Category: general

Are you looking to Re-home or Rescue a Cockapoo?

Many people looking for a Cockapoo would like to rescue a dog. But where should you start your search? Rescue Cockapoos are in demand but don’t expect to be offered a puppy.

What is Respite Care

Dog Shelters

Rescue Cockapoo Questions

• Do they have a clean premises
• Are all dogs have up to date vaccinations and deworming
• Do they micro chip all dogs
• Do they spay and neuter all dogs
• Have they assessed using a true temperament test
• Will they take the dog back if things don’t work out
• Do they have a adoption application
• Do they charge reasonable adoption fees
• Do they charge reasonable transportation fees

Resources:

Share your Cockapoo to benefit others

A therapy dog is a dog that is used to benefit a person in a therapeutic way. Obviously some breeds lend themselves to this more than others.

Cockapoos provide much happiness to their owners sometimes people want to share their love and good nature with others. You may have heard of the pat and stroke schemes.

Essentially though many dog breeds that have a suitable disposition can be a therapy dog. The deciding factor is whether they are suitable for the purpose that is required. Factors to consider are your Cockapoo’s age, temperament, health, and level of basic obedience training.

Benefits of a Therapy dog

• Physical –occupational therapists sometimes include a dog in a patient’s treatment plan. A common exercise might be bending down, holding a brush and brushing the dog’s coat– a simple but enjoyable exercise.
• Psychological – lap dogs can: increase self-esteem; ease stress after trauma and help with self-confidence and provide much needed companionship after a bereavement. Dogs are also sometimes used to improve the mood of children in paediatric hospitals.
• Social – animals can act as a social enhancer and help people adjust to a new environments and make meeting new people less daunting.  The SCAS conducts research into these benefits.

Can my Cockapoo become a therapy dog?

It really depends on what you want him to do. In the UK there are two main organisations that manage visiting programmes along with some other therapeutic activities.  The charity Pets as therapy  will do an assessment with your Cockapoo to determine his suitability to take part in any specific activity.  I recommend contacting them if you would like to explore this further.

Is a therapy dog an assistance dog?

No. Therapy dogs are not classified as assistance dogs. This is because an assistance dog is trained to carry out special tasks to aid a disabled person. They’re generally qualified by organisations registered as members of Assistance Dogs UK.

Where can I get my Cockapoo trained as a therapy dog?

The SCAS runs fun interactive courses. You can register you interest here.

Summary

Getting your Cockapoo trained as a therapy dog is lovely thing to do for those in need and also helps spread the knowledge about the benefits of our wonderful Cockapoo breed. It may be worth a try!

Cockapoo Health Problems

Like all dogs, Cockapoos  are susceptible to some genetic diseases. The parent breeds used to produce a F1 (or first cross) Cockapoo puppy will pass on hereditary diseases if not tested for breeding suitability.

This is the same for all dogs but the list below is particular for Cockapoo Parent dogs (the male and female are known as dams and sires or stud dogs ). If health tests are not carried out before breeding, the breeder and the eventual owner of the Cockapoo puppy might unknowingly be accepting a Cockapoo with health issues in later life.

As a buyer, it’s far better to understand what testing you should insist on seeing original written documentation for, rather than risk having Cockapoo health concerns as your puppy matures.

Below is a list of the most prevalent diseases to scrutinize to ensure you buy a healthy Cockapoo!

Four month old cockapoo puppy

Prcd-PRA – (Progressive Retinal Atrophy)

What is it: A genetic disorder that causes blindness. Cells at the back of the retina gradually decay and die leaving the dog suffering from night blindness and most likely full blindness by end of life.

Onset age: Early adolescence / adulthood

Symptoms: Night blindness, gradual short slightness

Cure: No

Prevention: Test parents before breeding

Parent dogs affected: American Cocker Spaniel / English Shower Cocker / English Working Cocker / Miniature Poodle / Toy Poodle

Health testing: Always. For all registered cockapoos one parent must be clear.

FN – Familial Nephropathy

What is it: A recessive inherited disease that destroys nephrons (cell structure that makes up the kidney)

Onset age: six to 24 months of age

Symptoms: drinks more, urinates more, weight loss, lack of appetite, vomiting, or diarrhea

Cure: No

Prevention: Test parents before breeding

Parent dogs affected: English Shower Cocker / English Working

Heath Testing: Always –  Always for all registered Cockapoos. (F1 and poodle back crosses are exempt) carrying English Show & Working Cocker Spaniel genes, must have one parent clear/normal.

Phosphofructokinase (PFK)

What is it: Phosphofructokinase (PFK) is an essential enzyme needed to produce energy. The disease occurs when the gene mutates and stops producing energy from sugar sources within the dog.

Onset age: adolescence / adulthood

Cure: none

Symptoms: jaundice, sudden weakness, cramping, and anemia

Prevention: health testing

Parent dogs affected: American Cocker Spaniel

Health testing: Always for all registered Cockapoos. (F1 and poodle back crosses are exempt) carrying American Cocker Spaniel genes must have one parent clear/normal.

Glaucoma

What is it: Primary Glaucoma is caused by increased pressure build up within the eye. It is classified as either primary or secondary. The eye’s drainage becomes blocked, but the eye keeps making fluid. As a result, pressure on the eye increases.

Secondary glaucoma

What is it: Occurs when other eye diseases cause fluid drainage problems. With secondary glaucoma be watchful for eye inflammation, cataracts, retinal detachment and movement of the lens.

Onset age: Adolescence / adulthood

Cure: It is crucial to determine if the dog is affected by primary or secondary glaucoma. The treatment needed and the prognosis for vision is different for each type.

Symptoms: Can start in just one eye

Prevention: Annual vet check-up can prevent secondary glaucoma. The British Veterinary Association (BVA) also have a scheme for specialist Canine Opthalomogist. A manual examination of the eye needs to be done.

Parent dogs affected: American Cocker Spaniel / English Shower Cocker / English Working Cocker / Miniature Poodle / Toy Poodle

Health testing: Preferable

Von Willebrand disease TYPE 1 (vWD1)

What is it: A bleeding disorder. vWD1 is a protein that  enables blood clotting.

Onset age: Early adolescence / adulthood. Often discovered after nail trimming, teething, spaying, sterilizing, tail docking, cropping

Cure: Type 1 is only results in mild bleeding. Type 2&3 are more severe and bleeding can occur in intestines, stomach, urinary tracts, genitals and joints

Symptoms: Spontaneous bleeding from the nose, gum and other mucous membranes. Excessive bleeding occurs after an injury, trauma or a surgery.

Prevention: Testing before breeding

Parent dogs affected: Miniature Poodle

Health testing: Advisable

Hip dysplasia

What is it: Hip dysplasia is an abnormal development within the hip joint, which leads to deformity in the joint.

Onset age: 14 to 26 weeks of age. The developmental ‘primary’ changes appear first. The secondary changes may be referred to as Degenerative Joint Disease or Osteo Arthrosis or Osteo-Arthritis.

Cure: Hereditary hip dysplasia is not curable. Secondary hip dysplasia can be treated as its primary cause is wear and tear

Symptoms: As Hip dysplasia can include joint looseness (laxity), inflammation, pain, new bone formation and bone erosion, changes in gait to pronounced lameness, stiffness after exercise.

Prevention: Not over exercising, particularly developing puppies in their first year.

Hip Score

BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme scores radio graphs. The lower the ‘hip score’ the less the better. The minimum (best) score for each hip is zero and the maximum (or least desirable) is 53, giving a range for the total score of 0 to 106.

Sires (fathers) to be bred from should ideally be ones whose offspring have consistently low scores. The same selection procedure should be used for breeding bitches, since the use of animals with higher scores will increase the risk of producing offspring with higher scores.

For fees and further information  contact: CHS, 7 Mansfield Street, London, W1G 9NQ.   Tel 020 7908 6380   Email chs@bva.co.uk     /  www.bva.co.uk/chs

The breed mean score: The suggested mean score for Cockapoos is 12/13.

Parent dogs affected: American Cocker Spaniel / English Shower Cocker / English Working Cocker / Miniature Poodle / Toy Poodle

Health testing: Advised

[see diet and Hip Dysplasia]

Retinal Dysplasia

What is it: Retinal dysplasia appears as streaks and dots in the central retina affecting a dog’s eye site. Most cases are hereditary.

Onset age: Adult dogs

Symptoms: Mild retinal dysplasia may not show symptoms. In dogs with more severe cases, the symptoms may include being afraid of the dark (even inside the house), bumping into things and noticeable visual impairment.

Cure: None

Prevention: Other than an inherited condition, retinal dysplasia may be bought on by prenatal infections like the the Herpes-virus. Herpes-virus causes inflammation of the eye and retinal dysplasia may develop later on in life. Also Parvo-virus and exposure to toxins can cause retinal dysplasia in dogs.

Parent dogs affected: American Cocker Spaniel

Health testing: Advisable

Summary

Most Cockapoo health problems can be avoided by Cockapoo Breeders UK. Why roll the dice and buy a puppy off the internet – it will probably end in heart break

Do you sleep with your cockapoo?

The subject of how many people sleep with their dogs was discussed at last year’s annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. A survey they had commissioned reported half of patients who had sought help with their tiredness slept with their pets.

Cockapoos in particular are a breed that lends itself to being a popular nocturnal partner.

Why Is this the case?

1. As a companion dog a large proportion of cockapoo owners are single. With no partner to share a bed it’s easy for a dog to take the place of another warm body. At bed time it’s understandable that people want a bit of animal comfort and your adorable cockapoo is eager to oblige.

Dogs are looking for humans to re-create the warmth and security of the litter where they learned to be happy co-sleepers who want to snuggle up. Psychologist Stanley Coren refers to speculation among anthropologists that human-canine co-sleeping may even be encoded in our respective DNA.

2. Cockapoos are compact. It’s not like you’re making room for Saint Bernard. The largest cockapoo would be a Standard or Maxi weighing no more than 19 lbs. / 8.61 kg. The UK standard is slightly bigger than the American version of 15 inches with the longest being 24 inches long. So no need to go and buy a bigger bed.

3. They are very cuddly. Cockapoo owners would agree these are the cutest dogs on the planet. Their looks have propelled them to being one of the most popular dog breeds. On a cold night what could be more irresistible than hugging something this cute.  Also a dog’s body temperature is approximately three to six degrees warmer than our own.

4. They won’t leave too much fur behind. Cockapoos are often referred to as non-shedding. This isn’t quite true. But they are minimal shedders so you won’t have to be shaking out the duvet in the morning.

Here are some tips for a better nights sleep with your cockapoo:

• Brush his teeth regularly. Bad breath is never welcome so make sure you brush regularly with a branded doggy toothpaste.

• Avoid dog food that makes him flatulent. Experiment with giving your cockapoo the right blend of kibble and wet food. Too much canned wet food will often cause flatulency in a dog.

• Don’t take him under the covers. Dogs don’t get a solid eight hours like humans. They mostly doze and like to move around a lot. Keeping them under the duvet will constrict their nocturnal movements causing them to wake you up.

• Make sure your cockapoo is not over weight. As well as being a precursor to many health issues, an overweight dog is likely to snore.

In Summary

The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School reported that “chronic sleep deprivation may lead to a host of health problems including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even early mortality.”

Remember sleep deprivation is a torture technique so if your cockapoo doesn’t make a good bed fellow for whatever reason, be firm and deny him your bed.

However, if you follow the guidance above, sleeping with your cockapoo can be a great comfort for dog and owner.