Cockapoo full grown: size, coat and temperament

The ones we raise end up between 6 and 11 kg (13–24 lb) and between 30 and 40 cm (12–16 in) at the shoulder. It is a small-to-medium dog: bigger than a Maltipoo, considerably smaller than a Border Collie.

The range is wide because it depends on the parents. One is a Cocker Spaniel and the other a Poodle, and Poodles come in several sizes. A Cockapoo from a small Poodle will tend toward the lower end; nobody can tell you exactly where. Meeting both parents and knowing what they weigh is the most reliable guide you will get.

“Mini Cockapoo” and “toy Cockapoo” are, as with the Maltipoo, advertising labels with no standard behind them. We explain it in is a Maltipoo or a Cockapoo a breed?.

Little, in most cases. From the Poodle it inherits hair that grows continuously and tends to stay in the coat rather than fall. But the Cocker Spaniel does shed, and in a cross the result is not uniform:

With any of the three, a groomer every six to eight weeks. And mind the ears: they are long, drooping and hairy, like a Cocker’s, and need checking and drying every week.

There is no such thing as a one hundred percent hypoallergenic dog. If someone at home has allergies, spend a few hours with an adult Cockapoo before deciding.

Cheerful, sociable and very tuned in to its people. It gets along with children and with other dogs, learns quickly and likes to be part of everything that happens at home.

What surprises many families is the energy. The Cocker is a hunting dog and the Poodle once was too: the Cockapoo inherits the urge to move from both. Of the four breeds in our Companion line, it is the one that asks for the most activity.

• It needs long walks and play every day, not just a quick trip outside to relieve itself.
• It appreciates jobs for its head: finding treats, learning tricks, scent games.
• It copes badly with long hours alone: it is sociable to the core.
• Well exercised, it is calm and affectionate indoors.

If you see yourself more in the right-hand column, look at the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the calm one of the family, or the Maltipoo, which is smaller and more of a homebody.

Those of the two breeds being crossed. For a Cockapoo we require, and publish, four:

• Hip dysplasia, with X-rays.
• PRA (progressive retinal atrophy), which the Cocker and the Poodle share.
• FN (familial nephropathy), a hereditary kidney disease of the Cocker Spaniel.
• Eye exam, with a date.

A cross is not healthier just for being a cross: it is healthier if its parents have been tested. Since there is no pedigree, these tests are the only guarantee with any substance.

It adapts to every climate zone (piso térmico). Because its energy is high, in the hot lowlands (tierra caliente) exercise happens very early or at night, with the coat kept short and water close by. In the cool highlands it is enough to dry it well after a bath or the rain.

Colombia has very few Cockapoo breeders, and it shows in the ads: see the Cockapoo price guide and the Maltipoo vs Cockapoo comparison.