“I Bought a Cockapoo – Here Are 5 Myths That Turned Out Not to Be True”

Cockapoos are crossbreeds (cocker spaniels and poodles) and whilst that is a good thing in many ways it does add an element of chance into the puppy-buying experience! You do not know what you are going to get until that dog reaches maturity and even then, things can change. I bought a cockapoo thinking I was getting a non-shedding, family-friendly dog who would be easy to train and would love going on walks with me. I also thought that we’d avoid any tricky health issues connected with purebred dogs and their limited gene pool. How wrong could I be? Let me tell you about the five myths I was told about cockapoos that turned out not to be true.

1.Cockapoos Don’t Shed

Oh yes, they do! Let’s be clear about what a cockapoo is – a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle. Whilst poodles may shed very little, the same cannot be said for cocker spaniels. My dog inherited all of the spaniel genes when it came to his coat. He has a smooth (slightly wavy) coat and sheds – quite a lot. It’s not in the same league as a golden retriever but it’s enough to get absolutely everywhere. I have ended up doing a lot more vacuuming and sweeping than I thought I was going to. In the end, I think I adjusted to accepting that my floor would never be clean. And that’s okay because he’s worth it.

2.They Are Wonderful With Kids

My dog hates kids. He is deeply suspicious of the high-pitched noises they make and the way they dart around the place unpredictably. He was absolutely fine with them as a pup but I think may have attracted too much attention – being such a cutey. Whilst he didn’t seem to mind at the time, he may have made up his mind at some stage that little humans were not his idea of fun.

Once he hit maturity, at about two years of age, we noticed that he was very anxious when kids were around. It’s not actually that easy to socialize your dog with young children when you don’t have any of your own or in your social circle. My youngest ‘child’ is 18 years old now. Parents of toddlers are understandably reluctant to lend them to you just so that you can find out if your dog hates them or not. So, I tackled this by walking around busy playgrounds with him on a leash, keeping our distance at first and gradually getting closer armed with a load of treats. This helped to de-sensitize him to the noise and movement and introduce positive associations but I think he’ll always prefer adults.

3.Cockapoos are easy to train

That depends on what you mean by train. He picked up how to ‘sit’, ‘lie down’, and ‘stay’ very quickly. Inside the house he is perfect and there is no doubt that he is an intelligent dog. But once you get out into the world it’s much harder. Again, the spaniel side of his personality means that he is a very ‘sniffy’ dog. The smells are very distracting. He is constantly on edge and if you don’t work hard to gain his attention you are simply reduced to being something on the end of the leash that he is dragging around. On the plus side, he has responded very well to structured on-leash walking training and now walks like a very good boy by my side – but it took a lot more effort than I was anticipating.

4. They Love to Go On Walks

Walks with my dog are not what I imagined they would be. As soon as he is off leash in a forest, he is hunting – nose to the ground. What I call a walk he sees as a squirrel-hunting opportunity. Hunting is not the same as walking.

If you want a dog that will calmly pace by your side get a Bernese mountain dog not a spaniel or, in my experience, any spaniel crossbreed. His prey drive is phenomenal and he is constantly looking for furry critters. I have found that beach walks are a lot less stressful than forest walks because I can always see where he is and there are no squirrels. My dog is constantly making decisions based on what makes him feel good. I may think that I’m great company but my dog will choose a squirrel every time!

5. They Don’t Have Common Health Conditions

Every breed has some health conditions that they are prone to. Sometimes these are associated with irresponsible breeding or they may be connected with the dog’s shape or size. In general, cockapoos are healthy little dogs but there are some health conditions that they get – a lot. The one that I have come across the most is allergies. Many of my friends have cockapoos and they all have allergies! My dog cannot tolerate chicken – it gives him itchy skin, ears, and paws. He has also had a type of hay fever but seems to have grown out of that now. Compared to some of the more serious genetic canine diseases this is nothing but it still requires a fair amount of effort and money to keep in check!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © A-Z-Animals.com/Sharon Parry