Cockapoo carnage! Britain's fallen for the adorable crossbreed because they look like butter wouldn't melt. But appearances can be VERY deceptive...

With their teddy bear faces, soft, shaggy hair that doesn’t moult and playful temperament, it’s no wonder the nation has gone cockapoo crazy.

The cocker spaniel/poodle mix was recently voted the most popular crossbreed dog in Britain — even though a puppy can cost anything from £700 to more than £4,000.

But do those cute, ‘butter wouldn’t melt’ expressions belie a rather naughty nature?

Recently, a one-year-old cockapoo called Buzz caused hundreds of pounds of damage when he chewed himself out of the family kitchen. Buzz had been left for two hours while his owners, Alex Pellowe and her husband James, from Blackpool, went out for lunch. They returned to find a dog-sized hole in the kitchen door — and Buzz sitting waiting for them in the porch.

Buzz the cockapoo did not like being locked in, so made his own way through the door

Cockapoos are the result of crossing two very active and intelligent breeds,’ says Dr Jacqueline Boyd, senior lecturer in animal science at Nottingham Trent University.

‘Both breeds have a drive to be active and carry things. They’re also very social breeds, always wanting to “be with people”. If left alone for long periods of time, they can suffer from separation anxiety and boredom.

‘But they’re not intentionally destructive, and punishing them after the event will just create an anxious dog.’

There are no precise figures for how many cockapoos there are in the UK, but experts say the number has rocketed into the hundreds of thousands over recent years.

The internet is full of pictures of the cheeky pups. The Cockapoo Owners Club even features a ‘Naughty ’Poos Gallery’ which shows scores of mischievous dogs next to the damage they’ve caused.

Here, JILL FOSTER meets five owners whose cute cockapoos have caused chaos.

The Shoe Muncher... Shoes, socks, underlay! Charlie eats the lot

Nicola Palmer, 43, is a charity worker. Divorced, she lives with her son Harry, nine, and their three-year-old cockapoo, Charlie, in Farnborough, Hampshire. 

Nicola says:

Charlie is the first dog I’ve had. It was my ex’s idea to get a pet for Harry, and we chose this breed because they’re so good with children. We picked him up as a puppy at Christmas, telling Harry that we were off to visit Father Christmas.

He was delighted when we told him we were bringing Charlie home. The two of them have such a lovely relationship. Harry calls him his ‘little brother’.

Nicola Palmer, 43, pictured with her cockapoo Charlie, said her exuberant pet has been known to chew on carpets when left unattended in the hallway

Charlie has been known to feast upon expensive shoes when he gets the chance 

But no one warned me what a handful cockapoos could be. It’s like having a small child in the house again. He can be lying on the floor one minute, then the next he’s running up and down the hallway for no reason. He’s a little bundle of energy.

The worst damage he’s done to the house was when he was left alone for a couple of hours and I’d shut all the bedroom doors.

Charlie clearly wasn’t pleased that he couldn’t get into the room he wanted to, so he chewed through the stair carpet, the underlay and then started on the floorboards.

I was shocked when I walked in and saw how much damage a little dog could do. It cost me £400 to replace it all — and now I’ve fitted a stairgate so he can’t do it again.

Many people say that cockapoos calm down as they get older, but Charlie is three now and he is still as lively as ever.

He picks clothes up off the radiator and runs around the house and chews them.

He’s particularly fond of socks and shoes, and will take them off to his bed to have a good old chew. He’s also ripped my feather duster to bits.

They’re a lovely cute breed, but they’re also hard work!

The Carpet Chewer! Crosbie ripped up the stair carpet

Jenn Davidson, 41, a business owner, lives with her husband Evan, 46, their sons Astyn, eight, and Rylan, five, and their year-old cockapoo, Crosbie, in South-West London. 

Jenn says:

 Jenn Davidson, pictured, claims her cockapoo Crosby would eat anything bar broccoli

Here is some of the damage perpetrated by Crosby the cockapoo

Crosbie was pretty ‘chewy’ when we brought him home as a nine-week-old puppy last summer.

He would grab the children’s Lego, pens and toys, and chew them to pieces. He will also try to knock food off the kitchen counter and will eat absolutely everything — apart from broccoli.

We never leave him alone for long, and contain him in the hallway. But he’s made a real mess of the stair carpet. First he was tearing a bit at a time; then one day he had a frenzied attack and the whole thing came off.

We knew that cockapoos had a mischievous streak, and he does seem a bit neurotic if he’s not getting enough attention.

They get bored easily, and that’s when they get up to mischief. If he’s done something naughty, he hides in a corner. But I always forgive him. If anything, I blame myself for leaving him for too long.

The Floor Fiend: Ayla made a meal of the vinyl floor

Lesley de Villiers, 42, is a vet. She lives in Norwich with her partner John, 42, daughter Marissa, nine, and their cockapoo Ayla. 

Lesley says:

I wanted a cockapoo because I’d had people come into the surgery with them and loved the feel of their fur, knew they were really good with children and hardly had any health problems.

When a friend told me she was thinking of buying one, I suggested we bought sisters from the same litter. Then, if one of us went on holiday, the other could look after both dogs. It’s worked out well.

 Lesley de Villiers, 42, is a vet. She lives in Norwich with her partner John, 42, daughter Marissa, nine, and their cockapoo Ayla.

Ayla has calmed down over the past 18 months - but caused £1,000 of damage to the floor in the kitchen

But they are a slightly more naughty breed than many other dogs, and Ayla is no different.

She’s 18 months old now and she’s calmed down a lot, but when she was younger she’d always be chewing shoes. She also dug up a load of plants in the garden. The worst damage she did was when we went out for a meal and came back to find she’d dug up the vinyl floor in the kitchen. It was a mess and I’ll have to replace the entire floor, which will cost around £1,000.

I think she knew she’d done something bad because she was cowering in the corner when I returned. I was speechless.

But there’s no point in telling a dog off afterwards. You have to catch them in the act, so I was actually very calm.

But she’s loving, cheerful, easy to train and friendly. She’s always wagging her tail, and wanting to make friends with other dogs. My daughter adores her, too.

The Bin Bandits! Audrey and Lou Lou are double trouble

Gemma Beeley, 32, is a support worker. She lives in Reddish, Stockport, with her father, stepmother and their cockapoos Audrey and Lou Lou. 

Gemma says:

Gemma Beeley, 32, is a support worker. She lives in Reddish, Stockport, with her father, stepmother and their cockapoos Audrey and Lou Lou

Audrey and Lou Lou have been known to spend time searching through bins

When I get home from work, my first thought is always: ‘What damage have they done this time?’

As my family work different shifts, Audrey and Lou Lou are rarely left alone for more than two or three hours — but that small amount of time is enough to wreak havoc.

We’ve had to take the carpet off the top of the stairs because it’s been chewed off. There’s no point replacing it now.

There’s a big hole in the back- room door where Audrey once tried to escape, and we once came home to find my stepmother’s coat had had the arm and hood chewed off — we think the dogs had been searching for balls in her pockets.And both of them love raiding the kitchen bin.

Lou Lou is by far the most mischievous. She chewed up the Christmas tree and lights last year and we had to replace them all.

Even though we shut the bedroom doors when we’re out, Audrey is big enough to push them open. I once found that my brand new boots had been chewed to pieces.

But we can never get cross with them. We knew when we got Audrey four years ago that cockapoos could be a bit crazy. We joke that my dad loves her more than us.

We’ve always had dogs, but getting cockapoos is the best thing we’ve ever done.

When you catch Lou Lou doing something naughty, she’ll stop wagging her tail and looks worried, concerned she’s going to get told off. But really, what can you say? They’re just doing what dogs do — and we wouldn’t change them for the world.

The Door Destroyer! Lola tore a hole in the door - twice

Natalie Jones, 23, is an events manager. She lives with her housemate and her cockapoo, Lola, in Manchester. 

Natalie says:

If Lola ever does anything wrong, she gives me ‘those eyes’ — big and round — and then crawls on her tummy, Army-style, to my feet and starts to lick me. You can’t ever be cross for long.

The worst damage she’s done is to hollow out the kitchen door. She’s done that twice. The first time was when I’d just moved here and I left her alone in the kitchen for a couple of hours.

Natalie Jones, pictured, says when her pet Lola does something wrong she 'gives her those eyes' and crawls on her tummy 'army style' 

Lola is another cockapoo who enjoys eating her way through doors 

When I came back, she’d scratched most of the paint off. The second time I left her, she tore a big hole in it. I couldn’t believe it. I was really cross.

I grew up with sheepdogs, who are fine being left alone, but cockapoos are much more sociable. She’d love to be at my side all day, every day, if she could.

When I got her, I knew separation anxiety could be a problem, but I thought it would be fine. I’m now training her to be left alone for longer periods. She’s in daycare while I’m at work, and my housemate or my family take care of her if ever I’m away.

I absolutely adore her — and I know that she loves me.