Cockerpoo Puppy arriving in 10 days - help

[ShallallalAa]

Posting for traffic and advice thanking you all ever so much - we put our names down for a cockapoo puppy from a registered breeder months ago and the puppy will be ready for collection in 2 weeks. We are confident the breeder is reputable and have had personal recommendations for them which we trust. I work from home 80 percent of the time now so confident we can look after the puppy properly long term.
I have never owned a dog before but DP has always had dogs and I am feeling very out of my depth, especially with the arrival during lockdown.
We have visited the breeder and met the parents before the lockdown but we have not met the puppy before lockdown. We have been sent regular videos and all looks lovely and I trust that that the puppy is well and healthy.
DP will pick up puppy by physically distancing from the breeder at handover, taking all the precautions and the breeder is about 5 miles away - I think this would be classed as essential travel wouldnt it?
We are going to pick up essentials from Pets At Home in the next couple of days - crate, toys, bed, pads, food. Anything else? The puppy is on a raw meat diet I understand should we continue this?

What are your top puppy /cockerpoo puppy tips?

What will we do about puppy socialisation?

The puppy arrives microchipped (breeder does it) with first vaccines but we do the next ones - need to find a vet we like I am guessing?

I don't like the sound of crating though - is rhis really the only way?

Our house is quite small - where should the puppy have its own space ideally?

Should I get a shark pet hoover to deal with the hairs?

Thank you!!

I notice a couple of PP have mentioned 'resource guarding'.

I am a very experienced dog owner, and the only dog I have ever had a really severe problem with was a poodle cross. He was extremely well trained (by me, with input from a brilliant dog trainer who did some one-to-one training with us when I asked her about resource guarding).

However, my children were less well trained than the dog was, and this became a really big problem. They were 11-14 at the time, so not small children; they did try, but would invariably drop something and unthinkingly try to pick it up - at the same time as the dog. It was ok if I was there to stop him, but very much not ok if I wasn't.

The even bigger problem came when he started to see me as a resource to be guarded. I don't want to go into the specifics, but he attacked one of the children for interfering with his resource (i.e. sitting next to me).

I had to re-home him. I did this through an organisation which specialises in poodle cross-breeds; they mentioned then that resource-guarding was a very big problem with these crosses, and that they should only ever really live in homes without children.

I'm not saying they are all like that - but re-homing him was one of the most excruciating things I have ever done (divorce was bad, but this was worse).

More practically, I wouldn't take on a puppy during an open-ended lockdown. I've taken many dogs to training classes over the years, and one of the really crucial things is that they become accustomed to other dogs and people at an earlyish age. Puppies need to be taken on buses and trains, and into shops. They need to experience as much of the real world as they possibly can. The internet is not going to be a substitute for any of this.

My main concern is our pup will not be socialised with children with the breeder due to the current circumstances so to me it's even more important we get her promptly. In usual circumstances there'd have been children on and off the farm all the time

So sorry for your loss pleeasedown . That does indeed sound excruciating.

I am under the impression from reading about the kinds of dogs suitable for families that cockapoos are a good breed for this? Also friends with well settled and lovely cockapoos with similar aged children.

And, active supervision, absolutely. Great to have some visuals to show the kids. Any child friendly tutorials to show the kids recommended?

@pleasedoone my friends had a poodle cross (wast a cockapoo though) who was very bad for resource guarding. I was actually quite scared of the dog even though I'm very experienced- I dropped my brand new iphone once and he was incredibly reluctant to part with it. For 7 years they tried everything, different trainers etc. They tried hard when they had a baby to make it work but eventually had to rehome as it was dangerous. My sisters cockapoos however are just big balls of happy fluff and they are the easiest dogs she's ever had

We are getting a puppy in 9 days and the breeder has a letter from the government which expressly states that she is allowed to deliver the puppies. Before lockdown we were going to collect. Our breeder is travelling from the Midlands to the South East to do so. Businesses have to keep running. We of course will be practising social distancing.

@dontdillydallytoolong
Decent breeders aren’t “businesses”.
Puppy farmers are.

Our breeders are far from a business (in the puppy sense) it's their first litter in years from their family pet but they also have the letter 🙂

Decent breeders aren’t “businesses”.
They are providing something for money. Therefore they are technically a business.

Anyone who believe any breeder is doing it for altruistic purposes are kidding themseleves.

Its exchanging goods for money. A dog, is legally classed as a possession.

I really don't think the distinction between puppy farmers and breeders is as clear as people think. At this time when you have less contact before purchase I really don't think it's worth the risk.

The rspca and bkue cross have YouTube videos

The doggonesafe website has several resources for children

@LochJessMonster neither of the breeders I went to did it for cash. They wanted the next generation of their lines. If there were extra puppies then they would sell them. But money wasn’t the reason for breeding.

Look at the web links below @ShallallalAa

My pup is coming from my ex boss who I've known for 15+ years. I already know the mum and her temperament and know of the dad, this is this mums first litter and breeders second from her pets in all those years. (They occasionally breed their farm working dogs too - maybe one litter from a great dog and keep one or 2 back) Thankfully I don't have the worry of determining if it's from a puppy farm or responsible owner and they don't need to vet me.

We got our cockerpoo at 9 weeks from a breeder end of January. She’s delightful, but it was v v hard work at first. Lots of getting up 8n night to let her out. She mostly sleeps through now, she’s nice natured and the breeder had given us health checks for the parents.

She is a Velcro puppy.

V food motivated which is good.

A sling is a good idea and get her used to the car early.

Check with vets who is doing vaccines, do that now as not all vets will do the same vaccines as your breeder.

They can’t put paws on the floor outside your garden till 2 nd vaccines and it’s so much easier when they can go out.

Start training early, a lot of it is about training them to look at you and pay attention to you.

I’d have happily given her back any time in the first month, but she’s part of the family now.

I wouldn’t do raw feeding, you’ve got enough on your plate wit( a pup without that too.

And get lots of chew toys that are puppy size and texture, also carrots and broccoli stems are great for chewing and a kong with peanut butter.

Lots of little treats for training.

Order a puppy brush too, the sooner you get her used to brushing the better. They need brushing every day. Start when little with a little old shoe brush or toothbrush so they get used to it and not biting it, handle paws and ears and tail too.

Would never have thought of a toothbrush, thanks for the tip

Thank you great ideas here, feeling a lot more confident

There's a new puppy support thread over on doghouse topic too OP. Worth popping over there for ongoing support after he arrives. Do you have a name for pup yet?

An older puppy will quickly become unmanageable

Ah yes. I'd forgotten the hell mine put me through for a few weeks. They seemed to go through the puppy equivalent of the "terrible twos" at around 4 months, and then a difficult adolescent phase at about 10-11 months.

These were lakeland terriers, so pretty small. Bigger breeds mature later, so might have these phases a bit older.

My boy was a complete bastard for 2-3 weeks. I was seriously considering taking him back to the breeder. He could climb, and open doors, and nowhere was safe. His previously perfect recall went right out the window, it was as though he'd gone deaf.

And then it stopped as soon as it started, and he turned into a lovely (although still a bit naughty) dog.

My girl was nowhere near as bad, but still challenging.

Strongly suggest walking away. The mum not having health tests but is healthy?!!

Huge red flag. What happens if in 6 months time your dog is diagnosed with a genetic condition?
Will they support you? Will they pay vet bills? I doubt it. Seriously you are taking a huge gamble here.
Please just look up reputable miniature poodle breeders.

"I am under the impression from reading about the kinds of dogs suitable for families that cockapoos are a good breed for this?"

As said you are buying a mixed breed not a breed. It isn't quite a mongrel because you know the mix. But the shelters fikled up with them at the time of peak popularity because it isn't always a good mix. You can unfortunately get the worst of both breeds. Neither are breeds that you baby. You'll end up with an unmanageable dog.

The doghouse does have good advice. Wait until the coat develops, they can vary and the dog's personality and nip any issues in the bud immediately.

Do you think registering with kennel club guarantees standards though?

I don't, @Floatyboat. In some breeds where there are breed-specific health issues, there have been champion dogs that have been affected by them and still bred from. The worst example I can think of is probably syringomelia in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, but all the brachycephalic breeds suffer.

Some breed clubs have done great work though. There was some sort of blood disorder in staffies that has been virtually eradicated from lines bred by responsible breeders, and after 2 cases of acquired immune haemolytic anaemia in one line Lakelands, that line hasn't been bred from.

Sometimes, breeders are massively irresponsible. Show breeders, too. To some of them, nothing matters more than getting a champion.

Veterinari I was addressing specifically the claim that the lockdown will cause separation anxiety, what is your problem with that? Your posts are tangential and don’t even say whether you agree or disagree with the claim that being in lockdown will cause a puppy to have separation anxiety. I am familiar with the APBC and some of the people who set it up, is this is a pissing contest?