A Cockapoo is a cross between a Poodle and a Cocker Spaniel. Cockapoos appear to have originated during the 1950's in America.In other countries they are also know as "Spoodles".
Cockapoos are increasing popular due to their size, friendly characters and appealing looks. They are usually friendly dogs if well socialised as puppies and who enjoy the company of people and seem to suit both single people and families.
They are intelligent dogs who respond well to training and have an active mind that enjoys stimulation whether it be from training, a long walk or play or doing activities. Being part poodle and cocker they often enjoy working with their nose with "scent" training and games and some of our members have attended gun dog training with them.
They often do well at dog sports such as flyball and agility and this can be fun for both owner and dog. Lots of our members participate in agility competions, some at Crufts.
Some of our members take them running and participate in Canicross .
They are also used as service dogs for charities such as Hearing Dogs and Canine Partners assisting people with disabilities. Some of our club members also have them as assistance dogs helping them with medical conditions. Some members have dogs qualified to be PAT dogs , going to places such as care homes to visit people to bring them some companionship and interaction.
Cockapoos do require a good walk and play and do require a regular grooming regime, otherwise their coats can become matted.
They can sometimes become very attached to their owners, we often hear members saying their dogs follow them around at home all the time, even to the loo!
Types of Cockapoo
The most common type of cockapoo in the UK is a Cocker Spaniel crossed with a mini poodle, but you will also find an American Cocker Spaniel crossed with a poodle and sometimes different sized poodles are used such as the smallest of the poodles the toy and some with the Standard poodles.
The most popular combination is to have a Cocker Spaniel bitch crossed with a Poodle Stud although to have a Poodle as the dam is not unusual and either pairing results in the same 50% mix from either parent. Sometimes people ask what is better to have a show or working cross. In our experience we see no real difference. Our members have dogs from either and there seems to be no set pattern they follow. In our opinion go with an open mind and select the dogs based on health, temperament and how they are raised.Although a working cross if from a strong working background may require more stimulus.
There are three types of Cocker Spaniel that can be bred to produce a Cockapoo:
The English Cocker Spaniel
- There are two types of English Cocker Spaniel, working and show. The are from the same gene pool just have developed into to two different strains.
- The Working Cocker : Tends to have a shorter, smoother coat with higher set ears and a finer muzzle. Bred to be working dogs for game flushing and field work.
- The show Cocker: Has a shorter muzzle and a more domed head. They tend to have a longer coat and longer, lower set ears than the Working type.
- The American Cocker Spaniel : Generally the smallest of the three types with a compact body, domed head and short muzzle.
Poodles
The Poodle is often the sire but sometimes can be the dam. It comes in three sizes, Toy, Miniature and Standard. Toy is the smallest of the three. A miniature poodle is normally paired with an English Cocker and a toy poodle is often used with an American cocker spaniel. This can vary but the important thing is that the sizes are matched to ensure the mother does not have difficulty in giving birth due to over large puppies. Poodles are know for being one of the most intelliegent of dog breeds.
Which is better a working Cockapoo cross or a show one?
Having seen a cross selection of both from all our members dogs there is in our opinion not one type that is better than the other . It is down to personal preference and the breeding of the dogs, how they are raised, trained and their temperaments.
Both are Cocker Spaniels and both at present share the same breed standards laid down by the KC- it's just that they have developed into two different strains. Working Cockers were bred to fulfill the role of a working dog requiring stamina, lots of energy, trainability and intelligence. Therefore a working cockapoo cross may require additional stimulation and would enjoy activities like flyball and agility. This therefore could be a factor when choosing a Working Cross, though equally you can get working cockapoos who would happily lie on the couch all day.
Show bred Cockers were bred as companions and for show dogs and usually have calmer disposition than working spaniels, though this is not always the case!
As Cockapoos are a cross and the Poodle parent will also influence the mix, it is in our opinion better to be open-minded and look for a breeder who satisfies all your requirements and has a happy healthy litter for you to choose from.
Multi Generations of Cockapoo
The first cross of a Cocker Spaniel and Poodle is known as an F1. When two F1s are mated they produce second generation Cockapoos, or F2s. If two second generation Cockapoos are mated they would produce F3s and so on. Sometimes a Cockapoo is mated back to one of the parent breeds either the spaniel or poodle and this produces an F1b. The "b" denotes back-bred. When Cockapoos are mated to produce F2s it is possible that a small number of the litter may have what is called the 'Grandad effect'. This is where a puppy will resemble one of the grandparents, either the poodle or the Cocker Spaniel. Click here : Multi generations explained
Appearance
As a cross breed, the Cockapoo does not breed to a specific type. Coat types will vary between curly, wavy or straight and come in a wide assortment of colour and pattern variations. Despite this Cockapoos have a distinct look and can be easily recognisable to those who love this cross.
Size
The size of a Cockapoo will depend on the type of Cocker Spaniel and Poodle used and there can be size variations in the same litter. As an approximate guide;
Toy crosses usually around up to 14" English cross up to 18" and American cross up to 15"
Types of Coat
Some coats resemble a curly poodle coat and some are looser and wavier, and some can be straighter with the odd kink and curl here and there. Some can resemble cocker spaniels and can be refered to as "silky Poos" a name given by our club members.
The coat also undergoes a change around eight to nine months old when matting can start to occur, as their adult coats come through. It is important to have a grooming regime to help combat matts which they are prone too. Please see out grooming tips here: Grooming
Some coats resemble a curly poodle coat and some are looser and wavier, and some can be straighter with the odd kink and curl here and there. Some can resemble cocker spaniels and can be refered to as "silky Poos" a name given by our club members.
The coat also undergoes a change around eight to nine months old when matting can start to occur, as their adult coats come through. It is important to have a grooming regime to help combat matts which they are prone too. Please see out grooming tips here: Grooming
Are Cockapoos Hypoallergenic?
It is misleading for breeders to describe them as being totally hypoallergenic, as people can get allergic reactions to the dogs skin, saliva and dander and not just the fur. Due to the variations in the coats there is no 100% predictability and their coats can take on the appearance of either the poodle or cocker or a bit of both. Whilst Cockapoos can inherit the low moulting coats of the poodle, it is not a given, and whilst there are many people with allergies who do not react with Cockapoos it is advisable that if you are an allergy sufferer, time is spent with a Cockapoo to see if a reaction does occur, preferably over a period of time. Maybe ask a breeder if you could visit both puppies and adults to see if any reactions do occur or an owner who is willing for you to spend time with their dog, Also try and ensure no other pets are present so that any reactions are not down to them. Petal Cleanse is a product from Bio Life which helps to neutralise allergens and could also be worth a try.
Info from Hearing Dogs :
The allergens in a dog are called Can F1, Can F2, Can F3 and Can F4, and comes from the saliva which can get onto the coat when a dog cleans itself, it's urine and sebaceous glands onto it's hair. Allergen levels tend to be worse in winter , when dogs are more likely to be kept indoors
There is no scientific evidence that some breeds are more allergenic than others as it is not influenced by whether they moult but by their saliva and you cannot predict allergenicity of the saliva by breed/type.Some dogs will produce less allergens than others.
Do Cockapoos Moult?
Yes they can shed hair although a lot are very low moulting especially if they take on more of a poodle coat. But as there is no 100% predictability with coats, then expect that some hair may be shed, especially those who are more cocker like in appearance or have looser coats.
Colours
The Cockapoo can take on the characteristics of either the Poodle or the Cocker Spaniel parents or even a colour gene from further back the generations. Spaniels have a wide spectrum of coat colours alongside the poodle, which makes an interesting arrray of colours that the cockapoo coat can come in. Breeders tend to take coat colour names from either the poodle or cocker and these can be different depending on the breeders interpretation. These are :
Solid colours: Black,white, cream, apricot,red and chocolate. Sometimes occurring with white markings such as the black and white tuxedo coat or as some refer to it as a "bib". Solid colours can have varying shades for example chocolates can range from a deep dark brown to a light brown with highlights that some refer to as Cafe au lait.
Silver/grey cockapoos:Silver cockapoos are born black and usually turn to silver by the age of 2.
Patterns: Roan, sable, merle, sable,brindle, tri-colour, parti- colours and phantom
Click here for our Coat Colour Gallery for examples of the wonderful array of colours they come in!
The coat can change as the Cockapoo matures. One of the factors that can effect this is known as the fading gene which is carried by the Poodle. For example solid colours like blacks and browns can carry the fading gene making there coats fade to a diluter shade as the dog matures. Brown poodles that have the fading gene can for example fade to a dilute shade know as cafe au lait, the puppies start off dark brown but by age of two turn to a lighter shade similar to the silver poodles, which are born black and turn silver by age of 2.
Merles
Merle is the term used to describe a coat pattern and are commonly found in breeds such as Collies and Australian Shepherds , Shelties, Great Danes ( and a few more) but are also now coming through to cockapoos. It is thought that another breed that carries the merle gene is more than likely introduced to the cocker or poodle years back and that's how they came about.
Merle cockapoos are more commonly found in countries such as America and are rare in the UK.
The merle gene gives a striking pattern to the coat, as merle is a dilution gene so it lightens what the coat would have been resulting in patches of colours over the dogs coat. So it will affect black, liver and blue coats but It does not work on red . Red remains untouched and will appear as normal. The random coat dilution caused by merle also affects the eyes and nose. The eyes may be all or partly blue, and the nose may be all or partly pink
However merles also carry the risk of producing puppies that are blind or deaf. This is when the double merle gene ( merle dog bred with another merle dog) is used and carries a high risk of the puppies being born deaf or blind or both or in some instances born without eyes. Double merle breeding is something that should never be done due to the risks involved of the puppies health.
The safe way to mate merles is using just one dog that carries the merle gene. Therefore when breeding merles it must always be a single merle gene used so just one dog that carries the gene, this will result in healthy puppies and for merles to mated with a single solid coloured mate.
A responsible merle breeder would understand the health concerns and colour genetics which may require having access to the dogs pedigrees and ancestry as merles are also possible in the lineage .
Hidden merles are also a consideration, this can be a dog that is not detected by the eye due to the pattern being so diluted that normal markings of merles are not easily detected. This is usually coats like roans, Sables and partis, that merles in their coats can be missed and therefore are risky to be mated with a merle unless you can 100% guarantee their lineage, thus preventing double merle mating.
If choosing a merle cockapoo, ensure you pick a responsible breeder who understands merle breeding, coat colours and dogs ancestry and has only bred using single merles.
Further Information can be found here :
http://merlecockers.com/aboutmerles.html
http://bowlingsite.mcf.com/Genetics/Merle.html
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