How Much Do Cockapoo Puppies Cost? 5 Main Cost Influencers

Not everyone can afford to buy a dog and take care of the dog properly. The lifetime cost of a dog is quite high. How much do Cockapoo puppies cost?

My Cockapoo cost $1500 and grew up to be a healthy adult dog. If you want to get a Cockapoo for much cheaper than that despite the risks, you should adopt a rescued animal.

Don’t buy a dog from an irresponsible breeder because that keeps irresponsible breeders in business. 

About the Breed

Cockapoos have been a breed in the US since the 1950s and have gradually become more popular since then. 

They are a mix of the Poodle and a Cocker Spaniel. The dogs are kind, great for families, and safe for people with allergies. 

Costs Of Cavapoo Puppies Explained

Cockapoos are not expensive dogs, but not everyone can afford them. They are anywhere from $450 to $2600 from a breeder and less if you get them from a shelter. The more trustworthy breeders usually charge more than $1200 or $1500.

You may also be able to adopt a grown dog from another owner instead of getting a puppy from a breeder. This may cost you much less, or even cost nothing. However, it isn’t always easy to find someone offering a healthy Cockapoo for free.

Price and Health Problems

The more you pay for your dog, the fewer health problems it is likely to have. Getting a dog from a shelter is a charitable act. However, a dog from a shelter might behave badly or have health problems. 

If you get a dog from a reputable breeder that charges about $2000, your dog will likely be healthy. 

Breeders take the parent dogs to the vet and make sure they are healthy first. They get X-rays, blood tests, eye tests, and genetic tests to make sure they will have healthy offspring. 

Adopting a Cockapoo

You can adopt a Cockapoo from a Cockapoo rescue or Poodle rescue for much less than what a breeder charges. A Cockapoo rescue takes care of and rehabilitates a Cockapoo before finding a responsible owner for the dog. 

It is not always possible to find a Cockapoo this way. Not many Cockapoos end up in rescues, and when they do, someone usually adopts the dog quickly.

Getting a Cockapoo From a Breeder

A lot of the time, getting a Cockapoo from a breeder is your best or only option. Do a bit of research to make sure the breeder is trustworthy. It’s no big deal if you buy a toaster that has problems, but a sickly dog is different. 

What Else Determines the Price?

Cockapoos come in very many different color schemes. If you get a rare color or a rare combination of colors, the breeder might charge extra. Buyers often prefer dogs with multiple colors, so breeders sell them for more. 

For example, merle dogs have a mix of black, tan, white, and colored fur. Most multi-colored dogs are healthy, but if someone breeds a merle dog with another merle dog, they might end up blind or deaf. 

There are also Parti dogs (mostly white but with many large black patches) and many other types of multi-colored dogs. 

Location

You might also have to pay more if there are too many buyers and not enough sellers in your location. If only one breeder within a long distance has Cockapoos, they might charge extra if people want them. 

While you can have a puppy flown to your location from a breeder in another state, this is also expensive. 

Puppies are also more expensive in expensive areas. In somewhere like California, you will have to pay more for a puppy. The breeders have to make more money somewhere with a high cost of living, and the cost of land is much higher in some states. 

How Cheap is Too Cheap?

Cockapoo puppies that cost less than $1200 are “suspiciously cheap” and more likely to have health problems.

A responsible breeder cannot easily make money selling dogs for less than $1200. A low price implies the dogs were bred irresponsibly.

The best way to tell is not by the price, but by what certifications the dog has. If the dog has veterinarian checks, certificates proving it is healthy, or guarantees, it is likely healthy. Cheap dogs without these certifications may come from “puppy mills” and be unhealthy. 

A good breeder will offer most or all of the following included in the price of your Cockapoo:

• Vaccinations
• A microchip for tracking your dog
• Certification proving the parent’s health
• Some sort of a guarantee
• Sometimes a blanket with the mother dog’s scent, or the puppy’s favorite toy

What Are Puppy Mills? 

Puppy mills are “quantity over quality” dog breeders offering low prices. However, it is not usually possible to profit from low-priced dogs unless they are bred irresponsibly. They might raise the puppies in poor conditions or ignore the health problems of the two parent dogs. 

Responsible breeders want each breed to improve over time. They want genetic health issues the breed has to become rarer. 

Puppy mills do not care about these issues and only try to produce as many puppies as possible. 

Some puppy mills are illegal and not only irresponsible operations. They might raise puppies in conditions that break animal welfare laws. Don’t buy puppies from unethical breeders as you will keep them in business. 

Don’t Buy Dogs From Pet Stores

Not every dog available at a pet store was bred or raised unethically. However, the Humane Society recommends that you don’t buy dogs from pet stores. 

There is a good chance the pet store gets puppies from puppy mills. 

An exception to this is if the pet store gets dogs from animal rescue groups. In that case, you can go to a pet store to get a puppy. 

Don’t “Rescue” a Puppy Mill Dog

Don’t think you are doing a good deed by “rescuing” a puppy from an inhumane breeder. You are helping an unethical breeder make money and encouraging them to keep selling poorly raised puppies. 

Find out a little about the breeder’s reputation first. A few photos of happy-looking puppies on a website aren’t enough to prove that the puppies are treated well.

Consider Adoption Instead

If you want to get a dog for an affordable price, try adopting one from an animal rescue group. 

This is much better than buying a dog from a breeder that offers quite a lot lower than normal prices and who does not have a good reputation. 

Other Costs

After buying the dog, you will need a leash, food bowl, crate, dog bed, and toys. This is all pretty cheap and may cost less than $200 in total. 

Grooming is more expensive. Both the Cocker Spaniel and the Poodle need a lot of grooming, so you may need to take a Cockapoo to the groomer often. 

This costs about $100 every six or twelve weeks. That works out to somewhere around $7000 over a Cockapoo’s lifetime. You can save money grooming the dog yourself. 

Training Costs

You can spend anywhere from nothing to thousands of dollars training your Cockapoo, depending on the type of training. 

The cheapest way is to train the dog by yourself for free. You can look at YouTube videos and other free online content to learn everything you need to know.

If you send your dog to a trainer for one-on-one lessons, they will charge about $50 per hour, on average. 

Cheaper dog trainers cost about $30 per hour, $50 for mid-priced trainers, and $80 for high-end ones. You might find a trainer that charges only $20 per hour, or $120, but these are not common prices. 

Prices for Different Types of Training

You can send your dog to a “boot camp” if you want to spend a lot more or save money by sending your dog to group classes. Some examples are:

• Group training costs anywhere from $120 to $600 for 6-8 weeks. 
• Sending your dog to a boot camp costs $500 to $1250 per week. 
• Training a service dog to help the blind or assist in search and rescue costs $100 or $120 per hour. Therapy dogs only cost $30 per session to train. 

Another option is sending your dog to a behaviorist that will correct certain problems. It takes time for a behaviorist to get to know your dog, so this can be expensive. 

You might spend $600 for only a few hours of behavioral training. However, behaviorists can make your dog less aggressive or nervous. 

Health Costs

Veterinary costs vary a lot depending on the dog’s health and whether you have health insurance. 

You may spend around $590 for the first year and $465 each year after that on the vet. This includes puppy vaccinations, flea/heartworm medication, and checkups. 

Cockapoos are at risk of some diseases that are expensive to treat. They might get cataracts ($1,500 – $3,000 to treat), patellar luxation ($300 to $2000), dental disease ($400 to $800), or intervertebral disc disease ($250 to $4000). 

Get insurance to avoid huge surgery costs. Accident plus illness insurance is about five or six hundred dollars a year. 

Food Cost

Food is also expensive, and you should not try to minimize the expense. More expensive dog food is healthier, and it matters, so you should buy more expensive than average food. 

The average food cost is only about $90 per year, plus $150 per year for treats. Spending well over $90 per year on food is worth it. 

Lifetime Cost

A Cockapoo costs very roughly $20,000 in total. They are fairly long-lived dogs, so you need to plan on spending money on the dog for a long time. It may live longer than average if you take good care of it. 

Key Takeaways

• A Cockapoo costs about $1200 or $2600. You might find someone selling a Cockapoo for less than $500, but buying very cheap dogs is a bad idea. 
• Some breeders are inhumane to their dogs or don’t care about the health/genes of the parents. Don’t do business with these people. 
• The lifetime cost is very roughly $20,000. 
• Insurance is worth it. It will save you from having to spend thousands on surgery.