BREED SPOTLIGHT

Breed Spotlight: Cavapoo

Four Minutes
Sep 28, 2022

Cavapoo Quick Stats

LIFESPAN:

10 – 15 years

WEIGHT:

8 – 25 lbs

HEIGHT:

9 – 14 inches

DO I SHED?:

Yes

Personality:

Sweet, gentle, affectionate, moderate energy, easy to train

Common Health Problems:

Joint issues, mitral valve disease, epilepsy, eye conditions

Cavapoo: How Do I Look?

Cavapoos are a cross between a cavalier King Charles spaniel and a poodleThe breed is a hypoallergenic small dog breed with long silky ears and smooth curly fur.3

Coat Type and Colors

Standard cavapoo dogs have smooth but fluffy curls.3 Their coats are a solid color, but they may be born with one color and mature to another when the cavapoo is full grown. Cavapoo’s coats come in a range of colors:

  • Black
  • Brown
  • Gray
  • Red
  • Tan
  • Beige

Ears

Cavapoo ears are long and silky, usually coming to their chin. Their tails are fluffy and curly. While some breeders still dock cavapoo tails, it is seen as medically unnecessary.

Shedding and Grooming

Do cavapoos shed? Yes, but they are low-shedding dogs. However, because of their curly long fur, they can get easily matted. It’s important to pay careful attention to your cavapoo grooming and brush them every few days to prevent matting. You should also bathe and trim your cavapoo every four to six weeks.

Drooling Level

In general, cavapoos are unlikely to have a drooling problem.

Cavapoo: Personality Traits

What My Adoption Bio Would Say:

I’m energetic and curious, but also down to have a snuggly night in. Training me will be fun for both of us since my intelligence lets me pick things up quickly. Just have lots of treats on hand to remind me how good I am! Show me lots of love and I’ll be loyal to you and your family forever.

Behavior

The cavapoo temperament is loyal and social. However, this can manifest as separation anxiety if their person or people leave them for long durations.

Because of their mixed breeds, their individual personalities depend on which breed influences them more.

Exercise Needs

Regular-size cavapoos and mini cavapoos are energetic dogs. Combine that with their natural curiosity, and you’ll soon realize they need stimulation and daily exercise. While they only need about 40 minutes of exercise a day, they need a lot of mental stimulation beyond that. Once trained, they still love to learn new tricks, chew on a toy, or play with you.

Because of their tendency towards joint problems, it’s better to skip the 40-minute run with these guys. Instead, break up their exercise sessions with some playtime and a few shorter walks.

Are Cavapoos Good with Other Pets?

Cavapoos are friendly and tend to get along with other pets, but remember to give them the attention these social butterflies need. Otherwise, they may feel neglected when they see you giving your other pets love.

Trainability

Cavapoo puppies are intelligent and curious. They’re fairly easy to train as long as you start early. They’re little people pleasers, so they’ll respond well to training to make their owners happy. They especially respond well to positive reinforcement. So when cavapoo training, give them lots of love when they pick up a new trick!

Are Cavapoos Good with Kids?

These bundles of energy are great playmates for young children. They’re small and don’t have aggressive tendencies. Plus, they’re cuddly and people-pleasing, which can help children regulate their emotions. With their high energy levels, either they’ll wear your kids out, or your kids will wear them out playing. But either way, they’re happy to snuggle up at the end of a long day, making them one of the best dog breeds for families.

Barking Level

Do cavapoos bark a lot? Yes, they’re rather vocal dogs. However, they’re also quite intelligent and can be trained to overcome their barking.

Cavapoo: A History

Cavapoos are a relatively new dog breed.3 They originated in Australia in the 1990s as designer dogs. This new mix of the purebred cavalier King Charles spaniel and the miniature poodle quickly rose to popularity. They were bred with the intent of creating a hypoallergenic designer breed, one that merged the intelligence of poodles with the gentle and sweet nature of King Charles spaniels.

Fun fact: Cavapoos are also called Cavadoodles and Cavoodles.

Cavapoo Health Issues

Cavapoos may experience a variety of health issues, including:

  • Syringomyelia: Fluid in the spinal cord
  • Patellar luxationa kneecap that moves out of its normal position
  • Hip dysplasia: a painful skeletal condition affecting the hips
  • Mitral valve disease: a heart condition that leads to a lack of oxygen supply to the blood
  • Addison’s disease: an adrenal gland hormone deficiency
  • Diabetes
  • Cushing’s disease: a condition marked by too much cortisol
  • Epilepsy
  • Progressive retinal atrophy
  • Cherry eye
  • Entropion: a condition where the eyelid grows inward
  • Cataracts
  • Glaucoma

Protect your Pets

Even the healthiest of pups can come with unexpected vet costs. Pet insurance can help keep your dog and your bank account happy.

How Pet Insurance Can Help Cavapoos

Cavapoos carry genetic tendencies for health issues from both the cavalier King Charles spaniel and poodle breeds. Giving them a long and healthy life may be costly — but that’s where a MetLife dog insurance policy may come in handy.1

Hip dysplasia

Hip dysplasia is when a dog’s hip bone ball and socket no longer fit together right. While hip dysplasia can affect dogs of any age, it tends to develop more in senior dogs or in your cavapoo adult. It’s caused by a combination of genetics, poor nutrition, and over or under-exercising.

Surgery is the primary treatment for hip dysplasia. However, surgery can be extensive and often involves breaking and realigning bones, or full hip replacements. These procedures are expensive, but give your cavapoo the best chance at a healthy life.

Mitral valve disease

Mitral valve disease starts as a heart murmur and progresses to heart failure. It’s essentially a weakening of the mitral valve, which usually turns into a leak. This heart condition is common in both King Charles cavaliers and poodles, so cavapoos have a genetic predisposition.

Diagnosis consists of electrocardiograms and ultrasounds. Treatment often means putting your cavapoo puppy on medications like ACE inhibitors and diuretics for the rest of their life. Some cases even need expensive cardiac surgery.

Cataracts

Cataracts present as opacity in your cavapoo’s eyes. This causes blurriness, or in extreme cases, blindness. They can be caused by a number of factors, including diabetes, age, toxins, shocks, and genetics. cavapoos get their genetic disposition to cataracts from the poodle side of their family tree.

Expensive cataract surgery is the only way to reverse the condition and give your dog its sight back. Essentially, the veterinarian will remove the lens of your cavapoo’s eye and replace it with a plastic one. Your dog will then need eye drops for the duration of its recovery.

Treat your cavapoo puppy like a family member by giving them the best health care possible. Learn how pet insurance works now, so you have a plan in place to pay for any cavapoo health issues that come your way. Plus, getting a pet health insurance policy when your cavapoo is a pup protects you from pre-existing conditions.2 This empowers you to care for your cavapoo dog, pay for treatments, and give them the best quality of life possible.

Protect your Cavapoo with Pet Insurance

Enroll in 3 Easy Steps

Nothing in this article should be construed as financial, legal or veterinary advice. Please consult your own advisors for questions relating to your and your pet’s specific circumstances.

1 Pet Insurance offered by MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions LLC is underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company (“IAIC”), a Delaware insurance company, headquartered at 485 Madison Avenue, NY, NY 10022, and Metropolitan General Insurance Company (“MetGen”), a Rhode Island insurance company, headquartered at 700 Quaker Lane, Warwick, RI 02886, in those states where MetGen’s policies are available. MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions LLC is the policy administrator authorized by IAIC and MetGen to offer and administer pet insurance policies. MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions LLC was previously known as PetFirst Healthcare, LLC and in some states continues to operate under that name pending approval of its application for a name change. The entity may operate under an alternate, assumed, and/or fictitious name in certain jurisdictions as approved, including MetLife Pet Insurance Services LLC (New York and Minnesota), MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions Agency LLC (Illinois), and such other alternate, assumed, or fictitious names approved by certain jurisdictions.

2  Provided all terms of the policy are met. Application is subject to underwriting review and approval. Like most insurance policies, insurance policies issued by IAIC and MetGen contain certain deductibles, co-insurance, exclusions, exceptions, reductions, limitations, and terms for keeping them in force. For costs, complete details of coverage and exclusions, and a listing of approved states, please contact MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions LLC.

3 “Cavapoo,” Daily Paws

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