Cavapoo: everything you should know about this mixed breed

Have you ever wondered what the outcome would be if a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Poodle had a puppy? Look no further, the Cavapoo is the answer!

Let's find out more about this wonderful crossbreed.

Quick Overview of the Cavapoo

If you're looking to own a dog for the first time, then a Cavapoo will make a great addition to your life. Similarly, if you have children at home, then this fluffball will get on swimmingly well and fit right in.

Cavapoo's also are perfect for any living conditions, their small in size, growing up to 9-14 inches at their shoulder and weighing between 9-25 Ibs. Therefore making it a perfect crossbreed for anything from an apartment upwards!

If you own a Cavapoo, your heart will melt due to its cuteness. This breed looks like a walking teddy bear as it has a soft and fluffy coat and adorable button eyes.

Temperament

• Loyal
• Lapdog
• Gentle
• Patient

Appearance

• Tri-colored dog
• Floppy ears
• Round face
• Flat muzzle

Common health issues

• Epilepsy
• Mitral Valve Disease
• Syringomyelia
• Luxating Patella

Temperament of the Cavapoo

If you're looking for an aggressive guard dog to scare off people in your home, then the Cavapoo is not for you. They may now and again bark at a stranger, but as soon as they're stroked, they'll become friendly with any human!

On the contrary, if you're after a dog that has a gentle nature, is friendly, and loves to spend time with people, in particular their family, then the Cavapoo will be perfect for your household. Similarly, if you have any pets in your home, then the Cavapoo will get on well with them and be quick to adapt.

This small breed is also renowned for being a lapdog. This is perfect if you've had a long day at work and want them to climb into your lap while relaxing watching the television.

However, if you wish to own a Cavapoo, your presence as their owner is important. This breed can easily become attached to people they love, and when not around, they're quick to develop separation anxiety.

Thanks to their intelligent Poodle parent, they're easy to house train and obedient. But for them to be this, it's recommended you train them from an early age. The best way to do this is through positive reinforcement, where you give them treats and rewards for their good behavior.

Given their inherited intelligence, they do require a lot of mental stimulation. Therefore it's recommended you play games to test their mental attitude, such as tug of war, giving them a kong toy, puzzle toys and more.

Unlike Poodles, they don't have a high exercise threshold; all you need is to give them moderate exercise each day. On average, you should take them out for a 30 minute to 1 hour walk each day.

Appearance of the Cavapoo

These dogs are renowned for their small size that can fit in any home. More importantly, they have a distinct round face with floppy ears, almond-type eyes, and a flat muzzle. Even though they're small in size, they're sturdy and therefore not too fragile for children to play with.

Similarly, you can't truly predict what a Cavapoo will look like as they could take after either parent the King Cavalier or Poodle. Therefore genetics can influence the type of coat they have.

Typically Cavapoos can have either short, soft, and curly, or wavy coats. Generally, a Cavapoo is known to be a hypoallergenic dog. That means they're perfect for people who have allergies, as they shed little and won't spark any reaction.

However, some Cavapoos do shed moderately and may trigger an allergic reaction. Therefore to know which are and aren't, we recommend speaking to a breeder first.

Most of the time, Cavapoos coat just grows and sheds little. However, they do need frequent haircuts. To know more about their, scroll down to the grooming section.

Color

If you're looking to buy a Cavapoo, you will be spoilt for choice in coat color. This breed can come in various colors such as chestnut, white, black, gold, chestnut, and white and black, white, and tan.

Hair

A Cavapoo will tend to go through two coats, one when they're a puppy and the other as an adult. Most of the time, their coats are low shedding and curly.

Morphology

Cavapoo's are classed as a hybrid or designer dog between King Charles Cavalier and the Poodle. There are different crossbreeds, and to identify them, they start with the letter F.

The F is short for filial and means filius in Latin. This means son or daughter. Similarly, there is a number attached next to the f, which means first, second or third generation. Finally, the morphology for the Cavapoo is the following: F1 Cavapoo, F1b Cavapoo, F1bb Cavapoo, F2 Cavapoo, F2b Cavapoo, F2bb Cavapoo, and F3 Cavapoo.

Tips about this mixed breed

• A Cavapoo likes more exercise than walks. It requires a lot of stimulation and likes to play games like fetch, ball games, and tug of war.
• Cavapoos can be at risk of bad breath and plaque build-up.
• Cavapoos can easily gain weight, so they need a regular routine to keep them in shape.

Health of the Cavapoo

On average, a Cavapoo can live up to 12-15 years if healthy. However, just like us, Cavapoos can be prone to certain health problems, which are:

• Mitral valve disease
• Epilepsy
• Skin Dysplasia
• Luxating Patella
• Progressive Renal Atrophy
• Syringomyelia

Grooming a Cavapoo

If you're planning on owning a Cavapoo, you should brush its coat every 2-3 days to stop it from matting and tangling. The best brush to use is a bristle brush, and when brushing, you may wish to separate its hair using a two-sided pin.

Similarly, you should take it to a professional groomer every 8-12 weeks. They will be able to keep their coat in check and give it one of the unique Cavapoo haircuts. In addition to this, Cavapoos should be washed every 4-6 weeks using special dog shampoo and conditioner. If you wash it any sooner than this, you may strip their coat of natural oils.

History of this breed

It's believed that this crossbreed officially came into existence in the 1950s from Australian designer breeders. During this period, they were intentionally breeding the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with Poodles.

The reason for this breed existing is that breeders wanted to have a dog that is highly intelligent like the Poodle but also calm like the Cavalier. They also wanted to create a good breed for people who suffered from a lot of allergies. Today this crossbreed is commonly found in the UK and Australia.