Breed: Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel / Poodle)
Date of birth: 09/10/2019
Gender: Male
Neck circumference: 41cm
Base of neck to base of tail: 62cm
Height to shoulder: 48cm
Chest circumference: 70cm
Weight: 21kg

General Description

Take Teddy for a walk near a golf course and he will come home a hero, having sniffed out every stray ball in the rough and volleyed a few back to you off the end of his own nose. This big cream Cockapoo is a retriever to his core, with a one-track, ball-shaped mind and a sense of humour to match. He is good-hearted and outgoing, adores meeting new people of every age and positively glows under a bit of attention.

The Cockapoo pairs the Cocker Spaniel with the Poodle and is often regarded as the first of the deliberate Poodle crosses, with litters bred in America back in the 1950s, long before the doodle boom. It is no accident that Teddy is so obsessed with fetching. Both of his parent breeds were working bird dogs, the Cocker flushing and carrying game and the Poodle plunging into water after it, so a love of scenting and water runs deep in him. Friendly, clever and low-moulting, the Cockapoo has gone on to become one of the most popular family dogs in Britain.

Around people Teddy is a delight: calm under pressure, great with children and perfectly happy to be handled, brushed and groomed by someone he has just met. He works well off lead, ignores the usual on-set distractions, and loud noises and a running hoover leave him unmoved. He is sociable with other dogs too, though he can be vocal if one makes him feel cornered. A little space and a calm word from his handler settle him quickly. He responds well to redirection and a steady hand, which keeps managing him on a busy set refreshingly simple.

Teddy’s strengths lean towards the lovably comical, so he is well suited to family adventures, sitcoms and feel-good commercials where a big goofy dog steals the scene. Put a job in front of him and he gives it everything. He hunts down a hidden object by scent, picks one specific item from a cluster and carries it carefully back, perfect for storylines where a clever dog cracks the case with his nose. He fetches and catches on cue, noses a ball across the floor, rises onto his hind legs for a laugh and offers a paw, a shake or a kiss to a co-star. In softer moments he flops down flat and gazes upward with a hopeful, doleful look, the kind of close-up that wins an audience over. His real speciality, though, is ball work. Few dogs on the books can volley one back off their own nose, which opens the door to sports tie-ins and any script built around a comical, ball-mad hound.

Teddy has not done studio work yet, but he has all the raw ingredients of a lovely model. He will hold a pose when asked, sits patiently through long sessions and can be placed exactly where a photographer wants him. That generous cream coat and kind, open face photograph well against outdoor greens and homely interiors alike, and he scrubs up nicely, taking a brush or hairdryer in good spirits. He is happy in a coat, bandana or hat, which makes him well suited to pet-fashion and accessory ranges. Given his size, his sweet expression and that all-consuming love of a ball, he is made for pet-food brands, dog-toy companies, outdoor and country-lifestyle labels and family campaigns wanting a big, huggable dog who looks like he belongs at the heart of the action.