Is the Cobberdog right for you?

  

 

The breed purpose of the Cobberdog is to have the qualities that make a great therapy dog. Those qualities include a dog that is friendly, patient and enjoys engaging with people. Our dogs here at Berkshire Hills have also been selectively bred to have a soft nature and are sensitive to people’s emotions. But those qualities need to be carefully shaped. Wrong understanding or a heavy hand can create a dog with behavior issues.

They are an awesome breed, but they are still dogs.They can be goofy, they can make messes, they need to learn how to live in our world, but do you have the patience to learn what they need and what they are trying to communicate with you?

Do you understand that it takes time and your effort for a puppy to become a calm and connected therapy and companion dog?

Are you prepared for:

1. Training your puppy with positive methods only? That means no choke, prong or shock collars? You can train your dog to have good manners through building a respectful relationship. Often people resort to punishment methods because they don’t know what else to do or not willing to take the time to learn. Find a good trainer who uses positive and relationship based training.

2. Having realistic expectations of your puppy’s first two years? People often meet an adult Berkshire Hills dog and expect the same calm and connected temperament in their puppy. I have had several people call me worried that their puppy doesn’t have a therapy dog temperament, they say the pup has too much energy, they pull on the leash, they are chewing things, etc. Those calls usually come when the dog hits adolescence!

It’s important to know that a puppy goes through many stages the first year or two. They nip, jump, poop in the house, have endless energy, go through fear stages, act like clowns and get into stuff and chew things, to name a few typical puppy behaviors. How you respond and work with those behaviors makes the difference in how your dog matures into an adult.

Cobberdogs are no different. The difference is that a Cobberdog has a soft nature. Punishment, misunderstanding or lack of patience can create anxiety in our dogs. The few dogs that have been returned to us usually have been the ones that were trained on a shock collar. They lost trust in their environment and their people, which caused fear and anxiety.

Building a respectful relationship is the key to creating the adult dog that connects with you and makes a good therapy dog.

3. Cobberdogs need to be groomed every 8-10 weeks depending on the style you like. In between grooming appointments you will need to keep their hair around their eyes trimmed, nails clipped and ears cleaned.

4. Cobberdogs are alert barkers and will let you know if anyone is at the door, or an animal is in the yard and sometimes they alert you to things you just don’t see or hear (but they do!) At Berkshire Hills I appreciate the alert. The dogs stop once I go check it out. Do you have the patience to understand your dog’s nature and work with it?

 

 

Breed Information

 

What is an Australian Cobberdog? 

It is a newer breed being developed for therapy and service work.

Cobber in Australia is slang for “my best mate or best friend.”

How is it different from a Labradoodles?  

For one, it’s a breed and not a cross. Its genetic make up is completely different and has been selectively and purposefully developed like all other dog breeds have been.

How is it different from the Australian Labradoodles? 

SELECTIVE BREEDING!  The foundation of a Cobberdog was  the Australian Labradoodle but going forward we are selectively breeding specifically for a temperament that makes for a good therapy dog.

Australian Cobberdogs are consistent in gentle temperaments, allergy/asthma friendly, non shedding coats and wonderful intelligence. These are the qualities we want in our dogs.

We continue to better the breed and have managed to produce soulful, intelligent dogs that predominantly have the beautiful wavy fleece coat.

Is the Australian Cobberdog the right breed for you?

The Australian Cobberdog has a unique personality all of it’s own. I would describe them as people lovers, human like in their ability to comfort and communicate, very intelligent (always the star pupil in obedience class!) definitely goofy and happy, strong athletes, calm companions (after the puppy stage!) and truly your best friend.(photo courtesy of Rob and Kris Libon)

What is the “Fleece coat?”

We breed true “FLEECE” coats, as it is an amazing coat seen in no other dog breed.

The fleece coat is like human hair. It is a single coat with loose loopy spirals. or soft waves. It feels soft to the touch.

The fleece coat is a lower maintenance coat needing a brushing once every week or so and rarely needs a bath.

It is non shedding and allergy/asthma friendly.

It resists dirt!  A dog with a fleece coat can be covered in mud, but once dry their coat becomes clean and sweet smelling!

Colors and sizes

Measurement is taken at the shoulder. Standard (21″-24″)  Medium (17″-20″)

We do not breed a mini size.

Colors

• Chocolate  Rich chocolate brown color. All chocolates lighten up to a variety of chocolate shades. Most turn into cafe over time. True chocolate is a rare color. Pigment is a rose or chocolate color and eyes can be honey, amber or brown. Kiefer has remained chocolate.
• Cafe  The color of a Latte. Some cafes have a silvery tone to it like espresso with milk. Cafes are be born chocolate but develop into a cafe in 1-3 years.  Pigment is rose or chocolate  with hazel, honey, or brown eyes. Mabel, Pip and Tasha are cafe.
• Parchment Puppies are born milk chocolate and turn a smoky cream resembling milk with a touch of coffee. Hazel is a parchment.
• Caramel The color of a caramel candy. Some caramel colored pups fade to a lighter caramel with time. Pigment is rose with honey, hazel or amber eyes. Carson is a caramel.
• Apricot The color of the inside of an apricot. This color is even all over the body. The pigment on apricot is black. This is how you can tell a caramel from an apricot.
• Apricot cream The ears are apricot , but the body is lighter, usually a warm cream.
• Red The color is similar to caramel but the pigment is black. Paloma is red, though we call her caramel because it is a better description of her color.
• Cream A warm creamy color.  Pigment can be black or rose. Kipling and Alice are creams.
• Raven Black Black puppies will have black pigment. Some black puppies will turn silver.