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

Yes and there is no guarantee with a pedigree either 🤷‍♀️

Oops missed that, My dh does too though and is fine. Won’t let me get a cat though sadly

I have a Cockapoo, and I definitely got a faulty one 😆 He is docile, loving, cuddly, a perfect patient when being trimmed, and eats everything. However, he is a complete ball of neurosis. He is scared of everything and anything, even his own food bowl. The only two people he loves are me and his dog brother. Any loud noises send him scurrying in fear to his 'safe place' where he will stay for hours shaking uncontrollably. Firework season is a bloody nightmare.

On the other hand I have a Poochon, a mix between a bichon and poodle, and he is the most laid back dude going. Nothing phases him and he loves everyone and everything. He is 8 now, and I don't think I have ever seen him scared .... however he definitely is a velcro dog and he even tries to sit on my lap while I'm having a wee. A wonderful little character though, and he makes me smile all the time.

I did have a springer, and he was an absolute delight of a dog. He was pedigree and he had so many different ailments. I spent tonnes of time at the vet with him, and unfortunately he died of cancer aged 8. Whereas my mixed breeds have never had any illnesses (long may it continue) and literally go to the vet for their boosters and that's it.

I did have a springer, and he was an absolute delight of a dog. He was pedigree and he had so many different ailments. I spent tonnes of time at the vet with him, and unfortunately he died of cancer aged 8. Whereas my mixed breeds have never had any illnesses (long may it continue) and literally go to the vet for their boosters and that's it.

This has been my experience too so the idea that if you get a pedigree you'll be fine really hasn't been the case for me- and my bank account will attest to that. My vet could probably buy a Porsche now from what ive spent on pedigree dogs.

yet doesn’t seem to understand that taking a low shedding breed (poodle), and outcrossing with a shedder will not make the resulting puppies non-shedders.

i mean, it’s a while since I did genetics and biology at school, but why can’t people understand that principle? Want a low shedder, get one. No need to fanny around with crosses which will decrease the characteristic you want! Not to mention the wide range of coat properties that means if you are fine with one of the litter you may not be fine with another, let alone two of the same crossbreed.

i was offered a lovely chihuahua x poodle once. The child was very allergic to dogs, so they went out and got a poodle cross, because allergies. then were suprised when the kid still reacted to it. “But we met a sproodle in the park once and he was fine!”

Exactly. I had a pedigree Hungarian Vizsla too. Peach of a dog, but many gastric ailments and was at the vet loads. I swore never to buy a pedigree dog again after those two as I believe (just my opinion) that mixed breeds are harder to break.

Ds1 and his family have a whippet, @KaleQueen, and I agree with @CrumbocalypseNow - they are lovely dogs. Full of character, very little shedding, lovely dogs.

If you definitely don't want a poodle, I wouldn't get a poodle cross. Lots of poodle crosses look just like poodles!

And if you don't want a dog that sheds, don't get a spaniel cross! They shed all year round.

Champ Dogs is the website we have always used, most decent breeders advertise there. Here is our 4 year old parti-coloured mini poodle - he is wonderful😍

Your opinion has been widely discredited by vets (the actual experts) though as far as health is concerned. And most behaviourists and trainers report poodle crosses as being a serious issue in terms of behavioural issues. 😊

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/news/new-rvc-research-debunks-belief-that-designer-crossbreed-dogs-are-healthier-than-purebreds

The conclusion here is that Cockapoos, Cavapoos and Labradoodles were broadly similar in health to their parent breeds, not that pedigrees are healthier. It debunks the idea that poodle crosses are automatically healthier, but it also found no evidence that they're generally less healthy.

Therefore this does refute lots of people in this thread saying poodle crosses are doomed and that pedigrees are "healthier"

He is fab. What a gorgeous boy. I will look there.

OP Mumsnet is very sniffly about poodle crosses. However they are popular for a reason. We have a cavapoo. He walks for miles and miles. He is a bit fussy about food (poodle genes) and doesn't like to be away from his people, he pines and won't eat, but it's pretty easy to become one of his people.

He loves cuddling up on a lap or snoozing the day away but also loves chasing a ball (or a squirrel). He is a bit barky out the front window if he's bored. He has excellent recall and is great with other dogs and with my kids.

Mine comes from a family breeder who used health tested pedigree parents. I have 4 generation paperwork for both parents. He doesn't have any knee or hip problems, or heart problems, he is genetically clear of episodic falling (cav side) and and eye disease common in poodles. So it is possible to get a health tested poodle cross.

He's a great dog. Calmer and less 'loose cannon' than the cockapoos I know.

It's all anecdotal though, isn't it? There would need to be a much wider survey carried out across lots of different pedigrees and cross breeds to prove the argument either way.

My experience is my cross breed was by far the unhealthiest dog I have owned and he died at a very young age. Whereas my pedigrees lived to 14/15 years old with barely a day's illness.

The point is if you buy a pedigree dog, you have more chance of finding a breeder that will have done the relevant breed tests for genetic illnesses, so decreasing (if not irradicating) the risk of those occurring. Most people breeding crosses don't bother.

Disclaimer - some pedigree dogs have been ruined by KC preferences for flat faces, sloping backs etc, so even health tested puppies of those breeds shouldn't be bred or bought.

And also refutes the claim they are healthier which many doodle owners spout.

They are often predisposed to be unhealthier simply by the poor breeding practices (which has been alluded to in actual academia). When well-bred (like a needle in a haystack) they are equally as healthy as their pedigree parents...for obvious reasons. But no one really see's that because the amount of bad breeders completely eclipses the good ones.

In over 18 months on this forum, I am yet to see a good doodle breeder linked. As opposed to dozens of good pedigree ones.

Ultimately, it's all a matter of good breeding as to whether you get a healthy or unhealthy dog - at least most of the time. Sometimes luck or bad luck will out.

I wasn't suggesting my Cavapoo proves crossbreeds are healthier. I mentioned her because a lot of the thread seems to have swung to the opposite extreme of assuming poodle crosses are all unhealthy and pedigrees are healthier. In fact, someone literally told me I was "lucky" I had a healthy cross when all my previous pedigree dogs had long term chronic health issues!

Both are generalisations. A healthy dog doesn't prove anything, but neither does an unhealthy one. So your experience cant prove anything either.

When I got my Cavapoo we had health checks and inbreeding scores going back several generations for both her mother and her father so its not quite true that only pedigree breeders do this.

I agree the evidence doesn't support the claim that poodle crosses are healthier than their parent breeds, and I agree that good breeding and health testing are the key factors.

My issue is with some of the earlier comments suggesting poodle crosses are inherently unhealthy and that people should simply get a pedigree instead implying they are always healthy. That's simply not true- it's certainly not been true in my experience.

Pedigrees have historically, also been subject to poor breeding practices. You only have to look at bulldogs to see the horror of it, not to mention German shepherds and their back legs, Dachshund and spinal problems, labradors and hip dysplasias, king Charles and their heart issues as examples. I have seen bulldogs that make me want to cry.

In the end, a well bred dog from health tested parents is likely to be a better bet than a poorly bred dog, whether it's a pedigree or a crossbreed.

@queenofcustard I know my unhealthy cross breed proves nothing. My post literally started with the words "It's all anecdotal." And stated more research would need to be done.
I also said most breeders of cross breeds don't bother. It's good to see someone who did the research into finding one that did do all the relevant health checks. Perhaps you could share your breeder's details with the OP.

Perhaps you could share your breeder's details with the OP

Sadly she has retired now, I still send her photos 5 years on ☺️

Shhh don’t tell everyone 🤣. Seriously though I agree, brilliant,
no shed family dogs. But I too went through the hand wringing OP is and luckily landed on the Wheaten.

Go to the dog home and adopt a mongrel. It will be a far better friend than whatever pedigree mutt you are about to pay a small fortune for.

Excellent advice. I’ve never had a dog before, we have allergies in the house and two children. I might just stop my search now and take the kids to our dog shelter and ask them to pick, I know they’d go for the saddest looking one. Would that be about right? 😬 There’s been a few of these posts telling me to go and get a rescue almost shaming me for daring to consider a new puppy. It’s a bit pointless really as it’s not appropriate for our circumstances

@KaleQueen absolutely agree. With you circumstances you’d be looking forever for a suitable rescue dog. Sounds like this thread has been very helpful though and there are a few good options for you. I hope you find the one soon because dogs really are the best.

@Snoken it has thanks. I’ve told husband and kids we’re now looking at poodles. Kids instantly started googling and saw ‘show poodles’ from crufts. Their faces…🤣 I said no they don’t all look like that and it’s possibly a mini poodle. We then discovered mini poodle doing agility at crufts and they were in awe. Am being careful to explain dog isn’t all just about ‘looking like a teddy’ and we need to get one that fits us. Honestly thanks all so much.

There are a lot of unlucky people here who have met some unfortunate cockapoos…. OP the cockapoos I personally have met are delightful. But they need exercise and a lot of it! That’s my caveat. You really need to make sure you as a family can dedicate the time and not just you. My kids also walk our dogs (the older teens).

i bought my first dog (after being unable to rescue since we were having kids and turned down) from a large professional breeder. Amazing dog. Amazing.

by chance I then got to know cockapoos. Mine have never resource guarded. Bomb proof around kids. They need a lot of exercise. They need stimulation.

if people meet dogs with issues it will be because the owners haven’t done their work. I suspect cockapoo owners - some - may tend to being they way inclined as first time dog owners. There are poodle crosses everywhere now. A proportion of any dog has issues hence the comments perhaps

every dog I know - like humans - has a quirk or slight issue that needs work. My SIL loved Labradors and one of hers has major anxiety about loud noises

my eldest cockapoo is probably the most “perfect” dog I have owned. Hence why I bred from her. People who meet her fall in love with cockapoos. I probably should use her as a therapet.

if I get another puppy it will be from a small family who breed just a few litters.’

someone said “a breeder should have a wait list”. That sounds like a puppy farm to me!

ps yes I’m in touch with everyone who took a puppy. No issue at all but I only let my dogs go to people I vetted and were not muppets. I’m proud in all cases it worked out but I won’t breed again as it’s far too stressful to say goodbye.