A Cavapoo is a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a toy or mini Poodle. As individual breeds, the Cavaliers and the Poodles have very little in common, but when the two are combined, something very special happens!
What is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel?
Cavaliers are one of the largest toy breeds, typically weighing between 12-18 lbs. They’re exceptionally happy little souls, trusting and easy going, and generally love everyone they meet. They tend to be very adaptable to their surroundings, and will be happy to either loll around on the sofa with their family or go for a romp in the yard or the park. They’re great with kids, and do well in families with children who will throw a ball for them, teach them tricks, or just hang out with them. They have large, expressive eyes that melt your heart every time, and they’re one of the best lap dogs! They do shed considerably and are generally not hypoallergenic.
What is a Poodle?
Poodles are extremely intelligent and are easily trained. They are agile and graceful as well as smart, and they tend to be lively, active, and goofy. They have an almost human-like intelligence and an amazing cleverness. Training is very important as they learn fast, good habits and bad! They attach very strongly to their families and are great with kids and other dogs. Poodles don’t have an undercoat, so they don’t do much shedding and are a good choice for families with allergies, but that also means their coats require a lot of maintenance to stay matt and dirt free. They generally do well in any type of home, from apartments to estates, as long as they have plenty of exercise and human companionship. They come in 4 different sizes, standard, moyen, mini, and toy, and a myriad of colors.
Poodle sizes:
- Standard: 22-27 inches / 40-70 lbs.
- Moyen: 15-20 inches / 20-35 lbs.
- Mini: 10-15 inches / 12-18 lbs.
- Toy: 7-10 inches / 6-9 lbs.
The Cavapoo:
Combining the Cavalier and the Poodle brings together the best of both breeds! They are one of the most sought after designer breeds, earning top spot as a family pet in the designer dog world. It’s not hard to understand why! Cavapoos are so gentle and sweet, they love children, they’re always so excited to see their family, and love nothing more than to sit on your lap in the evening and keep you company as you chill after a busy day! They are also very fun loving and always ready to go for an adventure with their families. And they’re absolutely beautiful!!
The Cavapoo is a great choice for families, friendly and affectionate with children of all ages. However, because of their small size it is important to teach children how to handle them. They can quite easily be mishandled by excitable children.
Like the Cavalier parent, Cavapoos tend to be very adaptable to their surroundings and are well suited for either apartment or house living. They do just fine with or without a back yard. They will be happy to just hang out with their family and chill on a lazy day, or go out for a romp in the yard or a park. Cavapoos generally get along great with other pets in a household. They are very social dogs and if properly socialized, will love to go for walks, meet new people and have play dates with their doggy friends. Their extreme sociability does mean that they do not do well being left alone hours and hours at a time.
Cavapoo Colors:
Cavapoos come in many different colors. Currently we are only breeding the red and white. Some of our babies are red & white tuxedo, some are red with white highlights on their chest, paws, and chin, and occasionally we’ll have a solid red. Go to our Cavapoo photo gallery to see pictures of our past litters.
Cavapoo Sizes:
Cavapoos can have a high range of adult size. The majority of our babies mature at between 12-16 lbs, although we occasionally have some who stay smaller or grow up a bit larger.
Cavapoo Generations:
F1 Cavapoos: An f1 Cavapoo is a first generation cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Poodle. They typically have a wavy coat and very minimal shedding.
F1b Cavapoos: An f1b is the offspring of an f1 Cavapoo bred back to a Poodle. They are 75 percent Poodle and 25 percent Cavalier and are a great choice for families with moderate allergies, as they tend to have curlier coats in general and are more consistently hypoallergenic.
Why do we cross the Cavalier with the Poodle?
We absolutely adore the Cavalier breed and it may seem like it would be hard to improve on it. They’re so beautiful and gentle and loyal, and really just amazing dogs. However, they do have several issues which can be greatly improved by crossing them with the Poodle:
Lifespan:
Cavaliers tend to have certain hereditary issues that can be greatly diminished by combining them with the Poodles, as Poodles are known to be one of the healthiest dog breeds. Cavapoos have the hybrid vigor, are healthier in general, and have a longer lifespan. It is very important with designer breeds as well as cross breeds to be sure that both parents are in excellent health. We do genetic testing through Vetnostics on the parent dogs prior to breeding them, and we test for and clear them for the diseases both the Cavalier and the Poodles are prone to.
Hypoallergenic:
Many families have one or more members who are allergic to the dander in a dog’s coat. A purebred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is not hypoallergenic and will trigger allergies in someone with a sensitivity to dog dander. The Poodle is a hypoallergenic breed and typically does not trigger allergies. Most people with mild to moderate allergies will not have issues with an f1 Cavapoo. However, an f1b is a safer choice for a family with moderate to severe allergies to dander.
Minimal shedding:
A purebred Cavalier will shed!! There’s just no question about it. When crossed with a Poodle the shedding is greatly decreased. Some Cavapoos shed lightly but usually not anywhere close to the amount of shedding from the Cavalier. Some don’t shed at all. We very seldom have any significant amount of shedding from our Cavapoos.