Cockapoo or Cavapoo

[KaleQueen]

We’re taking the plunge with our first dog this year. In the research phase and it’s down to either a Cockapoo or Cavapoo. We’re going for male I think. We’re an active family and have one of us working from home. Two kids over age of 10 both sensible. Small ish house and mid size garden. Lots of fields and green space nearby. Want a dog that won’t chew our house to bits and be fairly well behaved! Committed to fully training them obviously as I know that’s an essential factor for behaviour. I adore dogs and walk others’ regularly so I’m really excited we’re taking this first step to get our own but I’m worried about making the wrong choice. Any advice would be hugely appreciated

No advice on a cavapoo but we have a cockapoo. 100% daft but 100% loyal. Be prepared for a Velcro dog that follows you around like a shadow. They love company and are cheeky wee chaps!

Is there a reason you want a mix breed over a pedigree?
The problem with cross's is that you could get the best of both breeds or the worst
Most aren't health tested, or have the most basic embark style testing that tells you nothing.

I have a cross (not doodle) who's parents were tested for everything possible but finding breeders like that is the exception not the rule as most won't waste money on testing and just hope that the mum and dad produce lots of cute coat colours that sell for more.

Be careful not to fall in love with the first litter you see as the mixes you are thinking of do make cute puppies
You need to be diligent if you are set on the cross and need to make sure you at least find healthy parents

Aren’t they notorious for health problems? My friend has one ( can’t remember which!) and they have spent a fortune at the vets with issues with their dogs back legs . Vet explained it’s very common with these types of dog . So make sure you can afford the vets fees!

Get one from a breeder who isn't a puppy farmer.
Get one where the parents and grandparents have full health test (not vet checks). That's on both sides of the family. Both poodles and cockers have a variety of health issues, and breeding the two doesn't lessen the chances...more likely increases them due to backyard breeding tbh.
You want a breeder who doesn't dump the bitches after breeding them.
You want a breeder who doesn't breed them before they're six or after 5.
You want Aabreeder who doesn't have more than one breeding bitch at a time.
You want breeder who bred with quality of the pedigree (...) in mind and for the dogs purpose to be met - that means personality, ability to 'work' and ability to be a family pet.
You want abreeder who doesn't have a fancy website and spaff on about their five star council licence (honestly...only the puppy farmers speak about that).
You want breeder who actually vets you and asks you questions.
-insert various other bits of advice I have offered in other threads -

Personally, I'd get a poodle - far more stable in terms of temperament, and hard to fuck up as a first time owner.

It'll be down to you as the owner to have a well behaved dog. The breeder is responsible for the foundation. You are responsible for everything else. You can't un-fuck a bad foundation (unless you are an excellent and experienced dog owner or trainer). But you can definitely fuck up a good one.

(And yes, Edith if you're reading this I do owe you that PM but I'm working on the draft at the moment...very slowly, like a toddler eating their vegetables).😫

All poo crosses I’ve met have had issues. Either separation anxiety, resource guarding, fussy eaters, skin problems etc. Actually I have met one cocker poo that is absolutely fine! Why don’t you look at miniature poodle or cocker spaniel? Springer? Although springers are crazy they’re generally dog friendly, human friendly and pretty robust!

We have a Cockapoo, she is 9 years old now. She is a lovely dog, and never had any problem with her.

Unfortunately you can’t generalise from one particular dog, as other posts have explained. Even if you see the parents, many x dogs are bred for profit not temperament. You can’t know what characteristics from the parents will be inherited by any particular puppy. That’s why there are different dog breeds in the first place; they’re bred for particular traits through several generations to get a particular standard. I suppose no one these days knows about Gregor Mendel and his sweet pea experiments.

Cockapoos can be neurotic and have stomach issues. There was a thread above cockapoos a few months ago when someone thought that asking on here was doing research on a breed.

What is your reasoning behind choosing those cross breeds? What qualities, characteristics and personality traits are you looking for in a dog?

I do have a dedicated breeder in mind who is expensive but does these checks. She breeds maltipoos, cavapoos and cockapoos. I’m being very diligent with my research and she has an excellent track record.

I’m not a dog expert by any means but I’ve owned a few. I would say the most important things I’ve looked for in a breed have been temperament (dog friendly and human friendly), easy to train and relatively healthy. I’ve had friends with dogs that are not dog friendly and the stress they go through having to avoid certain areas, always have their eyes on dogs coming round the corner etc, not being able to take them into public places. Socialising obviously helps, but most dogs have some quirks in their genetics. Staffys - great with kids, many are awful with other dogs. Spaniels - high energy and can become ball obsessed, Yorkshire Terriers - protective of their owner and resource guard/snappy.
I wouldn’t concentrate on a particular breed but would think about what is important to you.

Im sorry but I cant think that anyone who breeds those dogs is a truly responsible breeder

Sounds like a puppy farmer to me. How many dogs does she have if she's churning out all these crossbreeds which happen to be in vogue at the moment?

Thank you. This is lots of great advice. We wouldn’t want a poodle, nothing against poodles they’re just not our ideal dog. and we can’t agree on a different single breed (If it was up to me and we had the space I’d have a German Shepherd or a Doberman as I love big dogs but it’s just not possible with how we live). We also need a low shedding breed as husband has asthma but has managed with the cockapoo and Cavapoo we have in our circles when we stay at their homes in terms of pet hair. The cockapoo I’m very close to (my sisters dog) is one mental dog but he was a lockdown dog and had no formal puppy classes or training. He’s my only experience of cockapoo behaviour. The Cavapoo I know is a bit lazy and overweight again due to his environment. So keen to hear wider views on how they compare. We’re a big walking family so dog will get plenty of exercise and our household is very calm and structured.

Our cockapoo is 12 and never any issues but we put a lot of effort into him as a puppy and he was from reputable breeders who we knew very, very well and still know. Don’t know about cavapoos but cockapoos are so loyal and total lapdogs. There are clingy though and do need a lot of company.

You want a breeder who doesn't breed them before they're six or after 5.

I realise one of those must have been a typo, but what's the youngest you would expect? Presumably the age range differs a bit with breed?

We also need a low shedding breed as husband has asthma but has managed with the cockapoo and Cavapoo we have in our circles

I think you want a Havanese or a Tibetan terrier, or maybe an Irish wheaten.

I've had a cockapoo. She shed like there was no tomorrow.

Would you consider posting a link? Posters could then tell you why the breeder is a puppy farmer and alert you to what to look for so you buy from a better breeder. But the fact that she breeds three types of poo dogs tells you all you need to know really.

I have a beautiful rusty cavapoo. She’s amazing. She’s 4, no health issues, doesn’t shed, she’s calmer and smaller than the cockerpoos and is also from an excellent breeder and she came to us beautifully socialised. Happy to share details privately

Would love a springer but would be worried we’re too young of a family to devote the time to its needs. They need a lot of exercise and enrichment from what I understand and we both work full time and have a growing family. Maybe that’ll be our next dog as we’re big walkers when we get the chance. My sister has a nightmare with her cockapoo resource guarding so I’ve seen that in action. He takes it very seriously and it can get a bit stressful.

Is it the norm for a Breeder to have so many Bitches to breed from?
Not being goady, it just sounds.. Busy 😶

If you want a low shedding breed for asthma then you need a poodle or other none shedder.

poodle crosses only have a 25% chance of inheriting the poodle coat. Coats can be half and half, or you may get the shedding coat from the cocker or cavalier.

you’re taking a big risk on that.

i would also say if your breeder is breeding multiple doodles they’re a puppy farm. Bear in mind “licensed” means they’re breeding multiple litters a year. More of a red flag for me than a breeder who doesn’t need a licence because they don’t have enough litters.

If poodles are not your ideal dog then a poodle cross seems a risky choice as pup may be more like it's poodle parent?

We have always had spaniels, but now have a Grandson with an allergy... we originally considered a cockapoo but finding a decent breeder was hard and after some research we decided to get a minature poodle instead!

He is amazing, we dont have a 'poodle' cut so everyone thinks he is a cockapoo anyway but he is so chilled and happy, he is 6 months old and a dream 😊

Let me know your thoughts: www.donnasdoodles.co.uk

Sure: https://www.donnasdoodles.co.uk
very happy to be told I’m an idiot 🤣

No “excellent” breeder will be churning out designer crossbreeds. Neither poodles nor spaniels are improved by being bred together.