The Thing About Cockapoos…
image accessibility description: a fluffy cockapoo dog sits on a sofa surrounded by cushions; she has a soft expression while looking at the camera.
There has been a lot in the news lately about the difficulties surrounding ‘doodle’ breeds so I thought I’d share my personal experience. In late 2019 I was in a position to have my own dog and I had put my name down for a cockapoo puppy with a fantastic breeder (sadly hard to find)!
The pups were born in April of 2020 when the whole world began to struggle with Covid-19. I knew that raising a puppy in those conditions would be very hard as sadly they would miss out on crucial socialisation. However, this beautiful puppy had been born and I felt ready to take on the challenges with her. I named her Sage, which means teacher, but I had no idea how much she would end up teaching me!
image accessibility description: a cockapoo puppy lying on the grass
Over the last few years Sage has suffered from a number of behavioural problems including fear of strangers, fear of children, fear of dogs, separation anxiety, inappropriate prey drive, resource guarding, scavenging, fear of the groomers, excessive barking, food reluctance, phantom pregnancies and a firework phobia. Never did I imagine that one dog could struggle with so many issues but here we were!
Working with a veterinary behaviour team we suspected that underlying pain may be contributing to her behaviour; for example doodle type dogs have been shown to be prone to hip dysplasia. X-rays and pain relief trials were conducted but nothing seemed to change the behaviour. I carried on implementing my own behavioural modification plan (something my clients will be familiar with) but again little progress was made and I found it pretty frustrating.
A few months ago during one of my CPD (continued professional development) case studies we discussed how allergies can impact behaviour and it got me thinking, could this be happening to Sage? Cockapoos seem to be prone to allergies, especially chicken, so I changed her food to a hypoallergenic diet and slowly, nearly all her behavioural problems improved. It is of course no miracle cure but the extent and intensity of the behaviours has lessened dramatically and it has allowed me to effectively implement my training protocol including counter conditioning and desensitisation.
I have so much gratitude for Sage, experiencing each of those behavioural issues as an owner has helped me to become a better clinician as I truly understand how it feels when it’s your own pet.
image accessibility description: a dog with curly hair sitting side on to the camera looks up at a bronze statue of a dog
The media has presented this breed in a rather black and white way but I think it’s much more nuanced than this. Poodles rank consistently highly on dog intelligence tests and spaniels have been shown to be rather impulsive so mixing these two breeds does suggest they may exhibit traits that humans find undesirable. They may need a lot of mental stimulation to keep their minds busy (mine is particularly fond of scent work), but cockapoos have the ability to make fantastic family pets.
There is also some evidence that doodle type dogs are prone to certain health and behavioural disorders but it’s important to remember that little scientifically sound studies have been conducted regarding these breed traits and any dog may suffer from them. If you’re experiencing any struggles with your doodle dog; please don’t hesitate to reach out!
