Rehoming a cockapoo

[T00much]

8 month old cockapoo on a doodle rescue FB page, owner says fab with children etc etc (rehoming bec of 'change in circumstances') but they don't have any health related papers for dog or dog's parents. Should I resist? DH says absolutely no way

No way as in too risky, we are definitely getting a puppy (not a poo unless it's a rescue bec I would think it's impossible to find a reputable breeder)

I have a cockapoo and have full health papers. I'd be wary.
Why is it being rehomed?
Cockapoos need lots of training and interaction. They are lovely and I love mine to bits but they are not low maintenance dogs. They need grooming regularly and are generally v clever therefore need to be kept amused and you need to exhaust them mentally as well as physically. Having said all that he's lovely.
I'd go back to why is the dog being rehomed? (They are v lively puppies)

TBH the dog won't have had any proof of health tested parents or it wouldn't be on a rehoming site.

Any decent breeder would be taking back a pup where the new owner couldn't keep it.

Chances are it's a pup which was bought on a whim but has turned out to be a lot more energetic than anticipated. Still deserves a decent home!

You would be unlikely to get any parental health papers if you were rehoming via a regular rescue either. Get good, lifetime, insurance, and hope for the best is generally what you do with rescues - but be aware that this dog almost certainly came from a puppy farm, with little care taken over genetics.

I would expect to have to restart all training from scratch, and possibly have to work on some behavioural issues, as the owner may not be entirely honest if they are trying to get rid of the dog. Meet the dog first and take it for a walk in a location that encompasses streets with traffic, other dogs in the park etc - and be entirely prepared to walk away if need be. Consider anything the dog does already know to be a happy bonus. And get yourself to some good quality training classes pronto - one run by an APDT / IMDT / Dogs Trust Dog School trainer.

At 8 months old the dog will be in the middle of adolescence (I know because my cocker was a real pain in the arse and peaked in his arseness around 8-9 months of age).

So I read change in circumstances as actually they have realised you have to actually train your dog and it's bloody hard. So i would be expecting a badly behaved, stubborn dog who you will have to go back to basics on the training. Obviously if you put the work in with the training then that would be solved.

As for health papers well a lot of cross breeds (and some pedigrees) won't have them unfortunately. Essentially sounds like they bought a puppy on a whim.

Also look up the breed traits of both a poodle and a cocker and make sure you are happy with the pros and cons of both breeds as the dog could exhibit any mix of both.

Yes I suspect they bought it on a whim without realising how much work it involved. They just say 'change in circumstances' no more, but just clicked on owner's fb page and looks like he started a new job..

We look after our friend's cockapoo and he is lovely but he's the only one we know very well.

avocado this is what I suspect too re puppy farm

My friend rehomed a cockerpoo he was approx 8/9 months and she was his 3rd home. He is a loon. He had not been socialised properly and was aggressive towards other dogs and a typical puppy - destructive. She has had him 2 years. He is still a loon but a lovely dog. But had been bought by someone who did not know what he was taking on and fell for the cute factor. He also had no papers. Sounds like this could be similar? They are bonkers though so as long as you have the time fie training i would say go for ut. They are criss breeds - mongrels- after all. Not a pure pedigree dog

"Change in circumstances" can cover all manner of things from owner is a moron who didn't realise puppy would take lots of work, right through to owner being diagnosed with cancer. I suspect that the more legitimate the answer the more specific the reasons given.

It doesn't, however, necessarily mean that there's anything wrong with the dog - or that anything wrong is unfixable. My dog was previously rehomed multiple times, mostly by morons, and was almost totally untrained at 1y2m when I first met him, with some behavioural issues on top. 9 months on he's a cracking little dog with only a couple of remaining idiosyncrasies, but it was hard at points, and he's taken a lot of time and effort to get him to this point.

If you're keen on this dog, go to see it, but remain emotionally detached about the situation until you've made the decision, and be prepared to put the work in.

As Avocados said the more legitimate the reason for them rehoming the more specific I would expect them to be. Even if it was 'I can't cope with a dog and thought it would have been easier'. When it isn't specific I would take anything the owner said, such as good with children, with a pinch of salt.

I find myself agreeing with pp - they are almost certainly getting rid of the dog at this age because it just hit adolescence and they cannot handle or be arsed with it.

No health papers = farmed, to me.

Well bred dogs have parents that were selected for health and temperament as genetics play such a large role in both.

Farmed dogs do not have that same advantage so you run risks with both.

By all means giving this poor little bugger a loving and happy home is a brilliant thing to do for the dog. Only you know if it's right for you and your family and much of that will come down to your confidence and experience training dogs and you capacity to do so.

Thanks everyone, all very good points. I think all things involved I will let it go as it's too risky (I'm sure she will get a home in no time, just hope she gets a good one)

Just wanted to add support to Avocado I got my first dog from a reputable KC listed breeder - papers, pedigree the lot - as rescue centres weren't keen on inexperienced owners at the time. He had numerous, hard to predict, very expensive health issues that didn't emerge until he was older. The health issues led to behavioural issues. My second dog I got when she was a few months old, she had been returned for unspecified reasons. She is a very healthy, easy dog with one minor issue that was sorted out by our vet early on. So buying a puppy even from a listed breeder no guarantee of anything. Also if you read Dogs' Trust list, came out late last year, of why a number of dogs are rehomed, many reasons are just to do with 'bad' owners: my dog didn't want to sleep with me; my dog didn't like dress-up; my dog was too friendly. These are just some of the examples cited. Why not at least ask the shelter about the dog's circumstances first? 8 months is young enough for good training to overcome a number of issues. You may even find the dog has already had some training at the rescue centre.

If it’s ‘too risky’ then you are ruling out pretty much all rescue dogs and are then left looking for reputable breeders, with the minefield that is.

If it were me, I’d rather take on a rescue & get GOOD insurance.

8 months is still very young and trainable.

There's an element of risk involved in all dogs - be it puppies whose personalities haven't yet emerged or a rescue dog with a murky backstory.

Would this be your first dog as adults?

The good thing about a dog from a rescue centre (as opposed to a private rehome) is that they get independently assessed by experienced people, and usually they at least make a start on basic training. If you wanted to replicate the assessment process for a privately rehomed dog, the closest you'd get would be a 121 session with a dog trainer (APDT, IMDT) or behaviourist (APBC) prior to adoption. You'd expect to pay for a ballpark figure of £50-70/hour for a 121 session.

I recently came across a dog that was up for adoption at about the same age because the owners had no aptitude for dog training, had got frustrated and essentially given up. What was left was a nice natured but bouncy dog that needed some consistency in training - nothing particularly extraordinary to be honest, but regardless she was being rehomed.

Yes this was a private rehome, I would feel happier if it was at a recue centre and had been assessed for behaviour even if they didn't have any health history.

dotti I take your point, nothing is guaranteed

avocados yes first dog as adults

In that case I think you'd be better off going via a local rescue centre and looking for a different dog - just be aware that rescue poodle crosses are snapped up quickly so you may have to be a bit flexible about breed

I have signed up with a couple already. A lot of dogs that come up specify children over 12. I think I will visit the centres andaybe get to know some staff bec at the moment I am just a name on a computer

The benefits of a reputable rescue is that you have an independent assessment of temperament and ongoing support afterwards.

For a private rescue it's definitely more of a gamble and having bought up a cocker puppy I think probably quite a big gamble for first time owners at a very challenging dogs age so I think you are sensible to pass on this one and go to a rescue center.

So they aren't actually rehoming it? They're selling it.
If you legitimately can't keep a pet you surrender it to a rescue who homecheck and assess pup to ensure they find the right home.
Sounds much more like these people took on a high energy crossbreed from a puppy farm. I doubt they have trained it or met its needs. They have a nightmare adolescent and CBA so are flogging it on FB.
I would avoid.
Rescue from a rescue centre or a foster home is a much better idea. Or find a good pedigree breeder. That's not easy.

Well yes, they're asking for over £500 to make sure she goes to a good home but you are so right, you would go through the right channels if you really cared about the pup's future wellbeing rather than getting your money back!

LOL they're not asking £500 to make sure she goes to a good home. They are asking for £500 to get their money back as they can't be bothered any more

If they genuinely wanted a good home for her they would be handing her to a reputable rescue along with a large donation.