I visited this breeder and purchased a cockapoo puppy about three months ago. So far, the experience has been terrific and I very likely will go to these folks again if I decide to get another dog.
I thought a lot about getting another kind of poodle mix (such as a miniature goldendoodle), but in the end, the fact that cockapoos tend to be very healthy dogs and that they have been bred for several decades made me feel more confident about this choice.
I decided to drive the three hours to visit the breeder when I saw a video of a dog (a chocolate merle puppy) that I found especially intriguing on the Instagram page. Although the owners were preoccupied with having their own baby at the hospital when I visited, I spent an hour or two meeting some puppies and talking to a young woman who worked on taking care of the dogs (and who seemed to have a good relationship with them).
I also got a chance to meet all of the puppy parents (including both parents of the puppy that I chose), since it was a nice day and they were outside on the dog runs. All the dogs seemed very friendly and sweet.
The country property looks pretty large and well-kept in general, and some of the Instagram videos make it seem that the puppies do get a chance to play outside. I thought that it was important to check out the property to get a sense of how clean it was (both in terms of hygiene with regard to the dogs and absence of toxic mold), and it felt good to me.
The dog I chose was about six months old, and to my knowledge had never been away from the home property before. He started out quite shy (which I suspect explains why he had not been adopted at an earlier age), and I spent quite a lot of time gently reassuring and praising him as I socialized him to do different things during the first few months. Now he is quite confident and happy and loving to all people and all dogs though, to the point that I keep being told over and over again that he should become a therapy dog. Maybe we will do it.
I also live in a resort area where he has learned to go off-leash really easily. He was mostly potty trained when I got him and seemed familiar with a few basic commands (e.g. sit and stay), and in general has been really open to following my lead in training as long as I am really loving and supportive in the process.
I took him to a vet a couple of days after bringing him home, and he received a 100% clean bill of health from that checkup. The only health issues that have been any sort of problem so far have been separation anxiety and "weepy" eyes - both of which are super-common in miniature poodles and cocker spaniels as well as cockpoos, and which we are working on.
The thing that seems a little unusual about this breeder is that they tend to price their young puppies relatively high and then after several months offer the leftover older puppies at reduced prices. I don't think this is any sort of a problem though. I did have a few people tell me that it might be harder for me to get my dog accustomed to new things because I had adopted him a little later than is typical, and it is true that he was shy at first. But now he seems to feel happy and confident doing anything I ask him to do with me (except to be left all by himself, which I am continuing to work on more).
A few other things that I know about this breeder is that they use just their own male and female dogs for breeding purposes; that they have been breeding cockapoos for a few decades (and were one of the founding members of the American Cockapoo Club); and that they seem to have maybe 6-8 litters of puppies per year (which I think seems to be a good number). They also have a lifetime guarantee against genetic illness (where they will refund the purchase price if a problem is found later in life), and while cockapoos tend not to have a lot of that kind of illness anyway, that is nice to know.
This is the first dog that I have owned as an adult, and the experience so far has exceeded my expectation. I never thought that I could love a little dog so much, or that he would be so charming and friendly that everyone else that we met would love him so much too! read more