Cockapoo Features

•Highly intelligent, love mental stimulation as well as physical so establishing recall as young as possible is a must and they love to learn and are great at tricks

•They have a loving, puppy like nature and sense of fun so never really grow up

•Great all round family pets especially if exposed to lots of variety from a young age so they develop confidence

•Small to medium size is correct for the bred so are more manageable both in the home and for travelling in a car

•Their coats vary enormously dependent on the poodle/cocker spaniel % so some need little grooming whilst others need it regularly

•Grooming can be great fun and a bonding opportunity for you and your dog or there are good, professional groomers too

•Generally they are low to non shedding so great for house cleanliness and may be helpful for people with allergies

•As with most breeds, if you expose them to other dogs they are generally good mixers and love nothing more then a good bit of rough and tumble with another fury friend

History

As previously mentioned, Cockapoos are one of the oldest “hybrid dog breeds” around having been developed in the United States back in the fifties. However, it is not clear whether these charming dogs were created on purpose or whether it was by pure accident. Whatever their true origins, the Cockapoo has become a much-loved dog that makes an excellent family pet and companion dog and one that fits in with many life styles. They were first introduced into the UK approximately 10 years ago and were an immediate hit with people all over the country thanks to their charming looks and kind, loyal natures.

The first mating of a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle produced an F1 Cockapoo which is still thought of as being the better and therefore more stable crossing of the two breeds because it boasts having the more consistent results. F1 Cockapoos tend to be a little taller than their parent breeds when they reach maturity and breeders believe that this results in the dogs having “Hybrid-Vigour”. When F1 Cockapoos are bred things get a little more complicated and the same can be said of F2 and other crossings too.

Being “hybrids” as they are often referred to, the Cockapoo is not a recognised breed with any of the international breed clubs which includes The Kennel Club here in the UK (July 2017). However, many local breed clubs have been set up all over the world with an end goal being to make sure Cockapoos are bred responsibly so that puppies are healthier with less risk of them developing any of the congenital and hereditary health concerns that are known to sometimes affect their parent breeds, namely Poodles and Cocker Spaniels.

With this in mind it’s really important for potential owners to contact responsible breeders who routinely have all their stud dogs checked for any hereditary disorders which is the only way of reducing the risk of puppies developing any of the conditions. It is, however, worth noting that no matter how carefully bred a Cockapoo happens to be, there is never any guarantee they won’t develop a congenital or hereditary disorder during their lives. It does however, reduce the chance of it happening.

It’s also essential that any inbreeding is avoided which in short means checking the lineage of stud dogs before mating them together which is more likely to happen with Cockapoos that are bred together further down the line.

Interesting facts about the breed

• Cockapoos were first developed in the United States in the 1950s
• They are one of the oldest “hybrid” dogs around
• Today there are F1, F2, F3, F4 as well as F1b, F2b and more Cockapoos around
• F1 Cockapoos are considered the more stable crossings