Getting a Puppy

What made you decide on a cockerpoo? I’ve shared my life with one , I volunteer for a poodle cross charity where many aged 7-17 months are relinquished as often their owners didn’t research the breed. You’re mixing two very intelligent, sensitive dogs and don’t always get the best of both breeds. Mine for 18months needed good training groups, consistent boundaries lovingly maintained. My daughter has a 6 month old pup,a sweetie

Finding a breeder isn’t easy. The breed isn’t kennel club registered so the usual sites won’t help. Some small commercial breeders are more experienced and careful than some hobby breeders. Use Google to find recommended breeders. Ask for 5 generation family trees or pedigrees as they’re known in pedigree dogs. Make sure the breeder has checked the parent dogs for illnesses / behaviiur problems the breed is prone to
Be prepared to be on a waiting list. Ask how many litters the mum has had, where does she whelp and care for her puppies. Never buy a puppy from anywhere you Don’t see the litter with its mother. If possible see the sire if not see photographs and information about where he lives, his temperament etc

Insurance - my digs are insured. It’s expensive but so are vet billls. If u don’t insure, do save up.

Training - yes definitely. Find a good force free well qualified trainer. Commit to classes for at least a year. My current huge strong easily distractible lab is 4 and we go weekly. He loves it. Trainers who work towards kennel club bronze silver gold and use posituve methods are usually good. My dogs really enjoy group classes and we humans learn lots and build bonds with our dogs
Best of luck 🐶🐕🙏🏽

Thank you 🙏🏽 I have been using borrow my dog to look after and walk one and my nephew has four ! Just love the look of them and the one we walk has a beautiful temperament. I do also have allergies and seem to be fine with cockerpoos.

Good to hear you know some cockerpoos.

I agree with Iam64 post. Never had a cockerpoo, but many Springers and a couple of Cockers over the years.

However, we didn’t buy insurance and paid Vet’s bills, as and when. Ours didn’t need to go to any training classes, as DH was a trainer of some note.

What I’d bear in mind is the cost of the puppy. Lovely as they are they are mongrels, albeit sometimes called first crosses. As such, there is no ‘standard’ so you’re reliant on seeing the Mum and her pups at the sellers home and just hearing about the stud dog.
My friend’s son bought his cockerpoo in lockdown - I nearly had heart failure when I learned he’d paid £3500 for it!!
Hopefully, since the Pandemic prices should have dropped?

Good luck with it.

Thanks Georgesgran, I think anywhere between £800 and 1800 depending on colour !

Congratulations on making the decision to be a dog owner. Although they are very cute, puppies are a lot of work! Do a bit of reading with a good training book, and yes, get little one and yourself off to puppy training classes if they are offered nearby.

Dogs bring a lot of joy into our lives, and help to keep us active and engaged. I have no experience with cockerpoos, but remember not to spoil small dogs too much; I find little breeds tend to get away with a bit more because of their size.

We got a miniature schnauzer, our first dog at age 68. I thought I could never have a dog being allergic to most animals.
He costs us about £250 a month but he’s on quality food and has expensive treats!
You need a lifetime insurance policy in case it gets a long term illness in the future. I believe insurance is slightly cheaper for a cross breed.
I bought from a popular internet site and trusted my instincts.
You have the time being retired to train it or for it to train you. We love ours so much and all the rules we put in place have been broken.
He even sleeps on our bed! Lots of good sites on the internet for help.
It’s not much fun walking a soggy dog in the rain but it does keep you busy and enjoying walks you wouldn’t otherwise do. I hope you enjoy it!

My son has a gorgeous 3 year old Cockapoo. I have owned Border Terriers for over 25 years and they were a doddle compared to this one. She is absolutely bonkers. It’s a very busy household with teenagers and I’m sure a lot more training would have helped. She has so much energy that you can get dizzy just watching her charging around. I’m glad you are familiar with the breed and know what you will be taking on.
I look after her whenever I’m asked to as she is absolutely adorable and she has quietened down a bit. Good luck.

I could be wrong but I don’t think a cockerpoo will definitely be ok if someone has allergies.

Ahh thank you - we love the little schnauzer it’s gorgeous .

Maybee - supposed to be ‘hypoallergenic’ no guarantee I know but with curly hair and low shedding I seem to be ok 👍

I meet an awful lot of dogs and never met a Cockerpoo that wasn't a joy and their owners thought so too. I would love one but it's not practical for me. Ask a few owners where their dogs came from and their advice, they will have lots of advice I am sure. You must be so excited.

We have an 8 yr old cockerpoo . We were 67 when we got her. Didn’t do much research but she’s lovely, loving and not too much work.
She’s walked twice a day, has raw food and a few chewy treats .
She has the run of the house but is in a room on her own at night.
Not often left alone and never more than a couple of hours., started leaving her when she was a pup - no problem at all.

Routine is important and they soon learn how their day pans out if you stick to it

It is a lot of work having a lively puppy but stick to your guns and enjoy . It can be expensive but don’t go overboard. They are sturdy little guys and with luck you’ll have a strong one. I think we’ve had quite an easy ride

Crate trained at night to start with and ignore the whimpering and crying. It soon passes if you don’t give in., we Never hear a sound until we get up in the morning.

She’s our companion, and is loved by all.

You have been given some good advice from other GN but there is one thing I would say. I have never had a cockerpoo but I've had a pedigree poodle and a pedigree spaniel.
I would never buy from a breeder if they aren't keeping at least one puppy for themselves. This way you can be more assured that the best has gone into the pups.
Otherwise they are only doing it for the money and you don't know what you'll end up with. I'd go for a pedigree every time.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.

How about a rescue Cockerpoo? I'm sure there are lots of considerate breeders amongst those who do it purely for money - but rescue centres are overwhelmed atm. (Supply and demand comes to mind if you buy a puppy.) It may be worth ringing round rescues first. Rescue dogs would probably need training - but so do puppies. Adopt don't shop.

Pattypee

How about a rescue Cockerpoo? I'm sure there are lots of considerate breeders amongst those who do it purely for money - but rescue centres are overwhelmed atm. (Supply and demand comes to mind if you buy a puppy.) It may be worth ringing round rescues first. Rescue dogs would probably need training - but so do puppies. Adopt don't shop.

The breeders that do it for the money don't care about the pups . Has the bitch and dog been screened for their specific health issues ?
Are the parents KC registered ? Health checked with paper work ? There's a lot goes into breeding a litter of healthy puppies and the legitimate breeders put lots of care and love into their breeding programme. The backstreet breeders let any dog mate with their bitch .

It's so hard finding a good breeder , you have to know what to look for, but anyone can be taken in by backstreet breeders .

Consider a Bedlington super cuddly/clean/affectionate hypoallergenic. Or Bedlington cross. For first time dog owner ideal. Laid back in the house. Not super destructive. Not huge, Couch and cuddle dogs. They just love to lounge around and sunbathe and stick to you like glue. Happy to walk miles only if you want to. Equally happy sunbathing while you do the gardening, just want to be by your side. Just a thought….

Don't spend hundreds of pounds on a pedigree dog. Choose a Heinz 57 from a rescue centre and spend the money on training it. It will probably be healthier and longer-lived than many thoroughbreds, many of which are very closely bred.

My Alfie(cockapoo) was the love of my life but I would never get another one! He died at 10 of pancreatitis which they are prone to and cancer. He was more poodle than spaniel and extremely intelligent. He was extremely highly strung and didn’t seem happy in his skin, difficult to explain, he’s been gone 4 years and I still miss him I have 2 spaniels now.

I had a pedigree toy poodle many years ago.
He never had any health problems in his life.
I lost him at 13 , he was just old, God bhim x.

I go for a pedigree every time from the right breeder . You never know what you are going to get with a mongrel. I've had 9 pedigree Rough Collies, never any problems there, besides old age plus other pedigree breeds .

That should be God bless him

If you decide to adopt rather than buy a cockerpoo pup, youll find charities with Doodle in their names on line. They get lots of young poodle crosses including cockerpoos. They look like Disney designed them, they’re said to be hypo allergic (no guarantee). The charities place relinquished dogs with experienced foster carers to assess and match with suitable adopters.
It’s easy for people to say always adopt but it isn’t always the right time. We adopted and fostered for years but the arrival of grandchildren had us buying a pedigree lab from excellent breeders rather than continue to foster/adopt

It’s easy for people to say always adopt but it isn’t always the right time.
I agree.
I took my dogs to school with me for over a decade, so I had to be as sure as I could be of their behaviour and their provenance. I couldn't take the risk with rescues.
Same thing when we ran holidays with accommodation in France. We acquired our dogs from the UK with known pedigrees, and brought them across the channel.

My neighbour has a lovely cockerpoo. Look at the Kennel Club website for puppies. Good luck!

Cockapoos are very often Velcro dogs, mine is and we can't leave her alone for more than a couple of hours (and it took a couple of years to get her happy to be alone this long - we have a camera so we know if she's ok when we leave her) and she is very unhappy going anywhere to be clipped (we've learnt to do it at home) and if we go away she will only stay with one of my sons. She's a lovely dog, clever, friendly, tries to please all the time and was very easy to train. She's very expensive though, so budget for good pet insurance (ours is £60+ a month), routine vets bills for vaccinations and probably a professional groom every 6 weeks (can easily set you back £40) or learn to do it yourself. She's wonderful company and gives great joy to all the family, worth every penny. Make sure you do puppy training and socialization. When she's little, before her vaccinations, carry your pup around so he or she's familiar with scary things like buses, cows, escalaters etc etc and let her sleep where pup can see and hear you and you can comfort them as they'll be really scared leaving their mum and litter mates. Lucky you, I love puppies ♥️