I would like to draw attention to this article about Doodles, focusing mainly on Cockapoos. It was published by the BBC earlier in the year. It is similar to many other articles that have been circulating recently.
It is so important for potential puppy purchasers to read this sort of information to understand the importance of sourcing a top-class breeder, and the potential perils if you do not!
There is so little understanding from so many purchasers when they are searching for a puppy. Quite often, the first thing they do is go to a website such as Pets4homes, enter the search criteria to ‘lowest price first’ within a local area, and then just find the cheapest puppy of the desired sex and colour. It is such an uninformed way to search and makes me despair!
In almost every case, the money saved in purchasing a ‘cheap’ local puppy is lost in vets and trainers fees 100 times over compared to buying the more expensive and possibly further away, professionally produced puppy from a top breeder. It’s not just the monetary price either; it’s the loss of the enjoyment of dog ownership, and the potential emotional heartbreak of losing a dog prematurely due to health conditions or the guilt of having a dog destroyed or worse, rehomed, due to behavioural problems. Not to mention the encouragement of unethical breeding premises, which is just a way of closing your eyes to cruelty if it saves a bit of time & money.
I have copied the whole article written below for you to read, but I am going to insert comments as you read through it. My comments will be highlighted in Yellow.
Mixed-breed dogs like cockapoos, labradoodles and cavapoos are more likely to display "undesirable behaviours" than their purebred parents, according to a new study from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC).
"Doodle" dogs, where a poodle is crossed with a different breed, have become popular and have a reputation for being easy to handle and train. See the overview at the end.
However, the RVC said those dogs "do not always behave as expected, particularly regarding training, anxiety and aggression".
Animal charity Dogs Trust said a pet's breed was "not a reliable indicator" of an individual dog's behaviour, with both health and socialisation being key factors.
According to the results of the study, cockapoos in particular displayed more aggression and rivalry when it came to other dogs.
RVC researchers received valid responses from the owners of 9,402 UK dogs through an online survey conducted from 21 February to 21 April 2023.
They compared popular designer doodle breeds - cockapoos, labradoodles and cavapoos - to their purebred parent breeds across multiple behaviour categories.
Separation anxiety
The results showed designer doodles differed from their purebred parents in just over half of all comparisons.
Researchers looked at problem behaviour such as a fear of traffic or loud noises, separation-related issues or excitability.
They found that in 82% of cases where one parent would display some problem behaviour, their doodle offspring were likely to show a more exaggerated version of that behaviour.
This is absolutely true! Epigenetics is a real thing and should be respected! Puppies are NOT blank canvases. Their environment, even prior to birth, forms them in their very essence. EVERYTHING you're pregnant bitch is exposed to can affect her unborn puppies.
- What she does
- What she eats
- Where she lives
- Who she meets
- What she is being exposed to
- What she HAS BEEN exposed to
For example, an anxious or fearful pregnant dog is more likely to breed anxious, fearful puppies. So, has your breeder considered the temperament (as well as all other aspects) and selected only prime breeding dogs suitable for passing on desirable traits? Or have they just bought the cheapest dog & bitch they could find, as they will still produce cockapoos and no one will be any the wiser?
Being a professional breeder means being completely honest with ourselves before deciding which dogs to breed from, and selecting the very best so we can make life better for both our own dogs and those of the future.
I can recommend reading the outstanding website https://pupstartsbreeders.com/ for more information on this topic, or better still, completing a course!
Some owners reported finding it extremely difficult to train their dog or impossible to leave their dog alone.
The study said that as the cocker spaniel, for instance, was designed to flush out game from dense areas of woodland and grassland, the dogs were bred to have high energy, mental resilience and intelligence, which could be "more of a problem in pet homes".
For those of you who have already read through my ‘puppy pack’ that comes with our puppies, and is published on the website for pre- reading, you will already be aware of the vast difference in the two different strains. If not, you are easily able to google the differences, but in a nutshell, Show Cockers are bred specifically for physical appearances and calm companionship, while Working Cockers are bred for high stamina and hunting instincts, meaning they have vastly different energy, grooming, and training requirements. There is no better or worse, if you are a very keen runner or cyclist perhaps, or just someone looking to do hours of exercise with your dog daily, then a Working cross would be great for you, but if you are more of an average person or family looking to have some fun with a dog that will mirror your lifestyle, and be an easy going loving companion without being so demanding, a Show Type cross is very much more for you. While the Poodle element remains consistent in a doodle, this article fails to note the very relevant distinction between WORKING cockers, or SHOW TYPE cockers. A Working cross who is potentially already under exercised, and has no ‘off button’, is going to be going out of his mind thinking he is being left behind while you go out to do something without him, whereas an averagely trained Show Type cross is more likely to take the opportunity to catch up on some sleep!
It added that when a cocker spaniel was bred with a poodle, those characteristics - combined with them having smaller crossbred offspring - could result in more problem behaviour.
Dr Rowena Packer, senior lecturer in companion animal behaviour and welfare science at the RVC and senior author of the paper, said: "These aren't the kind of behaviours we want to ignore. They're not benign. This goes back to Epigenetics once more.
"Preconceived beliefs, such as the idea that designer crossbreeds are naturally easy to train or are safe with children, can have serious consequences if they aren't supported by evidence."
The study also found differences between the owners of crossbreed and purebred dogs.
Crossbreed owners were more likely to be first-time dog owners and more likely to use non-professional sources of training advice, such as social media or friends and family. All our puppies are sold with 3 free training sessions paid for by us, with a fantastic professional trainer, available either face to face or remotely.
Image caption,
Viv, pictured with Dolly, said she was "a lovely and loving dog, but has come with a lot of uncertainties"
Viv Smith, from Washington in Tyne and Wear, got Dolly, a cockapoo, in September 2021 (Covid puppy boom time, everyone with a dog seemed to be breeding it with anything they could and asking fortunes for the puppies) after her previous dogs, two boxers, had died.
The 50-year-old was influenced by the growing popularity of doodle-type dogs and had heard they were easier to handle and train.
"I'd heard so many good reports about them... the breed was so out there, like everywhere you went," she said. ‘Heard’…. Hardly thorough research.
But Dolly soon started displaying anxious and fearful behaviour which developed into increasing aggression. She attacked family members, including Viv's three-year-old granddaughter.
"It hasn't just been the once or the twice. This is the third time she's actually bitten," Smith said. "I'm at the point now where I feel I don't trust her."
The vet prescribed medication for Dolly and Smith is seeking help from a behaviour specialist.
She said she was extremely cautious when out walking Dolly, always using a lead and head collar, but worried regularly about another incident.
"My biggest fear is what's next with Dolly?" she said.
She said she would not recommend the breed, especially for families with children.
"I would never tell anyone to get a cockapoo," she added. "I can't promote it."
Let's look at a few things here… Dolly, the dog in question, it says is an f2b cockapoo. The further away from an F1 you go, the less predictable the cross becomes. An F1 is one pedigree parent of each breed on each side, so a pedigree Cocker crossed with a pedigree Poodle, an F2 is an F1 crossed with an F1, and then an F2b is an F2 that has been bred back to either a Poodle or Cocker. So if Dolly is an F2b this would certainly not be an ideal outcross for a first-time doodle owner. I say ‘if’ because looking at the picture of Dolly, I question if she is not in fact a pure Working Cocker, which leads me on the next point…. What paperwork did ‘Viv Smith, from Washington in Tyne and Wear’ inspect or receive when she bought Dolly? Given how far down the crossing process Dolly is, was there a pedigree of any sort? What checks did she do? Did she research the breeder? Did she meet both parents and assess their temperament? Did she see where the dogs lived on a day-to-day basis? Did she check the health tests of the parents and ensure that all the relevant tests were performed? Did she find out about the early socialisation of the litter and assure herself that the puppies had received regular and appropriate interaction to set them up as confident, balanced adults in the future? I suspect not.
The RVC said the study highlighted the importance of owners thoroughly exploring the characteristics of any breed - purebred or crossbred - before getting a dog.
It stressed prospective owners should use reliable sources such as behavioural professionals to help ensure their expectations align with the breed's known personality characteristics.
It also highlighted the importance of prospective owners meeting the parents of any puppy they were considering buying to see how those dogs behaved with visitors.
Influencing factors
Karol Watson Todd, co-director of the Cockapoo Club of Great Britain, an organisation that promotes responsible breeding practices, said the study was "useful because it helps us look at dog behaviour more closely".
"But we do believe that dog behaviour is influenced by many factors, not just the breed alone," she said.
Watson Todd said responsible breeding, proper socialisation and informed owners were "all key to making sure cockapoos continue to be the wonderful companions that so many families enjoy".
"Popularity of a breed can unfortunately attract irresponsible breeding in any type of dog," she added
Dom Burke, behaviour policy officer at Dogs Trust, said while the study was "interesting", there were so many other influences on behaviour than breed lines.
"Health is a big one. Their socialisation, their experiences, what's going on around them, the environment they're in at any one time," he said.
This is absolutely true; putting a puppy under one umbrella by its breed doesn’t in any way make them all the same.
He said a dog's behaviour could also be affected by any stress its mother suffered during pregnancy.
"As the demand for certain breeds increases, we see a lot more unscrupulous breeding going on, including really poor breeding practices and puppy smuggling," he said.
Burke also highlighted the importance of seeking qualified professional behaviour support, "not just when there are behaviour issues emerging, but for training and socialisation - all dogs require good socialisation."
Not everyone knows this, but unless the correct socialisation is begun with puppies from a very young age, they can never make up for what they have not learned in their formative stages. Take that in fully.... NEVER! At Hallslake, we start all our puppies with Early Neurological stimulation (ENS) and Early scent Introduction (ESI). These are simple exercises in which you individually expose puppies to mild stresses in a controlled way from days 3-16. This helps aid their development, resilience and coping mechanisms. It improves stress responses in later life. It stimulates the neurological system. Improves puppies’ growth, immune and cardiovascular systems. Enhances confidence and stability as adults, and reduces behavioural issues in the long term. Before 8 weeks old, all of our puppies will have experienced numerous different surroundings, inside and out. They will have heard hundreds of different noises, from washing machines to fireworks, they will have seen and heard bikes and skate boards, they will have experienced cars, both from a journey and also from seeing them passing by. They will have interacted with loads of other animals, including cats, chickens, sheep, horses, and different breeds of dogs. They will have played with people of different ages, sex and colour. Our puppies will already have started being grass trained to go to the loo, they will already be following a leader when called and will be on teir way to becoming the well adjusted, loyal, loving & easy to train companion that they are reported to be IF they come from a reputable breeder! All of this input takes HOURS and HOURS of time. Only a breeder who genuinely cares about the future lives of the puppies they produce would take the time and effort to do this, and it is what you want done with the puppy you plan to take home.
He added that while many people knew poodles and spaniels required a lot of exercise, "that same kind of consideration might not necessarily be given by everyone towards a cockapoo".
Dog behaviour expert Hannah Molloy, said it was vital prospective owners saw pups with their parents
Dog behaviour expert Hannah Molloy said doodles could be prone to resource-guarding aggression because they were a mix of two retrieving breeds.
"Teaching them to share from a young age by offering swaps rather than demanding drops or taking things out of their mouths is important," she said.
She also raised concerns over designer crossbreeds being bred by puppy farms, leading to bad behaviour and bad health.
She said doodle coats could also be a problem, adding: "They need a lot of grooming, or their coats become felted and matted.
"Dogs might be walking around in a lot of pain, which will affect their behaviour."
My overall feedback on this article is that, for the most part, it is absolutely correct! There are countless backyard, or very low-rated licensed breeders (I would not consider using a breeder with a star rating other than 4 or 5), churning out litters from badly selected and poorly treated parents, and producing puppies that may not have seen the light of day until they leave. These puppies will never fully adjust, and have non of the advantages of a professionally bred puppy. These substandard breeders make huge profits from the sale of their puppies, as they have almost no over head costs. Health tests & laboritory fees (for ALL relevant tests, not just the basic ones – see our health testing page), annual eye tests, hip scores, patella checks, worming and flea programs, grooming, vaccinations, a vet on call 24/7 all year round that knows and inspects each dog individually each year whether it is needed or not, time taken to keep living conditions comfy, clean and hygienic, regular exercise for health and fitness, daily handling, interaction, play, fun and happiness, and this is all before you even consider breeding a litter! This takes immense amounts of time and money. They are, however, all the things that make a puppy expensive and all the things you don’t want to have been missed out, for the puppy you are hoping to share your life with for 15 years.
If you are interested in looking for a Cockapoo, please do all your homework. You do not need to buy one of our puppies, but please try to make sure the breeder you do choose to use, does as much as we do. While we all condemn puppy farms or similarly poor breeding set-ups, by not doing your proper research into the breeders, or being led by buying price & area alone, you are just fuelling the trade. By turning a blind eye to cruelty and neglect, in pursuit of convenience and budget, you are promoting the unethical (and often illegal) breeding of badly selected bitches of unsuitable breeding quality, who produce the types of puppies that the owners report as problematic in articles such as this.
In 99% of cases, I would say, if the purchaser had been thorough in their research of a dog that suited their needs (Show Type vs Worker), didn't restrict their search area, and was willing to pay the fair price, then properly investigated the chosen breeder and dared to reject substandard breeder, rather than being led by price or pity, Cockapoos would not be receiving the bad press they are. In fact, it is often the unscrupulous purchasers feeding the trade of substandard breeders that causes these issues.