To ask what is the right way to get a puppy?

[Shoppingwithmother]

I’m often seeing on here people commenting on disreputable breeders, people buying puppies at the wrong time of year when there shouldn’t be puppies ready, etc,

As there are a lot of people who know about dogs on MN, could people advise me as to what the correct way to get one is?

I’ve never had a dog before, but have really come round to the idea. My children (age 14 and 11) are very keen to get a cockapoo-type dog, and that is what I would like too. I would like to get a puppy, as I would prefer to have the dog from the start. I have looked on the rescue pages locally, but the dogs there are very far from what we would want, just mainly loads of Staffordshire Bull Terrier-types or Alsatians.

I know with cockapoos that they are not actually a breed and understand a bit how they are bred. As they are not recognised by the Kennel Club (am I right about this?) then how do I know who is a reputable person to get a puppy from?

@Shoppingwithmother we have timed our girls mating in that the puppies will be due to go home at the start of the summer holidays. The thinking that more people will have the time they need to look after a new pup!

Can't you just draw one? Or get a doll dog? Dogs are shit and a pita.

[quote loubieloo4]@Shoppingwithmother

I'm currently waiting/hoping to find out my beautiful cavapoo is pregnant! We eventually decided to go for it as we wanted one of her pups and have a few people already on the waiting list.

She is an amazing dog, the kids loves her! Not quite as energetic as our previous spaniel but loves one long walk and two shorter walks. She was easy to train, very chilled and loves to snuggle! We do have a slight issue with separation but that's because we have been with her 24 hrs a day for the last year!

I know you said Cockerpoo, my mum has one and he is just as fab as our cavapoo, he's just a tiny bit bigger.

Good luck on you search, it will be well worth it [/quote]
Posts like this make me want to scream. There are more than enough unwanted dogs in the world without casual backyard breeders

The right way to get a puppy is to realise that dog shelters are packed to the brim with outgrown pandemic puppies. Get one from a rescue centre or dog home. This insane "puppy" craze is awful and needs to stop.

@Elieza

Puppies can be quite chewy, barky, bitey (when teething) are can wreck your house if you don’t keep an aye in them!

Are you sure you want one? It would also have to learn to be alone while everyone goes out. After lockdown I think the councils will be inundated by calls about barking dogs who have been left alone for the first time in their lives as their owners have now stopped working from home and returned to the office. Because they have never trained them to be alone.

All the work with a puppy as well as looking after a family and working is a lot.

Would a retired greyhound suit? There used to be loads in rescue centres. Don’t shed much fur, sleep a lot, good natured, perhaps some not so good with small kids or cats, but deserving of a good home - and if you pick one who has been looked after in someone’s home to get ready for rehoming, it will be housetrained and won’t need much input from you.

Dog walkers used to be £15 a day where I am. Not sure now. So you’d need to look out £70 a month approx. Perhaps with a pup you’d need two dog walker appointments per day as a full day is a long time for a baby to hold its bladder, so £140 a month.

Dogs are expensive. Factor in insurance too. Prob around £20 a month. Rising with age.

It’s good you are thinking all these things now. Good luck with your furry friend

It is absolutely cruel beyond belief that people can leave a dog alone all day. Utterly cruel.

Cockers are high energy, prone to resource guarding, skin issues, working dogs, prone to separation anxiety.

Poodles are intelligent, working dogs, prone to separation anxiety.

Out of the two, I'd go for a poodle. I'd never go for a cross of double the separation anxiety, or intelligence PLUS resource guarding, or not only high energy, but intelligent with it (get a collie if you want those things.) Apart from looks, there's no reason to cross those dogs, and for looks you can just clip your poodle sensibly. Look at Waffle on cbeebies- he could be a cocker poo, but he's not, he's a poodle.

Cockers are hard to find well bred now. As PPs said, poodle lovers will breed poodles. The only reason people breed cockerpoos is for money, they're not bettering a breed, they're not showing, they're not working them. It's too churn them out for money.

There are so many dog breeds out there, and there's more to a dog than looks.

All puppies chew. Puppies are hard work.

I've got a working cocker and he's my second one - from different breeders years apart. You wouldn't know either them are spaniels by their behaviour as both were really chilled around the house so miles away from the nutter reputation - happy to follow you around and lay next to you / at your feet. He has one big walk a day and then out into a garden as and when we are in and out - hes happy with one walk or being out all day so he's really flexible and just fits in with our lives

[quote loubieloo4]@Shoppingwithmother

I'm currently waiting/hoping to find out my beautiful cavapoo is pregnant! We eventually decided to go for it as we wanted one of her pups and have a few people already on the waiting list.

She is an amazing dog, the kids loves her! Not quite as energetic as our previous spaniel but loves one long walk and two shorter walks. She was easy to train, very chilled and loves to snuggle! We do have a slight issue with separation but that's because we have been with her 24 hrs a day for the last year!

I know you said Cockerpoo, my mum has one and he is just as fab as our cavapoo, he's just a tiny bit bigger.

Good luck on you search, it will be well worth it [/quote]
Why? What do you know about breeding dogs?

Read this and most of what I'd say has been covered (I only know one cockerpoo and it's a complete moron unfortunately but it has been very spoilt so assumed it's down to that) but I did NOT know that Waffle is a pure poodle!

Can anybody explain why straight labradors seem to have gone out of favour? We have a elderly springer so we're enjoying him finally slowing down a bit in all honesty and I'm not sure we'll have another of the same breed as I don't think we could find one as good as him, so thinking about other breeds for when the time comes.

Labradors shed, and people don't want dog hair in their insta-life.

I love labs. And poodles. But wouldn't buy a labradoodle.

My neighbour's cockapoo is the yappiest dog, it drives me mad. I honestly want to move house because of the constant bloody yapping.

I don't understand why they are so popular. All the ones I know are yappy and naughty, although I blame the owners for that not the dogs and I'm sure there are lovely ones out there! And btw, my show type cocker is the laziest dog, he's far from high energy - although like every other dog he would not be happy with only one 30 minute walk a day!!

Cockapoo owner too. He is lovely, but I have to say much more high energy than the spaniel I had growing up.....

There is a list of registered breeders on Cockerpoo Club GB, you could contact them.

Ours isn’t from there in the end, but we saw him with mum and dad and littermates (bred in a home). He had had his first vaccination and he was microchipped. The dad was tested for some genetic poodle eye disease (can’t remember the name-google will know!) and we had the associated paperwork.

We were also advised to take him for a vet checkup and any if any issues Were identified the breeder would have taken him back (written and signed), not sure if this is usual.

Despite his high energy he is friendly, good with children, happy to be left alone for 4 hours at a time (although he doesn’t need to be anymore as my husband works from home now). He doesn’t chew, but he does steal if he feels he’s not getting enough attention! He gets 2 walks a day in the week totalling just over an hour and longer at weekends. Oh, and he is an F1 cockapoo but he looks like a poodle 🤷‍♀️. There’s a lot of variation in a cross breed!

Sorry just saw you said you could do 1.5 hours walk. More than enough for my spaniel!

You are getting a lot of odd responses! Cockerpoos make good family pets if you have the time and energy to train and walk them, which it sounds like you do. Other small breed crosses are also worth considering e.g. Cavalier crosses, jack Russell crosses. Avoid anything with a flat face like a pug or french bulldog - all of them are deformed and destined for a life of suffering. (If you really want one get it from a rescue so you aren't supporting the breeding of disabled animals).
All breeders are in it for the money, getting a pure bred or Kennel club registered dog is no guarantee of anything. Obviously puppy farms are to be avoided like the plague but you could do worse than a one off litter from.a family pet (as long as you are sure that's what it is).
You primarily want a healthy dog that fits in with your lifestyle. As a general rule, cross bred dogs are healthier than purebred dogs.
A few general tips:
Always see bitch and pups together at home. They should live in a family home not a shed. Don't agree to meet halfway in a layby or pub car park
Bitch should be vaccinated and have been wormed throughout pregnancy. Pups should also be regularly wormed. Ask for the names of the products and the dates administered.
Never buy a puppy with runny eyes, dirty ears, that is thin or pot bellied, has diarrhoea or has fleas. Never buy anything because you feel sorry for it.
Temperament as well as looks are hereditary - so if the parents are known to be shy or aggressive don't buy the puppy.
Ask for 4 weeks free insurance from the breeder. If they can't provide it, go straight to the vet when you collect the puppy for a check up and 4 weeks free insurance - this will be effective immediately whereas if you buy your own insurance you will not be covered for illness for up to 2 weeks.
It doesn't matter whether the puppy has been vaccinated before you get it (you can get this started once you own the puppy) but if it has, check the paperwork to ensure it has a vet details on there. Puppies must be microchipped before leaving the breeder.
Good breeders might have a long waiting list. If there's no waiting list be suspicious.
Finally - covid and lockdown has made the market crazy and puppy prices have increased several fold. It might be worth waiting 6 months or so for things to settle down. Also it's quite likely that there will be a lot more young dogs in rescues pretty soon as people realise they can't cope with their lockdown purchase. So worth keeping an eye out locally. Good luck you sound like a nice dog owner

Thank you, SnackSize, that’s really helpful.

Thanks for (nearly) all the comments - I’m taking it all on board.

As some of you have suggested, I think walking rescue dogs would be a very good idea.

You can find registered breeders via the kennel club! The kennel club also gives advice about buying a dog and what to consider too
Hope this helps x

Honestly I wouldn’t recommend a cockerpoo to anyone.. they’re either lovely fully grown dogs (puppies have a teenage phase too) or crackheads 90% are the latter. Two breeds prone to anxiety, one yappy and one hyper smooshed into one fluffy ball. There’s no guarantee you’ll get one with a lower energy level or prey drive than a working cocker either.

There’s also so many crap breeders for “fashionable” dogs and a lot of them know how to cover their backs, bring the mum in clean them all up and have them nice for showing to buyers or even a totally different bitch..

Some rescues are still working through lockdown if that’s an option.

I personally wouldn’t buy a puppy until things are more normal anyway, if everyone’s home all the time and they won’t meet many people/have guests come n go you could end up with issues down the line.

@Wolfiefan

I would not buy a poodle cross. If someone has poodles and loves the breed then they would breed poodles. And the number of litters they have are recorded by the KC. People who breed these crosses generally do so purely for cash. Often no health tests done on the parents. Plus heard lots about them resource guarding. I would not have one.

Often but not always. Often bred by those who also breed the other 2 breeds which are KC registered. Like each of our 4 dogs

Have you considered a show cocker spaniel? Very different in personality to the worker cocker that most people automatically think of. Most people think my show cocker is a cocker poo. Mine have been great with the kids and quite easy to train. They are happy on a walk but equally happy curled up in the sofa. Are very much 'people' dogs. You would be more likely to find a reputable breeder as well, but care still needs to be taken.

The problem with cocker poos is you really have no idea what the mix is as in 50/50 or 70/30 and what type of poodle (miniature, giant etc) and what type of cocker (working, show, sprocker). That said I have met some amazing ones out and about. Good luck in your search.

Check out a miniature Australian labradoodle. Same size and very similar to cockapoo. Every person who has this breed is absolutely smitten. And since getting ours, 3 others, who have since met our dog got one and are just as fond of theirs as we are of ours.

Ours is about to turn 3 and she is such a great family dog. So smart. We only have to tell her something once or twice and she just gets it. Very easy to train. I can ask her what’s in her mouth and she will drop it. Put a piece of steak on the floor and tell her to leave it. She understood to pee in a certain part of the backyard. Easy as a puppy. The kids love her. Eldest is 9 and youngest is 15 months. Best decision ever.

We picked up our pup recently. Before we took the plunge we spoke to a local reputable trainer to discuss breeds and options. She said that she had lots of cockerpoos on her books with behavioural problems.

We found a breeder through word of mouth hut after some very big red flags, backed out. As the breed we wanted was pedigree we went via the KC club, found a great breeder and have a very happy pup who is settling well.

Do consider that all dogs chew but it is down to you if they chew your furniture. All dogs are also trainable, again down to you if it is successful.

Might I suggest reading easy peasy puppy squeezy. A very easy read about training and what to expect. Helped us enormously.

@Sooverthemill so they’ve bred the maximum number of pedigree litters for that bitch? They can cash in by having a few crossbreed litters.
Decent breeders don’t do that.

@peachhouses

There’s no need whatsoever for your nasty attitude. I’m asking for advice and getting it from most people!

At no point did I say anything to suggest that I think a dog is a “home accessory.” My list of ideal attributes was in response to someone asking what sort of things I would like ideally, so people could suggest what breeds might be most suitable.

I know it’s a living creature, but it’s a hypothetical living creature that I am weighing up the pros and cons and options involved and trying to think very sensibly and realistically about it.

I can’t believe that in your eyes someone preferring the look of a cockapoo to a greyhound immediately makes them totally unsuitable to own a dog.

@percypetulant

Labradors shed, and people don't want dog hair in their insta-life.

I love labs. And poodles. But wouldn't buy a labradoodle.

So just the decent vacuum cleaner and a new Furminator needed then 😂

@Mamabear12

Check out a miniature Australian labradoodle. Same size and very similar to cockapoo. Every person who has this breed is absolutely smitten. And since getting ours, 3 others, who have since met our dog got one and are just as fond of theirs as we are of ours.

Ours is about to turn 3 and she is such a great family dog. So smart. We only have to tell her something once or twice and she just gets it. Very easy to train. I can ask her what’s in her mouth and she will drop it. Put a piece of steak on the floor and tell her to leave it. She understood to pee in a certain part of the backyard. Easy as a puppy. The kids love her. Eldest is 9 and youngest is 15 months. Best decision ever.

My friend has one, it’s nuts. Hyper, intelligent and very greedy, like a Lab but without the laid back character most have. I think the point is that while certain breeds have some common characteristics you can’t guarantee you get the good ones and not the bad ones and this is is especially true where people get a crossbreed hoping for the best of both. Nothing wrong with cross breeds but making assumptions about what you will/won’t get from each breed involved is risky.