Please only tell me good things about your poodle/spaniel cross ...

[LaBelleDameSansPatience]

... I will not use THAT name. But we have bought one.
I did not want a designer dog; DH has told me for years that he wants a spaniel to remind him of his boyhood dog and dd desperately wants a poodle or Chihuahua ... at least it is a bit more robust than a Chihuahua. (To be fair to her, DD is half French and used to seeing tiny dogs in handbags).
Now I only want to hear good things about these dogs, please, so that I know we might have done the right thing.
We needed a small dog - present dog is medium/large and they will both have to fit in the car/bed/sofa - and a reasonably local breeder so that we can visit the puppy regularly until it is old enough to come to us. At present it is 4 weeks and dd is totally in love ... just floating around ...

My brother's friend has one. Apparently it was the easiest dog EVER to train, friendly, intelligent and great with the kids. I would love one.

I know a working type cocker x miniature poodle. He is incredibly cute, he's red, with a tiny white flash on his chest. His coat doesn't shed but is less curly than a poodle but more wavy than a spaniel. That's about the only good thing I can say about him. He isn't 1 until October though...

He's utterly bonkers and you just cannot tire him out at all. Overall he was a Very Bad Choice.

This is him. His owner has had dogs all her life and she is really struggling with him, he just has so much energy he doesn't stay still long enough to teach him anything!

Sorry, I know you said good things only but I really think you should hear the not so good things too.

My f1b cockapoo is a darling. Friendly, playful, happy to go on long walks and equally happy to curl up on your lap. He fits in to family life easily. Adore him.

My boy is very obedient, but a leeeeeetle bit dim. He has excellent recall etc, and the basics are there, but it took him ages to learn lay down for example. My spaniel is a genius in comparison, and as a result much harder work.

Dpup has a couple of cocker/poodle cross friends - they are very sweet-natured but v v v energetic, they do a LOT of running around in crazy circles

Out of idle curiosity I looked at a couple of poodle x breeders' websites - I had no idea it was such big business!! One site I looked at must have had coming up to 100 puppies ready to go in June/July, at prices ranging from £950 to £1500 - these were poodles crossed with labs, goldies, cockers, springers, cavs, bichons, lhasas, yorkies and probably a couple more I've forgotten

To put that in perspective my rare breed puppy cost £800 and his was one of a handful of litters born last year in the whole country...

I don't think they're any nuttier than any other puppies. Mine has been a sweetie from Day One. Lots of fun, yes, and will gambol about as long as you let him, but he also does more than his fair share of lazing about.

I'm a member of a Facebook group for the 'breed' and there are hundreds and hundred of people on there who'd report similar. Can't speak highly enough of them as a dog-type. Brilliant family pet.

Pics of him on my profile.

Mine is gorgeous. Bright, quick to toilet rain, quick to teach basic commands plus a few more now. Very energetic, but she is only 8 months and my friend doesn't think she is any different from how her pure Cocker Spaniel was at that age.

Not boasting or anything...

Most encouraging ... ours will not be working cocker but English cocker. Yes, a huge business but ours is not from a professional breeder ... a local mum who is encouraging DD to visit pups at least once a week until they can leave, which I think is a good sign; her kids play with the puppies and the mum (dog mum) was lovely.
Don't mind a bit dim ... my border collie is very very bright and basically trained herself, so I will have to work on less intelligent dog. Planning puppy training, lots of books etc.
My BC noticed, for example, as a puppy, that I always stopped and stood still when a car approached on walks along country lanes ... within a few days, she would suddenly sit down, I would wonder why and then along would come the car which she had heard before me.
Really regret life was too busy to do lots of work with her ... will do better this time!

But they're not renowned for being dim! Poodles are supposed to be intelligent and I believe spaniels are too.
Mine is highly intelligent apart from not 'getting' that he needs to give me the ball back if he wants me to throw it again.

Probably depends on the individual ...

Perhaps mine seems dim in comparison to the MENSA spaniel. The 'poo didn't get reliably house trained until he was around 9 months old. Now, I say dim. You might think 'Smart cookie, peeing on the landing so he didn't have to go outside in the wet'. He is utterly gorgeous, though, and a real cuddle monster. His tail is permanently wagging and he greets every member of the family as if they are royalty. Bloody love my mutt :)

Clam, we probably post on the same page