cocker spaniel or cockapoo ?

[pyloricStenosis]

I'm torn between both breeds

Help me decide

Well one's a breed and one's not ...

If you want to have a pretty good idea of what you're getting looks and temperament-wise then go for a spaniel

If you're happy to play lucky dip then go for a cross - some will be more poodley, some more spaniel-like - there can be a huge variation in size, coat type, energy levels etc even within the same litter

Whichever you go for make sure you do your homework and only get a puppy whose parents have had all relevant health tests for their breed

Unfortunately because poodle crosses can make so much money, responsible breeders are few and far between

Cocker spaniel, way easier to find a decent breeder who has health tested.

Cocker spaniel all the way - find a good breeder, where you can see the parents, check that they have had all the relevant health tests and see their temperament and how they behave in the home and around people.

As previously mentioned the cocker spaniel is a breed, albeit there are different types - the workers and the show
The cockerpoo is a cross with a huge range of possibilities in the parentage, from the two types of cocker and the three types of poodle - they can be tiny or huge, shedding or non shedding, highly intelligent or completely daft.

Much will depend on your family circumstances, your lifestyle and what you are looking for in a dog

Could I ask why (how!!) you have narrowed your choice down as this may help others to offer sensible and constructive advice

I am slightly biased as I have a cocker, and he is a perfect family pet

Cockermouth spaniel. Working if you have the time and inclination to train - they need to be kept busy. English if not so much.

Cockermouth??? Just Cocker!

I thought a new strain of Lake District cocker spaniel had just been discovered

Cocker

It depends what you're after. Spaniels are very characterful but can be high energy and demanding of your time in training & keeping them entertained. I think you're either a spaniel person or you aren't. Cocker poos tend to be the best of both breeds - so you get a dog who's not totally obsessed with sniffing who is active but not exhausting & is more people - oriented on walks than a spaniel. Poodles are wonderful dogs themselves have you considered one? I know they're not as trendy as cocker poos...

It is possible to get cocker poos from healthy breeders if you do your research.

I say all this with experience of all 3 breeds as a dog walker & having helped raise several from puppies - I look after about 12 spaniels, 5 cocker poos & I grew up with poodles.

Cavapoo instead,they are amazing,very friendly dogs.

I was just talking to my Dog trainer/dog walker (majority of his work is training) not the advent of designer dogs, and the naievity that people who get them have about them.

1/ you are taking pot luck in terms of looks and temperament. Poodles and cockers both lovely dogs, but different. the breeders are not breeding for temperament and a look - they are breeding to meet a demand. A demand generally created by people who don't have huge experience in the dog world (I am sure I will get flamed about this), and get told "poo's make fantastic family dogs.....well most breeds make fantastic family dogs, its all in the socialisation and training. Which I will come to in a minute.
2/ Because these breeders are doing it to support a demand, and are not breeding to maintain a breed,(also primary motivation is to make money not a passion for the breed), they don't health test, so you can end up with a very poorly dog - which I might add you have paid a lot for.
3/ Because these are backyard breeders, who at one end of the scale - think I have a nice bitch and there friends have a nice dog - one of which is a poodle - it would be lovely for it to have pups, to the other end of the spectrum are cynical puppy farmer who use there animals as machines, they have no idea, or just don't bother to do the socialisation that is required. Actually socialisation is bit of a misnomer, its not only about meeting people and other dogs, its about experiences outside of a cage or house, so that the puppy grows into a a well adjusted dog who approaches the world around it with confidence.

My Dog trainer is in-indated with "poo's" at the moment who have training issues, down to poor "socialisation" as puppies, with with the so called "breeder", and then once they have come home. One because the breeder hasn't talked to families taking them about what is required to raise a healthy dog, and two because a scary number one them have developed health issues as they have gone to their new home (one parvovirus) so have missed key socialisation and experience in that window when it is key.

I am sure people will re-butt my arguments about KC breeders being dodgey and certainly within our breed their are some - but people within the breed no about them - so if you do your research within the breed you want you will find good breeders far more easily.

If you don't care about what your dog looks like and what sort of temperament - get a mongrel from a rescue, don't pay a fortune for one.

Cockerpoo. EVERY time. I've met a lot of Cockerpoos and they are without exception bouncy, biddable, intelligent fun-loving dogs. Cocker spaniels are lovely too. But they are much more of a handful.

I have a Cockerpoo and my dog trainer says she would always recommend a Cockerpoo or Cavapoo (for a little less bounce) to a rookie dog owner.

nobody ever says that cockerpoo's are bad dogs - its just the background they come from that lots of people object too.

I would strongly disagree that cockers are much more of a handful - I have always found it the exact opposite.

Poodle

I have a cocker/springer cross and an f1b cockapoo. Based on my experience of two dogs, I will never have a pure spaniel again. He's neurotic, needy, obsessive, fearful and hard work. My cockapoo is affectionate, funny, sweet, and a bit dim.

Of course the main difference is that my spaniel was puppy farmed, and my cockapoo was bred by a responsible, caring breeder. So I'd say that is the most important thing.

Cavapoos are far nicer than cockerpoos, but at the end of the day they are all just mongrels. All this f2 hybrid shite...no, its a mongrel.

Cockapoo everytime. Our pups now 6 months old and a joy. She's got the intelligence of a poodle and the nuttiness of a spaniel. Her parentage is from working cocker and a miniature poodle. We attend a cockapoo walking club where there can be anything up to 30 poos walking and they are such a great group. Of course they've all got their quirky traits and issues but that can be the case with any dog, but the general feeling is they're great family dogs.

Just be aware though, if you do get a cockapoo, get ready for the 'urgh you've got a crossbreed, mongrel blah blah blah' comments from some smug people who believe they are superior because they have a pure breed on the end of a lead

We have a working cocker spaniel and she is the best dog ever. She is really simple to train and is the most loving dog I have ever met and extremely loyal to her family. She gets on with all other dogs and people. We have a very active 3 year old and they play all day together and run after each other and wrestle and never has the dog even growled at him. She rarely ever barks. She has just turned a year and my mil was surprised when she heard her bark for the first time last week. Yes she is bouncy but now she has turned a year she is much calmer and sleeps a lot. She has had the odd day where something has gone wrong and she has missed her walk but she hasn't worried about it or been extra bouncy. My sister has a cockerpoo she is a lovely dog but she has the worst really yappy bark and barks all the time which would drive me completely crazy, even for short visits I can't stand it.

Cocker (I've american cockers) but I know a lot of people with cockerpoos and other cross breeds.
As others have said if you buy a cocker from a good breeder you know what you are getting whereas cockerpoos can be anything. Remember both poodles and spaniels are very intelligent breeds, poodles particularly so you will need to know what you are doing.
I don't really like the look of cocker poos but that's just me.
Plus the you can't guarantee them being hypoallergenic or whatever because they can have spaniel fur, in fact I've a friend who,has a cockerpoo that looks exactly like a spaniel.

Cavachon.

I am working as a dog groomer and about 50% of the dogs I groom are cockerpoos. With a few exceptions they are bad tempered, and no I am not rough or aggressive towards them.
Don't buy a cockerpoo thinking their coats are low maintenance, they need clipping regularly. The coat may not shed, but this means it keeps growing!! They get matted easily and are harder to keep looking nice.
Spaniels can be hand stripped and just need their legs, ears and tails trimming to look really lovely.

I have a working cocker and is so friendly he would lick you to death.

He can be daft and is high energy when outside but loves to sleep when in the house. As they have high scent drive I would say go to a gun dog trainer for training as they understand how to channel that energy.

I've got a working type cocker and he's adorable....I love him to bits but training is constant and ongoing, he spends most of our walks in hedges and ditches rather than running round, he loves fox poo and stagnant water, and his desire to flush birds out overrides his hearing and common sense most of the time!! His parents are both worker types too, and both domestic pets but the hunting gene is so dominant in him. In the house however, he's very calm and relaxed and he's totally people orientated rather than other dogs. You do need to work hard with a worker type, and like the PP said a gundog trainer is a really good idea. It's the age old you reap what you sow but the reward I've got from the work I've put into mine is amazing - but if you do get a working cocker, you must like bathing dogs. Daily

Our new Cockapoo puppy arrived on Friday. We got her from a lovely lady who decided to breed from her own pet show cocker. She was very diligent with her paperwork and had all the pedigree information for both her dog and the stud and all the health check information (some I have met didn't have any information at all..) and she was very keen to get to know us before she would agree to let us choose a puppy. She then kept us up to date every step of the way. I had a 'feeling' and a gut instinct that she was a good person and had the right approach. 2 puppies I'd seen before on separate visits were not right....Anyway, she has come home and it's all new but is a lovely temperament, cuddly and playful and has already picked up going out etc after a couple of days. Night times have been tiring but that won't last. Time will tell but our gut instinct is that she's already a loved member of our family.