Pleasant Meadows

History:  The Cavapoo is a cross between the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Toy or Miniature Poodle. Cavapoos have been in America since the 1950's and are now a recognized hybrid.  They originated in Australia where they are named the Cavoodle.  Their popularity in the USA spread rapidly as they proved to be excellent family companions. Their fame eventually spread across the border to Canada in 2010 when we first started raising these lovely spaniels.  We certainly cannot claim to have founded the mix between the Cavalier and Poodle, as the Australian's were the first to mix the Cavalier with the Poodle, but we do believe that we were the first in Canada to actively raise the Cavapoo and now they are soaring into everyone's hearts across our nation. Poodle crossbreeds are meant to produce a dog with mixed traits and the non-shedding hypoallergenic coat. Therefore, by looking at the parent dog history, it is clear to see what traits your Cavapoo will inherit. The Poodle is an elegant, proud and intelligent dog, originally bred to hunt waterfowl. While it originated in Germany, it was the French who developed the distinctive breed further. The breed is very ancient, going back to the Roman and Egyptian times where drawings and statues show dogs that look like the modern-day Poodle. It was in the 1400's when breeders started producing smaller versions of the Poodle, first the Miniature, then the Toy Poodle. The French used the Standard Poodle for duck hunting, the Miniature Poodle for sniffing out truffles in the woods, while the Toy Poodle was a companion to the nobility and wealthy families. Gypsies used these dogs in their circuses as they learned tricks quickly.  The American Kennel Club registered their first Poodle in 1886.  Poodles became the most popular breed in America in the 1950's, a position they held for more than forty years. The Cavalier is a descendant of the King Charles Spaniel (also referred to as the English Toy Spaniel). In the late 1600's, King Charles Spaniels were interbred with Pug dogs that resulted in a smaller dog with flatter noses, upturned faces and bulging eyes. But a man named Roswell Eldridge offered prize money during a Crufts Dog Show in London to anyone who had a King Charles Spaniel with the long nose. While a dog was found, Eldridge sadly passed away before seeing the completion of his dream, leaving other breeders to take up his mission to breed dogs similar to the Spaniels depicted in the paintings of Van Dyck of King Charles II and his Spaniels. The Cavalier that we know today has definite royalty in its blood, having been loved and adored by both King Charles I and King Charles II. It comes as no surprise that the Cavapoo has a royal and slightly superior air to their character from their distinctive history. https://wagwalking.com/breed/cavapoo

Temperament: Cavapoos are good-natured, friendly and intelligent dogs.  They are "full of life", and absolutely thrive on human companionship.  Cavapoos are suited for all age groups and they also do well with other non-canine pets if introduced to them at a young age.  They are interactive and fun-loving -- but also love to curl up with you and snuggle!  Cavapoos love to be involved in whatever activity their family enjoys and will often throw themselves into the mix with full-out-exuberance!  While the Cavapoo does not have a high prey drive, they are still a spaniel mix and can get quite a rise out of chasing a squirrel or bounding after a butterfly and, therefore, are a breed that should remain on a leash until fully trained.  You will find that the Cavapoo gets along quite well with most other dogs because of the Cavaliers friendly influence, however, proper socialization must still continue once the puppy is in your home as you would with any breed. A puppy can be socialized with other older dogs that have already had their vaccinations, and later socialized with other puppies once they have had their second vaccination.

Trainability: Cavapoos are usually very food motivated and will do anything for a treat! The combination of the Cavalier's desire to please and the Poodle's intelligence creates a dog that is eager to please you and has the intellect to back it up and learn what you have asked! The Cavapoo responds well to positive reinforcement with both verbal praise and treat rewards.  Like any dog, consistency is key to all training, but the Cavapoo has definitely proven to be a fast and enthusiastic learner!

Traits: Cavapoos are typically a quiet breed like the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, although, they can inherit the "watch-dog" tendencies of the Poodle.  The Cavalier is usually only vocal during play-time where they will vocalize their excitement. And the Poodle is known for alerting their owners to a strange sound or someone at the door.  With the combined traits of the Cavalier and the Poodle, the Cavapoo is commonly a quiet dog in their daily routines, however, you can expect them to alert you to something happening around your home. The good thing about the Cavapoo mixture is that with the Cavalier's influence of being quieter and their desire to please, this trait is usually at the forefront, and if your Cavapoo does inherit more of a vocal side from the Poodle, they are easily trained to "hush" with positive reinforcement. The Miniature Poodle (the size we use at Pleasant Meadows) is far less vocal than the Toy Poodle that is known for it's yappy tendencies. The Cavapoo is spontaneous, full of spunk, and is a breed that will enjoy participating (on some level) in whatever activity you love, simply because they love you! With regards to water/swimming -- some Cavapoos like water and others do not! It likely depends on how much of the Poodle traits they inherit, but like people, they have their likes and dislikes too!  Since the Cavapoo responds well to positive reinforcement, they are not a breed that should be forced into liking a specific activity, but rather encouraged with treats and verbal praise along with proper socialization. 
 
The Cavapoo is a very social family dog that thrives on the companionship of their family and friends. Because of their social nature, those considering the Cavapoo should not leave their Cavapoo home alone for extended hours on end every single day.  A maximum rule of 4-6 hours for an adult dog should be applied, and we would still recommend breaking up your dog's day with a dog walker or doggy daycare at least 2-3 times per week if you have to leave your dog home alone on a daily basis while you work.  The Cavapoo is listed as a breed that suffers from separation anxiety, however, we have not found this to be problematic with the breed as we only approve applications from families who have enough time and means to devote keeping their puppies happy and healthy with ample human interaction.  The Cavapoo loves their family and bonds very closely with them, and so it's important to match our puppies with families who have the availability of coming home on work breaks, utilizing a dog walking or daycare service, or perhaps there are family members who work opposite work shifts.  There isn't a specific breed that suffers from separation anxiety -- it is a "man-made" problem because dogs are naturally pack animals and if we remove their ability to maintain pack security by isolating them and leaving them alone for extended periods of time -- that's how separation anxiety happens and it can happen with any breed of dog.

Male VS Female:  This is a question that gets asked a lot, and honestly there is literally no difference between male and female Cavapoos!  Both will absolutely love you and one gender isn't more cuddly over the other!  In larger breeds like some working lines, gender can play a bigger role in a dog's temperament, but both the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Miniature Poodle were bred as companion dogs and the Cavapoo just naturally falls into that companion role without the need for encouragement or tweaking. Females LOVE YOU and males are IN LOVE with you ... not a whole lot of difference there! :)

Grooming: Depending on the fur type your Cavapoo has inherited (more Cavalier-like or more Poodle-like), this will determine how much brushing and grooming is required.  Generally, for less curly coats regular brushing is all that is required; for more curly coats professional clipping may be periodically required (approximately every 4-6 months). The Cavapoo's fur can be left long if brushed regularly, although it is still important to keep the area around the eyes trimmed short to avoid hair scratching at the eyes which can lead to irritation (tear stains) or infection. And it is also recommended to have a sanitary trim as needed depending on fur type and growth which involves trimming the excess hair around the bum and private area of your dog which helps avoid fecal matter getting stuck on the fur and in male dogs it may help you avoid urinary infections to keep his "undercarriage" fur buzzed short. This can easily be done at home if you purchase a shaving kit from Walmart or from a pet store, or it can be done by your groomer every few months or so.  The curlier coat of the F1B and F1B Cavapoo is very easily maintained if trimmed short every 3-4 months based upon your personal preference and how often you brush your Cavapoo. And the F1 Cavapoo usually does not need to be trimmed short unless it is your preference for ease of maintaining their fur, every 4-6 months is quite suitable for trimming.  Both coat types can be left long with proper and regular brushing, although you will find that less debris, mud and water, etc. will be tracked into your home if your Cavapoos feet and legs are also trimmed shorter.  It is like having good tires or boots that shed the water when travelling through a puddle.  Less fur = a cleaner home.

Contrary to what you may hear or read, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Cavapoo are not particularly prone to ear infections like other spaniel breeds. This is because, although their ear is floppy, it is not a heavy ear and does not trap moisture as easily.  If the ear is cleaned semi-regularly -- we suggest once every other month or so when you bathe your Cavapoo -- we use and recommend good old fashioned (and 100% natural) Witch Hazel.

Hypoallergenic Qualities: First off, there is no dog on earth that is 100% hypoallergenic! It is better to look at it as there are breeds that are more likely to be "allergy-friendly" than other breeds. Poodles are among some of the breeds that are considered to be "non-shedding" because they have "hair" that continually grows like human hair does instead of fur that is short and sheds out regularly. But, a Poodle (and other "non-shedding" breeds) do still shed fur but do so minimally. When you brush a Poodle, it will be similar to brushing your own hair where a small amount of hair comes out in your brush. So, dogs that are "hypoallergenic" will often do well for families with allergies depending on how much a particular dog sheds, and based upon each individual person's allergies. Please see the info above regarding the fur types based upon the generation of Cavapoo. Click Here to zip back up to the top! And you can find out more information regarding allergies towards dogs in general on our Allergies 101 page (click HERE to view).

Size:  Approximately 12-15 inches at the shoulder.  Height is based on the height of the parents -- but it's not the whole picture.  When you cross a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with a Poodle -- this enables the Cavapoo to draw from everything in both of the parents' gene pools.  This means that hereditary traits from generations back from both breeds can show up and be present in Cavapoos. Hybrid dogs also have the potential to sometimes exceed the size of their parents in height and weight in nature's version of "bigger is better".  Not outrageously bigger, but Cavapoos have been occasionally noted to reach 16-18 inches at the shoulder.  Spaying or Neutering a dog prior to 6 months of age also dramatically increases the chance of a puppy growing to an "odd size".  Please read more about this on our page -- The Best Time to Spay or Neuter.

Weight: Approximately 12-25 pounds.  Weight is proportioned according to a Cavapoo's height.  Cavapoos are generally well muscled and lean, rarely pudgy. Also as mentioned above sometimes Cavapoos can reach a larger height so this does mean that their weight would increase proportionately as well to around 25-35 pounds. And again, this can also be affected by when the puppy is spayed or neutered, please refer to the link above.

Life Expectancy: Approximately 12-14+ years.  A Cavapoos life expectancy is based on the health of the parents' lines -- however, since it's a crossbreed (a mix between a purebred Cavalier and a purebred Poodle) -- their life expectancy has been known to reach 14+ years old because not only do the two breeds blend so well together, but there are fewer health issues in crossbreed dogs.  This is more inherently true for the Multigen Cavapoo and not the lower generations of Cavapoos due to the current poor health in the *purebred* Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and whether or not Toy Poodles have been used in a line (Toys have a genetically narrowed gene pool and poor health because they have been bred repeatedly for their smaller size).

Health: Crossbreed dogs generally have better health because new genetic diversity is added, however, improved health is only seen if the two parent breeds do not genetically share the same genetic faults or if they have been ruled out via Genetic Health Testing.  And while it is true that when two purebred dogs are crossed together their offspring are less likely to develop genetic faults since the gene pool has been widened -- particularly for the Cavapoo crossbreed, it is necessary to have multiple generations of health tested dogs in a lineage in order for this to be true because of the mass amount of health issues currently seen in the *purebred* Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  And furthermore, the size of the Poodle also plays a huge roll in the genetic health of the Cavapoo -- Toy Poodles in particular are very unhealthy because their gene pool has been genetically narrowed down through selective breeding for size from the original Standard Poodle which is one of the only few breeds to have such a drastic size range from "teacup" to "giant" within it's breed.  The Toy Poodle suffers from many health concerns not found in the Miniature, Moyen (nickname for small Standard), and the Standard Poodle.  Having a crossbreed dog doesn't mean that your dog can't have a genetic problem related to each purebred parent -- but the likelihood is dramatically reduced, especially through health testing and further careful selection of the purebred parents by the breeder helps to avoid these issues.  It is important to note that no crossbreed dog is "immune" to disease or health issues. Crossbreed dogs generally have less genetic health problems, although, like any breed of dog, they can still be subject to "common" ailments. Since starting to raise Cavapoos over a decade ago, we have not had any reports serious reports of genetic defects, but what can happen from time to time is malocclusion (over or underbites), base narrow canines on the lower jaw, and minor teeth misalignment. This happens randomly, even from parents with perfect scissor bites (correct bites), and is solely based on the difference in jaw size and length when mixing the two breeds.  These teeth conditions are, however, not solely a Cavapoo issue, but are actually the most common teeth conditions in dogs of any breed. Please see our Teeth Alignment page for more details! And you can also read our Health Topics page!

Take a look at our Breed History page to read about the history and health concerns for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Miniature Poodle.

Crossbreed or "Designer" dogs are now one of the most sought after puppies -- why?  Quite simply because purebred dogs have become very ill.  The inbreeding amongst the same gene pool over hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of years, has bred into breeds a multitude of diseases, cancers, and bone ailments.  If you think about it for a moment -- man created the dog.  We as humans bred dogs together that had desirable traits to suit a specific purpose of hunting, retrieving, herding, protecting, etc. and to solidify those traits -- we bred them again, and again, and again until we created the "perfect dog".  That is how every single one of the breeds that we know today were created.  All dogs were once wolves, and we bred them to be the dogs that we know today.  And by doing that, we also narrowed their gene pool and bred in a multitude of health issues.  The purebred dog world would have you believe that it is a "mortal sin" to mix two purebred dogs together to create a crossbreed, but they forget that ALL of the purebreds that exist today WERE ONCE A MIXED BREED and are a combination of several breeds that were bred together to create one "superior breed" for a purpose.  The big question is, why did we stop?  Why is it now considered a horrific injustice to once again "create a new breed"?  The goal of reputable hybrid breeders is not to destroy the purebreds, but rather to improve the health of the purebreds by health screening our dogs the same as any other breeder of purebred dogs would do, and to grow with our ever-changing world and to have the right to do what our fore-bearers did many years ago -- to create "dog".

Many breeders will claim that crossbreed dogs have "heterosis" or hybrid vigor -- this is a scientific phenomenon that was first discovered nearly 50 years ago and has been one of the most significant discoveries of all time. The theory of heterosis is exploding everywhere from breeding dogs and livestock to growing superior vegetable and fruit crops in farms across North America.  And the alleged basis of science (as it pertains to dogs) is that when breeding two purebred dogs -- only the superior genes carry forward -- this producing a significantly smarter and healthier dog!  This is unfortunately not true, where crossbreed dogs are healthier in a lot of ways -- true hybrid vigor *ONLY* exists when two different species are bred together and not dog to dog pairings (all dogs are the same species).  Remember that dogs are genetically 99% wolf and therefore by crossing a dog to another dog -- there is no hybrid vigor.  Only through several generations of health testing can a dogs health be improved -- and specifically for the Cavapoo crossbreed it is essential because of the mass amount of gene pool narrowing from in-breeding within the breed that it be outcrossed to other breeds in order to breed diversity back into the lines like the Kennel Clubs overseas are now trying to do!

We *ONLY* raise the Cavapoo from health tested lines for this reason, and you can read more about the benefits of the health tested Cavapoo compared to those solely relying on "hybrid vigor" on the link below (click the link button):