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?

I’ve got a cavachon (King Charles spaniel crossed with a bichon). Similar look to a cockapoo but smaller. Low energy breed, definitely a couch potato. Happy with a 30 minute walk but can also trot along and do a 5k run quite happily. Good with other dogs, cats, chickens and guinea pigs.

That looks good, thanks @HeckyPeck

If you want a dog that doesn't need a lot of exercise, I suggest you consider a whippet. A good sprint round a field twice a day and a comfy sofa for the rest of the time is all they need.

Other bonuses of a whippet are no grooming required and you can wipe them down with a damp flannel when they're muddy.

As for finding a good breeder, if you're getting a dog from a recognised breed, the Kennel Club will give you contact details for the secretary of the breed club. They'll know who's got puppies planned or available, and who's a reputable breeder who breeds for sound temperament rather than looks.

When you visit the breeder, check out mother and puppies, and take a good look at where and how they're kept. A good breeder will have them in a clean, cosy environment, with toys etc to keep them entertained. Research any health issues and if there are any known in the breed, ask if parents have been tested for those issues and ask to see the results.Google Volhard puppy tests and do some rudimentary tests when checking them out. That will help you work out which one will be the best fit for your family.

Sorry, meant also to say that cockerpoos can have genetic health issues (progressive retinal atrophy, luxating patella and hip dysplasia are among them), but to the best of my knowledge, most breeders don't test for these before breeding their dogs. It would be worth asking, and don't be afraid to ask to see test results.

And as PPs have said, they are high energy dogs. The one across the road from me gets taken out for an hour or more free running in open countryside and still looks full of beans on his way back from the last one!

Don't get a cockapoo, they're like the barbies of the dog world

@Mydogisagentleman

Another thing to bear in mind is the cost of grooming. I have a gorgeous Bedlington, he costs close to £50 every 6 weeks.

That's a lot, @Mydogisagentleman. Is that for show clip or puppy clip?

I'm thinking about getting a Bedlington later in the year, would you mind if I pm'd you, rather than hijack the thread with Bedlington questions?

Typical mumsnet responses about how you shouldn’t get a puppy and everyone should have a rescue greyhound. Not everyone can rescue and a rescue greyhound is a totally different thing to a cockerpoo type so not really relevant. Of course choose the dog you want looks wise , just make sure it’s personality fits. This can be a challenge with cockapoos because they are not a breed so have no predictable traits-ignore any website or person saying what a typical cocker pops personality is like. Instead look at the mother and other family members personalities and consider the worst traits of both breeds for a “worst case”.
Personally I wouldn’t get a cockerpoo because it’s too difficult to find what I’d consider a good breeder. If I’m paying lots of money for a dog (not rescuing) I would only consider it good value for money if I could see health tests and family tree on both sides to increase the chances of getting a healthy happy dog. I think it’s obvious why you’d want to avoid a puppy farm as this is clearly animal cruelty, but casual breeders are more of a grey area. Personally I wouldn’t buy off someone breeding their family pet (and selling for high prices) as I wouldn’t know the background of the dog and I personally hate the culture of being able to see a litter advertised on a website and picking the dog up a few days later-it’s almost like buying them on amazon. I think that dogs are family members and you should have to wait and go through a rigorous process to get one ethically. That said, lots of people do get dogs off pets4homes without meeting lots of the dogs relatives/health tested parents and end up with happy healthy dogs and as long as the breeder looks after their dog well then maybe it’s not evil. Just depends if you’re ok with that/want to risk their being a higher chance of health and behaviour problems vs waiting for a well bred KC assured bred dog.

We have just reached the end of our first year with a dog. We had him from a puppy, from a kennel club registered breeder- he is a miniature schnauzer.

Chewing- all of them do it for the first few months- including biting you for much of that!

Mini schnauzers are smallish but not tiny, friendly, not too high energy, easy to train. I think they'd fit the bill for you. As a pure breed they are not so at risk for puppy farming. Have a look- we adore ours and it's the best thing we have ever done.

Looking cute isn’t a reason to get a dog

How long are you going to be around to do the initial training and settling, you won’t be able to be out for 2 days per week for at least 6-8 weeks, possibly longer. You can’t have someone just popping in, neither can they go with a dog walker. Most day care places won’t take young pups, and you can’t outsource stuff like house training. You have to be there, constantly watching them, taking them out every 20-30 mins, after food, when they wake up. Having a pup is hard, hard work for about 18 months, longer for some breeds

I don’t think you realise what it all entails

Cockapoos can be tricky to train and need careful handling. Look up resource guarding.

apologies @Shoppingwithmother I misread your first post , a hour and a half is much better

I really appreciate your attempts to get a dog in an ethical way OP.

My cocker spaniel is a rescue from a puppy farm. I don’t know how many litters she’d had, but her health was damaged by it. She has scars under both eyes where the vet cut away big lumps caused by infection from her living conditions. A lot of her teeth were extracted too as they were so damaged.

And she’s a loving little dog, but she’s spent the first three or so years of her life never having been outside. She doesn’t know how to play or if she’s safe. She’s scared of being left alone.

And all these cockapoo puppies have to come from somewhere. The demand is going to be met from puppy farms. And it’s real dogs that suffer, real dogs just like the puppies that people are so desperate for.

So thanks for trying to do the right thing when looking for your puppy. I hope you have many years of happiness with your future dog.

@Peachypips78

We have just reached the end of our first year with a dog. We had him from a puppy, from a kennel club registered breeder- he is a miniature schnauzer.

Chewing- all of them do it for the first few months- including biting you for much of that!

Mini schnauzers are smallish but not tiny, friendly, not too high energy, easy to train. I think they'd fit the bill for you. As a pure breed they are not so at risk for puppy farming. Have a look- we adore ours and it's the best thing we have ever done.

Omg they are SO cute 😍

We have a Lhasa Apso. An ancient and quite expensive breed that we got from a rescue centre for £100. He was 1 years old when we got him and is an old man now.
They are IMO perfect family dogs, calm, gentle, easy to train and non shedding. Small enough not to take up all the room on the sofa but sturdy enough to go on all day hikes.
I dont know why they aren't the most popular breed really.

Thank you @LibertyMole that’s really kind.

I will definitely look at other options, take plenty of time to research everything and see if there is a suitable rescue dog that may come up too.

There are now multiple cockapoo societies where the breeders are out to improve the breed rather than the jump on a bandwagon charge a fortune for an ill-bred mutt with overshot/undershot jaw (as I see at the groomers attached to a business I use). Not sure if this is a good one.
www.britishcockapoosociety.com/

I think what puts me off some pure breed dogs is actually the breed standard haircuts. I really don’t like the over groomed look of the traditional poodle for example, but when I look at pictures of a poodle with just a normal basic trim they look lovely.

I was just looking at mini schnauzers as Peachypips recommended and I thought the same thing. I don’t like the “show” style groom, but I did see a couple of pictures of a more “normal” trim without the long mouth hair and again they looked nice.

Presumably there’s nothing wrong with just having a normal “pet dog” style trim?!

“Presumably there’s nothing wrong with just having a normal “pet dog” style trim?!”

You can do whatever you want with their fur.

We have a first generation cross miniature labradoodle
She actually just looks like a little lab with slightly curly hair. She's so loving, was easy to train and can take or leave a long walk. I think you're absolutely allowed to choose a dog that you think looks cute. And you adjust to having a dog like you would with any other member of the family. You don't know exactly what you're getting when you have children either. Ours was just from someone local who bred their family and she's just lovely. I don't recommend a Scottie though - her older brother! But again, we just adapted to his personality. Having a dog is a commitment obviously but many of the responses here are over the top. Get a cute dog and look after it?!

It's strange - in RL, where I live, it seems to be an unwritten law than once your youngest child is 8-10 years old you must get a dog (normally a cockerpoo), in MN world a retired greyhound is the only suitable dog?
A few of my friends have got cockerpoos - one,in particular seems absolutely bonkers, definitely high needs, and chews everything.

I’ve read some of the posts but not all so apologies if anything I say has been said.

We rescued a approx 5 yr old patterdale terrier from shelter feb 2020. If you read up on them, the info could make your hair stand on end... 🤣 high prey drive uncontrollable nutters with a will of iron 🤣
She does have a will of iron about not wanting to get up in the morning, or to go out in the morning but she is the most gentle and sweetest dog I’ve ever owned and wonderful with the kids. She thinks she is one of them and is amazing at football.

It’s worth a walk around a rescue or two, you might find your true love in there 🐾 she was badly treated and very nervous at first but she’s the heart of our family now and we wouldn’t be without her... so many walked past her though. It’s worth a look.

It sounds like what you like looks wise is the teddy bear cut. That can be done on any long haired breed.

With any dog that needs a groomer, it will cost and needs to be done regularly - every couple of months.

I groom my two dogs myself - a westie and cocker spaniel. They're done every 6-8 weeks.

My issue with crosses is that they won't be bred from the best examples of their constituent breeds. Breeders of quality pure bred dogs don't want them used to produce crosses. A quality pure bred dog costs no more than a cross. Looks of purebreds are standardised and common traits like prey drive and temperament are pretty predictable.

At the end of the day as long as the dog is cared for and loved, that's all that really matters regardless of breed.

When I was looking for my next dog I googled the traits I wanted - 10kg, stocky, square head - then looked at everything that came up. I never wanted a small white fluffy, but after doing breed specific searches from my initial enquiy and then reading the breed standard for westies, I decided they were the dog for me.

My pup was perfect from the second he came home. Exactly the mix of cheeky, rascally confidence that I wanted in a dog - the breed standard specifies a varminty appearance and that seems to translate to westitude. It is amazing how many of the behaviours he does are common in the breed - we compare them on a westie Facebook page. Some of the unusual ones are they love sleeping on pillows and they have the most endearing nose bump to the back of your leg as you walk along just to let you know they're there.

So that's a really long way to say look with no preferences initially so you see a wide variety of breeds - I saw breeds I'd never heard of. Narrow the search to ones you like the look or sound of (remember anything can have a teddy bear cut), then do breed specific searches to see if they are suitable for your lifestyle and experience.

One of the breeds I'd never heard of was a Coton de Tulear - just as an example
dogtime.com/dog-breeds/coton-de-tulear#/slide/1

@Shoppingwithmother the show clips and trims are soooooo extreme!
I would start with size and energy levels and see what crops up. There are breed selector quizzes.

It’s the law on MN that when someone wants a small to medium sized dog someone suggests a greyhound

Good luck OP.