Thinking of getting a puppy - advice needed please

[mitch84]

My best friend has a 5 month old Ewok (cockerpoo).
He is slightly bonkers, but in a very sweet way. Wouldn’t necessarily be for me, I prefer short hair as we have a farm, but he’s a lovely little guy!

[ely3857]

I’ve read lots on about Cockerpoo’s being a bit mental. Again, this is very much dog dependant. My friends Cockerpoo Luna is nicknamed Luna-tic whereas my Cockerpoo is much calmer by nature. He’s friendly and loves attention but he isn’t a ‘handful’ by any means.

[JudyC]

Our labradoodle is starting to chill out just a little now she is four months old.

I know she will need plenty exercise as she grows up but we like walking and hiking. She will be a big dog , judging on her parentage between 45-55 lbs fully grown . She was only slightly bigger than her favourite soft toy tiger seven weeks ago, now she dwarfs him 😁 I'm hoping she will be our ideal non shedding dog 😁

[Claudette]

I think if you want a little more certainty about what you are getting you need to get a pure breed not a cross breed such as a cockapoo. I know a few people with cockapoos and they all seem to be lovely dogs, but you just can’t know what you are getting.

That said, having asthma does not mean you need a hypoallergenic dog. I have very mild asthma and DH is a regular asthmatic with allergies to things like wool and grass, but has never had reaction to dogs or cats, and one of ours is a shedder.

We have two dogs, one is 6 and one is 4, we were first time dog owners with the older one. We collected one dog in July and the other in October. I will only ever get a puppy in the summer again, the puppy training in the cold and dark for the October dog was not fun.

Your holiday timings are a bit tricky and I think I would wait until after both holidays and then wait for the season to change! Either way you are going to have a young puppy going to kennels or whatever. I do use kennels but I couldn’t have put such a young dog in, thinking back to my own, ten months was the youngest age we put them in for a holiday, although we would have put them in for the odd single day in order to start to get used to it.

Regarding going out, I think you just need to try it, start with a half hour and build up. I’m sure we would have left our first one for an hour or two from very early on. He was a very chilled out dog and there were no signs of it ever bothering him, this seemed to rub off in the second one, who is a bit more clingy and cuddly generally but he also takes being left home alone in his stride.

[mitch84]

I think it’s pros and cons with dogs. My dog does shed, and I’m forever hoovering, but as said I’m not a bit allergic to him, cats will have me streaming but nothing with him, it’s very different texture to cat hair for example.
So more hoovering, but he has never been to the groomers, doesn’t need brushing, only needs washing if he’s rolled in something etc, so low maintenance in that regard.

If I swapped for a poodle-esque coat I might not need the hoovering, but the bathing, brushing, grooming etc I’m sure would take equal time to hoovering

[Floridatilly]

Originally Posted by mitch84

I think it’s pros and cons with dogs. My dog does shed, and I’m forever hoovering, but as said I’m not a bit allergic to him, cats will have me streaming but nothing with him, it’s very different texture to cat hair for example.
So more hoovering, but he has never been to the groomers, doesn’t need brushing, only needs washing if he’s rolled in something etc, so low maintenance in that regard.

If I swapped for a poodle-esque coat I might not need the hoovering, but the bathing, brushing, grooming etc I’m sure would take equal time to hoovering

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You have definitely hit the nail on the head there 😊
I have had British bulldog’s before tilly. They were bigger and did shed but a quick vacuum and off you go but with Tilly she needs brushing and a 6 weekly groom 😖

[djewkes]

My little ones a cavapoo, non shedding but grooming every 8 weeks and regular brushing…….and a mud magnet…

[bonnies mum]

Oh dear - you have put me off a Cockapoo🤫🤫
Seriously it is nearly a year since we lost Bonnie, our Springer & I am now at the stage of considering another dog (DH not keen as he has dreadful sciatica just now). I had hoped to get something a bit smaller and less lively than Bonnie, but think it’s back to the drawing board on what to get.

[Princess Ariel]

Originally Posted by bonnies mum

Oh dear - you have put me off a Cockapoo🤫🤫
Seriously it is nearly a year since we lost Bonnie, our Springer & I am now at the stage of considering another dog (DH not keen as he has dreadful sciatica just now). I had hoped to get something a bit smaller and less lively than Bonnie, but think it’s back to the drawing board on what to get.

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Willow is a cockapoo and she’s small (mum was a cockapoo and dad a miniature poodle) I think if you go for a miniature poodle or toy poodle parent you have a better chance of a small one. Willow is crazy when we are out, she loves meeting people and dogs but has always been calm at home and is super easy to train!