[wv67]

Hi All

Our family have been talking about getting a dog and with two asthma sufferers in the house acockapoo seems a wonderful option.
On looking though I have come across some health issues that may occur,gastric torsion,hypothyroidism and luxating patella.
As we are thinking of getting a puppy how likely are these three conditions or are they something that may come with older dogs.
Also if we were looking at getting a puppy in September ,October what sort of time would be the best to start looking?

Thanks
Wayne

 

[wellerfeller]

Welcome to the forum. You can never start you search and research too soon, it can take a long time to find a breeder that suits your criteria regarding health tests and ethics. If you look up Jojo on here she has some great advice on searching for a puppy on her blog ' my dogs life'
There is also the cockapoo owners club and CCGB , both are clubs that will be happy to help. Good luck.

 

[Sezra]

Hi Wayne and welcome to the forum!

As Karen says, you can never start researching too early! Have you spent anytime with Cockapoos yet to test if they will trigger an allergic reaction? Most asthma sufferers (myself included) seem to be fine with Cockapoos but we have had a couple of forum members who have not been so lucky.

Have you thought about which cross you would like to go for. There are three types of Cocker Spaniel that the Poodle can be crossed with - English show cocker, English working cocker or American Cocker. To fond out about the different types have a look here About Cockapoos

For information on the health testing please have a look here: Health Testing and for information on finding a breeder and questions to ask have a look at this page: Choosing a breeder

Choosing a breeder that ticks all your boxes is very important, you will have the puppy you choose for a very long time so it is worth taking your time, talking to them and visiting.

Good luck with your search and I look forward to hearing how you get on.

 

[wv67]

Hi Sarah

How would be the best way to test whether or not the asthma sufferers would be OK.
What is the best amount of time to spend with the dog to find out and should we just go to a breeder to be able to check if all is OK.

Thanks Wayne

 

[Jon Buoy]

Hi Wayne

Both my daughter and I suffer from Asthma and have trouble staying at my Dad's house for more than 30 minutes because of his long-haired cat. Rabbits, horses and some dogs also bring on the allergies.

When we decided to get a dog, we heard about the cockapoo, but still wanted to make sure that all would be OK, so we visited a couple of breeders and also found other cockapoos that we knew through friends of friends etc.

We really got close to the dogs, stuck our faces in their coats and spent a few hours in their company. There was no reaction whatsover, so we felt reasonably confident that all would be OK. Our breeder also gave assurances that they would take the puppy back if any health issues occured.

I'm delighted to say that we've now had our puppy for 4 weeks and there have been no signs of any allergic reaction to him.

 

[wilfiboy]

Hi Wayne if you look in the cockapoo meet section there maybe one arranged near you, I know there are a few coming up, that will give you the chance to meet lots of different dogs, a great chance to fact find and a lovely social event x x

 

[Jedicrazy]

Hi and :welcome: Wayne. Definitely worth trying to attend a meet near you as you will be able to get up close and test for a reaction and see the different types of cockapoo in the fur to help you decide which you prefer (this will help to narrow down which breeders to research). The other thing you could do is ask if any of our lovely forum members are near you and arrange a private meet up. I know a few people on here who have done that.

As for health tests, you will find this varies greatly from breeder to breeder and ask for proof too as some will say they have and don't. I don't think there is a test for luxating patella but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. Do find a breeder that has one of the parents DNA tested for PRA (this is not the same as an annual BVA certificate) and would also try to get Hip Scored parents too. I'm sure all the links on the Cockapoo Owners Club and CCGB will lead you to detail on this. Good luck.

 

[wv67]

Hi Clare

Unfortunately we have looked and there aren't any meets in the near future around this area.
We will however take on board trying to get to a breeder just to make sure everything will be OK.On that note if you or anyone on this forum Knows of any breeders who will have pups available in the Nottingham,Derbyshire area around September / October please,please let me know.Meantime we will keep on looking and searching.
I will keep an eye on this thread just to check on any response.

Many Thanks
Wayne