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

@SirSniffsAlot my guess would be that cockers are chosen over springers for poo crosses, because they're smaller and there is more variety of pretty colours... though would be nice if temperament could be the most important consideration when breeding a family pet.

Cockers over Springers for size and colour choice.

Working lines above show lines for further choice of colours and because the dams were cheaper to buy than the show line ones, ten a penny at the time this all started.

Breeds in the first place for most of these crosses used because they are easy whelpers who have good sized litters, so are profitable.

It is all a very cynical commercial enterprise.

Yes quite possibly. I do know a few rescues owned by experienced people who are great dogs but that’s the minority.

I am an agility judge and have judged some really sparky and healthy French bulldogs. Very much not the norm though.

A lot of poodle mixes are a bit neurotic to say the least. Ours is ! Plus needy, Barry and bossy! Need lots of exercise, love and attention and the regular grooming is essential and expensive. We can get away with 8-10 weeks between grooming but that because she’s a Pom mix I think so not the full on, tight poodle coat. (£45 for us but I hear people paying £70 for bigger dogs ). Vets bills are another thing to consider. Majority of breeds have a weakness now through overbreeding. Poodles and small dogs have hip/knee issues and the certificates breeders give are bit of a waste of time I think. Ours is only 3 and has thousands of £ in X-rays/mri’s. Thankfully insured but not enough!

I would wait until kids are older too. Don’t want them mauling the dog around and risk getting bitten and you need the time and energy to give to another child/ puppy. Wait until they can help by walking it. ( Which will never happen despite promises!)

Barky! Not sure what barry is!

No, it is the breed!
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/pet-insurance/pet-care/french-bulldog-common-health-issues/

@AnnieSnap , the breed is prone, but french bulldogs became very popular, meaning that breeders were probably breeding from dogs and bitches without caring beyond how much money they'd make.

Add to that the buyers who were looking for a puppy for its looks, then you end up with badly trained, unhealthy dogs, who end up being abandoned.

I spoke to some dog owners with a lovely healthy frenchie at the weekend, but I wouldn't touch the breed with a bargepole. The brachycephalic breeds tend to come with vet's fees.

I agree @KirstenBlest

If I wanted a non-shedding dog, I'd get a mini. poodle.
Neighbour has a yorkshire terrier, which is a lot of dog in a tiny package. It's a little wolf with soft toy looks.

As a family pet, I'd get a neutered staffie or JRT bitch, or maybe another british terrier breed (not EBT).
I probably wouldn't get a 'rescue dog' (i.e. from dog pound not a St Bernard) but I would rehome a dog who was not able to move house with its human or whose human could no longer care for him/her.

I think Barry would make a brilliant name for a dog. Not much chance of having several little children responding.
Neighbour's pet has a particularly twee name, and I'm always amused to hear it being called.

@KirstenBlest my horse is called Barry so I'm biased but I think its a great name

Us too.... literally people falling over themselves to ask us where ours was from. He's coming up to 11 and I hate how every other dog is now a Cockapoo!!! I loved his different he was. However wouldn't have him any other way!

Not just the coat, but also personality, breed instincts, and size can all vary wildly in cross breeds. My lurcher has the personality, energy and herding instinct of a full border collie, and the prey drive of a whippet, and the coat of a deerhound.
My neighbour dogsat her friend’s cockapoo, and decided, based on that one well-behaved dog, that a cockapoo was the right dog for her. She now has a reactive 6 year old dog that barks constantly, gets her up all hours of the night to chase squirrels and cats in the garden, is twice the size of its own littermates, and has serious territory issues. It’s pulled both owners (man and woman) over multiple times, leading to injuries ranging from degloving (the lead pulling tight around the wrist and literally pulling skin off like a glove) to a brain bleed, when the dog pulled to try to attack a passing border terrier and hauled the woman owner to the floor, cracking her head off the concrete. They are not inexperienced with dogs at all, and have had multiple dogs of various similarly sized breeds to the usual examples you see of cockapoos, however, cross breeding being what it is, you’re unlikely to find a truly reputable breeder, who is checking health and temperament of their dogs.
You’d definitely be better off getting a rarer pure breed dog, since over breeding is one of the main issues leading to dogs being too unruly. The more popular a breed, the less curated the breeding.
Look for breeds like the Portuguese water spaniel, bedlington terrier or Welsh terrier (looks like a miniature Airedale) if you want a small/medium curly coated cute dog.
The more examples there are of a breed in every park, the less care is going into the breeding of them.

As this thread proves, there are many different possible outcomes when crossing breeds and it's a lottery. My 2p is that you probably want to stack the deck in your favour to achieve your desired objective, and so a cross breed like this is not necessarily the best idea.

As others have suggested, there are dedicated breeds that are much more predictable in temperament, although nothing is guaranteed where animals are concerned.

My biggest question, again as others have asked, is what you mean by 'low maintenance'? I don't think there is such a thing really. Although some require more input and some require less, you can guarantee that the 'more input' time will be just as you are hoping for a 'less input' moment.

I hope none of this is putting you off getting a dog though, life is always better with a dog. I would suggest an ex racing greyhound, but I don't think it would get on with the cat unless you can find a failed racer that didn't have the prey drive?

I've got a 5 month old cockapoo puppy, he has lots of energy and loves his walks and trips to the dog park. But he also loves sleeping. His recall is coming on really well, and he has slept through the night since I got him, he loves his crate and goes in when I say bedtime. He is happy being left, the longest has been just over 3 hours so far.

He came from my friend who bred her youngest as she wanted another dog and wanted one where she knew the parents had good temperaments. He is a good boy, aside from normal puppy naughtiness. But... I don't think I'd get another puppy, it's massively hard work and I'm lucky I'm not working but studying full time so I've had the time to focus on him.

I have a cockapoo and although he is mega easy - just lounges around all day and doesn't need lots of exercise, he had severe separation anxiety. Luckily I'm a certified trainer but it has still taken me over 2 years to get him ok alone. This doesn't mean all cockapoos have it but I do see a lot. Whatever dog you get, ensure you prioritise alone time in the right way from the start.