Crossbreed · Australia and United States, 1990s
Cavapoo
Also called Cavoodle, Cavalier x Poodle.
What makes them remarkable
Two Cavapoos from the same litter can have completely different coats, one wavy and shedding, one curly and not.
- Gentle
- Affectionate
- Sociable
- Adaptable
- Quick
- Size
- Small
- Weight
- 4 to 11 kg9 to 25 lb
- Lives
- 12 to 15 years
- Energy
- Moderate
- Trains
- High
- Barks
- Moderate
Training
Training a Cavapoo
Crossbreed breeds. Train the dog in front of you, not the label. Read both parents, then watch which one turned up.
Soft dog, soft voice
Start here
Cavaliers wilt under pressure. Reward what you want, ignore what you do not, and never make training feel like trouble.
Being left is the skill to teach
This cross attaches hard. Build absences up in minutes from the start and give the dog something to do while you are gone.
Small dog, real training
Do not skip recall and lead work because the dog is portable. A small dog that walks well is a joy; one that does not is carried everywhere.
The app turns this into five to fifteen minutes a day.
Add your Cavapoo 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
- ChildrenVery High
- Other dogsHigh
- StrangersHigh
- CatsHigh
Breed averages. Early socialisation and the individual dog matter more.
- Exercise
- Forty minutes to an hour a day. Content to match the household rather than demand more.
- Grooming
- Brushing several times a week and a regular clip. Coats range from wavy to curly.
- Drool
- Very Low
- Coat
- Wavy, Curly, SoftApricot, Red, Blenheim, Black, Tricolour, Cream
- 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; ask for heart-tested parents
Syringomyelia
Severe
Neurological condition on the Cavalier side; scanned parents lower the risk
Luxating Patella
Mild
Kneecap slipping, common in small dogs
Where they come from
History
Bred from the 1990s in Australia and the United States for a small, affectionate companion with less shedding than a Cavalier. Now one of the most popular crosses in Britain. Heart and neurological screening on the Cavalier parent matters more here than with almost any other cross.
The two sides
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Miniature Poodle
A cross has no standard, so any one Cavapoo can lean either way. Read both parent pages, then watch which one turned up in your dog.
Similar breeds
All breedsCavachon
Bichons are famously slow to housetrain, which is the one Bichon trait most Cavachon owners meet first.
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Puggle
Puggles were among the first crosses marketed by name, from a Wisconsin breeder in the 1980s.
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Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
A 1920s revival helped recreate the older royal spaniel type seen in historic paintings.
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Cockapoo
One of the first deliberate crosses, bred in the United States in the 1960s, long before the word designer dog existed.
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