i was at my training class last night and there was a new puppy, well 9 month old pup. it was a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle. i don't really agree with all this cross breeding and wouldn't buy a pup myself but i have to say it was the most pretty looking puppy in a gold colour with long curly hair.
i presumed it was a breed i just hadn't seen before so it was a bit of a shock when they said what it was. well whether you agree with all this cross breeding or not i couldn't help but want to give him a big cuddle.
whats everybody else thoughts on this?   

All pups and dogs are lovely crossbreed or mongrels included.

There just isn't a good reason to breed them deliberately as you simply have no real idea what you will be getting.

I would never take a chance on a crossbred pup, a rescue adult or older pup maybe as you have an idea of the finished article in both physical and behavioral traits.

The Beauty of a well bred purebred is that within quite narrow parameters the results are predictable and you can choose the breed to suit your tastes and lifestyle needs.

i agree all dogs are lovely and i can see why some people would be drawn to buy one if there just taking into account their looks.
it's a difficult one as i have mixed views in some ways but not others as i've always had purebred dogs myself and never looked into a mixed breed dog.
i'm sure people with mixed breed dogs would argue the point that their great anyway as we all love out dogs whatever they are.

Its funny but as kids and young adults we always had crosses from the rescue places. Ive had three lovely dogs and no idea what on earth they were. It was about £20 and the first stop was the vet for innoculations and flea shampoo.
Now they call the crosses daft names and they cost the earth - dont people realise they are what in the olden days we called mongrels, Heinz 57's, cross breeds. The only difference is they are bred deliberately, they know what crossed with what and a price tag with a lot more 0's, daft!

I've heard a lot of people mention that the combination of the Cocker's coat with the Poodle's makes it a nightmare to groom.

> I've heard a lot of people mention that the combination of the Cocker's coat with the Poodle's makes it a nightmare to groom.

my friend met a poodle/ irish wolfhound cross recently (not deliberate, a rescue)- thats got to be a terrible coat to keep!

on the topic as brainless said, all dogs are great but deliberately breeding them to produce pups whos temprement and type cannot be predicted is just irresponsible. that irresponsibility is further enhansed by the lack of health testing that usually happens, the occassional discovery of a tiny bitch being bred to a big dog and the lies that are told to buyers (labradoodles and non moulting for example) just make it an appaling practise.

if someones trying to produce a new breed for a reason then fine, but do it responsibly- health and temprement test, plan matings and give it careful thought.

funny you should say that but the owner said his coat was hard to keep knot free.

And the likelihood of ear infections is enormous. Heavy spaniel ears crossed with hairy poodle ear canals is a recipe for disaster. We have a 2 year old poodle-cross patient which has cost the owners nearly £4000 in ear treatment so far.

I am definitely against these designer crossbreeds, but we do have a lovely cockerpoo living near by and he is a delightful character, as well as most appealing to look at. Unfortunately I think a lot of these "designer breeds" are very appealing to the eye, and as they are a little different, joe-bloggs asks what breed they are and hey presto another customer. I would think that most of the appeal is when they are a cute ball of fluff and little thought goes into the ease of looking after the coat.

I guess that leads onto another of my bugbears, when people buy a coated breed, only to have it's coat clipped off. We have two lovely Goldens living round the corner, who's owner proudly walks them sporting their new hair-cuts, literally shaved to the skin!! He was quick to suggest I had my girl shaved, as she would be far cooler without her wooly coat. Needless to say, I did put him right on that one.

A casual friend has a Cockerpoo. He really is a very sweet chap.

She gets very upset when I refer to her baby as a mongrel... I like to tease her!

There are many breeds in this country with similiar looks and that have the coat that these cross breeders wish theirs would be. 

I like many dogs of many breeds and crossbreeds but don't like the deliberate breeding in the hope that they may get the coat so many try to state they will have. 

I agree that all dogs are wonderful in their own right,crossbred or pedigree.But one of the more worring crosses i have seen advertised was in last weeks Western morning news for a rare Wiemariner crossed with an Innuit.The mind boggles,yes a very much heinz 57 but with all the health issues and explotation of the Innuit particuarlly in the far South West I dread to think about the health implications for this litter.

A lady(if you can call her that) near us has a Staff x Akita puppy of 5 months...
He is a lovely puppy so far but I do not think the lady really has time to train him and he just gets dragged around the park once a day, owner looking like she doesn't really want to be walking him anyway!

She has been boasting getting a Husky x Malamute and making loads of money breeding them!

Unfortunately I have seen her walking with a puppy that looks like the husky/Mal so soon we will indeed have loads of these lovely crosses running around!
Akita+Staff x Husky+Mal can you get any worse combination!

As this is a 9 month old pup it will be interesting to see how the dog looks when it is older and the coat has changed.
With all these oodle noodle doodle crosses they seem to look much cuter as pups when the poodle coat is soft and less curly. The older the dog gets the shabbier looking they look IMO.  Also, you cant guarantee what characteristics and looks the pup will take from the breed of the parents so no guarantee the pup you saw will stay gold and curly. 

> oodle noodle doodle crosses

ROFLMAO!!  :-)  :-)  :-)

Sat eating fish & chips today at Mablethorpe. Overheard conversation between 2 people, who each had cockerpoo's. They were delightful dogs & both owners said that they were great as pets. They were very appealing to look at, their temperaments were great & I have to admit they were both gorgeous. One was 7 months old & the other was nearly 2 years old. These 2 owners didn't know one another, but struck up quite a converation on the next table to us. Would love to have asked how much they paid for these crossbreeds.

Decided to google cockerpoo to see what they looked like only to come across a breeder selling cockerpoos, westoodles and porkies = a poodle and yorkshire terrier, poor poodles get crossed with everything :(

I met a lady with a Cockerpoo in the park today. Completely over the top and hyper active were the words I would use to describe the dog. This is the first one I have ever met so don't know if this is typical. They are quite expensive to buy considering they are just a mongrel. You could buy a pedigree whatever for the same price.

Bear, I would be interested to know how the Cockerpoo you met behaved generally. We, my puppy and I, met a cockerpoo at puppy class last year. He was the first dog I ever boarded. The thing is, he is absolutely gorgeous and everyone at puppy class fell in love with him (second only to my tt lol) but he was completely untrainable. He was extremely hyper and couldnt seem to settle at all. He is now eighteen months old and I still have him stay and he is just the same!! I wondered if this was something to do with the cross between the two breeds. This is completely out of my field, but would be interested to hear how "your" Cockerpoo behaved.

i had to have a look at these cockerpoos must admit they look sweet then found an ad selling puppys and gosh i almost choked on my tea at the cost £750.00 they got to be having a tin bath surley im stunned at how people can ask so much money for a x breed its nuts,
my EBT cost the same as that and shes from champ lines was all health checked and so on, i cant belive people pay this for a x breed dog the worlds gone mad.

annieg3, don't know if i can judge the pup on one meeting but he was very full of energy and bouncy. i have training tonight so will see him again i expect. i also know the lady had another 12 week one at home which is black and white.
what a handful, one is 9 months and the other just weeks old. i can see how people fall for them though as they look so cuddly.
don't know what she paid for them but i bet it was more than i paid for my TT.

labradoodles in the paper here yesterday for £800! they were the most expensive on the page, dearer than every pure bred there! The world has truly gone mad!

Had a mad experience of my own last week, walking through a car park with my lurcher when a nurse ran up to me. What a beautiful dog, how lovely etc., I was charmed, and then she staggered me by suggesting I mate 'her' with her poodle dog and make loads of money off the puppies, she then went on to say she's done it loads of times which I found both frightening and amazing since she couldn't spot a male dog when it was in front of her. She went bright red when I pointed out his gentleman parts and she scuttled off.
It's crazy, neither of my two dogs are pedigrees, the first one was free and the second was £40, I'm sooo getting a pedigree next though, nothing against my two or other crosses but I've always wanted a pedigree, I just could never afford one till now!

I think a lot depends on what type of cocker then are crossed with too. I automatically assume they are crossed with english cockers, but i've known some crossed with working cockers (no wonder they are mad!) and have heard of one crossed with an american cocker - imagine the coat!

It just seems to me, that crossing poodles with other breeds will always give you the worst of those two breeds.  It's one of those breeds you just don't cross!  Bizarre.  I've seen similar in horses too - clydesdale crosses are fabulous, especially clydesdale/thoroughbred.  But a shire cross thoroughbred?  No way, not unless you want to be trampled, catapulted or have your car totalled (yep, seen that).  Shires and poodle genetics just don't seem to compliment other breeds.

My oldest, Missy, is a cross between a working cocker and working Jack Russel (accidental mating), I love her to bits and she is the most loyal and devoted dog but I would never choose such a dog again, when I got her my neighbour warned me she would be hard work with her breeding and she was! She is 10 in Nov, can still jump about 5 foot in the air,has bags of energy and can walk the legs off my parents 3 year old border collie :)

> I think a lot depends on what type of cocker then are crossed with too. I automatically assume they are crossed with english cockers, but i've known some crossed with working cockers (no wonder they are mad!) and have heard of one crossed with an american cocker - imagine the coat!

Cockers are Cockers whether they be show strain or working strain, we do not have English Cockers here.

Every Cockapoo I know, is hyper, totally stupid & untrainable, they jump up at every opportunity and cover you in muddy pawprints &  if it were up to me they should all be neutered.    My sister's friend who is a WPC and you might think somewhat 'savvy' has just had an accidental mating between her 2 Cockapoo's (Bitch just over a year old - I won't even tell you the daft comment her vet made when pregnancy was confirmed!) & she has had 6 pups - all booked at £450 each!  No eye tests, no hip scores etc.

You must have badly bred / reared cockers or all working cockers in your area then! My Yankee is quite different from the English cockers I usually see at pet training, and most people would agree there is a HUGE difference between show and working cockers - and springers too btw.

Was this in response to me LucyDogs?

Having been showing dogs since 1987 I am quite 'up' on my gundog breeds - thanks!     In the UK, there isn't an 'English' Cocker.    Thats what the Americans refer to as our Cocker Spaniels, to them a Cocker is our Am. Cocker Spaniel.    Yes, I know there are differences between working type Cocker Spaniels & show type Cocker spaniels.    They are world's apart in conformation but they are still the same breed.     Likewise our first family dog who was an ESS - show bred sire, working bred dam, a good looking worker but a rubbish show dog.

I agree I spend ages grooming my cocker, in the winter we have a longer coat, spring and summer shorter because of seeds and burrs. His coat is like silk, and I have him hand stripped never clipped it would ruin his coat. Even the Border Collie has at least three grooms a week to get the underfur down. The furminator is fantastic for Jake, it all goes back to his bum area and comes out in huge clumps.
The box comes off the top of the cupboards and both dogs are on the patio table for grooming!! they love the attention.

Im with you I know of three cocker types, Working, Show and American never heard of an English. Unless when in USA our show cockers are called English Cockers but not in uk.

It's a bit of a Yankee owner thing, I am afraid, because we get used to talking about our American Cockers with American/Candaian friends and fans of the breed, y ou get inot the habit of calling "Cockers" "English Cockers " to differentiate, as if you just say Cocker they assume Yankee!  So mostly, around the American Cocker rings you will hear them referred to in that way. 

On the original subject, quite a few Cockerpoo owners I have spoken to have  been a bit surprised they didn't end up looking like the ones they saw on the internet - the reason being, of course, that the fad originated in the USA (as did lots of these crosses) where the cocker part would have been an American Cocker, giving a very different head/face to the cocker poo than crossing with an (English) cocker.  Using working strain cockers give a whole different looking cockerpoo too, much more slender with an even pointier face!

Im with you I know of three cocker types, Working, Show and American never heard of an English. Unless when in USA our show cockers are called English Cockers but not in uk.

I would say the behaviour of working cockers and show cockers (still can't see why they can't be english!) is poles apart, most show cockers i have seen are no where near as manic as the workers round here.
Theres no need to be so arrogant about it! I simply referred to it as english to distinguish it from the american cocker, its all just semantics. :-(

>still can't see why they can't be english!

Because the correct breed name is 'Cocker Spaniel'. In the UK there are no such breeds as 'English Cocker', 'British Bulldog', 'English Pointer' or 'English Bull Terrier'. They are simply 'Cocker Spaniel', 'Bulldog', 'Pointer' and 'Bull Terrier'. Breeds which were developed abroad wil have the country of origin added to the name to differentiate between them and 'our' breeds.

I know it is not their "correct KC name" but it was a descriptive term in that it isn't an american cocker. Does that mean if i'm in america i'm not allowed to say its american either? A working cocker is not its correct name either but we simply use it to describe the difference that and a show bred cocker spaniel. There clearly is a difference between the two but because its not their correct names are we not allowed to distiquish the difference in type? I simply used the word "english" instead of "show" but i would probably have been picked up on with that as well as its not called a show cocker either!

>Does that mean if i'm in america i'm not allowed to say its american either?

That's right. :-) Over there 'Cocker Spaniel' means their American variety, not ours.

'Show-type cocker' and 'working-type cocker' is perfectly acceptable to describe the different types within the breed.

SO why not american or english, because whether its the KC name or not that is describing the breed as well because that is where they come from!

Because it's unnecessary dumbing down!

Maybe so but i still don't see the problem, it may be dumbing down to you, but not to me and maybe not to others reading the forum, after all we may have members from other countries. I really don't see why it is so important, its just how i personally describe them.If that makes me dumb them so be it!

I can't see the point in using an incorrect term when there's a correct one. Far less confusing!

But its not incorrect if you are american is it? I really can't see why i've been jumped on. Other people knew what i meant and admited they use the same term, as i used to spend a lot of time with someone who showed yankees perhaps this is where i have picked up on this term. The point is different types of cocker have been used to make up cocker poos, which accounts for some differences.  Opps i probably shouldn't have called them that either because thats not the correct name - i mean cocker poodle crosses.

>But its not incorrect if you are american is it?

Are you? Then it's excusable. I'm not, however, and this is a UK-based site, so you'd expect to find UK terms used. :-) On an American-based site it'd be different. When in Rome, and all that. :-)

Most of us on here are not American and I'm  not even into the breed but know that it's only those across the water that call them English Cockers.  Don't think anyone was being arrogant either earlier. 

That is how it came across.  I and others here knew what it meant, i apologise if i confused anyone but it is what i refer to them as when i am trying to distinguish them from the american cocker. Rightly or wrongly it is just a descriptive term, exactly the same term as "show cocker" in my opinion. Obviously your opinion differs. My thought processes differ to other peoples. Some people say they have a "black" lab, black being a descriptive term. In the same way i refer to cockers as being "english" because in my mind they are the english version as they aren't american, much in the same way as people say "british" bulldog. Why does it matter so much?
IMHO picking people up for referring the wrong word and making them sound stupid is arrogant. Saying they have never heard of an english cocker spaniel - when they then say they have is trying to belittle the person who said it. Other people have said they call them the same so why is it such a problem? We are getting completely off topic.

Not really off topic as one half of a Cockerpoo is a Cocker!

Now off to give the German Munsterlanders their bedtime biccies, the American Selkirk Rex & the British Shorthairs their evening meals!

oh dear, that just comes across as very sarcastic. :-(
I thought this forum was for chatting not for bullying! I give up, i've always found this to be a nice forum before but i've obviously hit a nerve. :-(

> I thought this forum was for chatting not for bullying!

A lot of people on this site show their dogs so they will use the correct names .

>I thought this forum was for chatting not for bullying!

This isn't a chatroom, it's an Information Exchange (it says so at the top of the page!), so it's important that the information is correct. :-)

Given that gwen has admitted on here that she calls them the same thing and as far as i'm aware she shows dogs i really don't see how it matters what we call them. Its one thing pointing out a mistake its another thing ridiculing someone for momentarily using an incorrect word when it really doesn't matter. I think you have perhaps just answered the question as to why the general public are getting so many made up cross breeds, they seem to thing everything to do with showing and kc reg is stuffy and pc and the way i have jsut been treated for using one incorrect word just proves their point. Have none of you ever made a mistake and do you point mistakes out to everyone you speak to to make them feel stupid?! :-(

we have english springers and we hve welsh springers.
We have german shepherds, belgian shepherds, australian shepherds and english shepherds.
Is it so surprising therefore that someone who doesn't show might call a cocker an english cocker when referring to them in relation to the american cocker or am i going to be told i shouldn't be on here because i don't show?

Sometimes certain posters go out of they're way to pick flys with silly things it's not smart to belittle people on a forum I've seen it before just over someone punctuating a post wrong. As the kids tell me it's not big it's not clever!