The Cavapoo: temperament, price, health, and breeders

The Cavapoo is a dog resulting from the cross between the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Miniature Poodle. It was developed in Australia at the end of the 1990s by breeders seeking to combine the small size, gentle temperament and low shedding of its two parent breeds. Quickly popular in Australia and then in the United States, it spread to many countries as a family companion dog. It is not recognized by the FCI nor by major international canine organizations as an official breed.

The Cavapoo is a small compact dog with a harmonious body. Its head is round, with medium-sized dark eyes, a rather short muzzle and long, drooping ears. Its coat is dense, soft to the touch, often curly or wavy, sometimes more wavy depending on parental heritage. Coat colors are varied and can be cream, fawn, chocolate, gold, white, black, bicolor or tricolor.

The Cavapoo is an affectionate, playful and friendly dog, very human-oriented. It enjoys family life, seeks contact and generally proves excellent with children. Sociable with its fellow dogs and often compatible with other animals when it has been well socialized, it nevertheless keeps a certain reserve towards strangers and can raise the alarm with enthusiasm.

On a daily basis, the Cavapoo adapts easily to the rhythm of its household, including in an apartment, provided it benefits from regular outings and play. Its need for exercise remains moderate, but it likes to take part in family life and copes poorly with prolonged absences. Very attached to its loved ones, it can develop separation anxiety if it does not gradually learn to stay alone.

Intelligent, curious and sensitive, the Cavapoo responds well to positive training based on reward, play and consistency. Socialization must begin early in order to strengthen its confidence with humans, dogs and other animals. It is also useful to gradually teach it to be alone to limit vocalizations and hyper-attachment.

The purchase price of the Cavapoo depends mainly on the seriousness of the breeding program, the health tests carried out on the parents, the quality of the puppies’ socialization, and local demand for this type of companion dog. It is preferable to favor a breeder who is transparent about health and temperament rather than an offer that is only attractive in terms of price.

The Cavapoo is generally a small dog that is quite sturdy when it comes from well-selected parents and receives an appropriate diet, regular grooming and serious veterinary follow-up. Like many small-format dogs and hybrid lines, it can however be affected by several orthopedic, cardiac or ocular conditions inherited from its parent breeds.

The Cavapoo needs a complete and digestible diet, formulated for a small companion dog with a moderate activity level. The quality of the ingredients, the energy balance and the adjustment of the ration to its age, its weight and its activity are the foundations of good health.

The Cavapoo is also called Cavoodle in English-speaking countries. Its appearance and temperament can vary from one individual to another depending on the more pronounced influence of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel or the Miniature Poodle. Its popularity is explained largely by its practical size, its strong sociability and its low shedding.