Designer Dog - “Luck of the Draw”

Did you know – Cockapoos were bred as early as 1940?

When people mention the term “designer dog,” they typically are referring to the more common mixed breeds such as Cockapoos, Labradoodles, and Puggles. When you are looking for a mixed breed, you need to look at the characteristics of each

breed in the mix.

In Alvin’s case, we looked up Bichon Frise and Cockapoo. We were able to find a “breed description” for Cockapoo on puppyfind.com as well as for Bichon Frise (puppyfind.com>Find a Puppy>Enter Breed>Find My Breed>Click Breed Name).

Now that it’s a few months after we brought him home, I revisited these descriptions to see how what well they fit Alvin’s physical and behavioral characteristics today.

Here’s the Cockapoo (puppyfind.com) characteristics Alvin displays:

• The Miniature Cockapoo weighs 12-20 lbs, with a shoulder height of 14-15”. At 5 months, Alvin is already 12 lbs and about 12” tall.
• The Cockapoo can be a wide variety of coat textures and colors such as white, cream, tan, or a mix thereof. Alvin is mostly white with buff/cream, and a little black. His coat is straight.
• Cockapoos are outgoing and eager for human companionship and attention. The Cockapoo will grow unhappy if it is left alone too often.
• Cockapoos enjoy the company of all living things, including other dogs and pets.
• Cockapoos do not shed much, however the coat does require extensive grooming. Alvin doesn’t shed at all, needs to be brushed every day, and needs grooming every 6–8 weeks.
• Cockapoos are intelligent and eager to please, which usually makes training a simple procedure. House training the Cockapoo may be difficult (Yes, yes, and yes!).

Wonder what Bichon characteristics apply in Alvin’s case? The answer was a wee bit surprising. I’ll continue this discussion with the next post.

It Ain't Easy to Bathe This Dog

Bathing a dog should be easy, especially a 12-pound pup like Prince Alvin. Dogs like water - right? Spray his coat with some warm water, work in puppy shampoo, rinse, and dry.

Alvin had other thoughts about bathing yesterday. It didn't help that he was on the deck free to escape at any time. Thinking it would create less of a mess, I had him outside on a sunny day so he could air dry in the sun. Bad idea! Ever chase a wet, soappy dog bent on escape?

Luckily, I managed to catch him and rinse off the soap. He whimpered pitifully while I dried him off. The next time I'll take the advice I found in an article about bathing a dog who hates baths.

This bathing episode resulted in a clean but tramatized pup. Based on Alvin's past behavior, it'll require a lot of TLC the next time I give him a bath!

Puppy Socialization

Alvin Playing with Snowy, a Westie

All pups learn basic socialization (pack) skills when they're with their mother and the rest of her litter. But what happens after the pup leaves the litter? If there are no other dogs in the house, how will the pup learn how to interact with dogs?

We think it's important for Alvin to be with other dogs so we visit friends and family who have animals. On the July 4th weekend, he hung out with two groups of dogs. First, he played with Artie, a Wheaton Terrier and Lexie, a Carin Terrier. Artie's one of those laid back dogs who had no problem with Alvin's puppy playing. But Lexie is the lead dog so once she established who was boss, she tolerated Alvin. And she clearly outscored Alvin in the ball retrieval game. He just could not compete with her.

Next we picniced with friends who have three Westies and several cats. The leader of these Westies is a male, Scooter. He met Alvin at the front gate growling and did not stop until the ceremonial smelling of rear ends was complete. Even then he barely tolerated the pup. And the Prince decided he'd retaliate by barking at Scooter. Today we needed to supervise their interactions closely.

On the other hand, Alvin was able to play most of the day with the two Westie females Snowy and Zoey. He also met a cat for what must have been the first time. He growled at Oreo for quite a while, but nothing more.

What's interesting about these multi dog interactions is the clear dominance of one dog in a pack and the way the dominant dog interacts with a visitor (intruder). I guess that's what happens in a human group situation - a leader eventually emerges. Sometimes the human leaders are just as obvious as Lexie and Scooter!

I'm wondering if dog parks provide additional opportunity for positive socialization. Please comment if you believe there are any benefits to visiting dog parks.