How do I find a good Cockapoo puppy?

[hugabearjo]

My mom is thinking about getting a cockapoo puppy. I think this would be a great thing as she lives alone. However, I have been researching them and now I am afraid because they talk about "PUPPY MILLS" I had never heard of them before. I have always gotten my dogs from a local breeder that I know, (Aussie's) she has one or two litters a year and they are raised in the house etc. I can't find a local breeder for cockapoo's. I looked online and so many have so many puppies at so many different ages that it makes you wonder. Their claims look great on paper, about socializing them etc. but how do you know? I also know that my breeder will hold back a puppy that maybe isn't quite what she would want to paper and sell it for little to no cost for a family pet only with a promise to fix the dog.

Does anyone have any suggestions. I don't think she can spend an arm and a leg but, is willing to pay.

Thanks in advance. I really think this would be good for her.

 

[tekmom]

Check your local shelter. There are many mixed breeds there that would love a home.

 

[Nana Annie]

My mom is thinking about getting a cockapoo puppy. I think this would be a great thing as she lives alone. However, I have been researching them and now I am afraid because they talk about "PUPPY MILLS" I had never heard of them before. I have always gotten my dogs from a local breeder that I know, (Aussie's) she has one or two litters a year and they are raised in the house etc. I can't find a local breeder for cockapoo's. I looked online and so many have so many puppies at so many different ages that it makes you wonder. Their claims look great on paper, about socializing them etc. but how do you know? I also know that my breeder will hold back a puppy that maybe isn't quite what she would want to paper and sell it for little to no cost for a family pet only with a promise to fix the dog.

Does anyone have any suggestions. I don't think she can spend an arm and a leg but, is willing to pay.

Thanks in advance. I really think this would be good for her.

Cockapoos are not a breed. They are mutts. The best place to find a mixed-breed dog is your local shelter or try a place like Petfinder.

Another good place to look into are both the cocker spaniel rescue and the poodle rescue groups. They will often take in mixed breeds, such as the cockapoo, as one part of the dog is "their" rescue breed. They often have many suitable and wonderful dogs that would be great for your mother.

The reason you are reading about puppy mills is because that is what breeds mutts and sells them with cute sounding names for lots of money. Don't fall for it. No respectable breeder will purposefully breed mutts.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Cockapoos are not a breed. They are mutts. The best place to find a mixed-breed dog is your local shelter or try a place like Petfinder.

Another good place to look into are both the cocker spaniel rescue and the poodle rescue groups. They will often take in mixed breeds, such as the cockapoo, as one part of the dog is "their" rescue breed. They often have many suitable and wonderful dogs that would be great for your mother.

The reason you are reading about puppy mills is because that is what breeds mutts and sells them with cute sounding names for lots of money. Don't fall for it. No respectable breeder will purposefully breed mutts.

Completely ditto all points.

And I'll repeat her last statement "NO RESPECTABLE BREEDER WILL PURPOSELY BREED MUTTS"

I hope you find the perfect dog for your mom - it's nice of you to help her hunt. =)

 

[terri01p]

Where do you live, I just bought a 8 week old cockapoo puppy at the flea market saturday, it came with papers and everything, I just took him to the vet today and he checked out perfect. I wouldn't consider this breed a mutt, he is what you would call a designer breed, and I for one am so happy with him. He cost me 100.00. If you are in NC, charlotte area or gastonia area, let me know and I will give you the phone number of my breeder.

 

[Nana Annie]

Where do you live, I just bought a 8 week old cockapoo puppy at the flea market saturday, it came with papers and everything, I just took him to the vet today and he checked out perfect. I wouldn't consider this breed a mutt, he is what you would call a designer breed, and I for one am so happy with him. He cost me 100.00. If you are in NC, charlotte area or gastonia area, let me know and I will give you the phone number of my breeder.

I am sure your puppy is adorable and that you love it very much! But your puppy could not possibly have papers from any of the respectable registries such as AKC, CKC (Canadian Kennel Club, NOT Continental Kennel Club which is a puppy mill registry) or UKC (United Kennel Club) as the cockapoo is not a recognized breed anywhere.

But this is another popular tactic of the puppy mill. Since their "designer" mutts and even some of their legitimate purebred dogs cannot be registered in any legitimate registry, they created their own such as the Continental Kennel Club. The legitmate registries such as the AKC were clamping down on puppy mills by requiring DNA tests for any dogs bred more than x times. Since this is a costly test and puppy mills obviously breed their dogs way more than x amount of times, they created their own registries. This way they can ask for more money from unsuspecting clients by saying the dog has "papers".

Some of the other known puppy mill registries are:
ACA or American Canine Association
APR or American Purebred Registry
APRI or American Pet Registry Incorporated
ARU or Animal Registry Unlimited
DRA or Dog Registry of America
FIC or Federation of International Canines - purposefully set up to confuse people into believing it is the FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) which is one of the most reputable international registries.
IPDBA - International Progressive Dog Breeders Alliance
NKC - National Kennel Club
NAPDR - North American Purbred Dog Registry
UABR - United All Breed Registry
UKCI - Universal Kennel Club International - again purposefully using an acronym that very closely resembles the British registry UKC or United Kennel Club.
WKC - World Kennel Club
WWKC - World Wide Kennel Club

All the above registries will register dogs with just information from the owner or breeder. Most do not need any kind of pedigree information or any proof of what your pet is. It is just something that you send in $10.00 and get a cute certificate so you think your dog is "registered."

When you buy a dog with "papers", always make sure it is from one of the reputable kennel or breed clubs. Otherwise the "papers" are about as worthless as toilet paper.

 

[terri01p]

I am sure your puppy is adorable and that you love it very much! But your puppy could not possibly have papers from any of the respectable registries such as AKC, CKC (Canadian Kennel Club, NOT Continental Kennel Club which is a puppy mill registry) or UKC (United Kennel Club) as the cockapoo is not a recognized breed anywhere.

But this is another popular tactic of the puppy mill. Since their "designer" mutts and even some of their legitimate purebred dogs cannot be registered in any legitimate registry, they created their own such as the Continental Kennel Club. The legitmate registries such as the AKC were clamping down on puppy mills by requiring DNA tests for any dogs bred more than x times. Since this is a costly test and puppy mills obviously breed their dogs way more than x amount of times, they created their own registries. This way they can ask for more money from unsuspecting clients by saying the dog has "papers".

Some of the other known puppy mill registries are:
ACA or American Canine Association
APR or American Purebred Registry
APRI or American Pet Registry Incorporated
ARU or Animal Registry Unlimited
DRA or Dog Registry of America
FIC or Federation of International Canines - purposefully set up to confuse people into believing it is the FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) which is one of the most reputable international registries.
IPDBA - International Progressive Dog Breeders Alliance
NKC - National Kennel Club
NAPDR - North American Purbred Dog Registry
UABR - United All Breed Registry
UKCI - Universal Kennel Club International - again purposefully using an acronym that very closely resembles the British registry UKC or United Kennel Club.
WKC - World Kennel Club
WWKC - World Wide Kennel Club

All the above registries will register dogs with just information from the owner or breeder. Most do not need any kind of pedigree information or any proof of what your pet is. It is just something that you send in $10.00 and get a cute certificate so you think your dog is "registered."

When you buy a dog with "papers", always make sure it is from one of the reputable kennel or breed clubs. Otherwise the "papers" are about as worthless as toilet paper.

Oh geezs, what I mint was I have papers of who the mother/father is and the breeder...this is just a family pet, after my beloved beagle died in April, I would have bought any breed, I was just wanting a family pet, I guess I misunderstood, my point was the puppy is very much healthy and he's smart as a whip and we love him. I really wanted a corgi but couldn't get the foster parent to let us even see her, so thus is fate and we are happy.

 

[taylor1293]

Please check out your local shelter. There are so many dogs in need of good homes.

Why does your mom want a cockapoo? Has she had one before? I grew up with one and although I loved him, he was not the brightest nor was he the friendliest animal.

Good luck with finding a dog.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

we have had 3 cockapoos...we had one that we got in 1991 named snowball, he was my present if i didnt suck my thumb anymore (and it worked!) and he died in 2003 my fr. yr of college, my mom was devistated b/c we had loved the dog to death my brother was also the same way b/c when i had left he took the care of him then.
Ne ways, he had died dec 20th and my dad felt the house was too lonely w/o a dog so he search the Pittsbugh Post Gazette newspaper and found and add for cockapoos about 2 hrs from our house so he convinced my mom to go look at the puppies and then they got there the mother dog looked exactly like snowy but the puppies looked like mini yellow labs so of course my mom fell in love w/the puppy and home came Buster Feb 14 2004. Well the owner of the puppies have a strong bond with the families and kept in contact every month for a yr and informed my dad another batch of puppies came up and gave a story how a family took a puppy and were unable to keep him b/c of their sons health issues and sent him back so jokingly i said wouldnt it be funny if we got a playmate for Buster so what do mom and dad do, go look at the puppy and home came Bailey easter 2005 after it went from never having a dog again after snowy to having butster and now bailey

..ne ways we LOVE cockapoos but with the 2 now they shed like crazyness and snowball never did with curly white hair but our 2 look like mini labs and shed like none other so if that is an issue you might want to ask about that b/c they are different i guess but check your local paper or main city paper for dog breaders or go to a local shelter and see if they have any. Our 2 costed around 500 each. And the breader of the 2 dogs now is very friendly and basically approves the family before she sells a dog which was not the case with snowball when we got him but good luck!!!!

 

[scooter15]

Cockapoo, Lhasapoo, Maltipoos, and Pekapoos are designer dogs. They were purposely bred because they are hypoallergenic since they are not supposed to shed. Out in Newport Beach in California (if any of you watched The OC - that area in general) there's a dog store there that sells these dogs- a lot of them I may add. I would suggest getting a dog from the pound but if your mom has allergies and such, maybe going with one of the (insert breed)poos would be better.

I have to say that I'm falling in love with the Puggle. Its a pug/beagle mix. The ones I have come across are extremely sweet and loyal. It was a purposely bred mutt like the cockapoo.

 

[Cindyluwho]

Holy Crap you guys!! You'd think the OP asked where she could buy a slave to clean her house the way you're acting! For crying out loud, cockapoos have been around for decades, they're a well loved and wonderful mix of dogs. I've had several since I was a small child and loved them all. They've all been great, healthy dogs. Why so frickin' judgmental?! Can't someone ask a question without being jumped all over by you purebred militia members?? Yes, they're mutts, but they're a lovable type of mutt that many folks are attached to.

 

[hugabearjo]

Thank you Cindy. I was hesitant to post again because I clearly opened a can of worms...... I have Austrailian Shepherds, papered through AKC and ASCA. I know about papers. However, mom does not need a pedagree dog. She needs a non-shed dog because of health reasons. She did have a cockapoo growing up and then another when I was small. Then we started with Aussies She is a huge fan of them but, their coat requires to much care and the shedding is more then she can handle now. So she was looking for a non-shed sweet dog, that she can pick up if needed. She remembered having them and I growing up had several friends who also had them and they were wonderful so she thought it was a good choice. The pet shops get them from puppy mills (most of the time) and I wouldn't want to promote that industry, but thought maybe someone would know a hobby breeder. I disagree that no "reputable" breeder wouldn't breed the two together for family pets.

I am sorry to hear that it isn't predictable with the non shed. The curly coat is what she wanted. Is that a safe bet?

Thanks for all the helpful posts. The others I am sorry if I upset you by asking for a non Papered dog. I really didn't mean too. I didn't know it was such a passionate topic. Sorry, Have a nice Day.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I have a mutt - and a rescue without papers - so it's not about that but most people jump to that conclusion in these kind of discussions. Those of us who understand the designer mutt industry also understand that dogs DIE because of it. Because of my love & respect for living beings, I just can't support anyone who think that's okay. And of course a reputable breeder would never support such an industry either as they understand the realities behind it. *shrugs*

Enough about that.

Because a cocker spaniel - poodle mix isn't mixed with 2 non shedding breeds, they very possibly can shed like crazy. Many breeders will tell you they don't shed but there are no guarantees, and since they just have their puppy coat when you get them you really don't know until they are a little older. And since cockers were really overbred in the 80s, there are some very bad lines out there with horrible temperment issues. These kind of breeders don't breed for temperment and you can really have a problem on your hands in a few years. My best friend's mom bought one at a local farmers market, so it was obviously poorly bred already, and it's a nasty mean dog. Cute from afar but can't go anywhere near children. Very sad to see a breed so mishandled =( Thankfully, cocker breeders are trying to get the breed back to where it was supposed to be. So, the cocker-poodle mix could have those bad cocker temperment issues down the road.

There are many mutts that don't shed, though, if she doesn't care about about going through a breeder. You can check out petfinder or your local shelter. Or you can look for a reputable breed of one of the non-shed dogs. It sounds like your dogs came from a good breeder; they may know of some breeders of poodles, maltese, bichons, etc. Most breeders 'know' others as they run in the dog show circles together.

A min poodle will have a curly coat; what about one of those? Very smart dogs! Porteguese Water Dogs also have the curly coat (though I know I butchered that spelling - sorry!). I'm trying to think of others...?

Hope she finds the perfect family member!

 

[Nana Annie]

Sorry, didn't mean to jump on anybody. And certainly didn't mean to pick on Terri1op. Just took his post as an opportunity to shed some light on puppy mill registries so that others can be aware if looking at "papered" puppies. Not all papers are what they seem to be, and this is one of the 'big' tricks to help in recognizing puppy mills.

Here is cocker spaniel rescue:
American Spaniel Club (Cocker Spaniels)
Becki Buss, (678) 494-9816, Georgia; e-mail: ascf_rescue@hotmail.com

Contact them and see if they have any cockapoos. At least if you go with the cocker breed club, the dog has been temperament screened for any problems.

And I disagree that the x-poos were bred to fill a hypo-allergenic need. The cockapoo, maltipoo, etc were "designed" for one purpose only - for profit. There was a niche for something different and people are willing to pay big bucks for it. Unfortunately, the puppy brokers are the ones laughing all the way to the bank.

The whole hypoallergenic thing is just a good cover story. You can't breed a non-shedding dog with a shedding dog for hypo-allergenic puposes as you are never sure which dog the puppy's coat will take after. And if you can't be assured of the results, then the whole "we are breeding for nonshedding" flies right out the window.

There are plenty of breeds out there that are proven hypoallergenic. Nobody has to create an 'iffy' mutt to take fill that niche. As mentioned above, the poodle is a great dog. So is the Portuguese Water Spaniel and the American Water Spaniel. Although both breeds are a bit more difficult to own. The mini schnauzer is another one.

And FWIW - I don't care if somebody gets a purebred dog or a mixed breed dog. MIxed breed dogs make wonderful pets. Just don't pay some "breeder" big bucks just because they are purposefully making mutts. Just go to a shelter, go to petfinders.com or check the breed rescues. There are plenty of mixed breeds out there that need homes. No reason to create more and no reason to support the mutt industry.

 

[hentob]

Where do you live, I just bought a 8 week old cockapoo puppy at the flea market saturday, it came with papers and everything

Oh boy.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Thank you Cindy. I was hesitant to post again because I clearly opened a can of worms...... I have Austrailian Shepherds, papered through AKC and ASCA. I know about papers. However, mom does not need a pedagree dog. She needs a non-shed dog because of health reasons. She did have a cockapoo growing up and then another when I was small. Then we started with Aussies She is a huge fan of them but, their coat requires to much care and the shedding is more then she can handle now. So she was looking for a non-shed sweet dog, that she can pick up if needed. She remembered having them and I growing up had several friends who also had them and they were wonderful so she thought it was a good choice. The pet shops get them from puppy mills (most of the time) and I wouldn't want to promote that industry, but thought maybe someone would know a hobby breeder. I disagree that no "reputable" breeder wouldn't breed the two together for family pets.

I am sorry to hear that it isn't predictable with the non shed. The curly coat is what she wanted. Is that a safe bet?

Thanks for all the helpful posts. The others I am sorry if I upset you by asking for a non Papered dog. I really didn't mean too. I didn't know it was such a passionate topic. Sorry, Have a nice Day.

if its a curly coat they wont shed or if they do it will be like once in a blue moon!! for some reason ours now are more like cockers than the poodle and personally i liked the white curls better b/c now when I go home i cant wear dark colors at all but i still love them even tho they shed like crazy, my brother on the other hand can have really bad allergic reactions but takes meds and is okay then.

 

[hiwaygal]

Any REPUTABLE breeder (whether they are breeding purebreds for show or "hybrids" for pets/hobby) should be able to answer some pretty basic questsions about the dogs/pups they have for sale.

I found a couple of links with articles, information and questions you can ask to determine if you are getting a good quality puppy from whomever you choose to talk to:

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/responbr.html

http://dogs.about.com/cs/newtodogs/f/faq_breeder.htm

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=302

http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/resources/articles/dogs/019-01.htm

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1671&articleid=844

Those are just a few I found by googling "questions for dog breeders". While many of them are geared more towards purebreds, most of the questions will still apply.

Personally, I agree with the idea of looking at your local shelter, petfinder, or even contacting a breed rescue group (i.e. Poodle rescues) to see about adopting an older dog who will most likely give your mom a little less trouble in the puppy training part.

Good luck to you and your mom.

 

[daisax]

Oh geezs, what I mint was I have papers of who the mother/father is and the breeder...this is just a family pet,

Those of us who love dogs and devote a large part of our lives to them think "Family pet" is the highest calling for any dog, and "family pets" deserve the best possible shot at living long and healthy lives, physically and emotionally. That's why breeders carefully select which animals to breed together (keeping in mind their parents and grandparents whose qualities also will come into play in various combinations)

Somebody who just combines "a" poodle and "a" cocker spaniel, even ones that on the surface seem healthy and happy enough is NOT doing the hard work that each litter of pups brought into this world deserves to have behind it.

The parent dogs of randomly bred dogs may seem fine at first glance, but 3 of the four grandparents could have serious health/temperament issues that in combination mean disaster for any "family pet." The only purpose of a pedigree is to track REAL dogs by name. A good breeder doesn't just have a list of dogs on a page -- it's a list of names of actual dogs he/she has known or met or seen or known of through others -- what they looked like, how they behaved, what they died of, how bright they were, their personality quirks -- living, breathing animals. There's a story to go with each one, just as there's a story to go with your own family tree.

There's a lot of hard work and expense to raise and show quality dogs. Those who devote their lives to a breed know that in any given litter only one or two are likely to be good enough to carry on the breed for the future -- the others deserve the best possible pet homes. They are no less well bred than their "show" brothers and sisters -- their parents have cleared all the same health tests and been combined to maximize temperament and good health. The difference between the pet pup and the show pup may be a centimeter of distance between the eyes, or legs that are a trifle too straight or too angled -- nothing that the average person would appreciate as a fault, but something that carried on from generation to generation would get exaggerated to the point that the breed would no longer resemble its origins.

If you're not in the market for a purebred pup, there are plenty of rescue groups placing adolescent and adult dogs (it's a myth that all rescue dog have problems -- most are just adolescents that were placed in the wrong homes and never received manners 101 training). They and shelters may even have the occasional puppy.

Purposely supporting people who breed mutts for profit enriches them and does the dogs no favors. If you need a hypoallergenic dog, there are multiple breeds that are hypoallergenic.

Labradoodle is the one that irks me the most -- they too use the "allergy" excuse. There's nothing a labradoodle can do that a poodle can't.

 

[doxdogy]

No help. Just wanted to tell you that I love Aussies. They are great dogs.

 

[hugabearjo]

I am really sorry that I opened this can of worms. Anyone who thinks that "PUREBRED" breeders are all above board is crazy. I have seen many an Aussie breeder that I wouldn't get a puppy from. I also believe that this is why we have problems with many purebreds (mini aussies for one) they tend to be over bred. Cockers went through that in the 80's.

There are good people who care about their dogs and trace the linage etc. that aren't show dog raisers.

I think there are problems with show dog breeders too. For example, many probably all aussie breeders will put a pup down because they aren't quite the right color to "enhance" the breed. My aussie I have now would never have made it in the show ring when she was born. But, the breeder a friend of mine "saved" her from the freezer knowing that I wouldn't breed her or show her or even register her. I just wanted a family pet. And as she grew her coloring is wonderful and she could have been in the ring had I not altered her or more then that wanted to.

This "Holyier then thou" attitude has to stop this isn't what I wanted from the thread. I just want to find a nice dog for my mom that isn't from a puppy mill. Small true family breeder was what I wanted. I am so sorry that I offended anyone.

We are all dog lovers that is the fact so lets all just love our dogs and let this thread die so that no more controversy is brought us.

Thanks for your help, I do believe that everyone here is well intended. I just didn't mean to bring up such a "SORE SPOT". Please accept my apology.