Labradoodle or cockerpoo?

[GinAndTonicOnIt]

Hello! Married with three young kids. Looking at either a labradoodle or a cockerpoo. Which would you recommend? Kids are ages 7, 5 and 3. One DC has mild special needs (similar to autism).

Many thanks!

I can only respond re the cockerpoo (or spaniel cross as I prefer to call her) - she is a 5 year old bitch, previously bred from once, and is the most loving friendly dog with everyone. BUT she is not a straighforward walker/runner by any means. Every passing dog marking has to be sniffed or replied to - not good with running.
Re children - she is a dream and rarely barks at anything
I would err on the side of a labrador or other 'active' dog if you want to run with doggie.
she does shed - very fine hair but it is part and parcel of dog ownership - it helps if she is groomed by me once a day.

The biggest factor in this is the ages of your children..... have they been around dogs before? How would they react if a puppy stole their toy? Puppies bite children and knock them over- perfectly normal behaviours which lead to many being rehomed.

Will your kids honestly listen to instructions to leave the pup alone?

With young children your puppy will spend a lot of time separated from the family in order to get enough rest and to prevent biting the kids.

Have a look on the Doodle Trust website for some good advice. They are inundated with dogs for rehoming, usually because of resource guarding or mouthy behaviour, something you may want to consider.

Why not pick a breed with well-known traits instead of buying a DoodlePoo? Or whatever the crossbreed you go for is. There are loads of really nice, well-established breeds out there with much more predictable breeding outcomes than cross breeds, where you can potentially get the worst of both breeds. Some of the most out of control dogs I currently know include poodle-crosses - people who buy a doodle seem to be the sort who buy a fashionable but unpredictable dog and then don't know how to manage it.

I have a cockerpoo. He doesn't shed and physically can run, but if you tried to get him to run with you he'd refuse or trip over his own nose.

I've owned labradors for years and they have all shed like absolute crazy.

I have a friend who has a labradoodle and it sheds a lot too.

I'd go for a poodle.

My poodle cross doesn't need brushing to whoever said that. Gets a haircut regularly but inbetween is fine, never gets knotty.

We have a Australian labradoodle. She really enjoys training exercises, is very gentle and sociable with other dogs and people (although needs regular reminders to keep paws on the floor). She can be a little anxious and definitely likes a lot of company. She needs grooming every 6 weeks and struggles in heat. She also has a number of food allergies which were they expensive to get to the bottom of - factor in pet insurance to your financial calculations.

We will get a second dog in 2-3 years and will probably get a miniature poodle. I had an aversion based on my grandparents poodles - I now recognise it's not the dog it is always the training.

I grew up with Labs and they are wonderful dogs - just a bit too big for my house and strong for my creaky knees (again this could be resolved through training - my parents weren't bothered!)

I've got two cockapoos and love them. They're gorgeous lovely sweet dogs. But they are very different to each other. One is energetic and will walk all day, the other is a lazy bugger.

They are both fairly needy (although I think alot of dogs are), and don't particularly like being left alone although we can now do it for a couple of hours (it's taken some re-training since lockdown ended to get them used to an empty house). Both very good with our kids.

But i would assume that your children are too young to actually be helpful with them. Assume you'll be doing all the walking and training.

I've never met a labradoodle which is sane; the original breeder even regrets creating this breed!

Labs are service dogs for a reason. As long as you commit to grooming and a vacuum every couple of days the shedding isn't too bad.

Yes I don't understand why you would not just get a poodle.

You know that with a teddy bear but they are indistinguishable from cookerpoos.

A medium sized poodle
No shedding
Calm, intelligent family dogs - great with kids
Can run 5k easily

Cockers (I love them) are
Crazy
Shed
Can be snappy - not idea with kids
Can easily run 5k and then you will have a fit crazy cocker

Labs (I have one)
Will steal food for everywhere
Shed- though not much
Calm and good with kids - though bit crazy puppies (mines super chilled)

So the poodle is perfect for your situation- why then cross it with 2 less perfect breeds?

And every labradoodle I know (3) is massive - they cross a standard (huge) poodle with a lab.

Portuguese Water Dog is a lovely hypo allergenic breed.

And boxers too - great with kids, very playful, and good running mates.

I met a French Waterdog the other day. It was the cutest dog and also non shedding/hypoallergenic.

Unfortunately poodles are not to my husbands taste. I am going to look into all the breeds mentioned so Hank you all!

@GinAndTonicOnIt

Unfortunately poodles are not to my husbands taste. I am going to look into all the breeds mentioned so Hank you all!

If poodles are not to his taste, why would he be interested in a dog that's half poodle?

Or does he mean "I don't want a frou-frou dog" - in which case, show him some photos of poodles in a teddy bear clip. It can be almost impossible to tell the difference between a poodle and a cockapoo when they're both in the same style of clip.

Get a lab cross cocker- nicest dog I think..or a poodle..not the biggest one!

Poodle or doodle?

Poodles are ace. Our dog trainer has one and he's brilliant. And you wouldn't know he was poodle to look at him as he doesn't have a traditional poodle cut.

@GinAndTonicOnIt

Would love a Labrador but worried about shedding.

I like running - would like to be able to take dog with me on a 5k...

We have a Labrador, and used to have a lab-pointer cross (a rescue), and I have to be honest and say that they shed so much furniture that sometimes I look at the amount of hair on the floor and wonder how the dog isn’t bald!

But our lab has a lovely temperament, and is the easiest dog to have in the family. I would happily have more and more labradors - I can always vacuum more.

A good example of the “target” labradoodle looks very much like a big poodle.

You don’t need to have them on a silly hair cut. They can have the haircut on any way you please

And your husband will be fine, as long as you don’t paint the poodles’ nails or cover them in little bows and pom-poms, I can assure you nobody will notice

Another vote for the Lab... I'm on my third, and apart from the adolescent phase, they are easy to train, biddable and friendly. Current dog gets an hour to 90 minutes exercise daily, off lead in woodland and apart from liking to see pheasants fly away from her and a penchant for murdering vermin and rolling in fox poo. She's not even greedy -- although her predecessors were!

Totally biased, but you can't beat a golden retriever 😍

Another vote for getting a lab here! Ours slotted straight in to our family (young kids here too) and yes the shedding is a lot but I seem to be hoovering daily with the kids making a mess anyway so hasn't been an issue! Best decision we made and we would happily have another lab.

Labradoodles are fantastic dogs. I would love one.

@eatitgood

My poodle cross doesn't need brushing to whoever said that. Gets a haircut regularly but inbetween is fine, never gets knotty.

cockerpoos or spaniel crosses can differ - my lovely rescue spaniel cross loves to be brushed and it does mean fewer knotty bits pictures to confirm first is after professional groom, second is before groom