cocker spaniel or cockapoo ?

[pyloricStenosis]

I'm torn between both breeds

Help me decide

We have a springer spaniel cross labradoodle cross min poodle, from a one off home breeder we knew where mum was much admired and they thought they would give her one litter. She didn't cost a lot and is a mongrel. She is gorgeous and we went for a crossbreed deliberately because our last dog a pedigree Lancashire Heeler had lens luxation despite all usual checks and ended up with both eyes removed but hopefully happy life till 14 and a half. What I am trying to say is, whatever breed you choose you need to meet your needs, long walks, shorter walks, home all day or not etc so that most importantly you can meet their needs too. I have a friend who has a pedigree springer who she will not let off the lead ever because she chases pheasants, she gets the same on road walk daily and regularly gets left for 6 hours at home ( I have tried to suggest alternatives to no avail). This situation would be bad for a cocker spaniel or a cockapoo, sproodle, doodle, lab you name it! I would go for a pedigree cocker unless you have found a reliable home breeder of cockapoos. We love our sproodle doodle mongrel girl but she does take some training. We often joke that our long gone black lab girl and Homer, Lancashire Heeler would both look at Cocopups toys, kongs and food puzzles and go wtf!

This thread is almost two years old so I'm guessing the OP has probably made a decision one way or the other by now

we went for a crossbreed deliberately because our last dog a pedigree Lancashire Heeler had lens luxation despite all usual checks

I'm not picking on you Coco but it is worth pointing out that crossbreeding, or even producing thoroughly mixed mongrels, is not in and of itself a guarantee of a dog being free from heritable conditions. The risk may well be much lower (though this is heavily dependent on the breeds involved) but it's certainly not substitute for proper health testing and correctly utilising the results of those tests.

I've got a proper mongrel who developed hereditary cataracts which required surgery and left her with rather less than perfect sight. Somewhere in the make up of both her parents happened to be a breed (or breeds) which can be affected by hereditary cataracts with the same genetic basis. She was unlucky enough that, despite all the cross breeding, both parents were carriers and she ended up affected.

The only absolutely reliable way to avoid heritable conditions is by utilising DNA tests where they're available. Unfortunately they don't exist for every possible condition but new ones are being developed all the time. The gene responsible for PLL in Lancashire Heelers (and several other breeds) has now been identified, its mode of inheritance is understood and there is now a reliable DNA test available so it can be completely avoided.

Cornflake, that's good to know that DNA tests are being developed all the time, too late for our boy though and I guess that the Lancashire Heeler gene pool is getting smaller all the time. I think they are on the endangered British dogs list. Our pups breeders did all relevant tests but given what happened to Homer we are fairly relaxed about what will be will be, as you say DNA tests don't exist for every possible condition.

I guess that the Lancashire Heeler gene pool is getting smaller all the time.

The LH is in a more dire situation than most as they're so rare the gene pool is tiny anyway but all recognised breeds in the UK are going to end up in dire straights eventually as closed gene pools are inevitably negative in the long run.

The sooner the KC starts sanctioning sensible outcrossing programmes the better.

We have a working cocker. She's amazing. Easy to train and good with the kids. Lot of energy though so you need to have a big garden and/or be prepared to walk them x

We had a cocker spaniel. He had 🤔 a very strong character, and fixed ideas about his life and intentions, he was a bit of an evil genius, despite any intervention from trying hard humans. I fondly remember him in his twilight years when he became manageable by incapacity.