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Are cockapoos easy first time dogs?

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fairlie

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I just read a list of the top ten easiest breeds. Of course the obvious ones are on it, lab, retriever, pug, poodle, ... and some that I was not aware were easy, like greyhound, sheltie and shiztu. The cavalier king charles spaniel was on it but no cocker spaniel.

Rufus took a lot of work to train and to keep trained, but I know that he is an exception and was poorly bred. How easy was your poo to train on a scale from 1 - rolling off a log, to 10 - still must keep at it daily? Would you suggest that a total newbie to dogs get a cockapoo? Did you have experience with a dog before?

With the risk of offending the breeders I would say that total newbies should start with a reliable car like a Toyota rather than jump straight into a Ferrari. Don't get me wrong, Rufus is smart and learned the basics very, very quickly. It was his biting, willful misbehaviour and cunning intelligence that needed serious managing, way more so than other dogs I've known.

Correct me if I'm wrong! Dissenting opinions more than welcome.:)
 
#2 ·
I agree in some ways, they are not the easiest, although we know from the forum that they do vary, that will always be the case with crossbreeds I guess and even pedigree's can vary a lot in temperament - but I digress, I must admit a lot of cockapoo owners I meet are first time dog owners, I think the fact that they look so cute and are generally a good temperament with children are the obvious factors. Dudley is my first dog, although I have had quite a bit of experience with dogs in the past, my teens and early 20's were spent going to dog shows with my friend and her dogs, I looked after them loads, ended up looking after boarding kennels on a couple of occasions! went most weeks to her ringcraft classes (training dogs for the show ring), then my sister got very involved with dogs - puppy walking for dogs for the disabled and fostering dogs - all of which I told Anthony when I wanted a puppy as I worried in case he didn't let me have one! perhaps I should have just said we want one but have never had a dog and then he would have ensured we had an easier one!! so despite having been around dogs a lot it was still a huge shock to the system having a gremlin pup!! So, the puppy stage is not easy and a lot of people are not prepared for that, hardly anyone is prepared for the work involved in looking after the coat, and don't budget for regular visits to the groomers....so, are they easy - no, are they worth it, yes!!
I believe a whippet is a very low maintenance dog, met a sweet one on hols last year, chatting to the lady she said she had always had gundogs but wanted something easier, she did lots of research and ended up with him, said easiest and cleanest dog she had ever had!
 
#3 ·
From puppy classes we have six new pups starting every six weeks (sometimes more) and we know if a cockapoo is booked in the owners will usually struggle at least initially - although this year we have had loads of "sprockers" (springer cocker cross) and they are usually through the roof in energy levels and owner struggling levels.

One of the questions we ask is why people choose the dog they did and it is usually all to do with looks and very little research into lifestyle which can sadly often lead to a mismatch and everyone struggling :( People choose the dog they like the look of rather than the dog which would suit their ability and energy levels.

From a personal level. Chance is far easier to live with than Molly, some is her upbringing - but some is just her being Molly :rolleyes:
 
#4 ·
Having grown up with a sheltie/spaniel mix and then having had numerous shelties all my life, I would have to say that Maggie is so much more work than a sheltie. Shelties were super easy to train and could be brushed once every couple of weeks with no mats to be found. Now Maggie has been pretty easy to teach and house trained quickly; she is high maintenance. I can't tie her outside to do her business as she quickly gets into the gardens and picks up the mulch. (shelties were just let out the door and they were back in in about 5 minutes) I have to take Maggie for a walk every single time to go potty. A lot of work especially now with the snow. She also is so much more high energy than a sheltie although she is calming down and sleeps much of the day. She has to be thoroughly brushed and combed daily to keep tangles at bay. So I would say cockapoos are not for the first timer. They are for the experienced ones that are willing and have the time to mold them into the sweet dogs that we know they can be.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I think intelligence is a double edged sword. Will they pick up words and commands very quickly? yes! Will they also find their own trouble to get into, learn on their own - possibly the wrong things - if not guided? yes!

I would say suitability for an owner, first time or not, is just about how the breed fits into your lifestyle overall and what you want in a dog. Gandhi is our first dog and we couldn't be happier with our decision. We love how interactive he is and his spark and character but also he has long periods of being chilled out and cuddly as well

I think the difficulty with cockapoos (especially young ones) is because they have a great response to stimuli, getting excited about things very quickly and then taking a while to wind down, the most common mistake can be that sometimes due to their enthusiasm and apparent energy levels we think they're not tired and need 'tiring out' when actually it's the opposite and they're overstimulated and need to rest and that's when behaviour goes downhill. Any problems we've had have ultimately been down to this and have been immediately resolved when he's had a quieter day. Because they are really sociable dogs their desire to join in can override their desire to rest so that's something that needs to be managed for them, we have found (experience is with a young 'poo). The new puppy problems almost always seem to come down to overstimulation and not enough sleep and then when they do get this things improve greatly. It's a fine line getting the activity level right, and as this affects their behaviour so greatly I think learning about how they will find different situations more stimulating and how to manage this for them is the no.1 piece of advice I would give to new poo owners. When Gandhi is getting what he needs he is very well behaved and we have learned more about this over time. Of course as they are growing up it keeps changing and that is the challenge.

Perhaps this could make them more work than some other breeds (not that i have a comparative experience!), but ultimately it comes from the fact that they are enthusiastic and interested in things, which is of course one of the reasons we love them so much! So there's always a trade off. A breed that was less work would lose some of the charming qualities of the cockapoo, no doubt. :ilmc:
 
#8 ·
We have noticed the same with Jasper. After periods of exercise or play he is very hyper. We find a 5 minutes in his crate helps,we usually go to let him out to find he's upside down snoring his head off. It Is important that jasper gets this time as it's like he doesn't quite no when to switch off. Most of the time he's so mellow and snuggly but he just has to be involved in everything. He even has to help with washing, he likes running off with the wash ball and bringing it me in exchange for a biscuit, he sometimes follows me round for ages with it in his mouth waiting to trade, bless him. I wouldn't swap him for the world he brings so much fun and laughter into our lives, and kisses and snuggles of course [emoji7]


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#9 ·
Cockapoos are the first dogs I've had as my own dogs. I found Lola a challenge until about 16 weeks but I put that down to all the responsibility being mine and as soon as I calmed down, stopped panicking I was getting it wrong, it all got easier. Nina was a doddle.

So I wouldn't put people off a cockapoo as a first dog. I certainly wouldn't change my own experience.
 
#10 ·
JasperBlack said:
We have noticed the same with Jasper. After periods of exercise or play he is very hyper. We find a 5 minutes in his crate helps,we usually go to let him out to find he's upside down snoring his head off. It Is important that jasper gets this time as it's like he doesn't quite no when to switch off. Most of the time he's so mellow and snuggly but he just has to be involved in everything. He even has to help with washing, he likes running off with the wash ball and bringing it me in exchange for a biscuit, he sometimes follows me round for ages with it in his mouth waiting to trade, bless him. I wouldn't swap him for the world he brings so much fun and laughter into our lives, and kisses and snuggles of course [emoji7]


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Yes this is exactly it!

We found that Gandhi took much longer to settle down after a street walk around the town than taking him to the park. Apart from the fact that the park doesn't have as busy an atmosphere, he goes there in the car so the drive home acts as a calming down period and then when he gets in the house he will trot in, have a drink and then a nap. When he comes in from the local walk he's still in action mode!
 
#13 · (Edited)
I think any dog/puppy involves work and prospective owners of dogs should really, really consider how much time every single day just the basics like exercise, socialising and interacting with their pup will take, then think about grooming and training needs and realise how important routine is - every day feeding, walking etc. Every day, for hopefully 12-15 years...
I have experience of several breeds of dogs (my dad bred GSDS, GRs and border collies, I've owned GSDs JRT, crossbreed rottie, and now these three. I've been involved in obedience and agility training. Dogs go through periods of popularity.... too often people get dogs because they like the idea of them and haven't really thought through the reality.
Dot is nutty bananas mad, but I don't think she is difficult - she is kind, has the best nature and loves people, the hardest thing about a cockapoo is taking care of their coats.
 
#14 ·
Bailey is our first family dog and I think really easy to train and up!until now really easy to have around, even as a puppy she was fairly low maintenance.

I have been fairly strict with her and I dont know if that has helped or if she would have been like this anyway.

She did come from a fantastic breeder and again i dont have enough experience to know if this made a difference. Would be interesting to know how she compares to her brothers and sister.

Havn't even had the teenage problems, at least not yet anyway!
 
#15 ·
So far Murphy has been relatively easy to train I would say a 2 on your scale but I would say He's quite chilled out for a cockerpoo (no doodle dashing anyway!) His coat is also excellent and requires little attention as far as cockerpoo's go! I was fully prepared however, I had do so much research!
I think primarily 2ndhand is right, I think people choose a breed based on looks rather than researching the needs of that breed. I think people see cockerpoo's as fun lapdogs, which they definitely are not!
I believe in consistent firm reward based handling. I think some people just want to cuddle them and not enforce any rules, which I feel they really need to feel secure and happy. X


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#16 ·
Hollysefton said:
So far Murphy has been relatively easy to train I would say a 2 on your scale but I would say He's quite chilled out for a cockerpoo (no doodle dashing anyway!) His coat is also excellent and requires little attention as far as cockerpoo's go! I was fully prepared however, I had do so much research!
I think primarily 2ndhand is right, I think people choose a breed based on looks rather than researching the needs of that breed. I think people see cockerpoo's as fun lapdogs, which they definitely are not!
I believe in consistent firm reward based handling. I think some people just want to cuddle them and not enforce any rules, which I feel they really need to feel secure and happy. X


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I'm not sure, I think 'fun lapdog' is gandhi's description exactly!! That is he's either having fun or curled up on my lap!

Ps no doodle dashing?!
 
#18 ·
I have to admit I have found mine very easy, far easier than the cocker spaniels we had as a child and my cavalier I had as an adult. My two found puppy classes and obedience classes a breeze, being quick learners and eager to please. Their lead recall is generally good too. My only complaint with them is they still jump up and pull on their leads which is due to their excitable natures.
I also had no idea they would be so active and thought they would be more like lapdogs!
 
#20 ·
I know [emoji33][emoji33] no doodle dashing! If I hadn't met mum and dad with the pups I would be thinking he wasn't a real cockerpoo! His sister and litter mate Emmy more than makes up for Murphy's lack of dashing tho!


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Hollysefton
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