Miniature Cockapoo....first time pet owner

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I really want a dog, family have cockatoo's so familiar with the breed.

Tell me about your miniature/toy cockapoo and help me convince DH we need one.

Cockapoo*

What is a miniature cockapoo?

I have 2 cockapoos (1 is 3/4 poodle and is 1 half and half)
Never heard of a miniature
Mine are both small- people alway assume 1 is a cavapoo

I have a cockapoo, half miniature poodle.

He is amazing! Don't get me wrong, hard work especially in the teenage years but so so worth it! He's snuggly and cuddly at home but energetic and loves a run on walks! He sleeps on our bed and night and will sleep in between us, under the covers, head in a pillow 💛

I can't say it's true for every cockapoo obviously but everyone I've met has been so friendly and well natured. Getting him was the best thing we ever did!

does he retrieve ?
Dig?

or is he more poodle than spaniel?

@Portillo he retrieves with varying level of success, he used to dig a lot in the garden but we trained him out of it.

They can't be a lot of work like all dogs but if you put in the training then they are brilliant family dogs.

I've had dogs before (family dogs) but my husband never has and he loves him to pieces!

Have an 18 month old miniature cockapoo (she’s just under 9kg fully grown). Show cocker mum and miniature poodle dad. She’s an absolute joy. We have a trainer and a dog walker once a week and they both say how lovely she is. She’s a clever little thing and we put a lot of hard work into training her. She has some separation anxiety at times (there’s always someone home so she hasn’t been left for more than 10 mins at a time). She’s cheeky, playful but has spent 3 hours today sleeping on me. She and my 12 year old DD adore each other.

I was anxious about getting a puppy but she’s been fabulous. Couldn’t imagine life without her now.

Thank you. Now to work on DH more.

I have miniature poodles and I know that wasn't the question but just saying...

One of them here

We've had her 3 weeks and she is already a real character. So loving yet playful and adventurous.

It’s not a breed, it’s a cross breed.

there are a lot of cons.

firstly if a puppy ends up with the worst traits of both breeds would you be ok with that? All cross breed puppies are different because some are more cocker, some poodle, and on a sliding scale between.

are you ok with the demands of grooming? They need combed through every day, they need very regular professional grooms. A lot of groomers hate them as it’s difficult to keep on top of, then they have to deal with the consequences. They aren’t hypoallergenic, and there’s a 75% chance they will shed.

lastly cross breeds are puppy farm/unethical breeders money makers. No breed checks for health, no limits on number of litters, they can just churn them out in a shed in the garden. You need to be extremely careful and really look in to where the puppies come from. Of course many people don’t care and are fine with puppy farms, but personally they wouldn’t be getting my money.

a decent breeder will have a wait list. If you can get a cockerpoo straight away chances are it’s not a decent breeder. My neighbour breeds, one litter every two years, two litter max per bitch. She has a waitlist and only has a litter when the waitlist is longer than 15, so every pup is guaranteed a good home. She barely makes any money with vet care etc.

I have a cockapoo.
No idea if she is miniature or not. She's a lovely and funny dog and very undemanding and easy going. She's incredibly greedy and is always trying to get whatever scraps she can.
She had a serious issue with her knee (patellar luxation) which needed expensive surgery so please be more careful than we were in choosing your dog and make sure your dog or the parent dog do not have this issue.

We waited over a year for ours. Vet friend recommended the breeder who is far from a puppy farm. Each bitch only has 2 litters, never back to back. Both parents fully health checked and copies of the certificates provided. She vets potential new owners very carefully and has stayed in touch to see how the dog is
doing. Sent a message on her birthday etc.

We don’t have issues with grooming. She goes to the breeders every 6 weeks. We don’t brush her daily - maybe twice a week - but there are rarely any issues with matts (sometimes a tiny one behind the ears which she doesn’t much like is brushing). She doesn’t have tight curls, not sure if that makes a difference.

She’s very fussy with food. Sometimes eats loads of raw food but sometimes has a couple of days of not eating.

Shes a sweetheart though.

Mine are not miniature and not sure what 1 weighs but the other is between 7-8kg fully grown

The other is smaller as 3/4 poodle but chunkier so I guess about the same

Mine also had to have leg/knee surgery at 18 months

Another danger with crossbreeds- a friend had a “doodle” of some sort. Was sold it as a “miniature”.

bloody thing is 25kg and above my knee. You sometimes can’t tell as a puppy.

”miniature” and “teacup” dogs are very prone to patellar luxation as pp have said. Regardless of breed. At £3k a knee, plus the danger of dogs that small and anaesthesia, i wouldn’t touch anything not breed standard size.

We have a cockapoo - mum is a cockapoo and dad is a miniature poodle. ChenPup is 10.5kg so a perfect size for me. No shedding - I've yet to meet one that does, I'm part of a regional cockapoo group and it's the one thing we all enjoy not having to deal with. Not hypoallergenic, but very low allergy. Ours is more spaniel looking and so matting is rare - we never brush him, he's just groomed every 8 weeks. We got him from a breeder my DH has known for years - met both his parents, he was fully health checked with paperwork provided, all necessary vaccinations given by reputable local vets. As with all breeders, do your homework - it's a popular breed (cross breed obvs) and there are disreputable breeders as a result, as there are with all the popular breeds.

They are great natured but very lively and need lots of walking and stimulation. I do obedience, take him on lots of walks alone and with other owners, and do scent work and regular training with him. If you're looking for a placid dog that will sleep for hours in front of the fire then a cockapoo is not the one for you! I love mine to bits - they are very affectionate dogs who love human company (except the postman - mine does not like him v much) and providing you put the work in, they're brilliant family dogs.

I’m sorry to be the negative on this thread. Whilst they definitely make a beautiful dog, it is hard to gauge a “temperament” of them as they are ultimately a mixed breed dog. “Temperaments” are more applicable to a pedigree.

Although temperaments are just a guide and you can have a dog with a great temperament on paper, it can be different. Apparently Golden Retrievers cause the most bites.

A mixed breed is more difficult to stereotype as they can get a different genetic mix, more of one breed than the other.

That said, I’m sure they would make a nice dog because the two breeds are typically lovely dogs. I know poodles are prone to feeling lonely though so that might be something worth thinking about if you’re out a lot.

Good luck with the dog ☺️ 🐶

The grooming thing isn't necessarily true. Our cockapoo never matts and we never really brush him (we used to before children, and it seems to make no difference). He needs 3-4 cuts a year which isn't too bad and the groomer finds him straightforward. I don't know if he's an exception to the rule.

The main draw back for a cockatoo is that it is frequently more intelligent than the owner.

If you want smaller, go for a maltipoo. Mine is less than 4kg as an adult. He's a rescue though, we didn't get him as a puppy.

stupid people paying big money for a mongrel, the world has gone mad!

Stupid people making stupid claims on MN

And frequently better at spelling than some posters.

But you cant walk them and they need a pretty big cage?

That said my granny's one used to tell people to 'piss off' which was quite funny- it had lived in a pub- it said 'mines a pint' as well

I'd be tempted just to go toy poodle, my toy poodle is so funny and cute. Very clever when he wants to be and there was no question over which traits he may or may not pick up.
Not all cockapoos are born equal and you really don't know what you're going to get from temperament to coat. If you want a woolly coat and not a silk spaniel coat again this isn't always obvious when they are puppies.

Make sure you're prepared to brush regularly and pay for a groomer other wise they won't be cute just matted and uncomfortable