Cockapoo

Cockapoo (also called a Spoodle or Cockerpoo) is a hybrid dog, created by crossing an American Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle (in most cases the Miniature Poodle or Toy Poodle), or by breeding Cockapoo to Cockapoo. The Cockapoo has been popular in the United States since at least the 1960s. It has become so common that many Cockapoos are the result of breeding Cockapoo to Cockapoo (F3) rather than of a direct cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle.Cockapoos have also become very popular in other countries. In Australia and Sweden, they are usually called Spoodles, and can be the result of mating either the American Cocker Spaniel or English Cocker Spaniel with a Poodle, or of breeding successive generations of Spoodles. Some Cockapoos are bred Cockapoo to Poodle this is called F2 (F1 is Cocker Spaniel to Poodle. Cockapoos tend to have far fewer genetic problems than their parent breeds. This is due to what some call hybrid vigor.Nevertheless, both Poodles and Cocker Spaniels can suffer from luxating patellas (loose knees) and PRA (Progressive retinal atrophy, an eye disorder), so it's essential to ensure that the parent dogs are tested for these problems.It's also important that a Cockapoo's ears be kept clean and dry, as like Cocker Spaniels and other long-eared dogs, they can be prone to ear infections.