Spoodle Puppies: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

What exactly is a Spoodle?

A Spoodle is a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle, usually a Toy or Miniature Poodle. Overseas the same cross is often sold as a Cockapoo. It is not a breed in the formal sense. Dogs Australia publishes a breed standard for each purebred breed it recognises, describing size, characteristics and temperament, and the Spoodle is not on that list. For a buyer that means:

• No standard to measure a puppy against. Adult size, coat and temperament depend on the parents, and can vary within one litter.
• No breed club. Nobody sets minimum health tests for Spoodle litters or publishes a reference price, the way purebred clubs do.
• No Dogs Australia registered Spoodle breeders. This one surprises people, so it has its own section below.

Poodle crosses have an Australian story. Two University of Sydney geneticists writing in The Conversation explain that the Labradoodle began in the late 1980s, when a Guide Dogs Victoria breeding manager crossed a Labrador with a Poodle. Spoodles, Cavoodles and Groodles followed. None of them has since become a recognised breed.

Why is there no Dogs Australia registered Spoodle breeder?

Because the state bodies that register breeders for Dogs Australia forbid their members from crossing breeds, apart from narrow exceptions. The Dogs NSW Code of Ethics says a member shall not knowingly permit a purebred dog to be mated to a dog of a different breed or a cross-bred dog, unless the mating is for the health, welfare or development of a breed and the Board has approved it in advance; the ban does not apply to guide and working dogs. Dogs Victoria's code says dogs “are not permitted to be mated to a dog or bitch of a different breed, to a cross bred dog or bitch”. The national Dogs Australia Code of Practice applies the same rule to every member: no mating a purebred dog to a dog of a different breed or a cross bred dog without the prior approval of the member's state body.

So the purebred Cocker Spaniel and Poodle breeders who belong to a state canine body, and whose parent dogs are hip scored and DNA tested under their club's guidance, are the people who will not sell you a Spoodle. Spoodle breeders sit outside that system. Some are members of other registries; Dogs Australia says registries such as the MDBA and others are not affiliated with it and cannot issue certified pedigrees. That does not make every Spoodle breeder a poor one. It means the checks a breed club would do are now yours to do.

How big does a Spoodle get, and what is it like?

There is no Spoodle standard, so the honest answer is “somewhere between its parents”. Here is what the parent breeds' official descriptions say:

Cocker Spaniel figures and temperament from the Dogs Australia breed standard; Poodle sizes and description from the Dogs Victoria Poodle profile; both read 9 November 2026.

In practice a Spoodle is a small to medium, people-focused dog that needs daily walks and play, and a coat that needs real care. Spaniel ears trap warmth and moisture, and a Poodle-type coat keeps growing, so budget for brushing at home and a professional clip every few weeks for life. Our Sydney guide to Spoodle grooming and care covers the routine.

Are Spoodles hypoallergenic or non-shedding?

No dog is hypoallergenic. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) says: “All dog breeds cause allergies, although some do not shed as much dander, and therefore less allergen is spread.” It also says the main dog allergen is saliva, and that up to 50% of people allergic to animals do not get symptoms straight away. A quick cuddle at a seller's house proves very little.

Shedding is a coat question, and Spoodle coats vary. A puppy can inherit a curly Poodle coat that sheds little, a flatter Cocker coat that sheds, or something between, and you often cannot tell until the adult coat grows in. If anyone at home has asthma or a dog allergy, see a doctor before you choose a dog, and read our guides to hypoallergenic dogs in Australia and dogs that don't shed.

Which health tests should a Spoodle breeder show you?

Results for both parents. Both the Cocker Spaniel and the Poodle carry an inherited form of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), an eye disease that slowly leads to blindness, so a cross of two untested parents does not dilute the risk. The useful tests are the ones each parent breed's own bodies point to:

Cocker tests from the Cocker Spaniel Club of Qld health page; Poodle tests from the Dogs Victoria Poodle (Miniature) profile; both read 9 November 2026. A buying checklist, not veterinary advice.

The Cocker club notes there is no mandatory health testing regime for the breed in Australia, which is why asking matters even with purebreds. With a cross, nobody is asking on your behalf. Our Poodle health guide and Sydney Spoodle health guide explain each condition and what to watch for once your dog is home.

What does a Spoodle cost?

We cannot give you a breeder price we can stand behind. For purebred breeds we read the prices that Dogs Australia member breeders publish on their own websites and report the range. That method has nothing to measure for a Spoodle, because member breeders cannot breed one, and there is no breed club guide either. Any figure on a listing site is one seller's asking price, not a benchmark. For scale, the Cocker Spaniel Club of Qld says to be prepared to pay between $3,000 and $4,000 on average for a purebred Cocker from a Dogs Australia registered breeder, with the parents' testing behind it. A Spoodle priced at or above that with no test results for either parent is not a bargain.

What we can show you is what rescues publish:

Fees and prices as published on the date shown. A reference, not a quote: fees change and some dogs are priced individually. Adoption fees normally include desexing and microchipping, which you would pay a vet for after buying a puppy.

The purchase price is the smaller number over a dog's life. Run the first year, including clips every few weeks, through the dog cost calculator.

What do Spoodles in rescue look like?

Mostly young adults and adults, plus the occasional puppy. They are listed under several names (Spoodle, Cocker Spaniel x Poodle, Cockapoo, Poodle cross) and are often surrendered by owners whose circumstances changed, or who underestimated the grooming. They are popular, so they tend to be adopted quickly. Set an alert on the breed page, and include other small Poodle crosses through the low-shedding listings for your city.

An adopted adult answers the questions a Spoodle puppy cannot: its coat has grown in, its size is settled, and you can see how it behaves with people and other dogs. The rescue will usually have had it vet checked, desexed, microchipped and vaccinated. What you usually will not get is its parents' health results, so book a baseline vet check, including eyes and ears, in the first weeks.

How do Spoodle scams work, and how do you check a seller?

Scamwatch describes the pattern: fake websites, social media profiles and marketplace listings for popular breeds and pets that do not exist, and a price so cheap it is likely a scam. It advises viewing the pet in person or on a video call with the breeder. A Dogs Victoria fact sheet says popular breeds and mixes such as Cavoodles feature commonly in scam ads, and warns that ads may display microchip, source or membership numbers lifted from legitimate breeders. Poodle crosses are in high demand, which is exactly what scammers follow.

Because a Spoodle breeder cannot be a Dogs Australia registered breeder, the checks that matter are the ones every breeder must pass:

1. The state number. A breeder identification number in NSW, a Pet Exchange Register source number in Victoria, a supply number in Queensland, a DACO breeder number in South Australia. Look it up on the official register yourself and confirm it matches the seller, the location and the microchip number. Our puppies for sale guide sets out every state's scheme.
2. Both parents. Meet the mother where the puppies are raised, and ask about the father. Dogs Australia says responsible breeders should show you the dogs on their premises, and suggests asking whether your vet can check the puppy before you buy.
3. Health results on both parents, as in the table above.
4. A reverse image search of the puppy photos and a search of the ad's exact wording, which often turns up the same text on other sites.
5. No bank transfers to strangers. Pay only once you have seen the puppy, and by a method that gives you some protection.

Should you adopt or buy a Spoodle?

Adopt if you can be flexible about age. An adult Spoodle from a rescue costs a published fee, arrives with the vet work done, and shows you its coat and character before you commit, which matters more for a cross than for a purebred. Buy if you need a young puppy and are prepared to do the checking that the lack of a breed standard and a breed club leaves to you: state breeder number, both parents, both sets of results.

And if what you really want is a dog of known size and coat, look at the parent breeds. A purebred Cocker Spaniel or Poodle has a breed standard and Dogs Australia registered breeders; our Cocker Spaniel adopt-or-buy guide covers one side. Still deciding on the type of dog? Try the what dog breed am I quiz or the adoption readiness check, and compare the other popular crosses in our Groodle and Labradoodle guides.

Find a Spoodle near you

Each page shows Spoodles listed right now by rescues in that city, and each listing links to the rescue where you apply directly.

• Spoodles for adoption in Sydney
• Spoodles for adoption in Melbourne
• Spoodles for adoption in Brisbane
• Spoodles for adoption in Perth
• Spoodles for adoption in Adelaide

Low-shedding dogs of every type, listed by city: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.

Local Spoodle adoption guides: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth, Adelaide.