What is a Cockapoo?

Cocker Spaniel x Poodle = Cockapoo

Cockapoos are also known as Cock-a-poos, CockerPoodles, Cockadoodles, and Cockerpoos. The generally accepted name is "Cockapoo."

A Cockapoo is an intentional cross of a Cocker Spaniel (American or English) and a mini Poodle. On average our Cockapoos weigh 15-25 pounds full grown. Occasionally a toy poodle is artificially inseminated to a smaller Cocker Spaniel to produce much smaller Cockapoos. We have one toy poodle that we breed to our smallest Cockapoo (at our friends' house). The resulting pups are usually 6-9 pounds full grown.

Why are Cockapoos Popular?

Dating back to the 1960's Cockapoos were the very first "designer dog" where someone intentionally crossed the incredibly popular Cocker Spaniel with the intelligent, nonshedding, generally healthy mini poodle.

Cocker Spaniels were America's most popular dog from about 1935 to 1955. The movie Lady and the Tramp skyrocketed the popularity of the beautiful, affectionate dogs portrayed by "Lady." Good Cocker Spaniels are friendly, happy, and the constant companion of their family members. 

Crossing the gorgeous Cocker Spaniel with a mini poodle was brilliant.

What Sets our Cockapoos Apart?

At BestCockapoos.com, we believe in family raised Cockapoos. As part of the Crockett Doodles network, we strive to provide Cockapoos of outstanding health, temperament and looks to well-matched families. We never ship Cockapoo puppies as we think that is a terrible start. Dr. Nathan Crockett (owner of Crockett Doodles) worked with four families to place outstanding Cockapoos. The Andersons (Cori Anderson was the K4 teacher for both Shepherd Crockett and LilyAnne Crockett) love their gorgeous three Cockapoo girls who are their beloved pets--2 merles and a parti girl). Cori Anderson's parents (the Burtners) also have a beautiful Cockapoo girl in the program.

Crockett Doodles also gave a gorgeous chocolate Cockapoo (Toffee) to their friends, Sean and Amanda, and placed a tiny 7 pound merle Cockapoo (Nike) with good friends Dr. Sam and Beth Horn. With these Cockapoo mothers in the program, we have 4-5 Cockapoo litters a year, each raised in a loving home environment, and each mom is first and foremost a family pet. We offer the best in the business three year health warranty with each pup, and we want to have a lifelong relationship with each of our families.

Typically we expect 60-80 applications for each litter as soon as we open up the applications, so we have to be picky about choosing ideal forever homes for our Cockapoo puppies.

Best Cockapoo Advantages

In addition to the stellar reputation of Crockett Doodles (read reviews here), another advantage of the Crockett Doodles system is that your $300 deposit is fully refundable, and you can apply it to any family raised doodle within Crockett Doodles. For instance, your Cockapoo deposit could go toward a Cavapoo, mini Labradoodle, mini Sheepadoodle, mini Newfiedoodle, mini Bernedoodle, or mini Goldendoodle, if you decided that would better fit your family.

Best Cockapoo Breeders Fast Facts

Why get a Cockapoo instead of a Cocker Spaniel?

American Cocker Spaniels and English Cocker Spaniels are wonderful pets. For a couple decades the Cocker Spaniel was America's favorite dog. Why would anyone consider getting a Cockapoo instead of a Cocker Spaniel.

Wrong Reasons to Get a Cockapoo

1. Cockapoos are "designer dogs." Personally we avoid the term "designer dogs." A dog should be a family member, not a fashion accessory. Because of the popularity of the Cocker Spaniel, Cockapoos were one of the very first intentional crosses with a Poodle (many would argue that Cockapoos are actually the first "doodle" that helped start the whole craze. Before Labradoodles and Goldendoodles, there were Cockapoos. You should never get a Cockapoo simply because it's a designer dog.
2. Some people think Cockapoos are perfect dogs. Unfortunately, in a fallen world, there's no such thing as a perfect dog. Almost any dog (Cockapoo or not) requires time to house train, etc. Cockapoos (like any dog) are an investment of time, energy, and finances. Just because Cockapoos are wonderful dogs does not mean that they will never bark at the wrong time or never pee on your rug if you don't let them outside in time.
3. A third wrong reason for getting a Cockapoo is to keep up with the Joneses. It doesn't really matter what dog the wealthy family down the street has, or what everyone in your small group at church has. You need to determine the very best dog for your family--and it may or may not be a Cockapoo. 

Good Reasons for Considering a Cockapoo

1. Cockapoos are more hypoallergenic than Cocker Spaniels. Because Poodles have a terrific non-shedding hair coat, there's a very good chance that a Cockapoo will not shed or will shed very, very little. The curlier the Cockapoo's coat, the less likely that particular Cockapoo will shed. We specialize in f1b Cockapoos (first generation backcross Cockapoos), because they have a 75% Poodle coat and rarely shed. We realize that many families who make a deposit with us to adopt a Cockapoo puppy have allergies.
2. Cockapoos are smarter than Cocker Spaniels. Poodles are known for incredible intelligence and ease of training. On average, Cockapoos tend to be smarter and easier to train than a purebred Cocker Spaniel.
3. Cockapoos are healthier than Cocker Spaniels. A hybrid dog is almost always much healthier than a purebred, because of hybrid vigor. Many families who have rescued a dog from the Humane Society are initially worried that they have a "mutt" not a purebred AKC dog. I use the term "mutt" with affection; we always encourage adoption at a shelter if possible. Typically they find that their "mutt" is a wonderful dog--at least from a health standpoint. Because of the inbred nature of many purebred dogs (like the Cocker Spaniel), a genetic cross with a different breed tends to greatly increase a dogs chance of being healthy.  In general most Cockapoo owners have found that their hybrid (Cockapoo) is quite a bit healthier than their purebred Cocker Spaniel.
4. Cockapoos are smaller than Cocker Spaniels. Typically the mini (or toy) Poodle used in the cross is considerably smaller than the Cocker Spaniel. Many Cockapoos are about half to two-thirds the size of a Cocker Spaniel.