Cockapoo - what do I need?
Discussion
Hi everyone,
In a couple of weeks we pick up a boy Cockapoo puppy approximately 9 weeks old.
It will be not my first dog but will be for my wife and 16 year old daughter.
What advice and guidance can you give us please?
Thanks
MC
P.S. We have a sleep crate ready, day sleeping / resting basket, bowls, blanket, car seat thingy. All the basics for now.
In a couple of weeks we pick up a boy Cockapoo puppy approximately 9 weeks old.
It will be not my first dog but will be for my wife and 16 year old daughter.
What advice and guidance can you give us please?
Thanks
MC
P.S. We have a sleep crate ready, day sleeping / resting basket, bowls, blanket, car seat thingy. All the basics for now.
Sometimes you can’t plan for everything and it’s easy to buy things as and when you need to.
My one piece of advice is to set the alarm a couple of times overnight to let the dog out for a wee. Also bee prepared for some awful crying from the puppy overnight for the first few days. It can be heartbreaking!
My one piece of advice is to set the alarm a couple of times overnight to let the dog out for a wee. Also bee prepared for some awful crying from the puppy overnight for the first few days. It can be heartbreaking!
tting through the eye of a needle, having something easy to hand to clean him up definitely helps.mightychipster said:
My wife thinks it's going to be her "baby".
That's not a great starting point given what's in the genetic make up.There might be some docile cockapoos about but they have a background, in both breeds, of high energy, high prey drive, intelligent dogs. The gundog traits can make them clingy and needy which is not going to be helped by humanising it.
,
They need boundaries (make accidents/mistakes less likely), routine, consistency (same rules and signals from all family members) and training (reward 'good' ignore 'bad'). They are learning machines whether you manage their experience or not and will end up training you if you're not managing the environment.
Make sure the area where you are keeping it is 'puppy proof' nothing that's at risk of chewing being in reach and nothing of too much value to be soiled. If you can get a retrieve going you've struck gold as they are very motivated by hunting games.
Make sure, once vaccinated, the pup gets plenty of positive socialisation, find a puppy class you can all go to.
get this book, get everyone around the puppy to read it
stupid name, great book
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peasy-Puppy-Squeezy-step-...
stupid name, great book
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peasy-Puppy-Squeezy-step-...
oddman said:
mightychipster said:
My wife thinks it's going to be her "baby".
That's not a great starting point given what's in the genetic make up.There might be some docile cockapoos about but they have a background, in both breeds, of high energy, high prey drive, intelligent dogs. The gundog traits can make them clingy and needy which is not going to be helped by humanising it.
,
They need boundaries (make accidents/mistakes less likely), routine, consistency (same rules and signals from all family members) and training (reward 'good' ignore 'bad'). They are learning machines whether you manage their experience or not and will end up training you if you're not managing the environment.
Make sure the area where you are keeping it is 'puppy proof' nothing that's at risk of chewing being in reach and nothing of too much value to be soiled. If you can get a retrieve going you've struck gold as they are very motivated by hunting games.
Make sure, once vaccinated, the pup gets plenty of positive socialisation, find a puppy class you can all go to.
As ours is very chilled as are most I meet. Bar the odd bit of spaniel deafness.
theplayingmantis said:
Do you have a cockapoo?
As ours is very chilled as are most I meet. Bar the odd bit of spaniel deafness.
My experience is with training and working spaniels but have experience of neighbours and other owners' cockerpoos. I'm often stopped by cockerpoo and spaniel owners or their walkers asking questions when I'm training my dogs as it's the supposed spaniel traits that they struggle with. When they ask why my dogs are 'so good' I point out that they aren't, they are just trained (being a relative term with spaniels).As ours is very chilled as are most I meet. Bar the odd bit of spaniel deafness.
IME cockerpoos are a mixed bunch ranging from docile to very spanielish. Some would make excellent working dogs. Not surprising they vary, given that generally they are being bred for profit/looks and not function/behaviour. However we can't expect hundreds of generations of selective breeding for hunting to be extinguished overnight.
It was the 'baby' comment that rang alarm bells and that a very smart, high drive pup could run rings very quickly. The generic advice I gave would not be contradicted by the book recommended underneath my post and would only make a good dog better and trained dogs can be more trusted and have the best lives.
Mum is probably chilled because she's had 8 or more pups hanging off her draining energy for the last 8 weeks.
mightychipster said:
Some great advice, thank you.
The mum seemed calm and well trained, so fingers crossed we don't get a loon
Do you know whether the cocker involved is working strain or show strain? They are very different! We were lucky enough to own a show type cocker for 7 years and I would have another in a heartbeat. But I wouldn't have a working cocker.The mum seemed calm and well trained, so fingers crossed we don't get a loon
I would disagree with the person who says they're not bright. They are a combination of two of the most intelligent breeds (poodles are not just a pretty face!) and need physical and mental stimulation.
Definitely sign up for a training class if you can, for both the training and socialisation. Try to find one through recommendation (eg vet).
That book recommended above is the one sent to us by a rescue when we adopted a pup not long ago, so I would take that as a good recommendation. I've also heard that Gwen Bailey is well thought of.
Good luck and enjoy!
Make sure you are firm and consistent with any training (both you and anyone else the pup comes into contact with).
As someone said above they are evolved from a working breed and need lots of stimulation/guidance. Some people see them as the the little cuddly bundles they are and let them get away with stuff they shouldn’t
Cockerpoos were very popular 10 years or so ago and a lot of our friends have one, we also had one for 13 years. But a word of warning nearly every person I know who had/have one have all had some kind of issue with them (ranging from minor things like not wanting to walk on shiny floors to extreme aggression attacking anything that comes near a certain dog, including the owner).
We’ve had many dogs over the years and the Cockerpoo was by far the most difficult to consistently train.
So really make sure you invest the time to making them a well rounded sociable dog.
As someone said above they are evolved from a working breed and need lots of stimulation/guidance. Some people see them as the the little cuddly bundles they are and let them get away with stuff they shouldn’t
Cockerpoos were very popular 10 years or so ago and a lot of our friends have one, we also had one for 13 years. But a word of warning nearly every person I know who had/have one have all had some kind of issue with them (ranging from minor things like not wanting to walk on shiny floors to extreme aggression attacking anything that comes near a certain dog, including the owner).
We’ve had many dogs over the years and the Cockerpoo was by far the most difficult to consistently train.
So really make sure you invest the time to making them a well rounded sociable dog.
moorx said:
mightychipster said:
Some great advice, thank you.
The mum seemed calm and well trained, so fingers crossed we don't get a loon
Do you know whether the cocker involved is working strain or show strain? They are very different! We were lucky enough to own a show type cocker for 7 years and I would have another in a heartbeat. But I wouldn't have a working cocker.The mum seemed calm and well trained, so fingers crossed we don't get a loon
I would disagree with the person who says they're not bright. They are a combination of two of the most intelligent breeds (poodles are not just a pretty face!) and need physical and mental stimulation.
Definitely sign up for a training class if you can, for both the training and socialisation. Try to find one through recommendation (eg vet).
That book recommended above is the one sent to us by a rescue when we adopted a pup not long ago, so I would take that as a good recommendation. I've also heard that Gwen Bailey is well thought of.
Good luck and enjoy!
Beautiful puppy 
Socialise it with other dogs as soon as you can, get a ball thrower and a big bag of suitable balls, it will destroy and lose a few.
Training is a def yes, but not overtrained, a social dog that responds to recall and knows boundaries, but leave some character in there.
There are a few round here overtrained, and they have no interest in anything other than the owner and a ball. Playing with other dogs or a stroke from strangers is a no go, there could be 50 dogs in the park and they will avoid all of them.
My old boy has not had a lead on him for 10 years, and adores meeting his mates in the park.
Socialise it with other dogs as soon as you can, get a ball thrower and a big bag of suitable balls, it will destroy and lose a few.
Training is a def yes, but not overtrained, a social dog that responds to recall and knows boundaries, but leave some character in there.
There are a few round here overtrained, and they have no interest in anything other than the owner and a ball. Playing with other dogs or a stroke from strangers is a no go, there could be 50 dogs in the park and they will avoid all of them.
My old boy has not had a lead on him for 10 years, and adores meeting his mates in the park.
My advice no matter the breed
Take a week off work, sort the toileting, a few puppy pads, from the moment he is home, as soon as you see him go either way, say ‘bizzy bizzy, and lift him onto a pad that’s placed close to a door, do it every time.
He will catch on very quickly and head for it every time, when he starts to do that open the door, lift him out and onto the grass with the command bizzy bizzy.
Always say good boy when he does, high praise EVERY time he hits that pad.
Someone needs to be there for the fisrt year to let the dog out to toilet and I’d never let mine go more than 4 hours without being let out, the sensor dog gates are a great job if nobody will home for a long periods.
It’s important you do it every time he toilets and no matter if he goes in the floor and not the pad, you still need to lift him into the pad.
My dog will go on command if I wanted him too, he was going to the pad constantly from the third day in and has never fouled in the house in three years now.
I’ve done this with every dog with the same success, I know people who didn’t and their dogs go in the house which really smells.
Take a week off work, sort the toileting, a few puppy pads, from the moment he is home, as soon as you see him go either way, say ‘bizzy bizzy, and lift him onto a pad that’s placed close to a door, do it every time.
He will catch on very quickly and head for it every time, when he starts to do that open the door, lift him out and onto the grass with the command bizzy bizzy.
Always say good boy when he does, high praise EVERY time he hits that pad.
Someone needs to be there for the fisrt year to let the dog out to toilet and I’d never let mine go more than 4 hours without being let out, the sensor dog gates are a great job if nobody will home for a long periods.
It’s important you do it every time he toilets and no matter if he goes in the floor and not the pad, you still need to lift him into the pad.
My dog will go on command if I wanted him too, he was going to the pad constantly from the third day in and has never fouled in the house in three years now.
I’ve done this with every dog with the same success, I know people who didn’t and their dogs go in the house which really smells.
Edited by Youforreal. on Thursday 29th August 09:11
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