Our Policies

Please read this information carefully.

It is of the utmost importance that our puppies go off to what we consider to be the 'right home.' Before you consider reserving a puppy, please bear in mind that a dog is a huge commitment. They require dedication, love and attention, things that will not go unrewarded as your puppy repays you in faith and companionship. But please make your decision carefully...puppies are hard work and can be costly...please ensure you have the capabilities to handle all eventualities.

Please do not be lead by the assumption that all cockapoos are non-allergenic. This is NOT guaranteed. If your family suffer from allergies then please discuss this with me.

It is a requirement that our puppies go off to a home where at least one member of the family will be at home with him or her for most of the day. If you are a household of full-time workers, please do not contact us as this would not be considered to be a suitable home for one of our puppies.

Our puppies leave here at approximately 8 weeks old, the picture of health and vitality. They will have been wormed every 2 weeks and been examined by our vet at around 7-8 weeks old when they will receive their first vaccination and be microchipped. There will be an initial insurance policy in place.

We initiate 'paper-training' at the earliest stages and pride ourselves on the strength of character our puppies display. Typically our pups are outgoing and full of mischief. Should you decide on a name for your puppy early on, we will endeavour to use that name at every opportunity.

Our Mums and their puppies are fed on a very high quality feed.

It is important to us that our puppies get the best start in life and all our babies go off to their new homes with a generous supply of this food, along with full details of how to continue with this feeding regime...something we highly recommend.

Interested in an Essex Cockapoo?

Initially, we ask that you contact us, via email at donna@essexcockapoos.co.uk so that we may answer any questions you may have and discuss your requirements from a puppy. We ask for each interested party to forward us a few details about themselves and their family (via email)...it is from this initial contact that we can decide whether one of our puppies would be right for your home and, if so, discuss reservation.

The health of our puppies is very important to us and we have been extremely careful when selecting our girls. Each one of our American cocker girls has come from a breeder that has used clear PRA eye tested parents to produce their puppies. Then, once we are ready for breeding, we use our own (or carefully selected) PRA clear tested stud dog. Where we have bred the parents ourselves, this clear lineage is passed along.

The price of a puppy from us includes, not only a happy, healthy American Cockapoo puppy...it also covers worming, vet health check, 1st course of vaccinations, microchipping, insurance, puppy pack, a generous supply of very high quality food, a comprehensive feed guide, blanket, toys and anything else they seem to accumilate over the next 8ish weeks. Please also understand, you will be looking to become part of our Essex Cockapoo family. The support and guidance we offer does not end when you take your new baby home-it lasts a lifetime.

Reserving a puppy

Once we have puppies and it is decided that the contacted parties are suitable, we ask for a £100 deposit to reserve your choice of puppy. This deposit ensures us that you are serious about your commitment and ensures you that one of our gorgeous litter has been reserved for you.

This deposit will be held until you come to visit us and our 'doggy family' at around 4 weeks old. On your 4-week visit, should you decide that our puppy is not for you, we will happily return your deposit. Your deposit is final and non-returnable should you change your mind at a later date, so please think carefully before finalising.

Taking your Essex Cockapoo home

When the 'big day' arrives and you take home your new puppy, we would assume that you are fully prepared. As stated above, a puppy can be hard work and definitely time-consuming. As clever as a cockapoo is, they do not know right from wrong at 8 weeks old. There will be little accidents. This said, they are very quick to learn and will not disappoint you with how easy they are to train.

We would usually suggest a warm blanket and a cuddle for the journey home...a good time for bonding with your new baby and reassuring them.

Please note that, when you come to collect your new baby, the final payment cannot be accepted by cheque. Should you prefer bank transfer over cash, then this will need to be arranged BEFORE collection day. Failing this, the balance is welcome in cash.

Although we are extremely careful when choosing homes for our 'babies', we can only be lead by what we are told. We assume that everything a potential home tells us is the truth and that all these homes have thought very carefully about their commitment. Should the time arise when a mistake is made and one of these new homes has a 'change of heart' we will ALWAYS look to find an alternative home (directly from our waiting list initially). If all else fails and a home cannot be found quickly, then the puppy can be returned to us until a suitable home is found. In this situation, the transition is carried out as swiftly as possible, always putting the needs of the puppy first. We will always look to home the puppy directly from the failed home to the new home in a bid to reduce the amount of stress caused to the puppy as much as possible. Should the need to return the puppy to us arise, then please note that no monies will be returned directly from us. Payment will be something negotiated between yourself and the new home.

F1...F2...F1b...?

Here at Essex Cockapoos, we have worked for many years to produce solid, happy, healthy cockapoos. As part of our breeding program, it was always our intention to 'move forward' and create our own Essex Cockapoo lines.
As a result, we are just as proud of our F2 and F1b breeding as we have always been about our F1 American Cockapoos.

so, we all know about F1(first generation) cockapoos....but what about the other generations?

F1b...a cross (in our case) between an American Cockapoo girl and a Poodle boy. So, a first generation cockapoo put 'back' (hence the 'b') to a poodle.
We have found this breeding method very consistent. We produce cockapoos that look F1. All very similar in type, although they do have a tendency to be smaller. I have not found these puppies to look more 'poodle-like' as some would believe. We do seem to get an extra small puppy in every litter, although they are all born approximately the same weight.

A few pictures of Our F1b puppies...

...and below we have an F1 and F1b American cockapoo, side by side.

The lovely Maisie and Tilly

Now for F2...in our case, a cross between two F1 American Cockapoos.

To date, our F2 puppies have been born looking exactly the same as our other generations. Same weight, coat type etc. They have all developed at the same rate, with similar coats, right up to about 6 weeks old. At this age, we found 2 puppies (from a litter of 7) and 3 puppies (from a litter of 9) started to develop 'fluffy' rather than curly, with tufty ears, legs and bellies. When they left us, at 8 weeks old, you could see the difference, although the fluff and curls were definitely starting to sprout.

We have tried to illustrate this in pictures, below. You will see from the bottom photographs, by the time they have reached 5 months old, both coats have developed beautifully.

Here are Florrie and Marley side by side at 6 weeks old

Here they both are again, 2 weeks later

then again more recently

look how much they have changed. That flatter, fluffy coat now looks amazing!!

I hope this has helped to explain a few things about the different generations.

a few of our gorgeous puppies

Your Testimonials

This is Alfie chilling in the sunshine, he will be 9 years old in December and is the smartest dog I have ever had. He is loved and cherished by so many people. X

Getting Watson was the best decision we've ever made; not only is he a gorgeous looking dog but he has the best temperament and is fantastic with the kids who absolutely adore him. He's fitted in with our family life beautifully. He loves his walks, especially if it involves a ball and a cooling swim and he's just as mad as the rest of us! We can't thank Danny and Donna enough for allowing us to look after one of their precious pups we're very lucky....

This is Ava she is 2.5years . We thought long and hard before getting another dog when our lab died , we did our research and a cockapoo was our chosen breed then we had to look for a breeder which isn't a easy task. I wanted a pup that was loved from the beginning a responsible caring breeder which we found in essex cockapoo's. Ava has been a pure pleasure from the beginning ( yes training is hard work but it's well worth it) she has given so much love and enjoyment to our family and helped me personally through some difficult times ( we have struggled for years with our son who has now been diagnosed with autism) she has given us all so
Much that we went on to get a second cockapoo Buddy .... And now we are waiting to get our third Triple the pleasure x

This is Buddy and he's five months old. We waited five years before deciding to get a dog and bringing him into our family. From day one he's made us smile with his mischief. He's taught our kids responsibility and us what's really important again. He's slept in his crate every night and was toilet trained within weeks. He gets attention everywhere he goes and is a lovable chap. We can't thank you enough Donna and Essex Cockapoos!

We have had Ted for 3 months now and he has changed our lives - he is such a character - he came to us as a happy well adjusted little boy who has just flourished - thank you Donna you breed gorgeous poo's!

"Exceedingly good Cockapoos!" We recommend you to everyone wanting a well bred, healthy and deeply loved puppy! Thank you thank you from our F1 and F2 girlies!!

Here is our Essex cockapoo Tilly who arrived four years ago in June and our lives have never quite been the same since! Such a huge personality she has ruled the roost from day one. She is a cuddle monster and will happily lie with you all day. Four years on and our first cockapoo Albie and her still play every day and we have enjoyed many holidays and long walks together. Thank you Donna for choosing us to be her new family!

This is Bear who will be 1 on May 18th. We planned for a pup for many years and then when we felt our son was old enough and we had found the right breeder we embarked on the ride of our lives! It's been a crazy one but worth every minute?! Admittedly there have been times when I felt overwhelmed but the joy he has brought us all is worth it! Bear is a true part of the family and we wouldn't be without him. We are so thankful that we were chosen to be part of the Essex Cockapoo family.

Muffin our gorgeous Essex Cockapoo! The most delightful character, the most important member of our family!

These are Dolly and Charlie Bear .
We got them from Donna at Essex Cockerpoos they are the best dogs you could wish for with their own sweet personalities. Donna is a fantastic breeder who is professional and caring right up the the very last minute you walk out the door of her house . I could not recommend her highly enough . Excellent Breeder with
Superb Cockerpoos .

Hi Donna

Hope you are ok and hope your cat is fine now. Just attaching some photos of
Radar who has just had his first haircut and is now six months old. He's a
brilliant
dog and is certainly firmly one of the family, we can't imagine life with out
him.

Love and best wishes
Tracy,Ian, Jack and of course Radar! X

Hi Donna

Happy new year to you.

Hope all is well with you?

Sorry it's taken so long to send an update on Maisie. As you can see she is still such a cutie, she is really well behaved and a total joy to have. She's still quite wee, I don't think she is actually going to get much bigger.
She gets so much attention when we're out, I think it's the eyebrows that everyone loves.

I'll send some regular photos if you'd like?

Regards
Angie

Hi Donna Happy New Year to you... I thought you would like to see a photo of Chester now that he's four months old... He has really grown, now double in size and is absolutely adorable.... We get stopped where ever we go, with everyone loving his colouring... Numerous people have asked for your details as his breeder, so don't be surprised when lots contact you.... He has slotted in so well into our family and is such a good boy and still very chilled... This picture was taken yesterday, New Year's Day, on the beach in Devon where he had a great time running around on the beach... Hope all is well with you... I will keep in touch and send you photos as he grows.... Tara xx

Hi guys, Thought I would send you an update on Buddy the super pup! He is adorable, an attention seeking sock thief, and shredder of TV guides! He is such a loutish boy - and the most doggish dog we have ever met. He eats with his mouth open, and scatters his dog food around the kitchen. He hates being brushed, and likes being scruffy. He is bathed ever 2 weeks. We have him clipped and groomed every 5 weeks, and he still looks like he has been shot from a cannon, generally speaking he looks like Chewbacca the Wookie - a more adorable hound could not be found!
Everyone locally knows him, and we have volunteers who want to take him for walks!!! He recently caused chaos in Euston station, on the way to Blackpool, as he was mobbed (literally) during rush hour by people stopping to pet him. Suited businessmen were on their knees in the station playing with him, a couple even took photos of him. One woman even chased us down the platform to find out if he was an American Cockerpoo - he is indeed a crowd stopper, and it seems every local childs dream dog - part teddybear, part wookie and now he bears an uncanny resemblance to a cartoon character called The Lorax, with his bushy ginger mustache! The photo is of Buddy and Stevie,in Blackpool after a heavy afternoon chasing balls on the beach.
You seriously dont have to worry about Buddy, he is as happy as a wookie could be and much much loved - even though we have bouts of sibling rivallary and fights for who gets to sit on our laps. If he doesnt get on the lap first, he drapes himself across the back of the sofa and nibbles ears. He is also partial to wrestling - like we said, he is a loutish boy!!
Love to you both!
Beki, Hazell, Stevie & Buddy Budmeister.

Hi Donna,

Humphrey is just fantastic...more than we could have ever wished for! We all absolutely love him to bits and can't imagine life without him. He stayed over at Grandmas last week as we were out all day and we missed him like crazy!!! Couldn't wait to pick him up and get him home. The girls are besotted and him with them. Everybody says how he has fitted in with our family- he is sparky, loveable and up for it! The girls now want a friend for him- oh no the bug has bitten!
I have sent you some recent photos.
Take care, Nic and the gang xx

Hi Donna,
We just wanted to let you know Tiger has settled in and is just so perfect! Everyone who sees him has commented on how shiny his coat is, how healthy and happy he looks and how well behaved he is. He is adorable in every way, he loves cuddles, loves to play, follows us around everywhere (he is asleep next to us on the sofa as we write this, although we have to lift him on and off the sofa as he's still so small!). He is so bold and happy all the time. Our friends Simon and Gemma came to stay the other weekend and fell in love with him! All our friends and family make jokes about sneaking him out in their bag!
When we collected Tiger we were quietly hoping for the 'perfect puppy' but had very realistic expectations of how much hard work it would be to settle a little 8week old puppy into a completely new home. We are very happy to say he has exceeded what we imagined the perfect puppy to be!
Everything about Tiger is a real credit to you Donna, he is more perfect than we could have imagined and we are so grateful you allowed us to have him.

Hi Donna
I hope you are well.
We are doing very well in Norway, it is good to be home. Charlie has settled in without problems, and is doing really well. He is so calm and wellbehaved that we have strangers commenting on it when we are out walking. When we are off the road I can easily let him off his lead without worrying about him not coming back. He was neutered about a month ago, and I'm sure that makes a difference in this area....
He loves to play with toys he can shake, and is also getting very good at fetch!
He is a real charmer, and loves to meet new people. After initally being a bit frightened when we met other dogs, he is now also approaching them with confidence and is eager to play! He has made several friends, in particular two small dogs just next door!
Charlie had his first proper haircut last week and looks absolutely adorable!
Charlie loves to learn new things and picks up on anything we try to teach him after trying just a few times. Before we moved back here, I took him to some puppy classes at pets at home, and they just called him "their little star pupil"!!!
I've had a lot of questions about his breed, I think he may be the only one of his kind in Stavanger, and you just may get some requests for more puppies to come over here!! When are you planning your next litter?
Inger and Martin started their new school today, and of course Charlie walked with us all to school, and met even more dogs!

Take care

Hege

Donna, Oh my goodness Digger is to die for……what wonderful dogs you breed! Not only is he good looking but a sweetie too. I am babysitting him today and Frodo is brilliant with him, even to the point of sharing his toys and his chew! I am proud of my boy. They are both asleep on me at the moment ! I will send photos later. Now I am tempted again ! !

Well done Donna on your beautiful, intelligent dogs.

Love from

Poppy (Frodo's Mum) xx

Hi Donna,
Thought you would like to know how our little angel Jonty is doing! He is the best little puppy ever. We have only had two accidents in the house and he has been dry at night virtually since we brought him home. He is very obedient, knows the word 'no' and is beginning to sit, come and wait on command. Everyone who visits goes mad when they see him and we have a job to get them to leave! I have sent you a couple of pictures where he stays in the office with us most of the day. He takes himself off to bed for a sleep when he gets tired, so sweet!

love Jenny and Chris xxx

Hi donna , here are some photos of Oscar as promised, sorry it's been so late. As you can see, he is doing really well and has settled in beautifully. Thankyou so much for letting Oscar come into our lives, he has been such a joy to have around, we can't now imagine ourselves without him. On Wednesday, he went to his obedience class and has already learnt to 'sit' and just about 'stay'!! He is one smart puppy. We can't get over on how many people stop to comment on what a handsome puppy he is, everyone who meets him, fall in love with him.Let's put it this way, he is a great asset to you as a breeder and we would deffinately be recommending you!!

Bye for now and we will keep in touch with his progress.

Love Sara, loui, Joseph and Gabriella. X