How to keep your Cockapoo healthy

We all want to keep enjoying our dogs as long as we can, and a key part of doing this is keeping them fit and healthy.  This means ensuring that you give them a well-balanced diet and getting them out exercising to keep them fit.  Nutritional needs vary from breed to breed, so understanding the needs of your Cockapoo is essential.  Plus, understanding their exercise needs is vitally important to make sure you are focusing on the right levels.

How much exercise does my Cockapoo need

Cockapoos are not only intelligent they are an energetic breed, meaning that exercise is a key element of their well-being and important for their mental stimulation.  Being in an active household will help with their mental activity, but aiming for at least an hours physical activity will ensure their good health. Aim for an hour a day if you can, splitting this into two 30-minute walks really makes this achievable.  It is important for their physical health, but helps with ensuring that they are using their energy and not left with pent up energy that can lead to disruptive behaviours.  Mixing up the walk can be beneficial.  Use one walk as a paced walk where you are focused on a good 30 minute faster walk.  Consider using the second walk, taking more time to allow them to have a good sniff around which also helps with their stimulation.  Many people say, ‘a tired dog, is a happy dog’.

How much should I feed my Cockapoo

Firstly, you should aim for giving them a morning meal and evening meal, this helps provide a balance meal regime throughout the day.  Some people prefer to put their food down in the morning to allow their Cockapoo to graze, however, experts believe that splitting their food over two meals, aids digestion. The other benefit of giving their food over two meals is that it is easier to spot if they go off their food which can highlight that they are unwell. If their food is left down all day for them to graze, it can be more difficult to spot.  Scheduling feeding times around your family’s dinner times, is a great way to keep them distracted and away from begging for food. The amount you give them should ideally be based on their weight, you can search online for weight charts which will provide a guide based on their weight. As a guide, for an average size Cockapoo, you should aim to give them 1-1 ¾ cups of food daily.  However, it is worth weighing your Cockapoo and following the recommended amounts provided in one of the charts available online.

Giving Treats

Using treats as a positive reinforcement is a great way to teach good behaviour, not to be confused with using them as distraction for bad behaviour – this can lead to mixed messaging. Giving a treat should be outside of mealtimes, this ensures they focus on their meals and avoiding giving a treat at this time, means that they shouldn’t get bored with their main meals. As a rule, vets will guide you to allow up to 10% of your Cockapoos daily food intake to be treats.  Work out the amount of food to give your Cockapoo from a feeding chart, and calculate then the amount of treats you can give them, using the 10% rule.  Remember, they are treats and should be just that.  You wouldn’t overfeed children with crisps and chocolates, so bear this in mind when rewarding with treats.

Grooming

Keeping your Cockapoo well-groomed is essential for their health.  Due to the nature of their coats, they can easily become tangled and matted.  Firstly, you should establish a grooming regime at home, by introducing regular brushing and combing.  This can really help to prevent any matting. Apart from what you can do at home, it is recommended that you get your Cockapoo regularly cut and trimmed by a professional.  If their coats aren’t regularly trimmed, it can easily become a problem which can result in discomfort and then in an extreme cut to get rid of problem areas. As they can be very curly and wavy, when they are out and about, their coats easily attract, leaves, grass seeds, twigs, so the more time you take to remove these after a walk, the better you protect their coat and keep it looking good and healthy. Cockapoos usually like water, although some won’t, so if they get particularly dirty, give them a bath in between grooms.  Use a specialist shampoo, making sure it is well rinsed out.  There are great microfibre towels available for dogs which do a great job of helping to get them dry. Try the hairdryer – you may find they love it!

Final thoughts

Cockapoos love people and company, and just love to be with their owners. Some people would regard them as needy!  Bear this mind when choosing a Cockapoo as a breed.  They make a great family dog, bring lots of joy and entertainment but like to be with people.