About Cavapoos

The low-shedding Cavapoo is a great companion dog. Affectionate, loyal and friendly, the Cavapoo gets along well with kids and household pets including both canine and non-canine. These dogs will love just about anyone and anything. Cavapoos thrive on human companionship and should not be considered an option if you are planning to kennel your pet. They do not respond well to those environments at all. As such, they are in many ways the ideal dog for a loving family. That way, they will get all the attention and care they need, and will seldom – if ever – be alone! Once you have a Cavapoo, the pup will become an important member of your family. And all that thanks to the powerful bond this breed creates with their owner. He will be inseparable from the clan. Because the Cavapoo considers himself to be part of your pack, he loves to be involved in everything the family is doing and if left on his own for too long, he can develop unwanted behaviors such as barking. As one of the parents is a Poodle, he can also become somewhat hyper and clingy, following his owner around the house and suffering from separation anxiety if excluded. So, the Cavapoo would not be a good match for anyone in a home in which he will be left alone for many extended periods of time. He’s far too social than that and requires owners who will almost always be at his side. If you are a solo owner that has to work or travel – without your dog – a Cavapoo might not be the best choice. They’ll go berserk without you!Needless to say, while their friendliness makes them an excellent family pet, Cavapoos make horrible watchdogs – they’d wag their tail and welcome cuddles from any stranger, so they are not likely to be guarded and cautious around people they don’t know. The Cavapoo has an average lifespan of 10 to 15 years. That’s a generous lifespan, and can ensure plenty of time spent together with your dear pet. While Cavapoos make excellent companion dogs, they are right there in the middle when life expectancy is considered. Still, 15 years is a great period to spend with your four legged pal. Most Cavapoos have a soft, curly or wavy coat depending on which genes they inherit – Poodle or Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (which also means they could be hypoallergenic). While his coat can be maintained by regular bathing followed by brushing to prevent tangles, it’s recommended that a visit to a professional groomer be scheduled every four to six weeks. In the time between, you should routinely brush their coat to maintain it. The breed is also known to experience those reddish-brown tear stains, a malady that can be addressed by washing his face daily with careful attention paid to the area beneath his eyes. Professional grooming salons can also address this issue, if you prefer going straight to the pros. As for the possible colors, the options are many – all variations from the Poodle and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel come into play. Most commonly, Cavapoos are a single solid color – black, red, apricot, blonde, and cream are some of the most frequent coat colors. There are also bi-color coats (such as black and tan) or tricolor coats, as well as more exotic colors such as sable, merle, or blenheim. As the small Cavapoo produces an even smaller puppy, care must be taken to ensure he is safeguarded from extremes such as heat, cold, and even well-meaning kids who can play rough. Because the breed is highly intelligent and eager to please, training can begin during the puppy stage and early socialization will be key to ensuring he is comfortable with strangers and other pets. This tiny dog will learn quickly though, so it’s worth getting any heavy training out of the way early to ensure that you have a well behaved pup – start with the basics such as potty training and leash training, before advancing to other things, such as crate training or teaching more complex commands. Cavapoo Colors Poodles come in their own range of colors and coat patterns. AKC recognized colors include Black, Blue, Gray , Silver, Cream, Silver Beige, Red, Apricot, Brown, Café Au Lait and White. The AKC recognizes these colors in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels: Black & Tan, Black & White, Blenheim (Red & White) and Ruby. Coat Patterns In the AKC show ring, conformation dogs are solid in color. However, there are all kinds of great coat patterns that can occur. Parti Poodles Parti coats can have any poodle color and the other 50% is white. If it is less than 50% it is called an abstract. Tuxedo These coats are controlled by the same genes as a Parti poodle but has less white. Tuxedos usually have white chest, bellies and often white socks. Sometimes it will look like their tails is dipped in white paint. Ticking Flecks of color all over the dog is ticking. The ticking will appear to have tiny white holes in the dogs base color. Phantom Phantom is a recessive gene, both parents need to carry the gene for it to be expressed in a pup. It is a combination of Black and Tan or Brown and Tan. The “tan” portion can vary in color to a pale cream, warm brown, or a reddish brown. Brindle Brindle coats are striped. The size and intensity can vary. Sable comes in a variety of colors. A sable coat will have black tipped ends to each strand of hair. Abstract This can be any color of coat with a splash of white. Often times it appears as a chest blaze or “socks” on the feet. Merle The patterning is a beautiful, mottled coat which can be accompanied by blue or odd colored eyes. If both parents carry the Merle gene, the pup could be deaf, blind or have ocular defects. Roaning This is a pattern that will produce heavily mottled white areas. This is to be confused with ticking, ticking is spots of color on white. Some of these coat pattens can occur together. Such as a Brindle Parti or a Sable Parti. Cavapoo Health and Cavapoo Lifespan Most cavapoos will live a long and healthy life. Standard poodles, miniature poodles and toy poodles, have life spans ranging from 10-18 years of life. It is important that your breeder tests for hereditary genetic conditions. Some frequent cavapoo health issues are: * Hip Dysplasia * Eye Disorders * Idiopathic epilepsy * Sebaceous adenitis (Standard) * von Willebrand’s Disease * Legg-Calve-Perthes (Toy & Miniatures) * Luxating Patellas (Toy & Miniatures) * Gastric dilation with volvulus (bloat) * Mitral valve heart disease * Middle ear infections * syringomyelia Review our Health Guarantee. Cavapoo Exercise Cavapoo are active dogs who need daily exercise. Whether that is going for a walk or a marathon session of catch in your backyard, the need a venue to unleash that energy in a positively. They also love to swim, since they were bred to hunt waterfowl. Cavapoos Training Poodles are highly intelligent and eager to please. This make training a poodle a bit easier than other breeds. They enjoy canine sports such as agility training, obedience or tracking and dock diving. Cavapoo Potty Training Cavapoo puppies are easy to potty train. Puppies at Show Me Doodles will arrive Potty Pad & Crate Conditioned. We use both washable and disposable potty pads. By 8 weeks and 4 days, when they are ready to come home, they will be using potty pads only. We confine the pups in a puppy play pen. We will open the pen and let them walk to the door to go outside and potty (only after their 1st vaccination and only in our backyards.) They can then come inside and play. Potty pads are available to them in designated areas, however, by this time they really only need the pad that is in their pen for overnight.