Mini Cockapoo

A food carrying an Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutritional adequacy statement for the right life stage is the whole requirement, with a puppy formula until around the first birthday and an adult one after.

Twice a day, morning and evening, suits an adult Mini Cockapoo. Puppies want three or four meals on a fixed schedule.

A Cockapoo's own weakness is the waistline. They tend to become overweight, so table scraps are out and treats stay a small share of the day's calories. Training rewards are fine and useful, but count them. If the weight starts climbing, work with your vet on the diet rather than waiting, because obesity in dogs shortens life and pulls in high blood pressure, heart and kidney disease and diabetes behind it.

Use the label as the starting amount and ask your vet what your particular dog needs. Joint supplements help some Cockapoos, but ask before you buy.

Every four to six weeks with a professional groomer, and brushing at home in between, is the routine a Mini Cockapoo needs to stay tidy and mat-free. The club describes the target cut as a teddy bear clip at about two to three inches all over, head the same length as body, beard and facial hair under four inches, and it should never be shaven.

Coat colour has nothing to do with the work. Cream, white, red, chocolate and black are all common, and wavy and curly coats both mat.

Bathe every few months unless the skin needs more. Some dogs do need far more, weekly or beyond, where ichthyosis, allergies or chronic skin infections are in play, and seborrhoeic dermatitis turns up in this breed too.

Check the long floppy ears weekly and after every swim or bath, since they trap water and debris; you should see no redness or swelling and smell nothing. Examine the eyes regularly for discharge, bulging, redness or cloudiness, given the eye conditions the breed carries. Brush the teeth daily and trim the nails about every six weeks.

A Mini Cockapoo carries a moderate amount of energy: real walks, but nothing like a working dog's demand. A couple of walks a day, a game of fetch or a swim is generally enough to leave one content.

Give it variety rather than volume. Agility suits this size well, and swimming plays straight to both parent breeds. Hide and seek and activity puzzles cover the indoor days.

Social enrichment counts as exercise for this cross. Toys, daily walks and a mix of physical and mental stimulation is how the breed is meant to be kept, and a Mini Cockapoo that gets the walk but no company is only half exercised.

Apartment or farm, the breed adapts. It is the routine rather than the square footage that decides whether the dog settles.

Smart and eager to please is a good combination, and it makes the Mini Cockapoo one of the easier dogs to teach. Positive reinforcement with small treats, play and praise is all it takes; the club's standard calls the breed extremely easy to train in just about any situation.

Start socialising in the first months. Wide exposure to people, places, animals and situations, plus an obedience class as early as your vet allows, is what turns a friendly puppy into a settled adult.

Then keep the brain busy. Cockapoos enjoy learning, so trick training and advanced obedience are worth continuing into adulthood rather than stopping once the basics land.

The one thing to build deliberately is tolerance of being alone. The breed can be a bit anxious and does develop separation anxiety, and the club warns against leaving these dogs for extended periods. They are quiet otherwise and rarely bark without a reason.