As it turns out, yes! The Cockapoo is the oldest doodle, even older than the labradoodle. In the 1940s Cocker Spaniels and Poodles were among the most popular breeds in America. 🇺🇲 The first breeding of the Cockapoo was probably an accident but they really caught on and breeders started deliberately breeding them, the first record of this was in the 1950s. By the 1960s the cockapoos had a bunch of new fans. 👏

Cockapoos have easily earned all these fans for a lot of great reasons. They are a smart and friendly medium sized doodles. Cockapoos are known for their jovial personalities and being one of the happiest dog breeds. 😁 They are loving and outgoing with children and other pets. Cockapoos are sweet, kind and extremely loyal to their owners. They can also be a watchful and vocal doodle to let you know when visitors are arriving. 

Spaniels are believed to have originated in Spain. 🇪🇸 Spaniels have been used as bird dogs since before the invention of the rifle when hunting dogs were used for hunting with nets. At that time spaniels were split into two different groups known as land spaniels or water spaniels. The land spaniels came in 2 different sizes, a larger springer used for springing game and the smaller field spaniels which were used for woodcock. 🦆

When the 19 century came along written breed standards became standardized and Cocker Spaniels were split into English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and American 🇺🇲 varieties. 

Cocker spaniels became extremely popular in the 1950s in America after Lady and the Tramp made cocker spaniels the most popular dog for American families for an entire decade! 🎉

The other half of the cockapoo genes comes from the Poodle. The Poodle is the national dog of France 🇫🇷 although it originated in Germany 🇩🇪 . The poodle is currently ranked the 6th most popular dog by the AKC. The standard sized Poodle began as a magnificent water retriever and duck 🦆 hunter over 400 years ago. It has more recently been used to hunt for truffles. Poodles of all sizes are well loved for their intelligence and trainability.

Sizing it all up

Cockapoos can come in four different sizes. The two most common sizes are the toy and miniature cockapoo. The size of the cockapoo depends on the size of the parents used to create the hybrid. 🐕

The teacup 🍵 sized cockapoo weighs between 6 to 10 pounds and is around 10 inches tall. 

The toy sized cockapoo weighs between 6 to 12  and is also around the same 10 inches tall. 

The miniature cockapoo weighs between 13 to 18 pounds and is 11 to 14 inches tall. 

The standard cockapoo weighs 19 to 30 pounds and is about 15 inches tall.

Color Coding, Fur Real

The cockapoos coat can be long and wavy or with tighter curls like their Poodle parent. Usually their coat is softer than a Poodles coat, which is hard to believe if you have ever felt a Poodle. 🐩 Typically cockapoos do not shed very much if at all. 

Cockapoos can come in many different coat colors to include black, white, cream and different shades of brown. It is not uncommon for cockapoos to be multi colored or even have a merle coat

Cockapoos need to be brushed daily or 2 to 3 times per week to prevent the fur from matting. They also require a bath once per month. 🛁  Cockapoos also need to have their hair trimmed every 4 to 6 weeks. Owners can hire a groomer or they can learn the grooming skills and do it themselves. ✂️  Cockapoos can be prone to ear infections so the ears need to be checked and cleaned weekly along with the hair in their ears 👂  also needing to be trimmed. 

Let’s quickly go over the “hypoallergenic” topic. The AKC asserts that “there is no such thing as a completely hypoallergenic dog”. Unfortunately people with dog allergies are usually allergic to the dog dander 🦠, not the dog’s fur. Granted the dog fur can be a carrier for the dog dander it is not the cause of the allergen. The old school of thought was that less dog hair = less allergen. So breeders would attempt to have as many Poodle genes in a dog breed to lessen dog hair shed. Unfortunately, this does not change the level of dander. Please be cautious regarding the labels of “hypoallergenic” if you have dog allergies. If you would like more info on this please read 22 Hypoallergenic Doodles. ◀️

Working it out

The cockapoo is a fairly active dog. They need quite a bit of exercise to burn off their excess energy. They enjoy walking, playing catch and also swimming 🏊 . You could get them involved in numerous dog events such as agility or obedience training or maybe even dock diving. The cockapoo also comes from a long line of gun dogs 🦆 if the owner was interested in training them for that activity.

⚠️ One word of warning, it is not recommended to have your doodle participate in highly strenuous activities prior to the age of 10 months due to underdeveloped joints and bones. ⚠️

Come, Sit, Stay

Cockapoos are fairly intelligent dogs who enjoy training. They learn quickly with reward based training and are eager to please. Due to the cockapoos energy level 🔋 and outgoing attitude it can be distracted easily or become overly excited during training. They will also need daily exercise to keep destructive dog habits at bay. The cockapoo usually does well at dog parks. 

As with any dog they will need early socialization and puppy training to build good habits and obedience skills. The cockapoo learns skills and tricks quickly and can be taught more advanced tricks. 👍

Quality of Life

Cockapoos are generally healthy doodles who live from 12 to 15 years depending on their diet and amount of exercise. Cockapoos can have a tendency to easily become overweight. Cockapoos need to be fed a balanced diet to ensure that they don’t gain weight. Overweight dogs are more prone to developing health issues. 🩺 The different medical issues that cockapoos are prone to are ear infections, sensitive skin, cancer and digestive issues to name a few.. 

So now you want a Cockapoo….

If you are thinking about getting a cockapoo you must make sure that you are  in love with any combination of traits that a doodle surprise could offer. 🎁 Your doodle may look exactly like a Cocker Spaniel but act exactly like a Poodle. Would you be ok with that? What about the other way around? If you can love 💗 ALL of the traits of both parent breeds then DO IT! Doodles are the best! 

I would check at Poodle rescues and also at Cocker Spaniel specific rescues, they may have a mixed breed/hybrid there as well. Also check regular rescues. Just realize that if you want to rescue you may have to wait to find your dog or travel to pick it up. But there are great benefits to rescuing instead of buying. 👍👏

If you decide to buy a puppy please do your research on the breeder and don’t be afraid to ask the right questions. And good luck to you! I hope you find your forever puppy! 🥰