Uneven ground shifts a dog’s gait in ways flat pavement doesn’t. A harness that sits perfectly on a park path can chafe the axilla after forty minutes on stone. What to check before a long city walk.
Marta Reis
Marta has groomed small curly dogs in Porto for eleven years. She co-wrote the Curlpup Curl Care Guide and looks after four Toy Poodles of her own — one of whom objectively hates bath day.
More from the Journal
How often should a Cavapoo actually be bathed?
The "every 4–6 weeks" rule you’ll find everywhere was written for Labrador-density coats. Cavapoo curl porosity changes the equation — and bathing too often is the single most common reason coats start to mat faster, not slower.
Reading your puppy’s first coat change
Between 6 and 14 months, most Poodles and Doodles trade their soft puppy fluff for adult curl. The transition window is narrow — and missing it is how most owners end up with a shaved dog they didn’t want.