New research has found crossbreed dogs show are more badly-behaved than pure breeds. The study found cockapoos, produced by crossing cocker spaniels and poodles, and cavapoos, from cavalier king charles spaniels and poodles, exhibit more undesirable behaviours than the pure breeds they derive from. The Royal Veterinary College analysed data from 3,434 crossbreeds and 5.987 purebreeds via an online questionnaire of owners of a variety of dog breeds. Surveying owners of cockapoos, labradoodles, cavapoos, cocker spaniels, labrador retrievers, cavalier king charles spaniels and poodles, they were asked about themselves, their dog expectations, and how they were trained. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The behaviours were evaluated based on 73 questions which generated ratings on 12 different behavioural scales. The authors of the study, published in the journal Plos One, said the research highlights how prospective dog owners should explore the characteristics of any breed or crossbreed before they purchase a new puppy. Both cockapoos and cavapoos have risen in popularity in the UK, with research suggesting this is because the crossbreeds are believed to be hypoallergenic, healthy and better with children. Cockapoos were found to be more undesirable in their behaviour than poodles across six scales. It was found to be more badly-behaved than cockapoos on the scales of dog-directed aggression, stranger-directed fear, dog-directed fear and trainability. The crossbreed also exhibited more owner-directed aggression, stranger-directed aggression, dog rivalry, non-social fear, and separation related problems than poodles. Labradoodles did score better than poodles on six of the scales, but worse than labradors on five scales. Cavapoos meanwhile, scored differently to poodles on three of the measures. LATEST PET NEWS: Firefighter rescues trapped kitten from car engine compartment and gives him new home Schoolgirl, 11, returns to Crufts with beloved dog just three years after battling cancer Green Party would force Britons to hold licence to keep dogs as pets The crossbreed scored worse than cavalier king charles spaniels on eight of the nine scales. Daniel Mills, a professor of veterinary behavioural medicine at the University of Lincoln who was not involved with the study, has called for calm. He said the research did not necessarily mean crossbreeds were genetically more likely to be badly-behaved. "Behaviour is always the product of the interaction of genes with the environment, and looking for simple causes in one or the other is doomed to failure," he said. The study also mentioned how cultural factors could play a role in the scoring. These included differences in owner's behaviour between different breeds, such as the type of training provided. Prof Mills added that more studies were needed to determine the cause of discrepancies in behaviour. "It would be useful to track animals and their owners across time to tease out the main influences for the effects seen," he added. In 2025, 42 per cent of dogs were crossbreeds, with cockapoos, cavapoos, labradoodles being the three most popular crossbreeds, according to Dogs Trust's National Dog Survey. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter