Not for me I hasten to add but my friend's daughter is on the list for a cockerpoo  ( price about £700 but at least she refused to pay £1300 for the other "mongrel" the labradoodle!) I am just wondering if anyone knows what health problems can be screened for in cockers ( eyes I presume) and poodles?  Do you think the breeder of such a mix could be expected to have health tested for anything. Presumably it is not a standard poodle.  Thanks .

There is actually a cockapoo club of gb - they recommend testing for familial nephropathy, progressive retinal atrophy, retinal dysplasia and PFK (whatever that is) for all cockapoos and "advise" testing for hip dysplasia and primary glaucoma. So presumably there should be breeders out there that test for those things. Maybe contact them?

Blimey that is a lot of health testing for one cross breed.. Would be interesting to see how many of those breeders out there who do actually do all those tests regardless of the generation of the cross.

I just can't believe the price!

There literally is nothing in the cockerpoo that you can't just get from a poodle! And if it's a size thing tell them to get a miniature. Atleast your can buy from a breeder that does health test because they care for the breeds future. Rather than exploiting the "possibility" (because it is never a certainty) that the cockerpoo will not shed.

But by the sounds of things you've probably already tried!

Skin and hip tests should be done atleast on the poodle side of the mating.

As tinar has said the cockerpoo club of GB advocate health testing. They have a list of CCGB Approved Cockapoo Breeders who must do their minimum health testing at least which is PRA testing for any type of cocker poo, for F2+ cockerpoo that has English cocker in them to be tested for Familial Nephropathy and for F2+ cockerpoos with American cocker in them to be tested for Phosphofructokinase (F1 so first crosses are they do not require them to have the last two tests).
Hips and Glaucoma are recommended for any cockerpoo but the club dodn't make breeders do them like they say they do the above tests, and Retinal Dysplasia test recommended if American cocker is used and Von Willebrand disease Type 1 is recommended if miniature poodle is used but again they don't make them do them just recommend them.
here is a link to there health testing page
http://www.cockapooclubgb.co.uk/health-testing1.html

So if she wants to find one who's breeder is health testing id look there.

I'm not meaning to be flippant but I wonder if the name alone sometimes puts people off this cross?  I couldn't imagine wanting a dog with such an ugly sounding name  ...mind you I don't particularly want to live in Staines either

Doesn't one of our members have a Silken Windhound?  Now there's a name that could make me want one

Sadly,  many people are attracted by the stupid name.    Same with Labra*,  PooShi* (I kid you not -  double whammy with that one)   Jug (really!  )   Maltipoo (sounds like a bad reaction to malteasers)   The list is endless.

And I've had people boast proudly how much they paid for their stupidly named mongrel because it's a 'rare'  one.    Four figures for a mutt with no guarantee of health,  size,  temperament,  coat.   Some people are very easily conned

That's useful re the recommended health tests, I'll try and remember those the next time someone trots out the " cross breeds are healthier " guff.

You might want to encourage them to read this too

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2564373/The-hidden-suffering-dogs-bred-cute-Adorable-looks-Cuddly-names-like-Labradoodle-But-trend-cross-breed-dogs-raises-disturbing-questions.html

Quote -    

The heart of the problem lies in the false idea that, by crossing breeds, you get so-called hybrid vigour: that a greater genetic mix produces a healthier animal.

Instead, in the new, unscrupulous world of puppy-farmers, they produce much unhealthier animals, by breeding without the health checks long-term pedigree breeders have insisted on for decades.

‘It can be very dangerous,’ says Marc Abraham, the TV vet who founded the charity Pup Aid, which has launched an online petition to ban puppy and kitten farming in the UK. The ban will be debated in Parliament next month.

‘You end up cross-breeding breeds which each often have their own genetic faults. So Labradors are prone to hip problems, and poodles to eyesight problems. Cross-breed them and you get puppies prone to both conditions.’   (my bold)

Really useful advice. Many thanks to you all but I fear I cannot influence their decision.
On a different tack, I board a labradoodle ( a really nice dog actually.)  When out, it amazes me how many people home in on him, admire his looks (huh! What about my 3 beautiful Goldens whom they ignore. ) When they ask what he is, I always say, "Oh, he's a doorpoo." That usually shuts them up.
Maybe the name labradoodle should be changed to doorpoo or poodoor!  Would they still pay £1300 I wonder?

We had a woman at puppy class who thought she'd bought a nice little lap dog cockerpoo. Unfortunately she never asked what size poodle was used in the cross. Turned out to be a standard and a large one at that. I wonder how many others have made that mistake

Oops hope she had a big lap !

My friend has just got one from Yorkshire. The breeder kept in touch a lot from when the pups were born to homing, does all the health tests recommended by the club but the fact they always seem to have pups or a litter on the way rings alarm bells to me a bit. And the statement that to ensure non moulting pups it's vital the father is a poodle and the mother a cocker or cockapoo! Is this correct and based on evidence and I've just not heard it before?

Anyway she's happy with her pup and is raw feeding him now which she is finding great. I think she paid about £800 for him.

This was in our local weekly paper this morning...............says it all really All health tested parents and raised in the house of course..................flying pigs!!!

A 12-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis had her dreams come true at the weekend - getting the chance to cuddle 25 adorable puppies.
Holly was thrown the 'puppy party' by the * Trust, a charity which organises 'wishes' for children with the disorder.
Holly, her nine-year-old sister and mum visited C**** Cockapoos puppy farm on Sunday - but Holly had no idea what was in store for her.
"It was wonderful, they did such a brilliant job of surprising Holly.
"Holly had been saying for quite some time her real wish was to be able to cuddle puppies and be smothered in them. But I poured cold water on the idea saying 'no, you really need a computer.'
"C**** did an absolutely amazing job of surprising her - her jaw dropped and her eyes lit up when she saw the puppies

Blimey.  How many dog breeders have 25 pups all at the same time?

There is a place in Preston that churns out various types of phoos, I won't put a link up as do not want to give them any publicity. They also pimp out their stud dogs for £250 a time.
On the very first page of their website the price tag shows at £1000. Oh ! and you can put down your name for one of their dogs when they have finished breeding them.
I know as a relative of mine was going to buy one, as her friend had a dog from there !! Tried to talk her out of it, but I got all sorts of abuse from her friends on FB for being judgemental !!
Don't know if she is going to have one or not, but people are taken in by a very flashy website, and a FB page where previous buyers put up pictures of their pups bought from there.
The thing is a lot of people think because the place looks clean and well organised that it is fine, and the fact that they have a Local Authority License makes them think that it is a reputable establishment. Not all puppy farms are hovels, and trying to get the message across about buying from only reputable breeders, is like banging your head against a brick wall sometimes.

Sounds similar to the place near me, except they will flog you a bitch on the cheap on the understanding they have her back, get her up the duff, keep her through out her pregnancy, and then flog the puppies, you will then get your dog back for it all to happen the next year.
They charge £1000 a pup, your not allowed to pick your puppy, you wait in a reception area, and a puppy will be brought out to you.
If that doesn't ring alarm bells with buyers, they deserve to be fleeced of their money.

And the statement that to ensure non moulting pups it's vital the father is a poodle and the mother a cocker or cockapoo! Is this correct and based on evidence and I've just not heard it before?

Breeding a poodle cross back to a poodle would increase the chance of pups inheriting the poodle coat but not all would and it would depend also on the crosses coat type. So not guaranteed.
I know a 'multi generation' labradoodle who has the labs coat, of course owners promised it would grow to have the shaggy coat, beard, eyebrows and non mounting that the owner wanted. They didn't believe me when I told them the puppy they had was smooth coated as that's not what the breeder said.

They also state that if the parentage is the other way round moulting is more likely. Can this ever be true or is it a load of rubbish. I understand the breeding back would increase the chance of a poodle coat it's the bit that says the father must be a poodle that doesn't seem to make sense to me.

> They also state that if the parentage is the other way round moulting is more likely. Can this ever be true or is it a load of rubbish.

Makes absolutely no sense at all from a genetics point of view. Poodle coat is dominant, therefore the F1s should have a non-shedding coat regardless of which way round.

It's a bit like saying, if you cross a black dog to a white dog, if the male is black you'll only get black, but if the male is white they'll all come out grey.

The sex of the parent is only relevant in sex-linked genes, of which there are none (colour-wise) in dogs.

>Poodle coat is dominant, therefore the F1s should have a non-shedding coat regardless of which way round.

But they don't. I know of two (unrelated) F1 poodle crosses who have totally different but shedding coats. One looks like a wire-haired labrador, and sheds like crazy.

> But they don't. I know of two (unrelated) F1 poodle crosses who have totally different but shedding coats. One looks like a wire-haired labrador, and sheds like crazy.

If i remember rightly there are several components to the Poodle coat - including one dominant and one not. So maybe it needs both, or one is not being inherited reliably?

Just out of interest, Dogs Today surveyed Cockapoo owners recently and the results are available - seems the majority of owners are very happy with their choice - plus more breeders are health testing. But as most of the people who responded were first time dog owners... and therefore have no frame of reference, it does make you wonder. It's interesting to read, though.

https://www.surveymonkey.net/results/SM-MCPJQND7/

Wow just reading that survey link MsTemeraire and shocked that 91 people brought there cockerpoo puppy without seeing the mother ok only a small per cent of the people who answered but with how often your hear not to buy a pup without seeing mum it should be 0 people

Did you scroll down and see the PRICES that a few of them Paid