HISTORY:
The Cavapoo is a crossbreed between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Toy or Miniature Poodle. This crossbreed has been around in North America since the 1950s and is a recognized hybrid. Also referred to as the "Cavoodle" the Cavapoo is a dog bred with the desire to create a low/non-shedding dog that makes a great all-round family pet and is also ideal for anyone with allergies.
TEMPERAMENT: The Cavapoo is affectionate, loyal, and friendly. They are good natured, playful and social. They get along well with other dogs and non-canine pets. Cavapoos generally make great companions for anyone, from small children to an older person. They thrive on social interaction and have a strong desire to be with their family, therefore being left alone for long periods of time is not recommended. They have lots of joyous energy that will entertain you for hours.
LIVING CONDITIONS: The Cavapoo requires daily exercise. It needs at least one good walk a day and loves games like fetch, tug 'o war etc. and is suited to small dog agility competitions. The Cavapoo would be a suitable dog for apartment life as a lot of its needs can be met with indoor play.
HEALTH: Crossing the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with the Miniature or toy Poodle produces hybrid vigor (brings the best of both breeds together creating a genetically healthier dog) and the lifespan of a Cavapoo is around 10-14 years and some have made 20 years of age, compared to the lifespan of a Cavalier King Charles which is 9-14 years. It has been found that hybrid dogs result in a healthier, more vigorous dog with reduced chance of genetic disease. It is well known in all domestic animal breedings, hybrids (50%-50% mixes of two different breeds) will raise the chances of having less genetic diseases. Like all long-eared breeds, the Cavapoo should have the inside of its ears cleaned regularly to avoid ear infections.
Height: of 10-15 inches Weight: 10-18 pounds Life Expectancy: 10-14 years
Should we breed crossbreeds?
That is a very emotive question and will raise a heated discussion with most of the “dog” people I know! Over the years, my opinions on this subject have changed greatly. There is certainly a demand for crossbreed puppies, but that in itself is not a good reason to breed them. There is a great deal of controversy about whether these crosses are actually more healthy than pedigrees and we all know pedigree dogs have taken a lot of stick lately!!
My own view is this. There are some breeds of dog that seem to have more than their fair share of genetically inherited health problems. Some of our breeds have a very small gene pool and not enough is know about how some of these conditions are passed on. Without the knowledge of how conditions are inherited, it stands to reason that it is not possible to prevent them. So you are left with a roulette style chance of puppies inheriting these conditions. It is possible by crossing these breed with another to preserve some of the unique characteristics and reduce the health problems.
There is a misconception that any crossbreed is likely to be healthier because you will not have the closeness of breeding that pure breeds often have. This, of course, is not true. In order to produce healthy puppies, you must first have healthy parents. So, the first and most important step is to health test the parents from both breeds to ensure you have the best chance of having a healthy litter. The vast majority of crossbreed puppy adverts I see, do not mention health testing at all! It is also important to ensure you are crossing two breeds that physically compliment each other and do not share similar inherited disorders. If you do cross two breeds with share inherited issues, what is the benefit of crossing them at all?
So, I leave it to you to decide…….......
