Anyone own a cockerpoo dog? Thoughts please. :)

[Doolly067]

Hi.
We are looking for a second dog to be part of our family in the very near future.
I am seriously considering a cockerpoo.
(I know they are a crossbreed, designer mutt, whatever some people wish to call them so please don't feel the need to remind me of this, thank you!)
I just want to hear from people who own one and pro's/con's (so to speak)

Thanks in advance. ; )

Do you want to know about cockers or just cockerpoos?

Don't own one but lots of my family do and I work with people with lots of types of dogs. They are quite a needy dog still, like a cocker spaniel, a cockapoo will need lots of time, attention and walks. They're lovely dogs with great temperaments but I wouldn't recommend if you're not going to be home for most of the day every day.

I've one (from a rescue) and she's gorgeous and so full of affection. She's also the second dog and quickly became the boss even though the old guy is the boss of every other dog in the area.

Difficult to advise as random crossings can result in dog anywhere on the spectrum between the two parent breeds - you could get the best of both or the worst of both.

I have a cockapoo. She is loving, great with my baby, fun, cute, intelligent, cuddly, doesn't malt. Only downside is she is a bit too needy, but I secretly like that she is my little shadow.

My friend has one it's great with small kids and very friendly to other dogs and people. It is mental too though like a cocker.

For an idea of the cocker side they can inherit I can tell you, they are intelligent and hyper puppies. They love dogs, people and life in general - everything is exciting. Are easy to train/pick new things up quickly, love fetching and giving things to you (can be bad if they find something nasty on a walk). Will almost certainly sleep on your feet if you sit down and follow you everywhere like a shadow. Can be pretty vocal with a very loud bark for their smallish size.

Cockapoos temperament and looks can come out very much like a cocker or very much like a poodle or a total mix (in some cases it can be the worst of both breeds).

The major negative is that because they are a designer cross, there are basically no good breeders. This will impact on all sorts of things from how easy they are to house train (huge difference) to temperament to health (both in short and long term). There are also the moral and ethical issues with buying from a bad breeder or worse a puppy farm.

SiL has one. He's just turned a year old. He's mental but tbf most puppies probably are. She can't leave him for longer than a couple of hours, he is very needy and full on. Nice natured although a bit bitey. I couldn't cope with him full time but then I work full time and that's why I don't have a dog!

They are being very overbred at the moment. Every one I have met has been lovely but they are all several years old. Be careful you are not buying from one that has come from a puppy farm and bear in mind that not all of them carry the non shedding gene

Oh and of the 3cockerpoos I know - none have been fully house trained by 14months (I think that's because they were all puppy farmed dogs - one was from a blatant puppy farm which the owner felt the need to "rescue", the other 2 I strongly suspect were from puppy farm dealers from what the owners said about the 'breeders').

2 of them are also terrible at being left and become very destructive if they don't get lots of walking and mental stimulation.

We have a cockapoo- best dog ever having grown up with a Labrador and Doberman cross. They are highly intelligent, easy to train ( toilet trained within 4 weeks of getting him), great with my kids, loving, cuddly. Mine only barks when excited (when he sees daddy coming home from work!). Loves walks but you can establish from the start a walking routine. Unlike a big dog he is content with 3x 20 minute walks a day, but spends a lot of time in our big garden in between. My DH and I both work and he is crate trained and happy there (I think he needs the downtime) for 4 hour slots there or four times a week. He is like a little shadow and loves being around us. At 10 months he sleeps on a rug on our bedroom floor from 11-7am ( or longer on weekend). You won't regret it!
P.s super cute also!

To look at it another way - what are you looking for in a dog?

I've seen people get cockapoos because someone told them they were calm easy dogs... invariably speaking, they aren't

When I lost one of my 2 Chi/Dachs crosses I looked around locally for a crossbreed to replace him. Came across a family with Cockerpoo pups and when I looked the 'breed' up I was struck by how friendly they reportedly were.
So acquired 'Dilly' who is now 6 mths. She certainly is the most friendly, loving dog but also the maddest and liveliest I have ever had. Doesn't mind being left as she has Basil the existing dog there and he is a good influence. Not that good though as she's eaten a pair of shoes, 2 phone chargers and a bra!

They are nuttier than squirrel shit. If you want a calm, placid dog who won't demand your undivided attention 24 hours a day, then a cockerpoo isn't for you. They also have exceptionally high maintenance coat and will require constant grooming, lest you end up with a matted dog that needs shaved in to the skin. The "doesn't shed" thing is a myth; they do shed, but the hair doesn't cast like short haired dog such as labs and pugs. It sits in the coat, and unless it is brushed out the dead hair just matts.

You don't know what you will get. Cocker or poodle like?
No decent pedigree breeder would breed crosses. You will only find people having litters to make money.
Unlikely to have had health tests.
Groomer's nightmare!
They need a lot of stimulus, training and exercise.

Another negative - the long droopy ears get filthy very easily (as with cockers). Even with spaniel bowls they get food stuck in their fur at the ends of their ears. Out walking you get grass seeds, sticky seeds, twigs, mud and I've even had horrible things like chewing gum (curse the dick who spat chewing gum out in a long grass field) get stuck in my spaniels ear fur.

The "doesn't shed" thing is a myth; they do shed, but the hair doesn't cast like short haired dog such as labs and pugs. It sits in the coat, and unless it is brushed out the dead hair just matts
Both my pure breed spaniels are like that anyway. Never leave fur on my clothes or around the house but it all comes out in the brush when I groom them.

They can bond more with one person and are prone to resource guarding (the cocker but). Basically all I have met have been bonkers. I think the biggest challenge is two intelligent and high energy breeds being crossed. They need a lot of stimulation.

My mum has one and she’s lovely.

They are needy and high maintenance though. But they are devoted dogs and patient with kids. So much fun (but I only see the good bits)

Mum has one, working cocker cross poodle and is as mad as a box of frogs. Needs grooming every 4 to 6 weeks at £35 a time. Likes to hear his own voice alot, even at 7yrs old needs lots of mental and physical exercise. Hes very loving and is good with children but just doesn't have an off switch.

They're crosses, so nobody can ever tell you what they'll be like. Cockers are manic at the best of times and need a lot of physical and mental stimulation to wear them out - so not just walks, but puzzles and brain games to make them work for their food. I don't know much about poodles but you may not get the best aspects of both breeds - you need to be prepared for a dog that has the worst aspects of both.

And you won't find a decent breeder of a cross - most of them will come from puppy farms or BYB's.

It's interesting isn't it because my working cocker doesn't need a lot of walks just lots of ball play and hunting. He is relatively calm at home as well apart from giving me the 'is it play time' stare.

I have a cockerpoo puppy, 11 weeks old. She’s both very cuddly and also manic at times. She’s had very few accidents in the house, was easy to train.
I love her so much already!

Plus side, they seem to be friendly with dogs and people so would slot well in to your family, The flip side to this is that I would agree with other posters that they are quite needy, love all your attention and need a lot of exercise.

A couple I meet on a regular basis need a ball thrown for them over and over as well as their usual walk or they are hyper in the house. I suspect that this is a cocker trait as working dogs tend to need a lot of physical and mental exercise. They need more exercise than my Labrador, who will take any amount of exercise you throw at her but is also low energy at home whether the walk was long or short.

Their coats seem to be very prone to tangling and need frequent trimming so you will need to factor that cost in. The owners I meet wouldn’t be without their dogs but all comment on their tendencies to be hyper and clingy.

I have a 12 year old one. Maybe more poodle like in behaviour, calm, very quickly toilet trained, not vocal. Is very loyal to family and dislikes being walked by anyone outside household. My parents try to walk her but she simply refuses to walk, even though she loves them visiting or going to their house.

Make sure relevant tests have been carried out for each parent breed, PRA etc. Very difficult to find breeders that do this.

We have Lenny an almost 2 year old cockapoo.
His mum was a working cocker and Dad s miniature poodle.
He's just lovely. Great temperament and very intelligent. He love all people and animals. They need good training and daily exercise to make the most of them. A lot of people say they have struggled to leave there dogs for more than a short period of time but we have found this to not be an issue with Lenny- mainly because we got him used to be left from an early age. He's fine at home whilst we are at work normal hours and in the occasional longer day I have a dog walker come and break up his day. We love him so much!