Archie my cockapoo/ spoodle going through his rabbit tracking paces VIDEO

It’s funny how some dog ‘purists’ will insist that pedigree dogs are the only valid dogs, even though the vast majority of AKC registered dogs originated under 200 years ago. AND they are the result of 3 or more other breeds ‘cobbled together. This video shows how well two similar breeds go in creating a very happy alert dog.

This article is the description to accompany the video of my spoodle/ cockapoo going through his paces as he tracks rabbit scents in a very heavy rabbit area in Melbourne.

The following are some of the things that some people may not be aware of about his breed and why I think the spoodle may be the perfect ‘designer dog’.

While some mixed breed dogs are created for looks alone, the spoodle is a great mix of two gun dogs / sporting dogs. Both the cocker spaniel and poodle were created to retrieve water fowl from swamps marshy areas when their owner’s downed game birds.

This means that the spoodle has two quite similar ‘behaviour’ retrievers in its ancestry, and the mixed breed can help reduce any medical issues that can occur in single breeds through inbreeding or standard genetic disorders that some breeds carry.

The background also means that when birds are not readily present to chase or retrieve, these fun loving dogs will just as much enjoy tracking and chasing rabbits. Though because they are retriever based, they are more likely to pause when they get too close to their target, than have the desire to go in for the kill. So as a spoiler, no rabbits were harmed in the making of this video.

The combination fur means that cockapoos/ spoodles have the rugged fur of both retrievers meant to allow then to run through cold swampy water with its various sharp woody pieces without being injured. While the cocker is very prey focussed, the poodle side adds intelligence to how it solves such problems of getting through obstacles to its prey. While some pure poodles can suffer from their extreme intelligence making them highly strung, the combination cocker and poodle seems to spark up the cocker predator – its a perfect balance, a win-win in genetics.

The spoodle shown in the video is created from the English cocker spaniel. The reason that this is significant is that they retain much more hunting instinct that their American cousins which were bred as show dogs.

If you do dog tracking for a living, you will no doubt see that this is a completely untrained spoodle. This means that rather can concentrating on one scent and tracking it to the end, my dog chases multiple scents of varying freshness until he hopes to get onto a very strong track.

Unlike fighting dogs and guard dogs who take the aggressive side of their wolf ancestry very seriously, a sporting dog such as the spoodle, takes the chase, and tracking very seriously. Though with the soft jaws of both its domestic dog ancestors, it is unlikely to do anyone a great deal of harm to humans or much of its potential prey.

Dog tracking like this is EXACTLY what retriever dogs really enjoy dong. If you can get your dog out there a few times per week they will reward you with being a much more balanced dog. The runs and tracking help burn off excess energy as well as satisfy the exact purpose that they were created for.

If you are gun friendly and enjoy hunting live game then you may take your cockapoo with you on hunts, but for the rest of us city people, this is as close as our domestic dogs can get to realising their true potential. A session such as shown in the video is what completely satisfies my spoodle – allowing him to simulate completing the task that he was originally bred for. This makes up a little bit of all the house and society rules that he has to endure.

Article by Bruce Dwyer. If you wish to use any of this information please refer to the article as a reference and provide a link to:  www.healthydogtreats.com.au