Crossbreed · United States, 1990s
Cavachon
Also called Cavalier x Bichon Frise.
What makes them remarkable
Bichons are famously slow to housetrain, which is the one Bichon trait most Cavachon owners meet first.
- Gentle
- Cheerful
- Affectionate
- Adaptable
- Sociable
- Size
- Small
- Weight
- 5 to 9 kg10 to 20 lb
- Lives
- 12 to 15 years
- Energy
- Moderate
- Trains
- High
- Barks
- Moderate
Training
Training a Cavachon
Crossbreed breeds. Train the dog in front of you, not the label. Read both parents, then watch which one turned up.
Toilet training takes patience
Start here
Bichons are famously slow to housetrain. A strict schedule, outside after every sleep and meal, and reward the moment it happens.
Gentle hands, gentle voice
Neither parent copes with harshness. Reward-led training and a calm tone get everything a raised voice never will.
Make alone time normal
A companion cross through and through. Practise short absences from day one so the dog does not learn that a closed door is a disaster.
The app turns this into five to fifteen minutes a day.
Add your Cavachon and it builds the plan around their age, where they came from and what they already know, on video with Atlas and Shango.
Free to start. iPhone. No card needed.
At home
Living with one
Deliberate crosses of two breeds. No standard, so more variety within the cross than within a breed; the two parent pages explain the range.
Gets on with
- ChildrenHigh
- Other dogsHigh
- StrangersHigh
- CatsHigh
Breed averages. Early socialisation and the individual dog matter more.
- Exercise
- Thirty to forty-five minutes a day, plus play. Easy to over-exercise as a puppy; keep it gentle.
- Grooming
- Brushing several times a week and a clip every six to eight weeks; the coat mats if neglected.
- Drool
- Very Low
- Coat
- Wavy, Soft, Low shedding in mostBlenheim, Apricot & White, Cream, Tricolour, White
- In a flat
- Can work, with enough exercise outside it.
Health
Things to ask a breeder or vet about
Mitral Valve Disease
Severe
Heart condition very common in Cavaliers; heart-tested parents matter
Luxating Patella
Mild
Kneecap slipping in both small parents
Dental Disease
Moderate
Small mouths and crowded teeth; brush daily
Where they come from
History
A companion cross developed in the United States in the 1990s, combining the Cavalier's softness with the Bichon's cheerful, lower-shedding coat. A small, easygoing family dog that suits flats and first-time owners, with the Cavalier's heart screening the thing to ask about.
The two sides
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Bichon Frise
A cross has no standard, so any one Cavachon can lean either way. Read both parent pages, then watch which one turned up in your dog.
Similar breeds
All breedsCavapoo
Two Cavapoos from the same litter can have completely different coats, one wavy and shedding, one curly and not.
Small · Crossbreed
Puggle
Puggles were among the first crosses marketed by name, from a Wisconsin breeder in the 1980s.
Small · Crossbreed
Maltipoo
A Maltipoo can live sixteen years, so a habit taught in the first six months is kept for a very long time.
Toy · Crossbreed
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
A 1920s revival helped recreate the older royal spaniel type seen in historic paintings.
Small · Toy