Thinking of a Cockerpoo

1831 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by JoJo, Mar 14, 2012

Carolyne

Discussion Starter · Mar 13, 2012

Hi all
First post so bear with me

We have been thinking about a dog for a number of years and have now decided the time is right.
I have been previously tested as having allergies to dog; although my sisters alsatian does not seem to bother me. Would a cockerpoo be a suitablle dog? I know the poodle type breedsshould be OK for asthma sufferers but I am not sure how good cockerpoos are with regard to allergies. Obvioulsy a F1 cockerpoo would be better than an F2 etc.
What are they like as a breed? We would love a fun loving, family oreintated pet, that loves meeting people and socialising; doesn't yap too much as can be easily trained, is intelligent and ofc adorable!
I will be working Monday and Tuesday morning, all day Wed, Thurs and Fri. My husband works shifts so the dog will not be alone for long periods of time. The odd day when hubby shifts are mornings (7am-4pm) and I am at work the dog would be alone from 8am - 4pm; but in those cases we would have a grandparent over to play and keep the pup/dog happy at the middle of the day. Is that OK for a dog? I would also have the holidays off as I ama teacher so would only work term time too - more time at home in the holidays for the dog (not sure if that is a good thing or if it would confuse him??)
Anya dvice is really welcome - we want to make sure we chose the right breed and right dog. It is such an important decision to make that we want to make sure it is the right one.

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Mogdog

· #2 · Mar 13, 2012

Hi Carolyne,

I think a cockapoo would suit your family well. We have allergies in our family but our F1 cockapoos don't cause my asthmatic son any problem at all. You may find some useful information on the Cockapoo Club of GB website (there is a link below) ... there is a page specifically on allergies.

8am-4pm would definitely be too long to leave a puppy or dog but if you had arrangements for someone to come in to a puppy or, when pup has grown, to dog walk, I think that would be OK as it sounds like this wouldn't be too often.

Hope this helps.

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Jedicrazy

· #3 · Mar 13, 2012

Hello Carolyne, :welcome: to ILMC. I personally think Cockapoos have one of the best temperaments I've ever known in a dog so you can't go wrong in that respect. Your care arrangements sound good to me as you have cover for when you are working. If you are worried about allergies I would strongly recommend that you meet and spend some time with your chosen type of cockapoo in person. Perhaps spend a few hours with one, just to be sure. I don't think it's true to say that all Cockapoos won't cause an allergic reaction. I don't know how much research you've done yet but there are different types of the cockapoo cross depending on the parent mix, the usual being a cocker x poodle which is known as an F1 cross. but there is also an F1B cross which is a cockapoo x poodle which I understand are better again for allergy sufferers. No doubt lots of folks will be along to recommend where to search for more information on the cross types. I would also recommend attending a Cockapoo meet near you so you can meet some dogs in person. There is a Meet section on here where members on here organise group walks.

Good luck and enjoy searching for your prefect puppy.

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Janev1000

· #4 · Mar 13, 2012

Hi and welcome to the forum!

My eldest son had a routine allergy test that showed he was allergic to dogs. However, the consultant said that we could still get one but to be careful about the coat. He spent the weekend with a friend who had a King Charles spaniel and sneezed the whole time, so we wanted to avoid this. We bought an F1B mix with the chance of a more poodle type coat, who so far, has been totally non-moulting and our son has been 100% OK.

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Carolyne

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 13, 2012

Thanks for the comments and advice. I didn't know about the cocker-poodle cross breed so thanks for the advice on that.

Will do as you suggest as try to get to a cocker meet and see some dogs. We have seen a few out and about when walking and they have the most adorable faces and temprement. Lovely lovely dogs.

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Turi

· #6 · Mar 13, 2012

Hi Carolyne

Welcome to the forum :welcome:!

My name is Turi and my boyfriend Marcus and I got our first dog, an F1 Cockapoo (English working x Miniature Poodle) two weeks ago. She is called Saffi and I can't believe how much we already adore her.

We wanted an affectionate, playful, low-shedding, energetic, intelligent and easily trained, healthy dog that would be very people-orientated. We couldn't be happier. Your requirements sound very similar to ours so yes, I'd say that a Cockapoo would be a good choice for you!

Saffi will be going to daycare three days a week - the day care if for half the day so Saffi will be by herself for 3.5 hours in the afternoon. We assured that she'll be knackered from playing with other dogs so will probably sleep until we get home. The other two days she will be with my parents (though to be honest they love her so much I wouldn't be surprised if they ask to have her more...!) I think as long as you organise care and you build a puppy up to spending time by itself, a dog will be ok with some time alone.

If you are a teacher then it might make sense to buy your puppy to coincide with your holidays - the first two weeks are full on with toilet training and bonding and establishing house rules. Little by little you could leave her in a crate (which I'd thoroughly recommend) when she's tired so that she gets used to being alone.

I hope this helps and look forward to hearing from you! (Btw, do you know about the different types of Cockapoo? If not feel free to check out my blog for more info!)

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JoJo

· #7 · Mar 14, 2012

Reference any allergies I would always recommend the sufferer spending a good amount of time around adult and puppies of their desired breed.

Also you said obviously an F1 mix would be better, this is possibly not so, as an F1B or a F2 puppy with a tighter coat may be more preferable for some allergies ... as you may prefer a tighter curl coat which favours the poodle ...

I wish you luck on your search ... and please keep us posted

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