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

Cockapoo of Excellence - My chocolate merle (aka brown camoulflage) cockpoo puppy, named Cocoa. - Pet Breeders Near Me - Weeki Wachee, Florida

See all

I can't say enough good things about Talea and her Cockapoo of Excellence! I highly recommend them! Talea was absolutely AMAZING to work with as a breeder. Her communication was so quick and she answered all of my many questions thoroughly. I would recommend her to any of my friends or family who were interested in buying a cockapoo. Her pups are adorable. We originally drove 2.5 hours up north each way to Iola to look at the pups who looked healthy and well cared for (and you could see how much they adored her!) We just lost our cockapoo of 17.5 years and did decide to wait and not buy a pup just yet (because we had our heart set on a another female pup instead of a male pup)... so we will wait for now. However, I will still give raving reviews as I have never met a better breeder who was so easy to work with and very sweet too! Highly recommend! read more

We had a great experience with Cockapoo of Excellence and working with Talea. Highly recommend!

I have TWO cockapoos from this Breeder. My experience has been amazing. My first puppy from Mike is now over eight. She is INCREDIBLY healthy, sweet, beautiful, intelligent and great with everyone. She just had a thorough physical prior to her dental cleaning. My vet didn't feel like the "old dog" blood work was needed because of her general health. It wasn't, and she did fine, in addition to having a good dental report. Because of my first experience with this breeder, when my rescued cockapoo died at age 16, I called Mike 3 months later and basically "ordered" my next puppy, and trusted Mike to chose my puppy. Being realistic, I didn't expect this puppy to be as perfect as the first. But to my surprise, she is just as wonderful. She is now 2 1/2 and very healthy as well. Not only have my puppies had to be shipped to CA, they have arrived healthy, adjusted easily, and have been socialized and easy to potty train. From what my vet has seen from my puppies, now dogs, she feels my breeder has sent me great dogs. Hopefully I wouldn't be in the market for another puppy for many years, but when I am, Mike will be the only Breeder I will contact. read more

I would not recommend buying your puppy here because obviously something is wrong. Cockapoos are generally free from physical problems. Some dogs are prone to certain diseases. That's why we chose a cockapoo. Our cockapoo, Lucky, just turned 7 years old. He started having high protein and kidney failure at 5 years old and we have done everything the specialists recommended to keep them from progressively getting worse. Now he is in the hospital with no hope since the medication is not working and he is starting to suffer. This is a genetic problem. A friend of ours who also bought her cockapoo, Ozzie, here 4 years ago had to put him down because of respiratory problems and low protein. This also was a genetic problem. We all know dogs do not outlive humans by any means but this is just so so wrong and hard for those of us who love these precious dogs. read more

I purchased my cockapoo Hapa almost 5 years ago and he is the best and most wonderful dog I could have asked for. He is the perfect mix of fun and sweet and loving. He is so smart! Everyone that meets Hapa says he is the best dog they have ever met. read more

We ordered our little Coco from Mike's over the internet, but also got some good reviews from neighbors. We met half way between our home and his. We love our little dog and she is a wonderful member of the family. I am surprised by the guy saying he got a 6 week old sick dog. Mike told me he usually waits until the puppy is 8 weeks old. Many neighbors have dogs from him and all are great. We will get another one from him in the future. read more

I purchased a beautiful cockapoo puppy from Mike in December 2009. She was flown from WI to LAX. She arrived in great condition and ready to become a member of our family. Her vet check was perfect and my vet is very thorough. She is a lovely, well socialized, sweet, affectionate puppy. She is smart and wants to please. She loves attention and wants to be with us all the time, yet doesn't have separation anxiety when she needs to be left. Also she has no submissive urination which my last rescued cockapoo had for the first five years and I really appreciate that! I had never purchased from a breeder before and had always rescued my cockapoos. But, the next one I get will be from Mike. He was easy to work with and if my puppy is an example of his puppies, I couldn't be happier. Mike was very easy to work with too. read more

We bought our dog Coconut from Mike's Cockapoos 7 1/2 years ago and couldn't be HAPPIER!!! She still has energy and fun behavior like a puppy and everyone who sees her thinks she's a puppy!! I will buy every dog, from now on, from Mike's cockapoo's! My kids talk regularly about wanting a second dog, and what colors they would like it to be next time. This one is chocolate and white. Super cute and very loving! Great with kids, loves when people visit, has a lot of personality. If you are having trouble with a cockapoo from Mike, I suggest calling him, since he warrantees his dogs for life! How could you go wrong! read more

We have a beautiful, loving, smart 3 year old cockapoo from Mike. She has brought so much joy to our household. The negative review from California cannot be valid. They would never let a 6 week old puppy leave them !! read more

I bought Gretchen 7 years ago when she was 7 weeks old. She took to me right away and since then we have been together 24/7. I can't believe how SMART she is. She still loves to play catch and plays many times per day with me. She loves company and they are impressed with her ability to catch a ball. I also bought her a sister from the here too but she does NOT seem to be a Cockapoo so I had a DNA test done on her and they could find no Poodle in her. I love her equally however. read more