Cockapoo advice...

[krismom2000]

Hey Dissers~ since you are all my own personal Onstar when it comes to random information I need some animal advice... a friend of a friend is looking to get rid of a 2 year old dog. I've been considering getting one and my only factors are good with kids and non shedding. It's a cockapoo- and she says it's male, trained, but not neutered. From what I can gather- any mix with a poodle is non shedding right? She's moving and that's why she can't keep it- but it's never really been around kids. I checked the animal rescues a while ago and everything there seems to be "aggressive" or "not recommended for families with small children". I didn't want to go the pet store route since there are so many dogs out there who need homes- but I'm so unsure.

PS- we've had gerbils, birds, guinea pigs, a cat- but never a dog.

 

[snoopy5386]

we had one growing up, it was fine. Can you take it for a weekend on a trial basis? See how the dog does?

 

[StitchFanZ]

Do you have any good dog training facilities or trainers in your area? A good trainer could help you evaluate the dog for any issues around kids and give you heads up on any other issues. Also, if you've never had a dog, it would probably be a good idea to spend some time with a trainer and the dog anyway. Many dog problems stem from people not knowing how to work iwth a dog.
Also, if you agree to take the dog ask her to get it neutered before you take it.
Best of luck. Adopting an older dog is great way to go for a first dog.

 

[robinb]

Not all poodle mixes are non-shedders. Some get the coat of the breed they are mixed with. That's why it's not always safe to get "designer" poodle-mix puppies if you need a non-shedding dog because you really don't know the coat of the dog until they are older. For instance, my friend had a cockapoo growing up and she said it was the worst of both worlds. It needed to be clipped like a poodle, but it also had an undercoat that shed all over! Your friend will know if their dog sheds or not.

As for cockapoos being aggressive, I think I read somewhere that the Cocker Spaniel is near the top of dog bite statistics. They don't kill land maim like a bigger, stronger dog like a Chow or Pitt Bull or German Shepard can, but I read they do bite more often. My guess is it's from poor breeding and breeding badly tempered dogs.

I would have your family meet the dog in a neutral territory (like a park) and see how he does with you. If that works out, maybe you can do a trial with him and see how it goes. Determine the time in advance so you know when you have to make a decision to keep him or give him back. If you keep him, I would have him neutered ASAP.

PS: I have a standard poodle mainly because I wanted to adopt a puppy and didn't want to risk getting a dog that sheds. If you want to go with a poodle DO NOT buy from a pet store. Find a local poodle breeder's association and purchase from a real breeder. If you purchase from a pet store you are likely buying a puppy mill puppy.

 

[billwendy]

Hi !!

I had a cockapoo growing up - it was rescued from the SPCa, and was a wonderful companion for me - an only child. This doggie let me dress her up, put her in my bike basket for rides - the list could go on and on. She was very smart, easy to train etc. Very healthy dog as well. She did not shed, she did need to be groomed a few times/year - but she was never over 16 lbs, so it didnt cost alot.

Now I have a Schnoodle - the dogs look very similar - she is very smart too! Both dogs are/were good with children, but both were exposed to them frequently.

Give it a try by meeting them someplace - even your back yard!! Make sure your kiddies go slow and easy at first - they have to learn to trust each other.

 

[reservations4five]

I have a cockapoo puppy- he is 12 weeks old. He looks more like a cocker, and he sheds. He does not aggrevate my allergies though.

He is more agressive than any other dog we have had. He did bite my dd (7)during the first month. He likes to run and play " rough" with the other dogs. However, he has gotten much, much better, with us using dominate dog training,getting him on his back and growling at him.

He also pees when he is excited LOL.

 

[deva]

I grew up with a cockapoo. She was a great, laid back dog. She did shed and needed regular grooming or else she got matted.

However, cocker spaniels are often known to be less than ideal around kids. With a mixed breed dog (any dog really) it just depends on the luck of the draw with what you get.

I agree that you should hang around the dog with your kids. Also I would definitely get him neutered.

 

[robinb]

I have a cockapoo puppy- he is 12 weeks old. He looks more like a cocker, and he sheds. He does not aggrevate my allergies though.

He is more agressive than any other dog we have had. He did bite my dd (7)during the first month. He likes to run and play " rough" with the other dogs. However, he has gotten much, much better, with us using dominate dog training,getting him on his back and growling at him.

He also pees when he is excited LOL.

Nipping and mouthing is common with a puppy. Especially with poodles. The best method to stop the nipping is to "YELP" like a puppy when yours uses his mouth in a way you don't like. Then, turn your back on him and stop play. He'll eventually get the idea. My poodle also did the excited peeing thing and outgrew it. Dominance training can help with a dominant kind of dog. We used alpha rolls on our Akita. Our poodle was already submissive and any alpha rolls made her scared so we stopped in the first week once we realized our mistake. We had the same trouble with the puppy treating our DD as a sibling and not a person (equal and not a leader) because my DD would play with her like a dog . Training my DD was key in training the dog and TRAINING was the key for both. I challenged my DD to teach the dog to do tricks and that helped a LOT.

 

[waughzee]

We had a cockapoo growing up, we got him when I was 12 and my sister 15. He was the sweetest, dopiest dog ever! We could do anything we wanted to him and he didn't care. He lived to be 18 with no problems. I have a Llasapoo now, again, a very sweet disposition!

 

[RMulieri]

I agree with the other posters.You don't know what you are going to get with the mixed breeds.you could get the best of both breeds or the worst.I had a Cocker spaniel and while she was the love of our family life she was NASTY to other people and not good with kids other then ours. Not to mention the shedding and the dander.My allergies were AWFUL. I am now looking at a pure bred Bichon Frise

 

[clutter]

True, with a mix you could get the worst of both breeds. However, by 2 years old, you should be able to tell. (I might go an hang out in the neighborhood of the person getting rid of the dog. Neighbors know.)

Anyway, I have two cockapoos. The older female sheds some. However, she doesn't leave dog hair every where, it's more like a few curls here and there. (Not like when I had bassets.) My male doesn't shed at all. She bothers my allergies only a very little bit, he doesn't. When you pet the dog, the curlier the hair is the more poodle-like. My female's hair is like big curly waves, my male's hair is more pure curls.

I love both my dogs to pieces. However, there do have some pain in the buttocks tendencies. My female pees when a stranger pets her. Which contradicts my next point. They both get VERY excited at new people and dogs. (Translation: they bark.) So she only pees for the very brave. Actually, they both calm down pretty quickly, but it's something you should be aware of. Of course, I think the two of mine tend to feed off each other, so I have a worse case than most. They also bark at other dogs when walking (take your friends dog for a walk and she how he does). I live next to a pipestem, and if anything is out of order in the three houses back there (cars parked in the wrong place), it warrents a warning bark. Could be good, could be a pain, depending on your attitude!

My female is more protective. My male... well he's a three year old baby. My dd and I were discussing that he will never grow up. All he wants to do is be petted. And he has the most beautifully expressive face. (My female is black, so you don't see her as well.)

They are both lovers. They are both companions. They both self-regulate feeding, which is a plus. You put food out and they eat either when they're hungry, or they like to eat after you start eating. They're fairly low energy dogs, except when someone new comes to the house! They do get along with some other dogs (few are brave enough to try to meet my barking maniacs, but the two dogs next door are their best friends, and they act just like kids because they're all so happy to see each other!)

My two are about 10 pounds different. The female likes to sleep with my daughter, my male with me. He can't get on the bed, at 18 pounds, and I finally got him some little doggie stairs. I'd get in bed, get him up, then have to run somewhere. He has to follow. Then I'd have to put him on the bed again. (Did I mention how expressive his face is? You'd do it too. If I didn't pick him up, he'd sigh and go sleep on the bathroom floor. )

So anyway, in spite of my warnings, cockapoos are great companions. I'd definately check him out. Meet up at a public place first. But definately check out his home. (You can tell pretty quick if he's not really trained.) Ask the person's neighbors if he's a barker. Not necessarily to stop you from getting him, but to give you a warning. Is your yard fenced? Ask about his routine and habits to determine if they'll fit into your life if you don't have a yard. (Both of mine have set-in-stone bathroom habits. To the point of one needs to be on my right when she does her business on leash!) Take him for a long walk and make sure you see other dogs to see how he reacts.

If you don't want him, PM me....

 

[luckyfin]

True, with a mix you could get the worst of both breeds. However, by 2 years old, you should be able to tell. (I might go an hang out in the neighborhood of the person getting rid of the dog. Neighbors know.)

Anyway, I have two cockapoos. The older female sheds some. However, she doesn't leave dog hair every where, it's more like a few curls here and there. (Not like when I had bassets.) My male doesn't shed at all. She bothers my allergies only a very little bit, he doesn't. When you pet the dog, the curlier the hair is the more poodle-like. My female's hair is like big curly waves, my male's hair is more pure curls.

I love both my dogs to pieces. However, there do have some pain in the buttocks tendencies. My female pees when a stranger pets her. Which contradicts my next point. They both get VERY excited at new people and dogs. (Translation: they bark.) So she only pees for the very brave. Actually, they both calm down pretty quickly, but it's something you should be aware of. Of course, I think the two of mine tend to feed off each other, so I have a worse case than most. They also bark at other dogs when walking (take your friends dog for a walk and she how he does). I live next to a pipestem, and if anything is out of order in the three houses back there (cars parked in the wrong place), it warrents a warning bark. Could be good, could be a pain, depending on your attitude!

My female is more protective. My male... well he's a three year old baby. My dd and I were discussing that he will never grow up. All he wants to do is be petted. And he has the most beautifully expressive face. (My female is black, so you don't see her as well.)

They are both lovers. They are both companions. They both self-regulate feeding, which is a plus. You put food out and they eat either when they're hungry, or they like to eat after you start eating. They're fairly low energy dogs, except when someone new comes to the house! They do get along with some other dogs (few are brave enough to try to meet my barking maniacs, but the two dogs next door are their best friends, and they act just like kids because they're all so happy to see each other!)

My two are about 10 pounds different. The female likes to sleep with my daughter, my male with me. He can't get on the bed, at 18 pounds, and I finally got him some little doggie stairs. I'd get in bed, get him up, then have to run somewhere. He has to follow. Then I'd have to put him on the bed again. (Did I mention how expressive his face is? You'd do it too. If I didn't pick him up, he'd sigh and go sleep on the bathroom floor. )

So anyway, in spite of my warnings, cockapoos are great companions. I'd definately check him out. Meet up at a public place first. But definately check out his home. (You can tell pretty quick if he's not really trained.) Ask the person's neighbors if he's a barker. Not necessarily to stop you from getting him, but to give you a warning. Is your yard fenced? Ask about his routine and habits to determine if they'll fit into your life if you don't have a yard. (Both of mine have set-in-stone bathroom habits. To the point of one needs to be on my right when she does her business on leash!) Take him for a long walk and make sure you see other dogs to see how he reacts.

If you don't want him, PM me....

We also have a female cockapoo who sounds similar to a lot of these traits. She also pees when we have visitors, just when they arrive. We have trained our visitors to greet her outside She tries so hard not to do it and knows that she shouldn't but it seems to be a trait of the breed. Our cockapoo does not shed, we have her hair cut about every 12 weeks. She is the sweetest most loyal dog and just loves everyone. We had a baby in July and she accepted her into her "pack" within an hour of us bringing the baby home. She also self-regulates with eating. We never have to fill her bowl more than once a day. Ours was not a big barker, until we brought the baby home. I think she is trying to be more protective. She is actually quite timid, despite being socialized with several different dogs from the start. She does well with other dogs as long as they are not too aggressive. She really is a wonderful family dog and loves her family to death. We bell trained her to go outside and it has worked great. If you can't tell by now- we are huge fans of the "breed."

 

[krismom2000]

Thanks so much for all of the wonderful information and advice. I'm going to "meet" him tomorrow and I'm hopeful that it will be a match. I'll post the update and some pics!

 

[clutter]

We'll be waiting!!! One other warning, you do have to get them cut every 8 - 12 weeks or so. Around her (expensive Northern Va), that runs about $50. And if you don't get them cut, during the summer they'll lay on your a/c vent and you'll be hot!!!

 

[Scurvy]

I agree with the other posters.You don't know what you are going to get with the mixed breeds.you could get the best of both breeds or the worst.I had a Cocker spaniel and while she was the love of our family life she was NASTY to other people and not good with kids other then ours. Not to mention the shedding and the dander.My allergies were AWFUL. I am now looking at a pure bred Bichon Frise

I agree with this as well. My aunt and my best friend both had cocker/poodle mixes when I was growing up. They were really cute - but they were not good with people. (I assume they were good with their owners, but neither one liked "outsiders" at all.) They both tended to bite. At least one of the two did shed; I'm not sure about the other one. One of the two had bladder issues (which I have heard are common among cockers) and tended to urinate any time it was stressed (or excited, or happy. . .)

In my opinion you should always approach poodle mixes the way you would approach any mixed breed dog - don't have any preconceived notions about what you might be getting and evaluate each dog on an individual basis. While there can be variations among actual purebred dogs, it's easier to predict what you're going to end up with when you're getting a puppy from a reputable breeder of any particular breed. That's not to say that you can't find wonderful mixed breed dogs - I have found that they can make the very best pets. However, just because people call something a breed doesn't make it one, and poodle mixes aren't as easy to predict as purebred poodles are.

Since this dog is older, you should be able to tell more about it's personality and shedding when you meet it. I wouldn't really consider the breeds that the dog came from; I'd just consider the dog itself. Good luck! I hope this dog turns out to be a good fit for your family.

 

[clutter]

Thanks so much for all of the wonderful information and advice. I'm going to "meet" him tomorrow and I'm hopeful that it will be a match. I'll post the update and some pics!

Any update?