With their puppy-like faces, even as adults, Cavoodles (also known as Cavapoos) are as sweet as they look. A cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Miniature Poodle, they bring the best bits of both of these breeds - they’re smart, loyal, affectionate, eager to please and love humans (especially children). They’re prone to being barkers so will definitely let you know when someone’s at the door. They can also experience separation anxiety so do best when they’re around humans or other doggy pals.
Cavoodle Facts
Even when fully grown, Cavoodles are small dogs, growing between 30 and 35cm tall and weighing between 5 and 12kg. They usually have thick soft coats that are either wavy or straight and a medium length muzzle. Expect round, large brown eyes and an absolutely adorable appearance. Although, because Cavoodles are a crossbreed, their appearance can vary a lot from dog to dog.
- Breed Group: Toy
- Height:: 30-35cm
- Weight: 5 - 12kg
- Life Span: 10-14 years
- Coat: Long - curly or straight
- Colour: Gold, tan, black, brown, cream
What Does a Cavoodle Look Like?
In a word: adorable. Even as adults, Cavoodles have a puppy-like appearance. Think long soft floppy ears, large expressive brows and a small, round face. Because they’re a cross-breed, no Cavoodle looks the same. All have soft, Poodle-like coats though, which will shed a little (Poodles don’t shed, but Cavaliers do).
Cavoodles come in a wide range of colours, including black, white, brown, gold, red and more. Their colouring will depend on the coat colour of the parent dogs.
Cavoodle
Cavoodle Temperament: Lively yet Laid-back
Gentle, friendly and calm, Cavoodles make great family pets. They get along with humans, especially small ones, and other dog pals famously well. They thrive on company and being a central part of the family. Whatever you’re doing, they’ll want to do too!
Taking the best bits of a Poodle and a Cavalier, they’re smart, affectionate, lively, playful and really keen to please. Their Cavalier genes balance out the slightly neurotic and highly strung Poodle side, making them laid-back. It’s from their Cavalier genes that they get their love for people too, as Cavaliers were originally bred to be companions. Their Poodle genes are what make them so intelligent and loyal.
This adds up to a dog with a lovely, sweet temperament that’ll love daily exercise with you and then spending the rest of the day at your side. Cavoodles are known to experience separation anxiety if they’re left alone. If you’ll be working outside the home, think about a dog sitter or doggy daycare to keep them happy, settled and mentally and physically stimulated.
Although not aggressive, Cavoodles can be barkers. They can make good guard dogs as they’ll announce every visitor’s arrival. Early socialisation and training can help reduce their vocal urges. Thanks to their clever nature, they’re highly trainable and obedient and you should find them easy to teach
Keeping Cavoodles Healthy: 5 Issues to Watch Out For
As a crossbreed, Cavoodles have a more diverse genetic makeup than purebreds. This means they’re less likely to experience the issues that their parent breeds might. There are still a few things to look out for, including some genetic issues. Ensuring you know the full medical history of your Cavoodle puppy’s parent dogs can help avoid some of these.
Patellar luxation
Patellar luxation is another term for a dislocating knee, or a knee that moves out of place. It happens when the bones of the patella (kneecap) aren’t aligned properly so they slip in and out of place. This causes pain and for a Cavoodle to walk strangely. Mild cases don’t impact too much on a Cavoodle’s life and don’t need treatment. More severe cases might need surgery.
Mitral Valve Disease
Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) is really common in Cavaliers and is thought to be genetic. If you’re buying a Cavoodle puppy from a breeder, be sure to ask about the Cavalier parent dog’s health. This heart disease begins with a heart murmur that gets worse and worse until the dog suffers heart failure and dies. Although other breeds can happen in other breeds, it tends to happen a lot earlier in Cavaliers so it’s worth being aware of.
Because heart murmurs don’t normally have any signs, your vet will check your Cavoodle’s heart at their regular check up using a stethoscope to hear anything unusual. Once in heart failure, symptoms include a cough and difficulty exercising or breathing.
Syringomyelia
Syringomyelia is quite common in Cavoodles. It’s when the formation of the skull is too small for their brain. Depending on how severe a case it is, it can cause some mild discomfort or a large amount of pain. Look for your Cavoodle showing any tenderness around their neck, head or shoulders or whimpering when you touch or scratch their head. Take them to the vet as soon as possible if you see this.
Eye Issues
Cavoodles can be prone to eye issues, including cataracts. This is when a cloudy membrane forms over their eye, causing them to lose their vision. Cataracts can be removed surgically.
Additionally, they’re at risk of progressive retinal atrophy. These eye diseases gradually deteriorate the retina, leading to night-time blindness then no blindness. Although there isn’t a cure, most dogs adapt well to losing their sight
Epilepsy
Seizures with no known cure are known as idiopathic epilepsy and Cavoodles are at risk of developing them. Although they can be scary to watch, there is treatment available for Cavoodles with epilepsy.
Caring for Your Cavoodle Dog
With those cute looks and beautiful coat, a Cavoodle needs a little more care than some other breeds, including regular trips to the groomer. Here’s how to keep them looking and feeling great.
Grooming
It’s easy to fall in love with a Cavoodle, especially its gorgeous coat. However, this coat needs some care, including being professionally groomed every six weeks. It also needs to be brushed a few times a week. Cavoodles don’t normally shed too much, although Cavoodles with more Cavalier than Poodle will shed more.
Cavoodles need to have a bath once a month and their eyes cleaned every day. This helps prevent the build up of eye discharge and tear staining. Their ears should be cleaned regularly to help avoid infection and their teeth should be cleaned every day.
Nutrition
Cavoodles are prone to tartar build up on their teeth (that’s why you should brush their teeth daily). Feeding them dry food will help clean their teeth as they eat. Because of their small size, it’s important they eat an age- and size-appropriate diet. Specially formulated small breed puppy and adult dog food usually has smaller kibble that’s easier for Cavoodles to eat. As well as being smaller kibble, it’ll meet their nutritional needs with balanced amounts of protein, fat, carbs and vitamins and minerals.
Exercise
Although Cavoodles are calm and laid-back, they’re still lively and love exercise. They need at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, which should include a walk and an outdoor play session in the backyard, beach or the local dog park. Because they’re intelligent, puzzle and enrichment toys are also a great way to challenge them.
Cavoodles can be trained to play fetch so stock up on balls and launchers.
Training Your Cavoodle
Cavoodles crave human attention and training gives them plenty of that! With their smart and eager-to-please natures, training a Cavoodle puppy is quite simple, especially with positive reinforcement and a little patience.
A Cavoodle can be trained to do pretty much anything, starting with the basics like sit and stay. Once they’ve got those downpat, you’ll be able to progress to more complex things - roll over and play dead, anyone?