Those problems are just something to be aware of and I certainly wouldn't let it put you off, just be aware.

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Zenii has so much love to give and she gets away with far more than any of my other dogs, both now and in the past. I let her sleep in my bedroom and she sits with me on the sofa. If I'm honest, this is more about me needing comfort than the other way round and she makes me laugh so much. She's so cheeky but is not over the top and is always sorry when she knows she's been caught out. 

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If you want to share your life with an intelligent, easy to train, happy to go anywhere, loves long walks or just a snuggle on the sofa then maybe a Poo is for you. As with anything, you get out what you put in and, being a clever type of dog means they can learn bad habits as well as good. 

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Zenii is half working cocker spaniel,

which suits me as we do agility and

hoopers and I need the drive for her to

be competitive at dog sports. She also

likes to hunt and present me with any

successes (yuk) but any spaniel owner would say this is normal behaviour. 

Her father is a KC registered miniature poodle so you have to consider, poodles being the second most intelligent dog behind a border collie, that your Poo is 

going to be a clever little darling. This makes them awesome

at learning tricks and very easy to train.

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Grooming - it came as quite a shock to me just how much care and maintenance a Poo needs. My collies, despite their long fur, needed a quick brush once a week, a bit of trimming around the toes and all done. Enter the cockapoo, well..... your new friend cannot be clipped until they are 6 months old! So the fur just keeps on coming - and you are right - they don't tend to shed fur, so what happens to it all? It matts together, unless you keep on top of it with a slicker brush and metal toothed comb. This will need to be done at least every other day to avoid your puppy's coat matting and for the rest of their lives.

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Personally, I've always found grooming to be therapeutic so its not a chore for me. Zenii loves the attention and is happy for me to groom her, I also clip her myself and have invested in a decent set of dog clippers, scissors, brushes and combs. You don't have to do it yourself, if you don't, Poos will need to visit the groomer roughly every 6 weeks BUT you will still need to brush and comb them in between. 

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It is also a good idea to get them used to the grooming

process so if you're planning on sending them to a

groomer, have a few bathing sessions with your groomer

before their actual clip, eyes can be cleared, ears cleaned

and nails clipped as well as getting them smelling sweet.

 

Being a poodle cross-breed also means your Poo is likely

suffer with ear hair inside the ear canal. Your groomer may

offer the service of removing it but this is not always part

of a regular groom session. 

I would advise having it removed because the ear canal needs to breath, and it can't if its full of hair, and will just keep growing. 

 

Being a spaniel cross means they need to have their ears regularly cleaned, another reason to have the hair removed. Cleaning ears doesn't mean you have to scrap ear wax out; putting ear cleaner in, massage it a bit then let your Poo shake their head. This should dislodge any dirt that can be easily wiped away with a tissue or wet wipe. 

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