Family dog, Cockapoo?

[User0919]

Hi, we are considering a family dog. Now might not be the right time as 2 of my DC are still quite young and I want to be able to give the right attention to any dog. I’ve never had a dog so looking for some advice for anyone with experience.

Would need a dog who gets on with children, relatively low maintenance and is able to be left in for short periods of time. I also visit my mum, she has a cat and wondered if this is a definite no that a cat and dog would never get along.

I have mainly looked at Cockapoo? As I say this might just be a bit crazy to add into the mix and would maybe need to wait a year or 2 but at least then I can have a look at what might be the best breed for a family dog in future. Thanks

I would wait until the kids are at school. Puppies need lots of attention when toilet training.

How young are your children? You say 'quite young' and say they may be too young, but better to be specific with ages.

How much exercise and training can you realistically give a dog with everything else you have going on?

Whichever dog you buy, whenever you buy it, please educate yourself on puppy farms before you look and do your best not to support this cruel industry. This will be particularly relevant to all the small, popular family dogs including/especially the Poodle crosses. Please do not be taken in by slick marketing either!

I am clueless with dogs but a friend has one and it needed regularly brusging/visits to the groomers. They keep the hair fairly short.

I think a lot of people underestimate cockapoos because they look cute and teddy bear like but they are very energetic dogs and prone to barking.

I think if you're wanting a puppy you really need to wait until your children are older.

If you want a dog that's ok with cats, children and relatively low maintenance then you really need to try and find a rescue whose personality is already known, you're not guaranteed any if that with a puppy.

Every cockerpoo I've ever met has been extremely high energy and, common theme, recall difficulties.

Very much not low maintenance.

We have a cockapoo and she is very easy, apart from regular grooming very low maintenance. But then we have a beagle before so maybe just the comparison 😂

Honestly every badly behaved dog straining at the end of their lead to get to other dogs round here is a poodle mix and frequently a cockerpoo. People buy them because they’re cute not realising that in order to be the perfect family dog it actually takes quite a lot of work and being disciplined with training and socialisation. If you really think you have the time to put in then fill your boots but you really do get out what you put in.

The thing about cockerpoos (and any other crosses) is you don't know how much of each breed trait will be present in the older dog. For example they can end up with a coat that's virtually indistinguishable from a spaniel. So if you're, for example, looking for a low allergen dog, then you might be better with a poodle, not a poodle cross.

What exactly are you thinking of when you say "low maintenance"? How much time will you have for walks and other activities? How much grooming are you happy to do? Are you set on a medium size? Drool?

And breed can be trained to be OK left alone for short periods (up to about 4 hours) but it may take weeks/months to build up to that. What is plan B if your dog is slower to get used to it, or suffers from separation anxiety and can rarely be left?

Just remember that any crossed breed dogs have traits of both/all breeds. There is no guarantee that the positive traits from those breeds may be present or mixed. It could be a mix of worst traits from both/ all breeds. So look at negative traits and ask yourself if you can cope with those.

Puppies are like having another baby to look after. Although they grow up quicker than humans 😆

Well there are different types of cockerpoo, we have a show cocker mix and he's infinitely calmer that the working cocker mixes that we know.

Every second dog round here is a Cockapoo, and I can't say I find this - the majority are nice dogs in pretty colours, and with sensible owners who have put the effort in to training them. I am a dyed-in-the-wool pedigree dog person, but I have to say I entirely see the appeal.

The grooming should not be underestimated - yes, they are clipped, but you need to keep them right between clips - and they can be very needy and prone to separation anxiety without a doubt.

My main issue with them though is that when you talk to owners, it is apparent that the vast majority have been bought from farmed situations fronted by lies, slick marketing and websites. Many/most of their parents will have spent their lives in dark barns, with little human contact and none of it kind.

The chances of finding a responsibly bred one are so slim in comparison with their numbers. Unless I personally knew the person who had bred the litter, from parents with appropriate health testing, I wouldn't dare buy one.

(As an aside, if a dog is poorly bred, you are never 'rescuing' them by buying them - you are just perpetuating the industry and consigning more to the same fate.)

If I were looking for a family dog, with children of sensible ages, I would probably look at the Miniature Schnauzer. Again, they are popular, so you need to be careful where you buy them, but it is easier to scope out decent breeders when you can look at proper records. Can also be a bit needy, but a well-bred one is a delight.

We have a cockapoo. We’ve had her for a year now, she is our first dog. I’m not sure if this is common across all breeds but it’s taken us until now to be able to happily leave her for any period of time. Even now we avoid it or put in alternative arrangements so she’s not alone. She is very needy, she needs almost constant companionship and until recently would become distraught without it. From speaking to other poo and doodle owners it seems to be a common theme. She is incredibly high energy and needs a lot of exercise and stimulation so she doesn’t drive us mad. She also needs a lot of grooming, not just 6 week trips to the groomer but daily brushing otherwise her fur Matts.

She is beautiful and good natured but I don’t think I’d have another cockapoo

We’ve got a cockerpoo, she’s bright, allergic to everything, good natured, bit barky, mostly ignores other dogs, great recall. Find a decent breeder.

or get a lab….

the puppy months are full on.

We know lots of cockerpoos and they don’t seem any more highly strung or badly behaved than other dogs.

We had a cockerpoo with a 1 year old child. The cockerpoo grew to standard poodlesize , he was also insanity personified. Chewed our whole house, he was bouncing off the walls day and night no matter how much walking he got, he'd bark and bark for attention . He eventually had to go live with my father as the dog was too much for our son. Its taken 6 months of work and he's finally calming down slowly. He's still bouncy and mad but chews and barks less and will now actually relax instead of being on the go all the time.
My next door neighbours have one and he's 7 months and he's still not house trained and just as mad but he's easier to manage as he's smaller

Love this! So true

Do not get a cocker spaniel crossed with a poodle. You have no clue what you’ll end up with. Cockapoos are just crosses, usually from people just making money, rather than being responsible breeders. They are usually bonkers.

We have the most adorable miniature poodle. She’s perfect, loving, easy to train and very 😍 pretty. She also has papers confirming all the necessary health checks. She was bred by kennel club registered breeders from a much loved family pet. We saw her with her mother and grandmother in the breeders living room. These are the things you should look for and which you won’t get with a cross.

In my line of work I see a lot of cocker poos with major separation anxiety and resource guarding.

You will need to do your research.

Genetically separation anxiety (and other genetic issues) can carry down the line of 5 generations.

The problem with getting a mixed breed is that this will be very hard to research but not impossible.

I live in a very doggy place and every other dog is a poo cross of some type. They seem to be yappy, jumpy, and not great off the lead.
I hope the fashion for them fades as there are far better looking and well behaved breeds out there.

Consider Schnauzers...miniature or standard size. Amazing personalities, highly intelligent, very low moulting (need the groomers) and so loving and loyal. Fantastic with children and with other dogs (so long as correctly socialised).

I've had dogs / known dogs in the community for 20+ years and I'm afraid to say that the cockapoo type dogs are the bonkers ones- stubborn, high high energy, terrible recall, difficult to train but soppy and loving so can see the appeal.

Just to balance this thread. We have a Cockapoo. She is the most loving, tolerant, fun dog. The key is training and being consistent. She is 1. She has excellent recall, is great off lead and loves people and other dogs. She is crate trained and will go straight there with a simple 'bed' command. She takes herself to bed and will sleep soundly in the crate until we get up. If we haven't got up until 9am, she still just waits patiently in her crate for us. She is fantastic at holding herself until we let her out to do her business. My Dd can scoop her up, snuggle with her and play with her with no hint of aggression or dislike. She is very tolerant.

Ours is a show cocker/toy poodle mix. Yes, they do need a lot of grooming. It is expensive, unless you buy some clippers and do it yourself. This is what we do, it's a faff but well worth the money we're saving. Yes, they need a lot of exercising but if they have great recall it's not a chore. We had a Cockapoo due to my allergies. No regrets at all here.

The puppy stage is very hard. Definitely wait until your children are older, maybe 7+. The wilder your kids are, the wilder the puppy will learn to be!!

If you have allergies, why not just get a poodle?

What do you mean by relatively low maintenance?