Cavapoo Hybrid Dogs

The Cavapoo, also known as a Cavoodle, is a cross between a Miniature or Toy Poodle and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Many Cavapoos are second generation crosses either back to one of the original parent breeds or to another Cavapoo, which can result in a fairly wide range of appearances within this hybrid dog.

Generally the Cavoodle is between 8 and 15 inches at the shoulder and weighs between 7 and 12 pounds, although some may be larger and some smaller.

If a Toy Poodle is used in the breeding program the Cavapoo will be smaller than the weights and heights indicated above.

The Cavoodle is not a delicate canine hybrid, rather he or she is robust and active, with a well balanced body and a natural athletic ability. The legs are straight and moderately long and the body is rectangular in shape. The head is well positioned over the shoulders. The chest is moderately deep with a well sprung rib cage and a longer, gently arching neck. The tail is gently curling to straighter with long, feathery fringe hair.

The head of the Cavapoo may favor the Poodle or the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with longer, hanging ears, bright alert eyes and rather heavy brow hair seen in both breeds. The hair can be longer or shorter but will almost always be very wavy to curly. Most Cavoodles are very low shedding dogs and may be hypoallergenic for mild to moderate allergy sufferers.

Colors of the coat range from solid whites, blacks, tans and fawn to yellow colors through to tri colors and spotted white with black or white with brown. Often there are white markings on the top of the muzzle and on the chest and legs.

Temperament

Any dog types with either the Poodle or the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are likely to be very friendly, highly intelligent and very people-oriented dogs. The Cavapoo is a great pet for families with children, for older people or for those that truly want a companion dog. Most Cavapoos are very easy to train and socialize and seem to be wonderfully adaptable to a wide variety of situations.

The Cavoodle, as a companion pet, does need to have frequent and ongoing contact with their family. They prefer to stay with people at all times and will not be suited for living conditions where the dog is alone a large part of the day or is expected to live outside or in a kennel.

As with most hybrid breeds with Poodle heritage there is a certain amount of grooming required to keep the coat looking tip top. A complete grooming at least twice a week is important, however clipping the dog every two to three months can cut down on the amount of grooming required.

These dogs may be prone to conditions such as dry eyes or infections of the eyes so routine cleaning and checking of the eye area is important. The longer, droopy ears are also prone to infections so be sure to check the ears for any signs of wax build-up that could signal infections. Most Cavapoos will live well into their teens when properly cared for and exercised.

 by Julie-Ann Amos, professional writer, and owner of international writing agency www.ExquisiteWriting.com

Why not create your own HubPages? It's fun and you can make revenue from Adsense and other revenue streams on your pages. JOIN HUBPAGES NOW - SIMPLY CLICK HERE...

 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ or send a letter to CreativeCommons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California94105, USA.