However, because there is no central registry body for "cockapoos," (and no, the "Continental Kennel Club" does not count) there is nothing to stop anyone from claiming that any particular dog is a "cockapoo". The name has been applied to Cocker/Poodle crosses, to the offspring of Cocker/Poodle crosses, and sometimes to any smallish, long-haired dog whose parentage is unknown. Not a few people have had the experience of acquiring a "cockapoo" puppy that grew up to be very large, betraying the fact that its parents were not what they were said to have been.
Unfortunately, many people do believe the "cockapoo" is actually a breed and is actually registered by the AKC or some other reputable kennel club. This is not the case. A breed of dog is defined by the ability of two animals of the same breed to produce others just like it. An established breed, moreover, has a well defined "standard" that clearly lists how it should look or how it should perform.
If you breed two "cockapoos" together, you will get results ranging from very much poodle like to very cocker like, with no uniformity or predictability.
Other mixed breeds that are marketed under cute names include peekapoos, maltipoos, and the like. All the caveats I list here apply to these mixes as well.
If "cockapoo" breeders were actually interested in establishing this as a real breed, you would see them forming a breed club and hammering out a descriptive standard. You would find them selectively breeding "cockapoos" to "cockapoos", making an effort to keep the dogs they thought would best contribute to the quality of their dogs, keeping detailed breeding records that can later form records acceptable to the AKC, and selling their extra puppies on non breeding agreements.
I have not yet found any such breeders. But I can find plenty of other clubs that are in the process of stabilizing and documenting their new breed, for example the National Cesky Terrier Club.
Please don't believe I'm down on these dogs just because they are not purebred. I have worked with many mixes and rescued and placed a few. What I am saying is that you cannot reliably predict anything about an individual "cockapoo" because there is no well defined standard, or body of responsible, dedicated breeders intent on improving the breed.
There are many sweet "cockapoos" that make excellent pets. This is also true of many mixed breed dogs. However, there are others that do not make good pets, because their "breeders" bred the first Cocker Spaniel they got their hands on with the first Toy or Miniature Poodle they got with no regard to health or temperament. In this case, it is just the luck of the draw if your "cockapoo" will be sweet tempered or not.
You can improve the odds by adopting an older "cockapoo" from the shelter, so you are not surprised by its size, coat type, color, or temperament.
You probably will not be able to avoid surprises of this sort if you get a "cockapoo" puppy. If you want to be very sure of what you are getting, then look for adult "cockapoos" to adopt.
among others. With any dog, your chance of avoiding health problems is greatly increased if the dog's ancestors and relatives (the more the better) were screened for genetic disease themselves. However, the kind of careful, knowledgable breeder who performs this kind of screening will NOT knowingly sell to someone who intends to mix breeds, so your odds of finding a "cockapoo" from generations of health-screened ancestors are so slim as to be nonexistent.
And since the breeders of these mixes aren't terribly concerned with breeding to any standard, they aren't terribly concerned with screening out any of the health problems either.