Dane	Short	Extra large	Every 10 weeks	Size requires more time despite short coat
Greyhound	Short	Large	Every 12 weeks	Extremely low maintenance
Husky	Double	Large	Every 8 weeks	Extreme double coat, bi-annual blow
Irish Wolfhound	Wire	Extra large	Every 8 weeks	Large size, rough coat
Jack Russell Terrier	Short	Small	Every 8 weeks	Low maintenance but active
Labradoodle	Curly	Medium	Every 4 weeks	Complex coat, often matted
Labrador Retriever	Short	Large	Every 8 weeks	Heavy shedder, waterproof coat
Maltese	Long	Toy	Every 4 weeks	Non-shedding, needs regular grooming
Maltipoo	Curly	Toy	Every 4 weeks	Curly coat, regular clipping needed
Miniature Schnauzer	Wire	Small	Every 6 weeks	Hand-stripping or clipping needed
Mixed Breed	Medium	Medium	Every 6 weeks	Varies - assess individually
Newfoundland	Double	Extra large	Every 6 weeks	Massive coat, water-resistant, heavy matting risk
Pointer	Short	Large	Every 10 weeks	Minimal grooming
Pomeranian	Double	Toy	Every 4 weeks	Dense double coat, heavy shedding
Poodle (Standard)	Curly	Large	Every 4 weeks	High-maintenance, requires clipping
Pug	Short	Small	Every 8 weeks	Heavy shedder despite short coat
Rottweiler	Short	Large	Every 8 weeks	Short but dense coat
Saint Bernard	Long	Extra large	Every 6 weeks	Drool management + thick coat
Schnoodle	Curly	Small	Every 4 weeks	Varies by size, typically curly
Sheepadoodle	Curly	Large	Every 4 weeks	Large doodle, complex coat
Shih Tzu	Long	Toy	Every 4 weeks	High-maintenance coat
Spaniel (Field)	Medium	Medium	Every 6 weeks	Feathering needs attention
Staffordshire Bull Terrier	Short	Medium	Every 8 weeks	Minimal grooming
Vizsla	Short	Large	Every 10 weeks	Very low grooming needs
Weimaraner	Short	Large	Every 10 weeks	Very low maintenance
West Highland White Terrier	Wire	Small	Every 6 weeks	Double coat, regular stripping
Whippet	Short	Medium	Every 12 weeks	Very low grooming needs
Yorkshire Terrier	Long	Toy	Every 4 weeks	Requires regular trimming

If your dog's breed isn't here

Go by the coat. A crossbreed with a curly coat is a 4-week dog whatever its parents were. If you are not sure, ask your groomer at the end of the next visit how the coat was when the dog arrived; the honest answer tells you whether the gap was right.

For groomers

These intervals are why a recall feature works. If a Cockapoo owner is texted at week two and again at week three with a link to book, the dog comes back at week four in good coat. If nobody texts, the same dog turns up at week ten matted, the groom takes longer, and the owner is unhappy about the matting charge. GroomRules sends that text and the follow-up for you, using these defaults or your own.