Cockapoo

Usually friendly and playful; eager to please.
A Cockapoo
Photo: Graham Morazán
Adult weight
5.4–9.5 kg
12–21 lb
Lifespan
12–15 yrs
Handler demand
Suits a first-time owner
Class · Family
also Companion

What it's like

In temperament the Cockapoo is usually friendly, playful and affectionate, and owners often describe it as combining the spaniel's eagerness to please with the Poodle's quick mind. It tends to be sociable with people and other dogs. Those from working Cocker lines may be busier and more driven by scent than those from show lines.

Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Suits a first-time owner
With people
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Bonded to its family
Independence
Keen to work with you
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Usually fine with small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
Is a Cockapoo right for you?
Take the breed matcher

Living with one

The heat study found no clear difference from a Labrador.

Size and growth

A Cockapoo is a small dog, heavier than a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and lighter than a Pug.

Because parentage varies so widely, so does its appearance. Many Cockapoos have a rounded head, long hanging ears and a compact, sturdy build. The coat may be tightly curled, loosely waved or fairly flat, and in many dogs it keeps growing and needs regular clipping. Colours are varied and include apricot, red, black, cream, chocolate and parti-colour patterns.

Varieties

American Cockapoo Club divides this breed by size. Pick the variety your dog is for a band that fits.
Variety
Weight
Height
Toy
Miniature
5.9–9.1 kg (registry figure)6
28–36 cm (registry figure)6
Standard

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 3 months, a male Cockapoo puppy is already as heavy as a grown Chihuahua. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
10 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight8
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
02.557.5102m4m6m9m12m18m
02.557.5102m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
1.6–2.8 kg 3.5–6.2 lb
1.7–3.1 kg 3.7–6.8 lb
3 months
2.2–3.8 kg 4.9–8.4 lb
2.2–3.9 kg 4.9–8.6 lb
4 months
2.9–5.2 kg 6.4–11.5 lb
3.0–5.2 kg 6.6–11.5 lb
5 months
3.5–6.2 kg 7.7–13.7 lb
3.5–6.2 kg 7.7–13.7 lb
6 months
4.0–7.1 kg 8.8–15.7 lb
3.9–6.9 kg 8.6–15.2 lb
7 months
4.3–7.6 kg 9.5–16.8 lb
4.3–7.5 kg 9.5–16.5 lb
8 months
4.6–8.1 kg 10.1–17.9 lb
4.5–7.9 kg 9.9–17.4 lb
9 months
4.8–8.4 kg 10.6–18.5 lb
4.7–8.2 kg 10.4–18.1 lb
10 months
4.9–8.6 kg 10.8–19.0 lb
4.8–8.5 kg 10.6–18.7 lb
11 months
5.0–8.8 kg 11.0–19.4 lb
4.9–8.6 kg 10.8–19.0 lb
12 months
5.1–9.0 kg 11.2–19.8 lb
5.0–8.8 kg 11.0–19.4 lb
15 months
5.3–9.3 kg 11.7–20.5 lb
5.2–9.2 kg 11.5–20.3 lb

Health and lifespan

In UK vet and lab records, the conditions below turn up more often in Cockapoos than in crossbreeds. The most serious, mouth melanoma, can shorten a life and is more likely. These are figures for the breed as a whole, not a prediction for your dog.
Listed by likelihood level, highest first, then by how serious it is, then by name.
  • Mouth melanoma
    Lab-confirmed cases
    More likely
    Impact: life-limiting
  • Gum disease
    More likely
    Impact: moderate
  • Ear canal inflammation
    More likely
    Impact: minor
  • Skin fold inflammation
    Slightly more likely
    Impact: moderate
  • Sudden-onset diarrhoea
    Slightly more likely
    Impact: minor
Lab-confirmed: compares dogs whose tumour samples went to a lab with dogs seen in general practice, so the figures run higher than vet-record ones.

Lifespan

No vet study has measured how long Cockapoos live yet. The 12–15 years shown is a general figure without a published source.

Where it comes from

The Cockapoo crosses a Cocker Spaniel with a Poodle, usually a Toy or Miniature, and according to the Cockapoo Club of GB dates back in the United States to about 1950. The name covers first crosses, later generations and back-crosses, so the club says a breed standard would be impossible; it aims to keep a register of parentage and health tests14,15.

The Cockapoo was bred as a companion rather than a working dog, and it is often cited as an early example of the deliberate Poodle crosses later grouped together as designer dogs. In North America the spaniel parent is usually the American Cocker Spaniel, while British breeders more often use the English Cocker, sometimes from working lines. The Kennel Club does not recognise the Cockapoo as a breed, and its rise in Britain came mainly in the early twenty-first century.

Breed standard

One registry divides it into three varieties by size, each with its own weight range.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Cockapoo figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a small breed is most likely at the early end.

Compare with related

Poodle (Miniature)
Companion & toy · Small
English Cocker Spaniel
Retrievers & water dogs · Medium
Labradoodle
Non-sporting · Medium
Bichon Frise
Companion & toy · Small
Or compare the Cockapoo with any breed you choose
Track your own Cockapoo
Log a minute a day and watch them sit on these curves. Free.

Sources

Uncited on this page: Lifespan — no reviewed source yet, so it is a general reference figure rather than a published one.
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Parts of this page were written by AI ·