The Dog Blog

Hello and glad to have you here!

I’m a small hobby breeder of American Cockapoo puppies for service, therapy & family pets. These guys are all-around wonderful animals for the average family, those wanting to do therapy work (either paid or volunteer) and those in need of a smaller-sized service dog able to sit in a lap in a wheelchair for example, to retrieve dropped items, etc. Cockapoos make excellent Rally dogs for the novice and a great obedience dog for the casual competitor or an older child getting into that wonderful hobby.

If you’d like to see any of our puppies or adults you can visit our website at AmericanCockapoo.com As we don’t have many litters a year if you’d like any help deciding if a breeder is producing sound pups please ask! I have helped many families do preliminary evaluations of breeders local to them. Since the Cockapoo is a crossbred dog there are more terrible breeders than good ones out there. It isn’t possible to find a breeder with championed dogs or working titles. There are now Therapy dog competitions through the AKC and that can be an excellent place to start looking for your future therapy puppy. For a family pet you will need to interview carefully. Remember that you are not buying a dog you are  buying the breeder. All puppies are cute and sweet. What you want is a puppy that will become an adult dog (that will live to a ripe old age in good health with sound temperament and the qualities expected for the breed). Look carefully, friends, and you won’t be sorry!

Having spent about 16 years training dogs (volunteer work and hobby) I have decided to post a blog about all our wonderful dog adventures here at Eden Orchards. This blog also gives information about the proper health, grooming, nutrition and maintenence of your cockapoo dog. There are also several good money-saving tips throughout the blog, as there are many products out there to take your money unneccesarily. The vast majority of the information in this Blog is applicable to most dog breeds, and the purpose of this site is to help educate and inform dog owners so they can get the most out of their best friend(s)!!

I do give a lot of general dog advice intended for the average pet owner. Please always refer to your dog’s specific breed. Dogs are animals very carefully selectively bred for specific purposes. A dog is an animal with a job. What is your dog’s job? They may be the same species of animal, but dog breeds can be very different from one another. From what motivates them to what is behind their adorable behavior, different breeds can need very breed-specific training. So lots of basics cover most basic dog care for the average pet owner, but always learn about your specific breed.

If you have that All American Dog (the mixed-breed rescue) then consider having a genetic test done to identify what breeds might make up your dog! I’m not sure how accurate these tests are, but there are a few available and they are non-invasive and not expensive. It can definitely be a fun experience and can give you valuable information about your dog’s needs, health risks and motivations. DNA tests for dogs are no longer cost prohibitive and should always be done on breeding dogs. It is also not a bad idea to have them done on your pet or working dog. If you look at the many labs’ websites that offer tests you can search the specific heritable disorders for your breed and look at the price and the method of testing (cheek swab or blood sample). All breeds have genetic disorders and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling dogs (and being unethical in the process). Check out Optigen. They are a top-notch laboratory. Mars Corp does the breed identification test, I believe.

With regards to this blog I will stick to giving specific advice in my field of expertise (Cockapoos) but one day soon I hope to also share with you all the adventures I have going into the performance dog world! Anyone ever run an agility course? That is wonderful fun. Unfortunately Cockapoos are a bit too much the couch potato for that kind of work, but they are biddable enough to run the courses with me for fun, the little poofs! I will need to find myself the perfect agile little dog and as any of you who know me well this means it is Border Collie time! (I love BC dogs as much as I love Cockapoos ) A BC is not a dog I would ever recommend to an average home as they are extremely active and intelligent (when bred properly) but they make amazing companions for those homes that have a lot of interest in finding work for these wonderful animals. If you’ve ever considered seriously competing for Rally, obedience, agility or flyball this is the breed for you! Stay tuned because over the next few years I will be posting all my adventures-from finding the perfect working dog to learning all the ins and outs of agility to going to my very first competitions. I won’t pretend I have any kind of expertise when it comes to any other breed specifics, but it will be great to start learning! Maybe after a decade (or two) I will be able to have as much knowledge about this lovely breed as I do with Cockapoos. BC have so much wonderful history and because they are a breed with a difficult job there is a lot to learn. Finding mentors, excellent training academies, and all of that stuff will be a great learning experience and I hope that it will help me pass that information on to my dog-loving readers, and I have a feeling I will have fun sharing all the sure-to-be bumps in the road along the way!

Please read and enjoy this website and use it as a tool to help you better understand your pooch. The better trained your dog is, the happier and more enjoyable the human-dog relationship. Pets can be wonderful for your health when they are properly trained. And training is not as hard as you might think! And, of course, there is no one “right way” to train a dog! Many different positive training methods are successful. There are great resources available for the varied methods. I happen to like clicker training, personally. I hope to blog my adventures of clicker training a new puppy soon for you!

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to email me: edenorchards@gmail.com  I’m here to help! If you have any tips of your own I’d love to hear them, as well. I’m continually learning new things. I know I don’t post often, as things are very busy here at the homestead, but I do hope to post more regularly in the future. Thanks for stopping by

God Bless

Annette & the puff-pack