Buying a pup online

[linkhttp://www.americancockapooclub.org/]http://www.americancockapooclub.org/[/link]
Another club...might look thru this one too.

Then get a puppy from the shelter.

ORIGINAL: rwbeagles

[linkhttp://www.cockapooclub.com/]http://www.cockapooclub.com/[/link]
They have a system of rating their breeders...you might have a look.

 
I saw that website, but was discouraged when there were only like 2 or 3 breeders with the highest star rating so it discouraged me from looking at the member who had lower star ratings.
 
I also searched this site [linkhttp://www.cockapoos.com/]http://www.cockapoos.com/[/link] & since it's a breed org, I will concentrate more on those.  I really didn't know that nextdaypets was bad.
Thanks for the links.

brandy,
I would say join yahoo groups for cockapoos or message boards/forums. But because you are looking specifically for a mixed breed pup, well, that's going to be a hard one. See, it's hard for me to be impartial in truly helping you. I want to help you, honestly. But I am SOOO against breeding mixed pups intentionally when thousands are euthed in shelters daily.

And I understand your issues with shelters. I adopted my dog who's a pit bull/something mix. She's an awesome dog. I had to bring my entire family up to Chicago to meet with the shelter worker and a trainer/behaviorist so that the behaviorist could observe her behavior with us and with my children.

They told me that my dog was great with other dogs. That she had been through obedience class training with other dogs and did just fine. I have since found out that my dog is dog aggressive. She had skin issues (and still does to this day) that they never told me about.
But since I adopted her, I have gotten to know a thing or two about shelters so that when I adopt again, it's going to be done with much more knowledge in my head. I will ask to have the dog around other dogs to see for myself of any dog aggression issues. I know now how to find a reputable shelter that has GREAT veterinary care for their animals.

If you buy from a crappy breeder, you could have the EXACT same issues as you might from adopting a dog at a shelter. If the breeder doesn't health test his dogs, how can he guarantee their health? I don't believe this guy health tests his dogs.
You know what? Here's my suggestion: Find a poodle forum and a cocker spaniel forum. Ask THEM about the health problems that run in their breeds. Then ask them about cockapoos. They'll probably be the best, most reliable source of information out there for you.[]

I will second what Glenda has indicated about nextdaypets....it is a factory of breeders selling their products...I wouldn't support them..
 
Go "local" or expand your search within a couple hours driving distance.
 
 

No problem....if you hang around Brandy you wil see most of us here love dogs a whole lot regardless of breed or pedigree, we just have strong opinions. [] I hope you will still ask questions if you have them down the line.
 
 
Moderator speaking
Folks...let's remember there's a person here needing some input and hopefully we can find ways to make our points without them feeling they're being beaten on the head with info..but rather offered it. []

How about rescues?  I can't be the ONLY one in the world insane enough to take pregnant mommas and newish litters.  That way you could HAVE a pup and know at least how he/she was raised.  And mostly thats going to be in a loving home with a foster mom who feels like that baby is her OWN.......

Thanks for all your response, they've been helpful & I will stick to the registered cockapoo clubs online.
 
I volunteer for Golden Retriever rescue, but since I live in an apt. they won't allow big dogs.  If they did I would be the first to take a dog from my organization. 

One thing I'm surprised no one has mentioned so far (unless I missed it, I don't think I did) is that very few good breeders will give you a dog without having had a face-to-face interview with you.  They need to make sure that you will be a good match for their pup.  If they are offering to ship the dog without having met you and you never having met the dog, I would walk away. 

ORIGINAL: micksmom

Where in NJ are you?  I've seen Cocker/Poodle mixes listed on shelter websites around here.  Not as often as I used to, but I have seen them.  Here's a Petfinder list of CockaPoos I found when I typed in my zip code.  [linkhttp://search.petfinder.com/search/search.cgi]http://search.petfinder.com/search/search.cgi[/link]

Also, as much as I don't agree with purposely breeding mixes, there is a woman here in NJ that breeds Cocker/Poodle mixes.  Two teachers where I work bought pups from her.  I'm not exactly sure where she is, but I want to say she's on the NY side of Jersey someplace.  Both teachers have raved about the wonderful temperment their dogs have.  I met one when they took our classes (the other teacher lives further away from me), and have to agree.

At Christmas time I saw the most adorable cocker spaniel / poodle mix (I can't stand designer names.  A mutts a mutt) in our county shelter.  The poor little girl's eye were matted with goo.  She leaned against the chain link fence and let me clear her eyes.  I thought about her for weeks.  But I knew it was close to Christmas and she'd get a home fast.

I am highly suspicious of Mike and his cockapoo breeding. But, I am naturally suspicious of anyone breeding cockapoos and selling them over the internet without even givng their full name. He offers a "lifetime health guarantee" which means what? The guy won't tell you the registered names of the dogs he is breeding, if he has done any health checks, and has no last name and I don't trust that.
 
Plus, they currently have puppies from 3 litters available which were born from February 5 to Feb. 24---three litters in a couple of weeks seems like a lot to me.
 
I got curious, and I looked up "Mike's" phone number in the reverse listing to GET his last name, and it appears to be unlisted.
 
So the "breeder" selling the pups does not want anyone to know his last name and has an unlisted number? Hmmm.
 
Doing a web search I found a bunch of old pages which had been taken down that USED to point to Mike's site. Basically a list of dogs---no photos. Here is one of the cached pages:
[link>http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:Y4y_jsCbk8YJ:creation.3x.ro/gallery.htm+%22mike's+cockapoos%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us]http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:Y4y_jsCbk8YJ:creation.3x.ro/gallery.htm+%22mike's+cockapoos%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us[/link][/size]

Many of the dogs listed have "Sonya" or "Talea" in their names so I checked the OFA database and no poodles or cocker spaniels with either of those names are in there for anything.
 
Now I found the old (cached) cockapoo info especially interesting because the top of the site says "SnowyPines Goldens."
 
If you search for 'Snowy Pines Goldens" on Google, it pulls up an old ad for cockapoos being sold in IOLA by someone named Sandra Baur. [linkhttp://zooclub.biz/Poodle]http://zooclub.biz/Poodle[/link]
 
You can also find a whole site on snowy pines at : [linkhttp://www.snowypinesgoldens.com/gallery.htm]http://www.snowypinesgoldens.com/gallery.htm[/link]
 
Looks like Mike is really Mike Baur (I was able to find them both listed at the same phone number and address) and his wife is Sandra.
 
I looked through the Snowy Pines site to get an idea of their breeding operation because there is NO info on the cockapoo site. I think I have whiplash. They sell the pups on a limited registration (hooray!) unless you pay more [:@]. They will take a puppy back at their discretion if it has hip problems.
 
I pulled up a pedigree of a GR dog they are currently breeding "Cody" whose dam does have "good hips" as per the OFA online database. Hooray. But, looking at the pedigree you can see her sire is also her grandsire----in other words her mother was bred to HER father. [linkhttp://www.snowypinesgoldens.com/cody/cody-pedigree.htm]http://www.snowypinesgoldens.com/cody/cody-pedigree.htm[/link] The dam's father/mate and mother were not on OFA.
 
By the way no dogs registered as "snowy pines" anything have their hips certified at OFA.
 
Okay, so for some reason Sandra stopped selling cockapoos and transferred that business over to hubby Mike.
They breed cockapoos from "AKC registered" poodle and cocker spaniel parents which means they probably don't have high quality dogs. (A good breeder wouldn't sell to them knowing the dogs would be bred to create cockapoos.)
 
AND the couple breeds "english creme" goldren retrievers---in other words they use a marketing term "english creme" to imply their pale colored dogs are somehow rare or special.
 
It all sounds rather dubious to me. I think you would better off finding a nice mix at a shelter near you (find one through [linkhttp://www.petfinder.com]www.petfinder.com[/link])  than buying a dog from someone half way across the country whose dog breeding practices raise questions. If you felt uncomfortable with the breeder near you I would think buying sight unseen would make you very nervous.
 

Based on the website provided for the breeder, it's extremely vague. There's no mention of health testing, the pedigrees of the dogs involved or health guarantees. If I'm not mistaken, he only breeds for F1 dogs so he obviously isn't interested in trying to help the Cockapoo become a true breed.
 
With that said, as far as lifetime health guarantees go, please read it thorougly. I've seen some lifetime guarantees that aren't worth the paper they're printed on. Does it cover the congenital defects that are known to afflict the breed? For example, the most common defects in Boston Terriers are Juvenile Cataracts, Luxating Patellas and deafness. Now if a breeder offered a lifetime guarantee that only covered Hip Dysplasia, heart problems and Von Willebrands Disease then this lifetime guarantee would be totally worthless because the chances of a Boston Terrier having those issues is virtually nil. What are the stipulations of the guarantee? Would you get vet bills paid up to the purchase price of the dog or would you get a replacement puppy or would you have to return your puppy in order to get any of that? If you have to return your puppy, how many people are willing to do that when they've fallen in love with the dog? Not many which is why a lot of irresponsible breeders require the puppy back to make good on a guarantee. As you can see, you really have to read the health guarantee and fully understand it before you sign it. A lifetime guarantee may sound good but as I pointed out, unless you know what it really covers and the stipulations of it.. it may not be so good.

Wow polarexpress, thanks for doing all that research so quickly!!  Their goldens don't look like the breed standard either.
 
I found it odd when I spoke with him that he didn't ask anything about me or my home. 
Thanks so much!

I pulled up a pedigree of a GR dog they are currently breeding "Cody" whose dam does have "good hips" as per the OFA online database. Hooray. But, looking at the pedigree you can see her sire is also her grandsire----in other words her mother was bred to HER father.http://www.snowypinesgoldens.com/cody/cody-pedigree.htm The dam's father/mate and mother were not on OFA.

 
While I am in no way trying to legitimize this particular site, linebreeding is a common practice in many lines of dogs.  It is a popular practice used to solidify specific traits within a line or kennel. 
 
[linkhttp://www.pharaoh-hound.com/litters/rebedie.htm]http://www.pharaoh-hound.com/litters/rebedie.htm[/link]
 
Those are my pups parents.  Notice that Xerxes sire, CH K'azar DBL Khanfederate is also his Dam's grandsire.  Also notice that Rebel, his sire, has the same maternal and paternal grandsire. 
 
Linebreeding is not a tool that is always suspect within a breeder's lines.  However it should always be considered when major genetic health issues are a cause for concern.

ORIGINAL: brandy76
...Do you have a link for this person with the cockapoos?

Sorry, I don't.  But I'll see if I can get a hold of the teachers to get a name.  We're on spring break now, so I won't see either of them until the 16th.  Hopefully, at least one of them will check their email, tho.
 
ETA-
Scroll down some on the page in this link.  There are 3 breeders here in NJ.