# 9 month old cockapoo - help please



## Adzie (Sep 28, 2011)

Hi Everyone

We are going to look at a 9 month old cockapoo this weekend who we really hope could be a great addition to our family and befriend our children of our 4 year old boy and 8 year old girl. He is a dog and is not neutered and his current owner has genuine reasons for having to sell him.

I would really appreciate some advice regarding what to look for when we go and see the dog and also what questions we should be asking the owner when we visit.

I have been reading through a lot of the discussions on the website and feel much better informed now about cockapoos and also absolutely convinced that a cockapoo dog as well as a bitch can be a great pet for us - initially I was only looking for a bitch.

If we fall in love with him and bring him home with us what would you recommend we do to help him settle into our family life ? 

Finally I feel we should neuter him but when should we do this as it feels wrong to even consider this until he is fully settled with us.

Sorry for the lengthily text but this is an important decision for us all and if we go for it I want it to be right for me, my wife, my kids and most importantly for Scooby the 9 month old cockapoo.

Thanks for anything you feel would help.


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

Ahhhh there is a thread about Scooby where someone saw the advert for him. He looks gorgeous!!

Good luck with the visit. My only advice would be don't let your heart rule your head (even though it will). Find out what breeders he came from and what info he came from the breeders with. 

As for settling him in, I would try and keep things as similar routine wise as he is used to. If he has been in a crate at night then do the same. If they will let you have some toys and blankets that he is used to, especially a favourite toy, that will help him settle.

Good luck!!


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Posted twice for some reason!


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Hi Steve.

How lovely that you are looking to rehome Scooby. 

Are you concerned with the health of the dog? Will you want to know about the history from the breeder that his present owner got him from? Such as the parent dog's pedigrees or health tests? You might not be but if so you could ask to see the original documents. As a minimum it would be good to know that Scooby had one parent DNA tested and was clear of PRA.

If I was in your position I would be looking at how the dog reacts to your and the children when you visit. You don't want a nervous dog around children. Does he already live with children?

I would want to know:

What is he like around other dogs?
What is he like when strangers come to the house (you will see this I guess!  )?
What is he like when out and about? Does he bark at passers by? 
What does he eat at the moment?
What are his sleeping arrangements (is he crate trained)?
Does he moult (again this may not be important for you)?
Is he house trained?
Does he chew things in a destructive way?
Do you have anyother pets to think about? Cats?
Can he be left alone or does he have any kind of separation issues?

I am sure other people will come up with more questions or something obvious that I have forgotton! 

Regarding neutering, personally I would wait until he was settled and preferably after he was at least one year old to allow him to mature properly. This is one of those areas however where there are different opinions. I would read up about the pros and cons of neutering early or later and make a decision based on what you feel is right. Even the vets have differing opinions on it all!

Please feel free to have a read about neutering on the Cockapoo Owners Club site. There is a link to an article which describes the health implications of neutering early or later, it is interesting reading.  Spaying and Neutering

Lastly, I wish you lots of luck on your visit to see Scooby. I hope that it goes well and look forward to the update!


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## embee (Dec 27, 2010)

Also bear in mind that he will be an adolescent dog which can be the most challenging phase a dog goes through so be prepared for the fact that you'll be settling a teenage dog into a new home. This isn't necessarily a problem, and some dogs sail through their adolescent stage easily, but it just another aspect to be aware of.


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

embee said:


> Also bear in mind that he will be an adolescent dog which can be the most challenging phase a dog goes through so be prepared for the fact that you'll be settling a teenage dog into a new home. This isn't necessarily a problem, and some dogs sail through their adolescent stage easily, but it just another aspect to be aware of.


Good point!


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## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

Good advice from everyone... I saw the picture of Scooby on preloved..he is
gorgeous. I hope it all works out and you are able to give him a lovely home


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## S.Claire (Sep 1, 2011)

I think Sarah's (sezra) said it all!! Good luck and I hope he is perfect for you. I have a 9 month old male cockapoo which I've had from a pup and he is definitely in his naughty stage at the mo but still completely gorgeous, loving and the perfect companion. Let us know what you decide!


xx


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## Janev1000 (Oct 4, 2011)

I hope it works out for you - I've already looked at the pic of Scooby and think he looks totally gorgeous. Please let us know how you get on!


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## Pollypiglet (Oct 22, 2011)

Think the main question is why are they letting him go? Is it because they do not have time for him or is it because he is a difficult dog. Be very careful about taking on someone elses problem as the worst case scenario would be if you could not cope then he had to be moved on again therefore rienforcing the problem. If your lifestyle is different from the current owners that may resolve any issues but NEVER TAKE ON A DOG OUT OF PITTY as this can often result in yet another rehoming.


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## mand123green (Dec 21, 2011)

Pollypiglet said:


> Think the main question is why are they letting him go? Is it because they do not have time for him or is it because he is a difficult dog. Be very careful about taking on someone elses problem as the worst case scenario would be if you could not cope then he had to be moved on again therefore rienforcing the problem. If your lifestyle is different from the current owners that may resolve any issues but NEVER TAKE ON A DOG OUT OF PITTY as this can often result in yet another rehoming.


I sooooo agree with the above - it would be just awful for a dog to be adopted then re-homed again :-( 

We adopted a 4 year old Cockapoo recently and although it's different than adopting an adolescent, the main things that concerned me with adopting an older dog (we ideally wanted a dog in the 2 year old region) was separation anxiety as both me and my partner work. I think you have to look at your lifestyle and make sure that the dog is going to fit in with it. I was not as knowledgeable about Cockapoo's and didn't do the research and I certainly didn't ask enough questions, but tbh I think we would have rehomed him anyway as we fell in love with him straight away, even though he was a bit crazy, lol. He was already used to being left while his previous owners went to work etc...

There is much more to consider with children though, all of which have already been mentioned. 

I wish you much luck when you meet him - absolutely love the name


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## Adzie (Sep 28, 2011)

Thank you all for your very helpful comments. 

Unfortunately for us Scooby has gone to another home before we got a chance to meet him - we are all gutted. However, sometimes things happen for a reason and we are now thinking we will wait until after all of our holidays for this year are finished at the end of August and try to get a puppy in September. This way we won't have to go through the disappointment we have just experienced and can bring up our puppy exactly as we would like from a very young age - we can get also then get ourselves and our house fully ready for our new addition.

If anyone can recommend a good breeder near to Evesham in Worcestershire I would really appreciate it and I will let you all know how we are getting on and who we end up buying later this year.


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## Turi (Jun 28, 2011)

Hi Steve, 

My name is Turi. Welcome to the forum :welcome: 

I’ve been watching this thread with interest – I’m sorry to hear that you missed out with Scooby but like you said, sometimes these things happen for a reason. 

I don’t know what ‘type’ of Cockapoo you’re after but below I’ve listed some commercial breeders within a 2.5 hour radius of you and any of their pups that are on the forum so you can take a look. 

Marley Doodles – Thirza – Gloucestershire - 07980 865 284. Thirza’s bitches are from a mix of show and working lines. Do a search on here for Oakley or Whynny
Broadreach Cockapoos – Anne – Hertfordshire – 07947 676 397, Anne’s bitches are all from working lines. Do a search for Mia or Saffi (see below)
Jukee Doodles – Julia – Lincolnshire – 07590 200 028. Julia’s bitches are all from working lines. Do a search for Basil or Boston
Syml Cockapoos – Sylvia – Lincolnshire – 07974 225 495. Sylvia has English Show and American Cocker bitches Do a search for Kendal or Millydog
Anzil Cockapoos – Antony – Liverpool – 07871 907 532 – Anthony has English Show and American Cocker bitches. Do a search for Laura (L) Izzy. 
Jandaz Cockapoos – Janice – Cardiganshire – 07966 302 043 – Janice has all English working line, English show lines and American Cockapoos. Do a search for Bo. 
Moss Bank Farm – Bob – Lancashire – 07768 005 229 – Bob’s bitches are English working lines. None on here that I know of.

We’re getting our Cockapoo ‘Saffi’ from Broadreach Dogs in just over two weeks. We’ve been waiting for a year but it’s well worth it! 

I hope this helps!

Turi


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## Adzie (Sep 28, 2011)

Turi

Thanks for the information on breeders near to us. Will have a look at their details and get in touch with some of them soon to see what might be available around September.

Will update you with how we get on and good luck with Saffi.


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Hi Steve.

Sorry to hear that you never got to meet Scooby. 

Have a look on www.breedersonline.co.uk They include smaller hobby breeders aswell as the commercial ones. If you would like advice on choosing breeders, health tests and useful questions please have a look at the Cockapoo Owners Club pages. http://www.cockapoo-owners-club.org.uk/cockapoo_finding_a_breeder.html

Good luck in your search for a puppy and do let us know how you get on.


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## mand123green (Dec 21, 2011)

'Unfortunately for us Scooby has gone to another home before we got a chance to meet him - we are all gutted.'

Oh it's so sad, we absolutely feel your pain - missed out on a few that sounded ideal for our circumstances this way! 

Good luck in your search for a pup  - I have massive pup envy looking on forums / fb pages!!!! Although, reading some threads on here, it does sound like very hard (but rewarding) work.

If you do revert to the adoption route, then be sure that you are not taking on an existing problem as already stated on here - most dogs that we enquired about were being re-homed from families where they just couldn't give the dog enough time due to either 2nd child arriving or on it's way!! Perfectly good dogs with children and other dogs which was a big necessity for us even though we don't have children ourselves.

Hope you can manage to hold off until Sept - now that will be hard ;-)


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## Janev1000 (Oct 4, 2011)

Ah sorry to hear about Scooby - he does look lovely - although I'm sure you'll have no problem in finding your very own 'Scooby'. You're lucky to have found this forum before buying your pup as it gives so much advice and is full of really nice people. I'm sure you'll find the perfect pup now. I wish I'd found it before we bought our pup (although no regrets in the choice) - I just thought a cockapoo was a cockapoo and didn't realise all the different mixes involved. However, I gained many tips on here before we brought him home and it really made a massive difference and I've found raising a puppy far easier than I anticipated. All the best for your search - we may be looking to get another around that time too!


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

Would you believe I've just met Scooby as he's been rehome in Windsor! I had gone to meet a friend for a coffee and saw a dog trying to get to Betty that I realised was a Cockapoo so I got chatting to the owner who said he was 10months and they had only had him a month. So I said did he come from up north and explained how I knew that!!

What a coincidence but at least we know he's got a lovely home and it's very likely that we will see him again!!!


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## Turi (Jun 28, 2011)

What a coincidence - small world!


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

Turi you are so thorough.

Don't rush Steve, you will find your puppy. Enjoy your search.


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## Janev1000 (Oct 4, 2011)

That's lovely Jules! - I would have loved to have met Scooby. Would be great if they joined the forum.


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## designsbyisis (Dec 27, 2011)

Janev1000 said:


> That's lovely Jules! - I would have loved to have met Scooby. Would be great if they joined the forum.


I was just thinking that - it would be lovely to see how he is getting on


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## JulesB (Mar 6, 2011)

If/when I see them I'll see if I can persuade them to join. They said he is doing well and he looked happy.


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## Adzie (Sep 28, 2011)

So glad that Scooby is happy and successfully rehomed.


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