Nearly seven in ten maltipoo haircuts are the same cut. Of the 158 maltipoo photos in Groomably’s classified library, 35 carry a style tag — and 24 of those 35 are a teddy bear cut. Fifteen are tagged as a full groom, six as a bath and dry, three as a scissor cut. Whatever the internet says about maltipoo haircut “options”, the salon reality is that one style dominates and the rest are variations on how short you take it.
That is genuinely useful information, because the single biggest cause of a disappointing maltipoo groom is a vocabulary problem. Owners ask for a style name; groomers hear a length. Two people can say “teddy bear cut” and mean coats that are an inch apart.
This guide fixes that. Six styles, what each one actually is in clipper and scissor terms, how long it lasts on a maltipoo coat, and the exact sentence to say at the counter.
Why the maltipoo coat behaves the way it does
A maltipoo is a maltese crossed with a poodle — usually a toy or miniature poodle. Both parents are low-shedding, which is the whole appeal, but they contribute different coats. The maltese side brings a fine, silky, straight coat that grows continuously. The poodle side brings a dense, curly coat that also grows continuously and holds shape far better.
Which side your dog leans towards decides everything about its haircuts:
- Curly (poodle-dominant) — holds a scissored shape beautifully, which is why teddy bear cuts look so good on this coat. It also mats fastest, because curls trap loose hair against the skin instead of dropping it.
- Wavy (the common middle) — the most forgiving. Takes any of the styles below and looks tidy for longer between brushes.
- Silky (maltese-dominant) — drapes rather than fluffs. A teddy bear cut on a silky coat reads flatter and softer, never quite as round as the photos owners bring in.
Because neither parent sheds much, a maltipoo does not drop its dead coat. It keeps it, tangled in with the live coat, until someone brushes or clips it out. That is the entire reason maltipoos need a groomer every six to eight weeks and a labrador does not. It’s a haircut breed by biology, not by fashion.
Photo: Dog grooming by Nat, Thornbury VIC — via Groomably
1. The teddy bear cut (69% of styled maltipoo photos)
The default, and for good reason. The body comes down to an even length — most commonly a #4F or #5F comb, roughly 20–25 mm — and the face is scissored round, with the muzzle left full and blended into the cheeks and topknot so there is no visible line anywhere on the head. The legs are left as cylinders of the same length as the body, and the ears are shaped to hang in soft rounds rather than points.
The whole effect depends on the face. A body clip is a body clip; what makes it a teddy bear is that no scissor line shows on the head. That is slow, fiddly work, which is why a teddy bear cut usually costs a little more than a plain full groom.
Ask for: “A teddy bear cut — a #4 comb on the body, and please keep the muzzle full and round with no line where it meets the cheeks.”
Lasts: Looks its best for three to four weeks, still good at six.
Our full teddy bear cut guide covers the style across every breed, and you can see it on maltipoos specifically in the maltipoo teddy bear cut gallery.
2. The puppy cut
Often confused with the teddy bear, and the difference is real but small: a puppy cut takes the same even length over the body and the head, without the deliberate round-faced sculpting. The face is trimmed neat and short rather than shaped full. It is faster to do, cheaper, and on a wavy coat it looks like a slightly more practical teddy bear.
Length is usually a bit shorter too — a #3F or #4F comb, around 13–20 mm.
Ask for: “A puppy cut, same length all over, about a #4, face trimmed short and neat.”
Lasts: Six to eight weeks before it looks shaggy.
We go deeper on this style — including why the name means different things in different salons — in what a puppy cut actually is.
3. The lamb cut
The body goes short — a #7F blade or a #2 comb, roughly 3–10 mm — while the legs are left noticeably longer and scissored into clean columns. The contrast is the point: short jacket, full legs, round head. On a curly maltipoo it looks sharp and deliberate. On a silky one the legs tend to hang rather than stand, so it reads softer.
It is the best-value cut on this list for a matted dog, because the short body handles the problem area while the legs keep the dog looking styled rather than shaved.
Ask for: “A lamb cut — short on the body, legs left long and scissored, round face.”
Lasts: Eight to ten weeks. The longest-lasting style here.
4. The summer cut (and the honest version of it)
“Summer cut” is not a technique, it is a request for shorter. On a maltipoo that is genuinely fine — unlike a double-coated breed, a maltipoo’s coat does not regrow wrong after clipping, and there is no coat funk risk. Our guide on whether you should shave a double-coated dog explains why that distinction matters so much.
What a summer cut usually means in practice is a #7F all over, around 3 mm, with the face and ears left a little longer so the dog still looks like itself. The one caution is sunburn: a pale maltipoo clipped that short has visible pink skin through the coat, and Australian sun gets through it. Shade and a shirt on the worst days, not a lecture, just a fact.
Ask for: “Short summer clip, a #7 on the body, but leave the head and ears longer.”
Lasts: Ten weeks or more.
Photo: Lisa’s dog grooming, Berkeley Vale NSW — via Groomably
5. The full scissor cut
No clippers on the body at all — the entire coat is shaped with shears. It is the most flattering finish a maltipoo can get, because scissors follow the dog’s actual outline instead of flattening it, and it leaves the coat longer (25–40 mm) while still looking crisp.
It is also the most expensive and the highest-maintenance. Only 337 of the 1,728 Australian salons in our directory list scissor work as a service they offer, and a full scissor finish on a maltipoo takes well over two hours. At home you are committing to a proper line brush plus a comb-through every second day, because a longer coat mats faster, not slower.
Ask for: “A full scissor finish, no clippers on the body, leave about an inch.”
Lasts: Looks superb for two to three weeks, then needs the brush work to hold it.
Browse scissor cut photos to see the difference in outline against a clipped coat.
6. The face-and-feet tidy (between full grooms)
Not a haircut so much as maintenance, and the most under-booked service in the country. The groomer washes and dries the dog, then trims only the eye corners, the muzzle, the sanitary area and the pads. Twenty to thirty minutes, a fraction of the price of a full groom.
Booked halfway between full grooms, it does two things: it keeps hair out of the eyes (maltipoos tear-stain badly, and hair wicking into the eye corner makes it worse), and it means the groomer sees your dog every three or four weeks instead of every eight — so a developing mat gets caught while it is still brushable.
What a maltipoo groom costs in Australia
Across the salons in our directory, a full groom on a small dog like a maltipoo generally sits at $70–110, with mobile services usually above salon pricing and metro higher than regional. A teddy bear or full scissor finish sits at the top of that band or a little above it because of the scissor time. A bath, dry and tidy without a haircut is commonly $50–75. A face-and-feet trim between grooms is often $25–40.
Prices move on coat condition more than anything else. A matted maltipoo takes longer and hurts more to work on, and most salons charge a de-matting fee or — correctly, in our view — decline the requested style and shave the mats off instead. That is not a groomer being difficult. Brushing out a tight mat is genuinely painful for the dog, and Australian animal welfare guidance is clear that clipping is the humane option.
Our dog grooming cost guide breaks the numbers down by size, service and state.
Keeping it looking good between visits
- Line brush, don’t surface brush. Part the coat and brush from the skin outwards in sections. A slicker skimmed over the top of a maltipoo leaves a felted layer underneath that looks fine until the groomer finds it.
- Follow with a comb. If a metal comb won’t pass to the skin, the brush hasn’t done its job. This is the only test that matters.
- Behind the ears, armpits, collar line. Friction points mat first, every time. Check those four spots weekly even if you skip everything else.
- Take the collar off at home if your dog will tolerate it. A collar on a curly coat is a mat generator.
- Wipe the eye corners daily. Damp cloth, ten seconds. Maltipoo tear staining is mostly a moisture problem, and the hair sitting in it is the wick.
Frequently asked questions
How often does a maltipoo need grooming? Every six to eight weeks for a full groom, with brushing every second day at home. A maltipoo kept in a short cut can stretch to ten weeks; one kept long cannot, regardless of how careful you are.
What is the difference between a teddy bear cut and a puppy cut on a maltipoo? Both take the body to an even length. A teddy bear cut additionally sculpts the face round with the muzzle left full and no visible scissor line; a puppy cut trims the face short and neat. The teddy bear takes longer and usually costs a little more.
Can you shave a maltipoo? Yes, safely. Maltipoos are single-coated, so the coat regrows normally after clipping — unlike double-coated breeds, where shaving can permanently change the coat. Watch for sunburn on pale dogs clipped very short.
Why does my maltipoo mat so much when it doesn’t shed? Those are the same fact. Shedding breeds drop dead hair on your floor; non-shedding breeds keep it tangled in the live coat until it is brushed or clipped out. Low-shedding is a laundry benefit, not a grooming one.
What should I ask for if I don’t know the style names? Bring a photo, and say the length you want in fingers: “about this much coat” beats any style name. Then ask the groomer what they’d call it, and use that word next time — style names vary between salons, but the length you point at doesn’t.
Ready to book? Browse maltipoo grooming photos from real Australian salons or find a dog groomer near you.
