Cavoodle Guide– A Great Apartment Dog Discussed In 14 Points

Have you ever come across an entity which is perfect for all your needs?

A low-cost and lightweight camera with sensational video capabilities may be,

Or a cutting gadget that can do grinding, slicing, chopping, and peeling – all in one.

It surely excites you up to the very core.

This dog is one of those types!

Cavoodle is an excellent apartment dog that is small, playful, intelligent, and gorgeous.

So, let’s get into this outstanding breed. We will tell you 14 facts about it and we are pretty sure you wouldn’t need to look anywhere else after that.

1. Cavoodle Is An Adorable Cross

Cavapoo or Cavoodle a cross between the Cavalier Kings Charles Spaniel and a Poodle; standard, toy or miniature. It is originated from Australia.

The puppies produced take respective qualities from the parents. Intelligence and liveliness from the poodle and placidness and smallness from the other parent.

If you are looking to bring a fluffy, gentle, adorable breed who loves to play with kids and sit in your lap, this is the dog for you.

2. There Are Many Types of Cavoodle Generations

Different hybrid generations exist.

• F1 generation:

First generation Cavoodles or F1 generation involves a typical even mix of the two parent breeds; Doodle and Cavalier. This will be the best generation and is mostly bred by renowned breeders.

First generation Cavoodles are the least susceptible to genetic disorders, will have little to no shedding, and possess pleasant behavior.

• F2 generation:

F2 generation means the offsprings/puppies produced are a result of breeding between two F1 Cavoodles.

If we talk about specific traits of this generation, half of the litter on average will resemble both their parents (e.g. the color of a Cavalier and the size of a Poodle), one quarter with the Cavalier Charles and the other quarter with the Poodle.

• F2b generation also exists:

It can either be an F2 Cavoodle bred with a Cavalier or an F2 Cavoodle bred with a Poodle. In the first case, the puppy will more closely relate the Cavalier and in the second, to the Poodle.

Also, if F1b Cavoodle is crossed with F1 Cavoodle, it will be F2b.

This type of breeding is not very common because the offsprings lose many characteristics of their parents.

• Multi-generation

It includes any Cavoodle that is the third generation or more. For example, F3 generation means a cross of two F2, and F4 means a cross of two F3.

3. They Are Available in Multiple Colors & Have A Very Cute Appearance

Although the appearance can vary depending on the looks extracted from each parent, Cavoodles is generally very adorable.

They have a soft and hairy coat with small eyes that are usually grey, black, and brown. The ears are floppy, muzzle is medium in length, tongue is small and thin and the nose is black.

As for the tail, it is small, fluffy, and pointed. Unlike other major breeds that have fixed coat colors, this breed is unpredictable.

It could be black, apricot, white, golden, chocolate, caramel. And then there are multi and tri-color options: a combination of any two or three colors.

The appearance can also change as the newborn puppy ages to become an adult dog.

4. Cavoodle Temperament Is One To Die For

Poodle is a parent of so many hybrid species: Labradoodle, Shepdoodle, Yorkipoo, Whoodle and many more. And all of them have a highly jolly nature.

Now consider the other parent:

The social and playful Cavalier. So it is easy to say that Cavoodles combines the best traits of smartness, loyalty, trainability, jolliness and cuteness.

Bought quite easily by Americans and Australians for their gentle and amiable personality, they are extremely loyal and crave the love and affection of their family members.

They cherish themselves to play with kids, whether it’s a jumbo ball, a wood stick or a chew toy and are friendly towards strangers.

Quite adorably, they love to roll over the floor, jump here and there, wag their tails cheerfully and curl around your legs.

You can prepare a play area for them including slides, tunnels and swings to keep them extremely happy.

Also, they are very loyal and will quickly recognize themselves as a part of your family.

5. They don’t size much

One of the top reasons it is a highly anticipated family dog is a small size. A full-grown Cavoodle can be anywhere between 25-40 cm tall and 5-15 kg in weight.

Although there is a range in their sizes, however, they can be accurately dedicated to be a small size breed because both of its parents are not very big.

Poodles are not larger than 15 inches (standard) while King Cavalier is 12-13 inches.

There is more to it.

Generally, they are bred with Toy or Miniature Poodles. When crossed with a Toy Poodle and Cavalier Spaniel, a Toy Cavoodle is produced which sizes up to 33cm.

If a Miniature Poodle is crossed with instead, a Miniature Cavoodle will be produced which will be bigger generally and have a maximum size of 45cm.

6. They Are A Great Choice For Apartments

While a large space is absolutely essential for big dogs like Black German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever and Pitbulls, this breed can happily live in an apartment.

The first reason is their small size. A place for him to sleep and eat and you are good to go. They don’t need a large yard or a garden to run and bark.

The second reason is their characteristic of being a great lap dog, similar to the parent Charles Cavalier Spaniel. They would cherish themselves to be patted and stroked while lying on your thighs.

But it has high energy levels as well because of its connection from Poodle so you will have to arrange walks for him too – not much, take him alongside while going to a nearby store.

The third reason is that they are hypoallergenic and shed very slightly. You don’t have to worry if they jump on the couch or on your bed unless their paws are clean.

There’s more to the shedding, later in the blog.

7. Their nutrition requirement change according to the age

At the start, Cavoodle puppies would need more fat and protein, to juice them up with enough energy to play and run around.

The most accurate dog food at this age would be Hill Science Diet Small Dog Food or Royal Canin Puppy Food.

As they start their journey towards adulthood, they should be shifted to the more regular dog food which should be dry because their teeth are prone to catch tartar.

Of course, you can clean them through a dog toothbrush but caution is always better.

They generally eat small amounts at a time as they have small stomachs. So you would have to feed them 4-5 times a day. We wouldn’t get into the details of the measurement as your dog vet will guide you better.

But we will surely advise you to measure the food precisely so that you know exactly how much nutrients are entering their body. That can be helpful while explaining any health issue, if encountered, to your vet.

8. Cavoodles require 45 minutes of daily exercise

They are lively and energetic dogs in addition to being highly trainable. This trait is derived from Poodles and unless you give them a good exercise routine, they won’t deliver the full potential of their “lively” behavior.

Dog exercise is necessary; different dogs have different exercise needs. Cavoodles would need about 40-60 minutes of exercise daily.

It could be running, walking, cycling, throwing and catching or anything else. These activities strengthen the bones and muscles and enhance their cognitive skills.

9. They are quiet dogs but can bark in some cases

Just like French Bulldogs, they don’t bark much – Even when they do, it’s not exactly a bark but a sound note between a whimper and a howl.

They would only bark in hunger, pain, or when they are fussy. When you get to know the reason behind their barking, even that would decrease significantly.

There is a probability that they would bark at new, unknown people but very soon, they will grow in affection with them.

10. You need to keep an eye on the puppies; they are very inquisitive

As puppies, they would love to sniff around and explore your closets and cabinets so you might consider two options:

1. Have a separate room for them (dog rooms)
2. Prepare restrictions and define boundaries for them through safety gates and obstructions.

They are easily attracted to a new scent or sound and will scuttle to the source quickly.

11. They are prone to separation anxiety so don’t leave them alone

We mentioned earlier that they are very sociable and love to interact with humans, like Bernedoodles. If left alone for a long time, they can grow fussy and encounter separation anxiety.

They would then become destructive and may scratch at the door or place from where you exit.

But there is no chance you can be present every single minute with them.

So how to avoid it?

There are many ways. You can change the exiting and returning routine, have them explore different parts of the room so they remain busy, and provide chew dogs.

12. Cavapoos are definitely not low-maintenance.

They don’t shed much but that doesn’t mean their coats don’t require attention – constant Cavoodle grooming is required.

If they have long hair like the King Charles Cavalier Spaniel dog, you would need to give them a bath every two weeks along with a good brushing.

If the coat is more like Poodle, regular brushing is needed. And by regular, we mean daily. Knots tend to appear in their coats which can become large lumps if not brushed.

Cavadoodles tend to shed more in the first year of their life because, at that point of time, they have a soft, developing fur. After the first year, they start getting a dense coat of an adult that is low-shedding.

You would also need to keep their face and ears clean to prevent infections and eye staining.

Related: Pet Care Products

Ever seen brown, red, or rust-colored marks near the eyes of dogs?

These need to be avoided but how?

Trim the hair near their eyes and clean them up regularly using wet wipes and cotton rolls. There are other ways as well which this video will describe.

As a general rule, you would need to take him to a groomer every six to seven weeks.

13. They can get Syringomyelia & Mitral Valve Disease

Although mixed breeds are less prone to develop genetic disorder still there are some diseases which they can incur.

Cavoodles are prone to the ailments that their parents get involved in. This includes the following.

• Syringomyelia: This occurs when the skull is too small for the brain. It can cause pain in the dogs and they would give noises when patted or caressed on the head.
• Mitral Valve Disease: This is a heart problem in which the valve in between the upper and lower heart chamber doesn’t work fully. This is a genetic problem so make sure the parents don’t have this disease while purchasing Cavoodle puppies.
• Epilepsy
• Cataracts: A sheath appears over the eyes which causes vision problems.

14. They aren’t cheap or easy to find

Because they are a hybrid breed of two expensive parents, so it is only reasonable to expect a high price for it.

You can expect to spend $1000-$3000 generally but this range can go as high as $4000. The price would depend on the age of the dog, the reputation of the breeder, and/or adoption fees of the region.

Now, there are two ways of getting a Cavoodle.

• Cavoodle breeders

This breed is not registered by the AKC, so it won’t be present in the registered breeders. So before looking for a reputable breeder, consult online material, vets and friends and family.

Always confirm whether the breeder you are buying from is licensed. Other factors to consider are:

The environment of the breeding home, i.e., cleanliness, amount of puppies at one place, the nature of their food intake and grooming

The nature of the breeder. He must not be giving out puppies at an immense rate because that means something is fishy.

The health of the puppies or adult dogs. It’s better if you take a vet alongside during the purchase.

• Adoption platforms

That means both online platforms and nearby rescue and adoption centers. The problem with rescue dogs is that you wouldn’t know exactly how it was bred and kept.

It could be prone to genetic disorders and diseases and kept in an unfriendly environment.

But those who value the dogs would have kept them quite nicely (which converts the back draw to advantage)

There are online adoption platforms like Puppyfind and Adoptapet which sell high-quality Cavoodle puppies.

Bottom line

So, this was all about this cute breed. If there is something we missed, you are welcome to share that in the comment section.