Poodle vs cocker spaniel for 1st timers ?

I do not get why people insist on something like a goldendoodle or any doodle type dog.

• there is no breed standard, it could be anything from 20lbs to 50lbs
• they're bred by backyard breeders
• due to bad breeding their temperaments are often unpredictable
• they are not hypoallergenic
• they are expensive to groom and their combined poodle coats are difficult to manage from home.
• they are insanely overpriced
• they're bred by backyard breeders. I say this again because the original poodle & other breed are usually bottom of the barrel
• they don't get properly health tested (see above)

If you absolutely have to get a doodle, go to a shelter, there are plenty in there. Doodle breeding is unethical.

@wetotter or in the case of 1 certain cocker cross montrel breeder, she falsifies KC breed paperwork.

I absolutely second that no one should get a doodle cross. Something goes wrong especially with a cockapoo. They end up super hyper, barky and difficult to train. Anyway everyone asks if ours is a cockapoo because you just don’t see many actual poodles. I don’t know how many times I’ve had a response back that they got a doodle due to allergies. Just get a fucking poodle then, is what I’m thinking. 🐾😂

I've had 5 dogs in my lifetime (all rescued, 2 as pups, 3 as 5 y/olds so I appreciate not the OP's Qu but...)
I had a show-line cocker pup. Lovely, gentle, friendly, jolly character but terrible Separation anxiety & howled & shredded cushions if you left him. Two red working cockers (one aged 1, one aged 4). Both became very aggressive & had to be re-homed via a specialist spaniel charity. Stressful & upsetting.
One Basset Hound. Lovely, lovely dog but smelly, dribbly & very loud howling.
My current: a golden doodle. Calm, gentle, playful & affectionate. Clean, non barking. She's pretty perfect but does need quite a bit of walking & grooming 4x per year. Eats a lot too.

OP, in your shoes I'd not have a spaniel. A miniature poodle perhaps?. But I'd definitely talk to local shelters first. There ate some wonderful dogs there.

How does she get away with that?

As it's straightforward to look on the relevant section of the KC website. The progeny won't be there of course because they're crosses, but the parent dog would be. Or are they relying on people not knowing how easy it is to check?

@wetotter they rely on people not knowing + also believing that any of the crosses are actually breeds 🙄. They advertise them as pedigree cockapoos FFS and idiot people who can't be arsed to do their research fall for it.

Yes someone told us their dog was a purebred cockapoo. We’ve also been asked what breed of cockapoo is our poodle.

Poodles are a working breed - they're water retrievers. Perfect for outdoorsy

Historically yes, but poodles haven't worked in this country for a long, long time now. They're show dogs and pets nowadays.

I also have to say that every single poodle/doodle I know absolutely detests water 😂

Lots of poodles of all sizes competing in agility and obedience in all weathers. They can be very outdoorsy. In fact most I know are.

Whereas all the ones I know absolutely hate the rain and the mud 🤷‍♀️

@andrainwillmaketheflowersgrow there are 2 poodles in my advanced gundog training group and are used regularly throughout the season.

You do have to admit that's rare though - the vast, vast majority of poodles in this country are pets and/or show dogs.

I really didn't mean such an innocuous comment to derail the thread - I'm sure there are lots of poodles who would love an active, outdoorsy lifestyle but all the ones I know would much prefer a comfy sofa and a fire

We’ve got a Jack Russell now. Never a breed I considered before I fell in love with a friend’s litter, but he’s a fabulous pet! Since getting one, I’ve noticed loads of people have them. Ours in excellent off the lead within minimal training.

Spaniel dogs need to be very well trained based on our family dog experiences and it’s very hard to stop them being “more nose than brain” if they’re that way inclined. Poodles can be lovely but can be sensitive and nervy. With a cockerpoo (and we’ve had a gorgeous one that has his paw print forever in hesrt) can be any sort of mix of these!

Agree with the allergy thing.

so many people seem to think that crossing a poodle with another random breed somehow increases the hypoallergenic qualities of the poodle. It’s completely illogical.

on my Yorkshire terrier group we had someone asking where she could get a yorkiepoo. She was allergic to dogs, wanted a Yorkshire terrier but for some reason thought she’d need to cross it with a poodle so she wouldn’t react.

lots of people trying to explain that yorkies were also non shedding and hypoallergenic, possibly more so than poodles because they have “hair” rather than fur. She was utterly adamant that a poodle cross would be better for her allergies (and no, she’d not been to see and test any of these dogs to see how she reacted).

the marketing around poodle crosses and allergies has a very strong hold for some reason.

We've had our 8 year old cocker/springer cross since he was 9 weeks old. They are hard work and have a lot of energy but they are intelligent and beautiful.

If you can go for a walk for a couple of hours a day and have time to train, they are lovely dogs.

Ours is a massive softie, turns into a puppy when around kids, loves a cuddld.

I had a poodle/show cocker cross, if I could choose again I'd get a poodle. Mine has terrible resource guarding and anxiety. Hes bittennus all out if anxiety. He detests being long, and tries to pull out his fur. He's only happy when we shave him short every 11 weeks.

Poodles can be anxious as can cockers. Cockers are working dogs so need a lot of training + prone to resource guarding + anxiety. Why the hell would you cross the 2?!
To my mind it is an incredibly bad mix but then I am against most mongrel breeding anyway. Hate the random and very poorly thought out poo eg jackapoo/cockapoo etc crosses and hate that it is more expensive to buy a mongrel than a well bred pure breed.
Breeding in this country is in crisis and these mongrel designer breeds just exacerbate the situation.

‘The grooming costs are astronomical’

I pay £35 every 8 week, hardly astronomical

We bought clippers and scissors and we trim our poodle ourselves. It’s really not difficult.