Cockapoos - pros and cons?

[punter]

Thinking of a second dog for 4 year old lab, any experiences of cockapoos? Tia.

My sister has an 8 mth old apricot cockerpoo.
It is a very friendly and doesn't shed, BUT it is crazily active and needs 2 hour exercise a day. It rolls in everything and jumps in any water going! It also needs alot of grooming and clipping.

We have a 2 and a half year old cockapoo and she has been/is great. DH and I grew up with dogs and both of us agree that she has been the best dog either of us have had to date.

Pros:
No shedding
Very clever and easily trainable
Very cuddly and loyal
Playful nature

Cons:
Hair maintenance. She does not drop fur but I need to comb her with a hair rake weekly. She is used to it, but it really is surprising the amount of hair I comb out
Food obsessed - this is the cocker side of her
Separation anxiety - she cries when I tie her outside of don-unfriendly shops even though she can see me (poodle problem)

Finding a reputable breeder is difficult. We really did our research and found someone who had done the appropriate health checks with documentation and whose set up we were comfortable with. We knew the cocker mum, whose temperament (calm - our cockapoo takes after her mum in temperament) we liked, and knew she was a beloved family pet and this was to be her first and only litter. The only quibble I had with the breeder was my decision to feed raw - he was very sceptical.

We are very happy with our choice, and DH wants another one!

My apricot boy will be 6 in April. He's the best dog ever.
Loves people - he's excited to meet just about anyone. Friendly, gentle, playful, yet will slob for hours too.
Doesn't shed, but needs a cut and blow-dry about every 10 weeks or so, otherwise matts become too much to handle.
Adores mud and water - magnetic attraction to the grubbiest part of any walk. Doesn't chew stuff, but simply has to have something in his mouth to greet people with.
Research your source as thoroughly as you would any other dog.

My rescue dog is a street dog from Cyprus and doesn't shed. Fab isn't it?

Thanks SO much for all your comments and advice. I was certainly concerned about puppy farming etc especially after seeing an advert for pups - £950 each!! and no indication that I could see the mum.
I will consider further, the grooming sounds a pain, but having a lab I am stuck with the shedding anyway.

You won't find a reputable breeder. Reputable breeders don't cross two working dogs together, give them a funny name and flog them to families at £600+ a pop with spurious claims about shedding etc.

However - there are hundreds, if not thousands in rescue. Make of that what you will.

The majority of Cocker x Poodle crosses will be bred from working-type Cockers, as they are cheaper to buy. This can mean, as many posters who have experience have stated, a VERY full-on dog.

Avoiding puppy farmers is becoming harder and harder, as they get cleverer. If you don't think this desperately matters, then please do look online and see a) the health issues that many have due to poor breeding and poor rearing environment, b) the temperament issues many have due to poor rearing environment and being taken from the litter too soon and c) the lives you are condemning the mother to.

Separation anxiety does seem to be quite an issue with this cross.

Beyond that, the same advice as buying any other pup - if you can find a breeder who does the approved tests (not just a vet check) for both breeds, doesn't always have pups available, you can see several generations to see type and temperament - then go for it.

I have a cockapoo now, having had spaniels (cocker and ESS), labs, JRTs and lurchers in the past, and he's my favourite (bar one JRT who could never be beaten).
Pros;
Doesn't shed unless he needs a haircut
Stays pretty clean, down to character maybe as he's quite particular
Easy to train
So relaxed at home and barely notices other dogs/people when out
Doesn't need much walking, refuses to go if it's raining
Low maintenance from what I had heard. I rarely brush him and he doesn't seem to matt up. Hasn't had a haircut since autumn last year BUT he does desperately need one now!

Cons;
Can be very clingy, but that's entirely my fault. I had him with me 24/7 in the early days as I'd had an op and was at home cuddling him! He literally follows me to the loo and spent the entirety of my shower the other day poking his nose through the curtain
He's a jumping jack. He bounces when he's excited and no joke, can get his little body level with my chest and I'm not short. Just straight up from a stand-still, boing.

So many dogs in rescue, I wish we could slow down the breeding of dogs in this country and get people to adopt.

The biggest con for me is the chance of getting a pup that is not the product of a puppy farm is virtually zero.
Where I live they come up regularly in rescue

There is a scam near me Bubble, there is a big traveller camp which is keeping these poor dogs in absolute misery and squalor. The dogs get kicked regularly (the rspca are doing nothing).

They are kept in the freezing cold, no bedding, little food and no love.

Another person takes the pups when they are ready, they live in a house, the house is spotless, lots of blankets and toys strewn around.
The buyer is told that mum is having a well deserved break/walk/ whatever.

The buyer pays £800 for a puppy and walks away happily thinking that they have avoided a puppy farm.

A school mum I know recently bought two cockerpoo "sisters" from Little Rascles (do not use - puppy farm). She was lead to believe they were 10 week old last of the litter.

Took to vets. Vet thinks one is older, about 12-14 weeks. The other 8-10 weeks. So likely to be not from the same litter. Just two similar looking dogs from two seperate litters put together at a reduced price if you buy both.

No reputable dealer would let litter siblings go to the same (pet) home, so that's a massive red flag.

Surely a 'reputable dealer' wouldn't be dealing at all?

We were v naive when we got our cocker. From a working bitch on a farm (a proper farm not a puppy farm).

But if we were ever to get any other cat or dog I will definitely be going down the rescue route. Even 'reputable dealers' shove the stud or bitch to one side after a few litters.

Horrible, selfish people.

Yes, it's not known by lots of people about siblings going together.
My lovely friend bought two brothers, the breeder let them go a week before Christmas too

Ugh, to bang on a bit more. I have someone on FB who chronicled the breeding of his lab, 75 hours of labour for the bitch, constant vomiting and six lovely puppies. When she had a seventh after five hours, his cousin commented 'more money cuz', which he liked.

I would class him as a caring owner too, get a job and earn your own money.

I've just looked after my DBro's (3 years old - dog, not DBro )for a fortnight - fortunately he gets along well with my lab.

Pros:
Nice size - easy to bath in the utility room sink when he rolled in fox poo.
This particular chap is very "cheerful" - always up for a play.

Cons:
Shed like a bastard (as does my lab!) My house is now covered not only in black straight hair but also in fine, curly black hair. My hoover hates me.
Extremely high energy. Could walk/play all day, unlike my lab who likes to sleep for a couple of hours after a long walk.
Barks in excitement at ... well ... everything!
Quite "needy" - always wants to be with someone. Sat patiently in front of me when I went to the loo if I didn't close the door quickly enough. Otherwise, just waited, equally patiently, outside the door ... with my lab!

Not very happy with the way in which my DBro procured the dog - not enough checks on the breeder, for my liking, but he is a sweet dog and very well loved and cared for (though not quite as well trained as my lab who has been trained to within an inch of his life by DH!).

To be honest, I don't think anyone can EVER know exactly what they're going to get in a dog. Like people, they're all different.

Some people have said their dog doesn't shed. Poodles don't but I believe cockers do, so it's pot luck as to whether the offspring will shed or not. Also, please make sure the health checks for both breeds have been done (see Trionic's helpful post).
Personally, I'd go for a pure-bred where you can research the breeder and their line, or have a rescue (I have both!).

My mum paid £750 for her health tested cockerpoo 5 years ago, he's as mad as a box of frogs, needs clipping every 6 weeks at £30 a time, has a very sensitive tummy, barks a lot, Is highly intelligent and has a high prey drive. He's a sweet dog but high maintainance. From working lines.

I also have a friend who has a show cocker cross poodle and he's a lot quieter but still high maintenance coat wise and tummy wise.

Look at Cyprus rescue groups, including Helen McGarry. Cyprus poodles are very similar to cockerpoos, don't shed and are generally gorgeous. Kokonis are lovely little dogs too. The country has a massive problem with non neutering of dogs so lots in rescue. Even with paying for a flight etc, you'll probably pay half of the going cost here

Two cockapoo in a local rescue - one with a deformed leg (will be amputated), second with missing eye, both birth defects.

Both passed to the rescue by breeder who couldn't sell them. Now the rescue has to pick up the tab for operations and rehoming. That's the tip of the iceberg of puppy farming...

They're just so... boring. So utterly ubiquitous. Every dog anyone I know has bought in the last few years has been one of there.

Yawn.

I have nothing to add except it's a myth about hypoallergenic dogs. It's not just the hair that you can be allergic to, it's also the dander on their breath. Learned the hard way.

Feel a bit stressed reading all this! We've decided to take the plunge and get one. I look after my friend's every time she goes on holiday and found him a great fit for our family.

Was planning to visit a puppy at the weekend. Apparently mum can be viewed with the puppy and both mum and dad are KC registered. The dad is the poodle and he has clear health checks. Paper work would be provided.

Assuming all the paperwork checks out would you be satisfied it isn't a scam?

I've noticed on a lot of the adverts the sellers use a stock image of a poodle.