# Are the Maltipoo and the Cockapoo breeds? Pedigree and the ACCC explained

https://casatrufa.com/en/guides/is-a-maltipoo-a-breed-pedigree

By Casa Trufa · Published: 2026-10-07

No. The Maltipoo (Maltese × Poodle) and the Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel × Poodle) are crosses. The FCI does not recognize them as breeds and they cannot be entered in the ACCC stud book, so they cannot have a pedigree. We raise them and say so: in a cross, the assurance is not a registration paper but the parents’ health tests.

## In short

- The Maltipoo and the Cockapoo are crosses of two breeds, not recognized breeds.
- They have no pedigree: anyone who offers one is claiming something that cannot be.
- The parents can be purebred, with registration and with health tests.
- Without a pedigree, what you should ask for is the health documents of both parents.

## What exactly is a Maltipoo? And a Cockapoo?

A **Maltipoo** is the offspring of a Maltese and a Poodle, or of two Maltipoos. A **Cockapoo** is the offspring of a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle. These planned crosses between two breeds are sometimes called “designer dogs” or, when one parent is a Poodle, “doodles”.

They are not “criollo” dogs, as mixed-breed dogs are called in Colombia, and they are not the result of an accident: some breeders plan them with the same care as a pure breed. But planning a cross doesn’t make it a breed.

## Why aren’t they recognized breeds?

A recognized breed has a **standard** — a document that describes what it should be like — and a closed population that, generation after generation, resembles that standard. The FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) publishes those standards for much of the world, Colombia included. Its list of breeds includes the [Maltese](https://www.fci.be/es/nomenclature/MALTESE-65.html), the Cocker Spaniel and the Poodle. It does not include the Maltipoo or the Cockapoo.

And they are unlikely to be added soon: two Maltipoos can have puppies that differ widely from one another in size and coat. As long as that happens, there is no fixed type to describe.

## What is a pedigree, and who issues it in Colombia?

A pedigree is the document that certifies a purebred dog’s ancestry: who its parents, grandparents and great-grandparents are, all of them registered. In Colombia it is issued by the **ACCC (Asociación Club Canino Colombiano, Colombia’s FCI member kennel club)**, a private organization.

Its [breeding regulations](https://accc.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/REGLAMENTO-DE-CRIANZA-ACCC-2024-.pdf) require breeding with dogs that are purebred by pedigree. A cross of two breeds, by definition, doesn’t qualify, so **a Maltipoo or a Cockapoo cannot be registered**. There is no exception and no official alternative registry: Colombia has no government registry of breeders either.

> If someone offers you a Maltipoo “with pedigree”, ask for the registration number and check it with the ACCC. Most likely the paper belongs to one of the parents, or comes from a private registry with no standing.

## So what assurance does a cross come with?

The same one that should matter to you in a pure breed: the parents’ health, demonstrated. A pedigree tells you who a dog descends from, not whether it is healthy.

| Cross | Parents | Tests to ask for from the parents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Maltipoo | Maltese and Poodle | Patellar luxation, PRA (progressive retinal atrophy), hip dysplasia |
| Cockapoo | Cocker Spaniel and Poodle | Hip dysplasia, PRA, FN (familial nephropathy), eye exam |

Add to that what applies to any puppy: a written contract, a vaccination record signed by a veterinarian, going home no earlier than eight weeks and the legal guarantee under Colombia’s Law 1480 of 2011 (Consumer Statute). The parents, if they are purebred, can be registered: ask about it.

## Is a cross healthier than a purebred dog?

It is a widespread idea and only half true. Crossing two breeds lowers the chance that two copies of the same recessive defect, specific to one of them, come together. But if both breeds share a problem — patellar luxation and retinal atrophy, for example, appear in several small breeds — the cross doesn’t erase it.

Put another way: a cross of two untested dogs is not healthier than anything. A cross of two tested dogs does start with an advantage.

## Why do we put it so plainly?

Because the law asks for it and because it is what we would want to be told. The Consumer Statute requires truthful information about what is handed over; presenting a cross as a “breed with pedigree” is misleading advertising.

And because people looking for a Maltipoo or a Cockapoo are almost never looking for a piece of paper: they are looking for a small or medium-sized dog that is sociable, sheds little and is healthy. That can be offered honestly. If a pedigree matters to you — for dog shows, for example — your dog is the [Maltese](https://casatrufa.com/en/breeds/maltese), and the comparison [Maltese vs Maltipoo](https://casatrufa.com/en/compare/maltese-vs-maltipoo) will help you decide.

## Frequently asked questions

**Is the Maltipoo a recognized breed?** No. It is a cross between a Maltese and a Poodle. The FCI does not recognize it and the ACCC cannot enter it in its stud book, because its regulations require breeding with dogs that are purebred by pedigree.

**Does a Cockapoo have a pedigree?** No. The Cockapoo is a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle, and it cannot be registered. Its parents can have a pedigree if they are purebred.

**What should I ask for if the puppy has no pedigree?** The health tests of both parents, dated and documented, a written contract, a vaccination record signed by a veterinarian, and the chance to see the mother. That is what really tells you how the puppy will turn out.

**Is a Maltipoo a mixed-breed (“criollo”) dog?** Not in the usual sense. It is a planned cross between two specific breeds. But it is not a breed either: it is a first- or second-generation mix, and saying so takes nothing away from it.

## Sources

1. [Asociación Club Canino Colombiano: Reglamento de crianza 2024 (ACCC breeding regulations, 2024)](https://accc.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/REGLAMENTO-DE-CRIANZA-ACCC-2024-.pdf)
2. [FCI: estándar n.º 65, Maltés (FCI standard No. 65, Maltese; page in Spanish)](https://www.fci.be/es/nomenclature/MALTESE-65.html)
3. [Ley 1480 de 2011, Estatuto del Consumidor (Law 1480 of 2011, Consumer Statute)](http://www.secretariasenado.gov.co/senado/basedoc/ley_1480_2011.html). Legal guarantee and the information owed to consumers
4. [Senado de la República: ponencia para primer debate del Proyecto de Ley 002 de 2025 (Colombian Senate, committee report for the first debate on Bill 002 of 2025)](https://www.senado.gov.co/index.php/documentos/comisiones/constitucionales/comision-quinta/proyectos-de-ley/proyectos-de-ley-y-ponencias-periodo-constitucional-2022-2026/proyectos-de-ley-y-ponencias-legislatura-20-julio-2025-20-julio-2026/p-de-l-no-002-2025-senado-reproduccion-cria-y-comercializacion-de-animales-de-compania/8995-ponencia-1er-debate-p-de-l-no-002-2025-senado-reproduccion-cria-y-comercializacion-de-animales-de-compania/file). A bill, not a law; we could not confirm its current status. The citations of Decree 780 of 2016 also come from this text