Which F Type & What Size Cockapoo?

F1      means first cross. Parents are Spaniel/Poodle. 
F1b    means one parent is a Cockapoo and the other parent is either a poodle or a spaniel.
F2      means both parents are Cockapoos.

Here is the confusion - we can confirm that all the F type litters can have different looking, different coats,  in the SAME litter.

All pups younger than 5 weeks look virtually the same, so you will NOT be able to tell the look and coat of your Cockapoo. You may end up with a smooth- coated Cockapoo which looks like a spaniel. While some people love this, others may prefer a shaggy coat.

Any good breeder who knows the Cockapoo and Cavapoo well, will NOT permit anyone to select their pup until at least 6 weeks of age.

If they do, and you see a litter of pups only a few weeks old and a breeder is asking you to pick a pup, don't do it - unless of course you don't mind what coat or what look it will have. Some back yard breeders are only interested in selling the pups, and will try and get you to commit to buy a pup at a very young age. 

THE FACTS.

Any/all Cockapoo litters, whether it be F1, F1b or F2, can have variants in the litter. Some can lean more towards the poodle, have longer noses and poodle tight wool coats. Some can be smoother and lean more towards the spaniel, (shedding coat) and others are shaggy coated (tend to be low/non shedding). We have seen odd looking F1, F2, F1b's and also stunning F1, F2, and F1b's, all from the same litter.  So we can confirm it is NOT which type of "F" it is, it is more to do with the look YOU want. That look can come in any of the "F's. The look of your Cockapoo comes from its parents and the breeding lines not the “F” type.

• F1s are more consistent in their looks and coat types, however you can still get smooth coated in F1 litters. 
• Never select your pup until it is at least 6/7 weeks of age.
• With F2’s you can get what is called "throwbacks" or  "the grandad effect"  in the litter, 1, 2 or 3 pups in a litter may be smooth coated or very curly, showing the extremes towards spaniel or poodle.  
• Never select your pup until it is 6/7 weeks of age.
• F1b - depending on the cross, can be curlier, but not always.  
• Never select your pup until it is 6/7 weeks of age. 
• The F type does NOT determine the size, the parents do. 

The raffles breeding lines are proven and well established, so we have consistent looking Cockapoos, and we are very experienced, but hobby breeders who have no history with previous matings or consistent breeding from the same stud dog, cannot know or predict what the litter will look like. 

WHAT SIZE?

A Cockapoo comes in different sizes. It is determined by the parents.

• Toy Poodle - this will give the size of a very small toy dog. (normally below 10" in height)
• Miniature Poodle - mid size - this will give a typical size of a Cocker Spaniel
• Standard Poodle - This  will give the size of a tall labrador or even taller.

You can also get the variants, so you can get a small miniature, or a larger miniature and they can be anywhere from 10" to 16" in height.

You can also have variants to the size of the spaniel - you can get smaller spaniels and larger spaniels. 

Note the Cockapoo is mostly historically bred from the miniature poodle as the size is more compatible in mating with a spaniel.  A toy poodle and a spaniel have very different bone/joint size structures. Normally breeding needs to be kept on a consistent basis with a general match of size and this is why we don't use the toy poodle here at Raffles. 

SO WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO TO FIND THE RIGHT COCKAPOO FOR YOU?

• At Raffles one of our policies is we won't let anyone select a pup until it is at least 6 weeks of age.
• Our breeding lines are very stable and we can advise you exactly the coat type of your pup, and also identify what coat type you prefer.
• A Cockapoo coat will change as it grows and a shaggy coat develops every week, so at 16/20 weeks you have a proper looking shaggy bear on your hands.
• If your dog is for the next 12/16 years, or thereabouts, our advice is NEVER select your Cockapoo pup until it is 6/7 weeks of age minimum.
• Purchasing a crossbred pup is very different than purchasing a pedigree pup.
• Beware of any breeder who wants you to select a pup from any litter before it is 6 weeks of age.

To read more, visit For The Love Of Cockapoos.